SEPTEMBER 6, 2006
FINAL COMPETITION IS HERE!

Wow, I can't believe it, my time here at Mrs. America is almost at an end! What an amazing experience this has been in every way! Today we had the morning off, which was MUCH appreciated! I slept in, finished packing, and then spent some time out by the pool with my girlfriends Sarah Moses (owner of The Pageant Shop by Michael's) and Kim Falk (our maid of honor & my college roommate). My mom helped out a lot by taking four boxes to the UPS store and shipping them home. The packing/unpacking process is the one thing I definitely will not miss, ha ha! I treated myself to a cheeseburger for lunch, and I swear it was the best tasting burger of my life! YUM! We had our final rehearsal in the afternoon, and it was the hottest day yet! Practice was delayed a bit when ominous thunderclouds rolled in and lightning stuck, but they soon passed and we were released to get ready for the show. I had brought all of my clothes, hair & makeup stuff, etc., down to the dressing room (which is a HIKE from our hotel room) when I realized I'd forgotten to bring photos of our little girl (I tape them to my dressing room mirror to remind myself of what is TRULY important in life). So I made a special trip back to the room to get those--I felt naked without them if that makes sense. When you're competing in a pageant, it is easy to get caught up in the "fluff," and having her photos in front of me keeps me grounded. No matter what the outcome, the greatest prize of all was waiting for me at home!

As we prepared for the final pageant, it was just so surreal that we were finally about to compete. I remember looking around the room at all of these beautiful and talented women that I had become friends with during the past two weeks, and thinking that any one of them would make a great queen. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it was such an honor to be there in the first place! The pageant finally began with our opening number to "Pretty Woman," and we each carried our state flag. It was a gorgeous night and I could see my friends and family right away, waving their signs and light-up sticks. We then competed in our State Costumes and the one thing I wasn't crazy about in that portion was that the announcer only said our name and state (but never actually described our costume). It was obvious what some costumes were, but I felt that others needed explanation. Plus, so much time and effort went into the creation of these costumes that I felt they deserved more time. Maybe they will add that into the final telecast? I hope so. The winner of the costume event was Mrs. Alaska, and she definitely was the crowd favorite (including mine!). Her mom and husband helped her make her "igloo" skirt and it was just an amazing costume. I was glad to see her win...I think we all were pulling for her!

After costume, we changed into our Niki Wior swimsuits/sarongs and performed our opening number, which I think went pretty well. The Top Ten were then announced and they were: Georgia, Wyoming, Alaska, Washington, Arizona, Louisiana, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Iowa. Then they announced the additional two finalists (to make it a Top 12), who qualified based on their preliminary scores in addition to the extra competitions throughout the past two weeks. My name was announced along with Mrs. NY (who is hilarious - what you see is what you get with her - she is really awesome). So that was fun. I had a feeling I would get called as one of the two "extras" since I was the only delegate who "won" two of the competitions. They are really going for that reality spin on the pageant. Anyway, the Top 12 then competed in Swimsuit (we changed into brown & leopard print swimsuits), and then in Evening Gown. The Top 12 were then narrowed to a Top 5, and they were: Louisiana, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Nebraska. I'd gotten to know each of these girls and they all were great picks. I have to admit I was surprised not to see Mrs. Wyoming in there...she is beautiful AND has a great personality. We the contestants were then able to vote one lady "back in" to the Top 5, therefore making it a Top 6. The three top vote getters were announced, and they were Mrs. South Carolina, Mrs. North Carolina, and Mrs. Maine...with Mrs. North Carolina being announced as the winner. So she went out for the final question (each contestant answered a different question). The scores were tabulated and the court was announced: 5th RU was Mrs. Nebraska, 4th RU was Mrs. North Carolina, 3rd RU was Mrs. Louisiana, 2nd RU was Mrs. Utah, 1st RU was Mrs. Colorado...which meant the new Mrs. America was Mrs. Arizona, Diane Tucker! She DEFINITELY deserved the win...I had her as one of my top picks from the moment I met her. She is classy, elegant and well-spoken and will make a great titleholder. I don't think there was one woman competing that had a problem with her winning. I wish her the best and know she will do a great job! On a side note, immediately after the crowing, two of the women announced they were pregnant! One was my roommate Mrs. Georgia, and I feel completely clueless that I didn't figure it out with all of the hints she gave me! So much for a woman's intuition, ha ha! The other is Mrs. Louisiana. The fact that two of the Top 12 were pregnant is SO COOL to me! They both looked radiant and now I know why! Congrats ladies, that is wonderful news!

After the pageant, we took tons of photos of course, and then packed up and headed back to the hotel to celebrate. My husband Matt and I headed up to the Ventana Room for the Coronation Party for the Top 12, and then back downstairs to celebrate with my family and friends. No matter what, they are the people who have been there for me through it all, and I could not have done it without their love and support. It was a long evening and when we headed back to our room, a bottle of champagne was waiting for us courtesy of Tami Krause (Mrs. MN 2003) & Kim Dorn (Mrs. MN 2005)...what a sweet thing to do! I was so touched! What an amazing day and night...I was exhausted but couldn't wait for morning to come because that meant I'd be on my way to see our little girl! WOW, this is an experience that I will NEVER forget! Thank you to my directors and the Mrs. America organization for providing the experience of a lifetime. You treated us all like queens and now it is time for me to go back to Minnesota and be the best Mrs. MN that I can be!

PHOTOS:
1) Mrs. Illinois, Mrs. Idaho, and I taking a break from the heat at our last rehearsal.
2) The ladies in silver gowns (Mrs. Arkansas, Mrs. Texas, and I)
3) With the reigning Mrs. World before she performed in the dance number.
4) Mrs. Georgia, Mrs. Iowa, and I waiting to compete in Evening Gown.
5) With Mrs. World again
6) With my directors, Carl & Faith Schway
7) "Team Schway" (Faith & Carl Schway direct the Mrs. IA, MN, GA, & WI pageants)
8) With Mrs. Idaho and Andrea Preuss (Mrs. America 2006) just after she passed her title on to the new winner.
9) My husband Matt & I.
10) My support gals - L to R: Kim Falk (longtime friend), Allison Stavrakis (State Director of Mrs/Miss/Teen MN Int'l), Paula Preston (photographer extraordinaire), me, Sarah Moses (owner of The Pageant Shop by Michael's), and my mom Bonnie Henderson
11) Matt & I with my parents, Rick & Bonnie Henderson
12) With Nicole Brink (Mrs. America & Mrs. World 2002!)...thank you for your support!
13) With the NEW MRS. AMERICA 2007 Diane Tucker of Arizona! CONGRATULATIONS DIANE!