Frozen Yogurt, Warm Hearts

Collecting CMN Funds!

     Sometimes I think I should be a quick chance artist - After a quick change in the bathroom, I left the bowling ally and made the quick seven-minute trip over to the new TCBY in Ralston. Saturday was the grand opening and the owners (my boyfriend's parents) agreed to donate part of the proceeds to the Children's Miracle Network if I would make an appearance for two hours! The rest of the proceeds went to the Ralston Schools Foundation - how could I possibly pass up an event benefiting CMN and public schools?

With the wonderful owners, Tom Negley and Kara Goos Negley!

With the heir to the TCBY Throne!

 

     It was such a joy to spend the afternoon with people I love. Not only was my boyfriend there volunteering, but I also got to spend the time with his parents and two of our friends! While everyone else made the work go smoothly, I was able to walk around the restaurant, chatting, taking pictures, and informing people about the Children's Miracle Network.

Isn't she adorable?!

 

     Not only was it great to help a great cause and to meet so many people from the community, but it was also wonderful because I was confronted with how much I have grown through this pageant system.

     Last year I remember going to my first event and being scared to approach anyone. I didn't want to go up and bother people at events to talk or ask them to take a picture, so I walked around and talked when I didn't feel like I was imposing too much (which wasn't often).

School spirit and frozen yogurt!

 

     At this event, a little over a year later, my boyfriend told me that he lost me at some points throughout the afternoon because I was lost in conversation with a group of people that he would have sworn I had walked in with if he didn't know better. Truthfully, I get immense joy out of introducing myself, meeting new people, and chatting with them while we support a good cause.

     This signified such growth to me, going from being completely introverted and afraid to put myself out there, to being able to approach a new group of people and have a conversation with them as if we have known each other forever! I couldn't be more thankful for these skills that I have built up through my pageant involvement or for the opportunities I have received that have gotten me to this point.

 

     Win or lose in June - God has certainly blessed me!

Bowling and Beauty Queen(s)...Take 2

     When an event popped up for my platform on Saturday, I couldn't resist attending and meeting more of the wonderful kids who have experienced hearing loss.
     This particular event took me to Mockingbird Bowling Alley where kids through grade six were invited to hang out and bowl with other students who have experienced hearing loss. Upon arriving, I met Izzy, a young girl who was attending her very first MRP outing. It was an honor to meet Izzy - she reminded me a little of myself. Izzy currently knows minimal sign language and admitted to me that she was shy - that's easy to understand when you have to learn to communicate in a new manner and have trouble hearing those around you. That is exactly what happened to me!

     Throughout the day, Izzy and I met the other kids together. We met kids like Zach and Jorge, who were mostly able to talk to us and kids like Kaleb and Ian who communicated mostly through sign language.

With Jorge and Molly. Jorge got a number of strikes and spares - I would have been a little scared to play him!

 

With Molly. She was incredibly sweet and told me what Ian was saying when I really struggled with something!

 

With Zach and Kaleb. They were a joy to watch. Zach managed to bowl a strike for a friend and spent the rest of the outing trying to bowl a strike for himself!

 

     The kids seemed to have a lot of fun, but it was Ian who really made my experience memorable! Despite the language barrier separating us, Ian wouldn't give up on me. He excitedly sped through his stories, but did slow down when I asked and he repeated things as necessary. When I wasn't getting something, he found a different way to sign and let me know what he was trying to say. Even while retelling the same element of his story several times, Ian remained excited! It was really touching that this young boy was so patient and understanding and intent on communicating with me despite the troubles it presented. This is the same kind of understanding and patience that I hope to spread to the rest of our society so that we can open as many lines of communication as possible.

Heartland Walk for Warmth

 

With some volunteers at the Heartland Walk for Warmth

 

     After stealing about four hours of sleep, I awoke Saturday morning to prepare for three back-to-back appearances. Now I don't normally go looking to completely fill my schedule like this, but I had agreed to attend the Walk for Warmth Saturday morning before Aleah Peters (Miss Douglas County) had suggested doing the dance marathon together. Two appearances didn't sound bad. Then, I found an appearance for my platform and just knew I had to be there, so I scheduled this third appearance. Then, my boyfriends parents announced that Saturday was also the day of the grand opening for their new TCBY. Not only was it extremely important for me to be there to support them because I care about them, but they also agreed to donate part of the days proceeds to the Children's Miracle Network if I would make an appearance. Thus I ended up with a nearly 24 hour marathon to begin my weekend!

 

     The first event Saturday was the Heartland Walk for Warmth. Knowing I was leaving my warm house to spend a few hours in the cold, I wrapped up in my warmest clothes, got in my car, turned up the heat, and turned on my heated seats (which I have become highly fond of in the winter months).
     I spent a good part of the morning shivering, but that was exactly the point. As I was being interviewed with Ellie Lorenzen (Miss Nebraska USA) and Kandis Friedenbach (Mrs. Nebraska) for a local radio station, it really hit me.
     So many of us take our heat for granted. We go home and turn on our heat, we use heated blankets, we get in our cars and turn on the heat, we use our heated seats, and we walk into heated buildings when we go to work, school, or activities. Often times we even complain about how cold it is - I know I do.
     But the reality is that there are people out there who don't have the option to go inside and warm-up or to avoid the bitter cold that Nebraska winters bring. It is estimated that 11.3% of the Omaha population lives in poverty. Since 2009, we have seen a 20.9% increase in need for OPPD's energy assistance program, which includes 401 senior citizens.
     This isn't a problem that we should be ignoring and the walk aims to do exactly that. Not only does it raise awareness when kind, charitable individuals give up a morning of warmth to walk in the cold weather of our great state, but these people have also raised funds in order to provide heat (and cooling for the summer months) to individuals who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford it.
     So, if you get a chance, please visit the website, donate a little bit to help heat a home, and consider joining us for the walk next year!
     You can find all the information at:  heartlandwalkforwarmth.org

Dance Marathon

  

   With several of the Miracle Kids at the UNL Dance Marathon! I just love spending time with them - I even got autographs from some of the kids!

    Four events spread out over nearly 24 hours, Five hours of practice, and another appearance - needless to say I am exhausted now that the weekend is over! Honestly, I wouldn't have traded this weekend for the world though!
     Despite the snow, several of us Miss Nebraska contestants made the trek out to Lincoln Friday night to take part in the Dance Marathon - a truly unique and unbelievably fun fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network.

     After a brief dinner and a stop at Starbucks (which would be necessary looking at the twelve hours of dancing ahead of us), we entered the packed UNL Student Union and made our way through the crowds of carefree college kids. After taking some pictures together, Aleah Peters, Mindy Schreiber, Rachel Foehlinger, Charissa Hauge, Meghan Thalken, and I went down to visit the Family Room where the Miracle Families that we were celebrating were hanging out and playing games. If you truly want to be inspired, talk with any of these kids or their families for five minutes.  

Quick photo-op!

One of the miracle kids - he was just too cute!

     While we were in the family room, we met many of the kids and their families who seemed to be truly enjoying the evening. One of the girls we met however, truly inspired all of us.

     Hope started the evening by saying how much she wanted to wear a crown like ours, so we quickly made that dream come true, and Charissa put the crown upon Hope's head. To see the way Hope's eyes lit up - the feeling was indescribable, but it certainly melted my heart!

     You probably need to watch out for Hope on the Miss Nebraska stage someday too - she went on to lead a rap session with us, singing "hey big daddy, hey big daddy, hey" and beat-boxing when we took over the rapping! Talk about a little girl who is completely comfortable in who she is and what she has to offer the world! Everyone could take a few notes from Hope!

 

 Glow-sticks!

Having fun dancing!

     After we left the family room, we finally hit the dance floor upstairs. Last year, I was really kind of on my own in terms of the things I did before Miss Nebraska. I have felt so honored and blessed to be able to experience so many things with my sister queens this year, including the Marathon. It was so fun to just forget about all of our pageant responsibilities and to just get to know each other better and to enjoy each others company! It was so fun dancing with the girls and we even got to sneak away for some girl talk for a little bit! 

 

2A.M. - Waiting for the Bathtub Dogs to start!

      The organizers of the event also provided food for us throughout the night, and I don't think anyone moved faster toward the Raising Cane's that was provided than the pageant girls!
      Although I was prepped for a whole 12 hours of fun and dancing with the girls, several of them were tired and had important things going on the next day. At about 2:30 Meghan, Rachel, Charissa, and I finally decided to turn in and Charissa and I began the trek back to Omaha. I am happy to say that I was very awake for the hour drive back to my house, but I am thankful that I was able to snag about four hours of sleep before my first event Saturday morning!

Dancing through the Decades and Polar Plunging

With Luke, one of the first guests! He was extremely kind and helped me get warmed up on my finger spelling!

     I honestly do not think I could have asked for a better weekend! Friday got it off to a great start because I was able to attend a Decades Dance sponsored by the Metro Regional Program for Children Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I had so much fun dressing up in 90's clothes, but I also loved the activities at the dance!

Slow Dance

     After the kids ate, they started dancing to classics such as Elvis and the Grease Soundtrack, but they also enjoyed modern music such as Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber! The only thing the kids seemed uninterested in dancing to were the slow songs. So I dragged some of the kids on the dance floor, got them into a big circle, and got them swaying together and singing along dramatically with the song - they seemed to love it and didn't skip a slow song again! I even got asked to slow dance once by a young man named Michael - I am pretty sure he has had lessons too because he knew the hand placements!

 Picture Time!

Hula Hoop Contest!

     Besides the dancing, the kids also got to have their pictures taken and had fun with several activities throughout the night! The first activity was hula hooping. I watched the kids compete in the contest with immense ease when I heard "Oh princess..." I'm pretty sure my face turned bright red - hula hooping really isn't my forte! I got up and joined in the fun anyways, lasting maybe 5 seconds! The kids had a great time though and cheered me on anyways!

     The kids also played a game in which the boys stood on one side, the girls stood on the other, and the sides took turns leading the other side through the passageway they created. It started off with the girls picking a way to move through their peers and the boys following, but it quickly changed to the boys leading. This is when it really hit me - at any normal middle or high school dance, the kids would make fun of the way someone a little different danced down the aisle or mock them. These kids followed along no matter how silly or awkward the moves were and seemed to enjoy themselves the entire time.

     At this time I realized that I have NEVER been in a room full of that much loving, kindness, and acceptance. I found myself sitting back several times throughout the night with a slight smile on my face thinking how lucky I was to take part in this activity and spend time with such wonderful people!

     I was also incredibly excited when I realized that I was able to carry out an entire conversation without ever opening my mouth! My goal this year is to become conversational in sign language, so this was a huge accomplishment for me!
     Overall, the dance reminded me exactly what I am working for and re-energized my work for my platform. I cannot wait to travel this state, and hopefully this nation, to spread the message of hearing loss prevention and awareness!

     Saturday morning I woke up and started getting ready for the Polar Plunge, it was once again time to plunge into freezing cold water to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics! As I moved about, getting things ready and putting on my swimsuit, shirt, and yoga pants, I thought back to my experience last year.

Plungers run all the way out to the mannequin



     Last year was my first experience ever taking the plunge and I remember thinking it was a great once-in-a-lifetime experience. I even remember questioning why anyone would do this more than once. Yet, I somehow found myself asking some of my sister queens to join me and plunge for the cause. Charissa Hauge, Miss Heartland, and Kalyssa Hoeffer, Miss Star City joined me Saturday morning walking around in the cold and enjoying the excitement radiating from all of the plungers.

I was so happy to spend the morning with these ladies!

 Kalyssa and I before the plunge

 Running into the frigid water

Running out!



     I think that is what brings people back every year - the energy and charity that is evident at the event is beyond many others. This is a group of people truly interested in making a difference and willing to go outside of their comfort zone to support those who deserve it!

 Team Shivering Star Wars

 Just Monkeying Around! ;)

Special Olympics Polar Bear



     After plunging last year, I thought I knew exactly what to expect and wasn't very worried as we prepared to start the days festivities as the first ones in! I quickly found out that plunging on your own is a lot different than plunging with others! The water was colder than I had expected and I had forgotten how muddy and sticky the lake bed was. I had trouble getting started and I got stuck a few times, but it was totally worth the experience!

 

One of the Special Olympics Board Members - what a brave soul!



     I am so happy that I went back to support the Special Olympics and I am thrilled that Charissa and Kalyssa joined me! It made the experience even better and I know they enjoyed it too!

Mario Kart!

     Before the plunge I asked one woman if she would mind using my camera to capture some pictures while we plunged and she kindly agreed. After the plunge (and changing into dry clothes!), I went back out to thank the lady and get my camera back. I started panicking a little when I couldn't find her. I did eventually find her, but the girls had already headed out by the time I was ready to go. On the way out, I happened to get stopped and interviewed by two news stations!

     The interviews are posted below - enjoy :)

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Taking-The-Plunge-For-A-Good-Cause-191543451.html

Hundreds Brave Icy Waters for Charity - www.kmtv.com

Pancakes and Pineapple!

    
     This past Tuesday marked one of my FAVORITE fundraisers/appearances - Free Pancake Day! IHOP generously offers free pancakes to people all day in exchange for donations to the Children's Miracle Network - and who doesn't love free food?
     As a titleholder, Children's Miracle Network is an organization that is very close to my heart! Part of my service includes raising awareness of, and funds for, the organization. The IHOP fundraiser allows me (and all of the other wonderful titleholders) a chance to do just this, informing people about the organization and asking people to help us raise millions of dollars for sick children in our nation.

     This year I was able to work with my newest sister queen, Steffani Jiroux. It was a wonderful opportunity because I got to know Steffani a little better and we had a wonderful time chatting with guests and talking during down time! I cannot wait to get to know Steffani even better!

     Despite the cold and rain that swept over Omaha this last Saturday, I donned a short dress, strappy heels, a tropical lei, and a flower in my hair and I headed out to the Hilton downtown. The task was simple - attend the Rosie Rocks the Luau Fundraiser for the Rose Theater and work as a ring model.

 Table Decoration

 Part of the Auction

Aloha!

     In an effort to raise funds for the Rose Outreach Program and provide classes, residencies, workshops, and school field trips, the Rose ran a Luau which included a GIANT auction, dinner, dancing, and presentations. I was astonished by the auction.  While I have served at my fair share of silent and live auctions, the Rose had an entire hallway (and a half) packed with items. They had everything ranging from gift cards and toys to trips and a special Taylor Swift package! They also had a gorgeous custom design ring that they asked me to show off!

 14k rose gold, 91 champagne colored diamonds

     It really was an honor that they entrusted me with something so special and allowed me to show it off throughout the evening. As I did this, I was able to meet many of the party-goers and have some nice conversations.

     Not only did I get to learn about each of the attendees, but I was also able to talk to people about Nebraska's claim to fame, Kool-Aid and the festival that celebrates it. It always amazes me how many people know that Kool-Aid was invented in Nebraska, but many of them do not know about the festival! I couldn't be more happy to fill them in!