Court of Honor

Three boys from my Den attended Troop 794's recent Court of Honor. This is a ceremony marking a Boy Scouts advancement from one rank to the next. Other awards and achievements are also recognized at this event.My son Stephen was recognized for achieving the rank of Life Scout. We were called up to stand behind him as we have always done to support him in Boy Scouts. My husband, Scott, and I are both in uniform because we are both Merit Badge Councilors for the Troop. Can you tell we are proud?Also recognized at this Court of Honor were the young men and adults who recently completed not one or two Fourteeners but three in one day. Scott, Stephen and Joshua all climbed three mountains over 14 thousand feet in height at the peak. I'm so proud of all my Scouts. Climbing 14ers and achieving Life Scout certainly build character!

Olathe Corn Festival

The Olathe Corn Festival began the day with a parade through the town. I was invited by Brenda Baecker, Mrs. Colorado International 2008, to ride on the Republican float.I met State Representative Scott Tippin while waiting for the parade to begin.

Here I am with Montrose County Commissioner Dave White. The people in this part of Colorado are so welcoming!

At the corn festival, my duties included signing autograph cards. Tough duty! Ha ha!
My boys had so much fun eating corn, seeing all the vendors and they even were able to try rock climbing! I'm glad I didn't have to watch.
This is the Popcorn Wagon that is used as a fundraiser for the Colorado International Pageants. We are now a non profit. If you would like to have this antique popcorn wagon at your next event, go to our website to contact Cindy.
I'm not sure how much corn I ate. It was a buttery, salty, all you can eat, amazing day.

Boy Scout Day at the Rockies

Even though I was operating on only three hours of sleep from my return from the International pageants, I was excited to attend Boy Scout Day at the Rockies.
We lined up outside the stadium with other scout troops from around the state before entering the Stadium. On the way in, each participant received a patch and "lunch box".
We paraded around the field. If you look closely, you can see our pack with the pack flag.Seventh Inning Stretch! This gives new meaning to the tradition!
What is a game without food, friends and fun?

Miss and Miss Teen International 2009

I was able to stay the second week of the International Pageants for the Miss and Miss Teen divisions. It was such an honor to meet Jayna Altman. She is such a gracious young lady.Emily and Jamie arrived ready for an exciting week of tours, rehearsals, interviews and preliminaries.If you would like to compete in either of these divisions, please contact Cindy at Colorado Crown.
Sherryl Ellison, Mrs. California International 2009 stayed that week to cheer for her daughter who was competing in the Miss Teen division. How cool is that?!
These beautiful ladies had the difficult task of choosing one winner for each division from a field of so many qualified young women.
Each night of the prelims, I was introduced to the crowd-spotlight and all. It was so wonderful to be able to support Emily and Jamie.
Of course, now that my competition was over, time to feast! My first Chicago Hot Dog. It was soooo good!While I was there I was able to act as Assistant Director. I helped Emily get ready for her personal interview. At the end of the week, Cindy asked me to come on board as her official Assistant Director. I will continue my reign through the end of February and possibly move into that position at that time.
I loved watching these two work together. They supported one another with true sisterly love (no, they aren't actually sisters).This mall was located across the street. I spent much of my spare time there.

Mrs. International Pageant

I attended the Mrs. International Pageant in Chicago. It was an amazing experience! We started the week with a tour of Chicago. We had a wonderful tour guide on our open air double decker bus.
I saw the old Marshal Field building. I think we are somehow related.
We stopped and took pictures along the way. Each of these women were so amazing in their own right. I was glad I was not a judge!
We spent days in rehearsals for the opening number and to learn what to do during the evening gown and aerobic wear portions of the competition.This is my group for the interview portion. The judges were all so kind and asked relevant questions. It was actually fun to speak with these wonderful judges. Who thought that interview could be so much fun!
Friday night was the preliminary competition and Saturday night was the finals. My handsome husband was my escort for the evening gown portion. He has always been such a gentleman.Although I did not make the top 10, I did make some amazing friends. Here I am with Mrs. Alaska International, Gianna Varrati-Simmons and Mrs. Turkey Internationa, Elif Bower. We met on Face Book and finally were able to have coffee together face to face. What a blessing to get to know her.
The new queen is Armaiti Shahidi. She is a very gracious woman and will represent our class of 2009 well. I wish her the best for her year as Mrs. International 2009! If you are interested in competing in the Mrs. Colorado International Pageant in October 2009 for the 2010 title, please visit our website at Colorado Crown.

Mrs. International

I am off to compete at Mrs. International. Here is my ad page that will be listed in the program. I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has helped me along the path that has lead me here. I thank my LORD for giving me the courage to stand up for what I believe in and to share it with the world. I thank my family for the endless hours of practice they have endured to prepare me. I especially want to thank my husband, Scott for supporting me even when he didn't understand why I was competing. My mother, also, gets a great big thank you for all her support. I couldn't have done this with out her. I guess you are never too old to need your mom's guidance. I am sure I can't list everyone here or this blog would go on forever. I would like to thank a few more people. Nicole Cosme at Denver Area Council , Reanne of the Royal Image Boutique , Megan of Graphique Fine Arts Photogaphy and especially, Suzy Bootz of Suzy Bootz Consulting . Without all these people supporting me, I never could have come so far.I would also like to take the time to thank Cindy Harwood, my state director. She has been such a help and source for information about this pageant. If you would like more information about the Mrs., Miss or Miss Teen Colorado International Pageant please go to Colorado Crown or check out the Mrs. International website if you live in another state. If you have a platform you are passionate about and would like to compete in a pageant system that is truly family oriented, then International Pageants are what you are looking for. I hope to see you at the next state level International Pageant!

Cub Scout Camp

One of the fun things that Boy Scouts is known for is camping. At the Boy Scout level, the boys camp over many weekends and in the summer they get to go away to camp for a full week. At the Cub Scout level, we do what I like to call "camping light". The Cub Scout Camp is for three days and two nights. The days are filled with activities like BB guns, archery, sling shots, crafts, catapults and swimming. The food is all cooked and served in large mess halls. We sleep in army style canvas tents on cots. So there isn't much for a parent to do except sit back and enjoy your time with your Cub Scout. This was our last year to do Cub Scout Camping. Although it was scheduled right before leaving for Mrs. International, I am so glad I took this time with my son. I hope the judges can appreciate a sun burned nose and tan lines!

Matt and his best buddy, Derek, work on crafts. They are building a small catapult.

Here are the boys getting ready to launch a full scale catapult. They first practiced with tennis balls eventually tossing 16 balls in the air. The final launch was a soccer ball. For the launch to be successful, the boys had to work as a team. This was a great exercise in working together and following directions.

The boys and their siblings are preparing for archery. They are actually establishing what is called "eye dominance". In children under 14 years of age, this can change quickly so it must be reestablished each time they prepare to shoot a weapon.

Safety was a big part of each weapon station. Each time we approached the range, the counselors reviewed all safety tips. We had to ask permission to enter and exit the range and eye protection was required at all ranges. Being a Boy Scout Counselor is a lot of responsibility. It is an opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills that will take all these young men and women into a better tomorrow for all of us.

Cherry Creek Arts Festival

As active members and business of the year 2007 for Cherry Creek Chamber of Commerce, I worked at a snow cone booth at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival to support the chamber. The Chamber seeks To welcome business leaders to the Cherry Creek Experience by providing opportunities for unique connections, professional and personal growth, and service to our community. I am also a board member for the Women of Cherry Creek. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month for networking and an informative presentation over lunch. It is such a joy to encourage women in their business endeavors.It was so much fun to scoop the ice. Who knew packing ice in a paper cone could be such a science. For every snow cone we sold, some of that money went back to the Cherry Creek Chamber to help businesses in the Cherry Creek area succeed through networking events and education.

The best part was watching the kids design their own cones.

4th of July Parade

Today we celebrate our Independence Day with parades all over the country. There are big city parades and thousands of neighborhood parades like the one in Highland 460.

I couldn't resist a photo with my friends daughter, Sophie. I love her tiara on her helmet. Safety first. Doing it stylishly is a bonus!

Each year the Littleton Fire Department leads our parade. A big thank you to these men and women who protect us and keep us safe.

The parade meanders through the neighborhood ending at our park.

This beautiful little girl just got a new family when she was recently adopted. Rebekah Negrete, Mrs. International 2007, promoted foster adoption awareness through her platform of Heart Gallery of America. For more information on this, please visit Heart Gallery of America .

Encouragement

One of the most amazing thing I have discovered about beauty queens is how much they really like each other. In general, we are nice to one another. I even remember overhearing a conversation between a young makeup artist and her mom. She was explaining how shocked she was that all the women who were competing in the pageant were so nice.

I am an encourager by nature. One of my favorite books is called Balcony People. It is a short book about how some of the most important people in the world aren't the ones on the stage, but the ones in the balcony, cheering them on. Tonight I was able to do just that. I attended the going away party for Erin Feltes, Mrs. Colorado Galaxy. It was so much fun to wish her well and catch up with an old pageant friend, Rita.Here we all are. I'm not sure what a good name would be for this group. We have spent the year attending each others pageants and cheering each other on. We have share appearances, medical emergencies and encouragement. These ladies represent the best of pageantry- true friendship. We are (L-R) Jessica Smith, Miss Colorado Galaxy 2009; Rita Case, Ms. Colorado Planet Beach 2008 and 1st runner up to Mrs. Colorado 2009; Erin Feltes, Mrs. Colorado Galaxy 2009 and myself, Mrs. Colorado International 2009