I spent the better part of last week in Washington D. C., attending the final event of the National Anthem Project. Thursday's event at the Washington monument was a sight to see. From where I was standing (on stage with the Oakridge Boys), I experienced one of the most spectacular views...on the monument lawn stood over 5000 children from all over the United States singing the National Anthem. That very moment made every ounce of work put into the project worth it. I had the chance to catch up, even if only briefly, with other titleholders who were in attendance. I think we all signed over 1000 autographs that day!
On Friday, Mrs. Michigan 2007, Laura Loveberry, her husband Mark, my mother-in-law, Marcia and I had the pleasure of taking a private tour around town to many of the national monuments. At each stop, I spent time speaking to folks gathered, listening to the concerts taking place, and taking pictures with people from all of the country and world who were visiting our nation's capitol.
Friday evening, we attended the Marine Barracks Commandant's Reception and Sunset Parade. I had the opportunity to speak with Congressman Poe of Texas and others about the National Anthem Project. The parade was amazing!
I spent Saturday at the DCI Summer Music Season kick-off, presenting awards on the field, announcing the official "Let the 2007 Music Season Begin," and enjoying the show in the skybox with others.
with Dr. Mahlmann, MENC Executive Director
with David and Elaine
with Victoria (Mrs. Nevada '06), Christina (Mrs. New Jersey '06), and Patty
The Stadium Stampede is a community family event featuring a 5K run, a 5K walk, a 1K kids fun run, and the Huff & Puff 1K Challenge to raise money for the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation. The course for all events goes through the Denver Broncos' INVESCO Field at Mile High and participants can see themselves on Thundervision, the giant video screen. This is the beginning of the 1K kids fun run, and I gave all of our runners some words of encouragement over the loud speaker just before they took off.
Pictured above with one of the volunteers who helped out tremendously during the Stadium Stampede.
Corinne Wymann-Solano, President and Designer from Aleks Pret-a-Porter, Inc., asked me to wear one of her custom designed necklaces during the night to show off her work.
Corey from Sensational Sounds thought it might be fun to trade hats for a while! I decided I liked mine better and made him give it back :)
Pictured above with Regional Manager, John Schmidt, from the Harley-Davidson Corporation.
I had the privilege of being a guest speaker on air encouraging listeners to call in and pledge to become a Partner in Hope. I also answered the phones as "Hello, this is Mrs. Colorado, thank you for calling...".
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility anywhere. Discoveries made there have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude is where some of today’s most gifted researchers are able to do more science, more quickly; where doctors across the world send their toughest cases and most vulnerable patients; and where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay.
