Jingle Bell Run (Washington Park, Denver)

On Dec. 9 I was the co-emcee with KOSI 101 for the 16th Annual Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis in Washington Park. We managed to keep warm somehow and get all the racers kicked off for their 3 mile run. Over $65,000 was raised for the Arthritis Foundation’s mission to prevent, control and cure arthritis and related diseases. The Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis raises awareness of America’s leading cause of disability, while raising desperately needed funds to find a cure for arthritis. Please visit http://jinglebellrundenver.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=234427&lis=1&kntae234427=1BC294A0C4444C549AE217BBC1261840 for more information.
These famous pooches showed up with bells on for the costume contest. It was no surprise that they walked away with the crown! This is the 2nd appearance I've seen them at, and the last one was at Ladies Nite Out at the BelMar Center. They were dressed up as the Village People!

Mrs. Colorado Christmas Party

We all had a blast at the annual Mrs. Colorado Christmas Party at the Great Northern Tavern on Dec. 7. Above is a picture of Sharon Nuanes, Mrs. Colorado 1981, being crowned by Marney Duckworth, Mrs. Colorado 2006 and Mrs. America 2007. When Sharon won Mrs. Colorado in 1981 she never received a crown, so Tricia thought it was about time for her to have her very own.
With the former queens.
Trish and myself.
Debi Moore, Mrs. Colorado 1994, and myself.
After the party Debi and I had a slumber party with Amy Nugent, Mrs. Colorado 1996, at her house. Amy happened to pick the gift that Debi brought for the gift exchange. Aren't they cute in their matching pajamas!

VFW Ladies Auxiliary Dinner (Golden)

This past Friday I was a special guest at the Ladies Auxiliary VFW Adopt-a-Unit Dinner in Golden. I had a great time meeting some of our vets from Colorado as well as New Jersey.Addressing the audience about my experiences as a military spouse and the Mrs. Colorado organization.My favorite picture from the whole night comes from my new buddy that asked me at least 5 times, "Are you REALLY Mrs. Colorado? Is that crown heavy?". So of course I had to let him try it on :)
With Reanae, the President of the Ladies Auxiliary in Golden who organized and held this special dinner for the Adopt-A-Unit.

Veterans Dinner (Idaho Springs)

Nathan and I were invited to the Elks Lodge in Idaho Springs for their annual Veterans Dinner. I handed out awards for teacher, firefighter, EMT and policeman of the year. We enjoyed meeting all of the nice folks in Idaho Springs and saluting our vets.
With Irvin Krueger, WWII and Korean Campaign vet.
With future Miss Colorado, Emma, and her dad Bart Sander. It's been a tradition for Emma and her dad to get a photo with the reigning Mrs. Colorado at the Veterans Dinner for the last several years.
My favorite vet of them all :)

Family Vacation in Ireland

Nathan and I spent the last two weeks traveling and visiting beautiful castles, coasts, and history in Ireland. Most importantly we were there for his brothers wedding. I wanted to share some of our photos with you. The above photo is me outside of the Trim Castle in Trim, Ireland. Tricia suggested I take my sash for a photo op. What's a queen without her castle?
This is where I would live if I had a castle. This is the Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland, and it is absolutely breathtaking in person as it sits rights on the edge of the coast.


Whoa!!! This is a LONG way down. You can see Nathan, JT (the groom), and his parents in the background.

FYI: Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a rope suspension bridge in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. It is thought salmon fishermen have been erecting bridges to the island for over 300 years. It has taken many forms over the years. In the 1970's it featured only a single handrail and large gaps between the slats. Although no one has fallen off the bridge, there have been many instances where visitors, unable to face the walk back across the bridge, have had to be taken off the island by boat.

On a clear day, you can see Scotland from the Northern Ireland coast.

A classic view of Ireland's countryside.

Of course we had to go to the famous Waterford Crystal Factory. I think we came home with half of their showroom.

Vicki (my mother in-law) and I opted out of going to a rugby game. Instead, we went to the International Horse Show in Belfast.

ALS Walk to D'Feet (Ft. Collins)

It was a rainy day on Oct. 14 at the CSU Oval in Ft. Collins for the ALS Walk to D'Feet benefiting Lou Gehrig's disease. The mission of the ALS Association - Rocky Mountain Chapter is to improve the quality of life for ALS patients and their families and to provide patient services support for the management and progression of the disease. Please visit http://alsaco.org/?content=page&page=home for more information.
Walking the oval with the participants and helpers.

Ladies Nite Out (BelMar Center @ Lakewood)

I was invited to the third annual Ladies Nite Out! in Lakewood that was held on October 11, 2007. It was held at the beautiful new Belmar Event Center in the heart of the Belmar Shopping District, just off Alameda and Wadsworth. I enjoyed mingling with all of the ladies and of course checking out all the shopping. I was also the MC for the Fall Fashion Show with some special guests...The Village People! Well not really, they were bulldogs dressed up as the village people strutting their stuff down the runway. If you ever get the chance to go to a Ladies Nite Out! I truly recommend the experience. I'm pictured above with one of the young ladies at the event.
I am one lucky girl. Susan Aberbook from B's purses let me pick out any purse I wanted to carry around and keep. So I went for the stylish laptop bag. Be sure to check out her website for some great shopping...Christmas is just around the corner! www.bspurses.com/saberbook
Pictured with some of the ladies working a travel agent booth.

Our Little Miss Pageant

Today Miss Rodeo Colorado, myself, and World's Universal Princess judged the Our Little Miss Scholarship pageant in Denver.

Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing (Pueblo)

It was another windy day in Colorado yesterday, and I had the privilege of being the "flag girl" at the Rocky Mountain Vintage Races at PMI in Pueblo. I had no idea how much fun it would be to stand above the track and wave the green flag signaling the drivers to GO! Pictured with one of the "Production" race car drivers, Robert, aka "Lil Bob".
Lil Bob and I posing before his big race.
During the lunch break they shut down the gates and let Lil Bob take me on a 3-lap ride (2.2 miles per lap)...at a max speed of 130 mph!!! I couldn't hang on tight enough to my seat belt, but it was so much fun! Maybe I should be a race car driver...watch out Danica Patrick :)
Saying a prayer before we took off :) With Lil Bob and his daughter, Rabecka (Tiny Miss Patriotic 2007), helping him get his race car ready for the big race!

In the control room before the races began.

Kids Safety Day (Parker)

It was a windy day in Parker this past Saturday as we all gathered together for a Kids Safety Day hosted by the Yin Yoga Center and Parker Pilates. Children learned about the importance of fire, helmet, and stranger safety by firefighter Tracy. All the proceeds benefitted the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. I'm pictured above with Roberta Hughes, Mrs. Parker 2007.
All the kiddies!
Pictured with Mountain View Chiropractic and their best friend, Kyla, who also participated in the Kids Safety Day.
Pictured with Rhonda's children and Pasqual the Penguin from the childrens book "Fire and Ice" by award winning author Rhonda Spellman, which teaches children about fire safety.

Mrs. America Photos - Sept. 5 FINALS

What a whirlwind the last 17 days have been and definitely the time of my life! I'm overwhelmed with emotions and very tired of course. Thank you to my loyal fans who have been following my blog and wondering what I've been up to. Thank you to all the ladies that sent me letters and messages while I was in Tucson, I really appreciate your friendship, encouragement and kindness. Thank you to everyone who came to watch!!! It was so nice having my family and friends cheering me on in the crowd. What follows are pictures from final night. The picture above is our opening number routine.Parade of States in costume.
Getting called into TOP 10!!!
This might be a little confusing, but what happened is there was a top 10 named based on preliminary competition (50% interview, 25% swimsuit, and 25% evening gown). I was in the original top 10. Then, the pageant decided to bring the next 2 highest scoring contestants back based on the additional competitions we had, i.e. golf, tennis, baby diaper changing, scavenger hunt and horseshoes. Well, there was a 5-way tie for those next two spots so they let all five come back and compete in swimsuit. As the night continued, the reality show began to surface. After we all competed they strategically placed us on stage in three groups of five. Two of the groups moved on to the next "round" and one group did not. I unfortunately was the group that did not move on.
Modeling my swimsuit.

After competition.

I was so proud of my roomie, Michele Strom, Mrs. Nebraska, she placed 2nd Runner Up!!!

Mrs. America Photos Sept. 3 - Carol Wior photo shoot

I happened to be at the right place at the right time during rehearsals one day because I was asked to do the Carol Wior photo shoot for promotion, along with Mrs. Florida, Wyoming, Ohio, Louisiana and Alabama. Here we are being videotaped nearby the pool at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.
I had my cheerleader, Nana, with me for support! Lookin' good for 84 years old!
Showing off our Carol Wior Slimsuits and our Special Occasion shoes.
Nate didn't want to miss this photo opportunity! :)

Mrs. America Photos - Sept 2 Preliminary Costume Competition

Pictured with my Nana in my state costume, the "Colorado's State Flower, the Beautiful, Wild Columbine" after preliminary competition.
My Nana and mother in-law Vicki anxiously await preliminaries to begin!
Myself and Michele Strom, Mrs. Nebraska, after competition. Michele is a peacock from their zoo where they run wild.

Mrs. America Photos Aug. 31

Mrs. Virginia and myself head off to the tennis and golf competitions in our golf cart at The Lodge.
Hanging out with the girls at the golf competition. My buddy Michele came in 2nd place in golf!
My tennis partner, Kelly McBee, Mrs. Wyoming (NOW MRS. AMERICA!!!) and I are working hard on the tennis courts. I came in 3rd place in the tennis competition.

CNBC Interview

This morning I met with a crew from CNBC to talk about Mrs. America, the relevancy of the pageant and what's next for me. The interview will air next Wednesday, September 5th. What a great way to start the day!

Mrs. America Photos Aug. 30

Today all 51 of us saddled up at the Tanque Verde Ranch for a trail ride and authentic pancake breakfast.

Mrs. Colorado and Mrs. Vermont hanging out in between our trail ride at breakfast.
Mrs. Colorado and Mrs. America, Marney Duckworth, trying to stay cool after breakfast
On my white horse getting ready to round up some cattle for a team roping activity.

Thought I might try team pinning one more time, this is fun!

Our team, "Three brunettes and a blonde", Mrs. Nebraska, Mrs. Colorado, Mrs. Louisiana, and Mrs. West Virginia before the scavenger hunt. We had two little surprises outside our room tonight...tarantulas!!!

Is anybody else itching? The hotel staff came and got them with a 10 foot pole, seriously. The scary thing is they just threw them back out in the area near our room. I'm sure we'll be seeing these guys again soon. :)

Mrs. America Photos Aug. 29

Hola from Mexico! Today we traveled to Nogales, Mexico to meet some government officials and tour the town. We were greeted with paparazzi, news media, and a mariachi band. Then we drove out to one of the most beautiful ranches I have ever seen called "La Esmeralda Rancho-Resort". I learned how to make a local cheese, and also a flour tortilla from scratch.
With my buddy, Michele.
With one of the government officials in Nogales.
With another government official.
Here is the fence we saw as we were crossing back into the U.S. Our bus was stopped for an inspection at the border and we all had to unload for about a half hour. Everything turned out fine and we were back on our way to Tucson.

Mrs. America Photos Aug. 28

Michele and I getting ready for our first big competition of the day...Baby Diaper Changing Contest
After my round of competition...I definitely was not the fastest! Mrs. D.C. showed us all up!

The competition was narrowed down to Mrs. Nevada and Mrs. D.C. for the finals.
And the winner is...Mrs. D.C. with the fastest time!
Mrs. Nevada, Mrs. Nebraska, and Mrs. Colorado in the lobby before leaving for dinner.
Mrs. Nevada, Mrs. Colorado, Mrs. Kentucky, and Mrs. Nebraska.
Our table of ladies at dinner.

Mrs. America Photos Aug. 27

Yesterday we rounded ourselves up on the bus for a trip to Old Tucson Studios and the Sonoran Desert Museum. Picture above on stage at Old Tucson Studios is Mrs. Pennsylvania, Mrs. Kentucky, Mrs. Kansas, Mrs. Wyoming, Mrs. Nebraska, Mrs. Colorado, and Mrs. Arizona

Mrs. Vermont and Mrs. Colorado at Old Tucson Studios
Mrs. Arizona, Mrs. Arkansas, Mrs. Utah, Mrs. Idaho, and Mrs. Alaska
We are inseparable if you haven't figure it out already.
I got thrown in jail for being hot...literally, it was 107 degrees.
I was surprised when I actually hit the targets and all these bells and whistles started going off!
At Old Tucson Studios with the actors. Mrs. Nebraska, Colorado, Indiana, Arizona, Delaware and New York at the Sonoran Desert Museum.
I could only get as close as 3 feet from the Barn Owl, so I was being careful!
Mrs. Nebraska and Mrs. Colorado stylin' at the museum in our cowgirl gear.
Getting ready to load onto the bus for Old Tucson and the Sonoran Desert Museum.
In front of the butterfly garden. Thank you Kathy for taking us on a tour of the Sonoran Desert Museum.
I couldn't resist taking a picture with the Colorado River fish.

Mrs. America Photos Aug. 26

With my roomie, Michele, before rehearsals this morning.
Mrs. Colorado, Nebraska, California, Hawaii, and David Marmel
Taking a photo inside one of the planes at the Pima Air and Space Museum.
A rattlesnake was right outside our rehearsals! I'm definitely paying attention to where I step from now on!!!