Category Archives: Mrs. Southwest International 2016

Trunk Show!

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I was super excited to drive to Lawton, Oklahoma and visit my dress sponsor Crowning Around. They were holding a trunk show with the latest designs from Tony Bowls (my favorite!), Sherri Hill, and Ashley Lauren among others. 

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I was looking forward to nailing down the final details for my custom Tony Bowls competition gown for the Mrs. International pageant next July. I was also hoping to get the remaining pieces of my wardrobe figured out.

First, I have to tell you how awesome the customer service is at Crowning Around. Lawton is three hours away from my home in Tulsa and a five hour flight from my home in California but I’ve never received such amazing customer service at any other shop and it was worth the drive to know that they would be doing their very best to help me with everything that I needed. I wasn’t disappointed!

It was so great to visit with Cynthia who helped me find the items I was looking for. She’s so kind and helpful and I feel like I’ve made a lifelong friend. I was also excited to see Victoria Wiggins, the new Mrs. Kansas USA. I met Victoria when she was a teen and competed in one of our Oklahoma International regional pageants. I’m super excited for her new title and I love how she bent over backwards to help me over the phone the first time I called the shop last month. 

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All in all, it was a fabulous day. I’m excited for the sponsorship, I’m excited for the awesome wardrobe, I’m excited to have new friends! Thank you, Crowning Around!

 

 

Talking about Concussion in Las Vegas

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I was in Las Vegas with my sponsor Story Clothing Co. We were at the Stetson Country Christmas. I was able to talk to the people there about my new platform of Concussion Awareness.

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I was surprised that there were people who actually knew that, while a helmet can protect the skull from being fractured, a helmet cannot protect the brain from concussion. This fact was the big Aha! moment for me while reading the book Concussion. 

It was good to talk to people about this issue that has been so prevalent in my life for the past month while I’ve read everything I can get my hands on about concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

While football is where my experience with my son’s concussions come from, I was able to share that concussions happen in so many other places and encourage the parents to be aware of the signs and symptoms of a concussion. I was also able to explain how a concussion is more than just “getting his bell rung”. That there can be long term implications of repeated concussion and that the athlete should be fully healed before going back to the playing field. 

 

New Platform Direction: Concussion Awareness

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When I decided to enter the Mrs. International Pageant, I was positive of what my platform should be. After all, I’ve been encouraging people to walk for health for over ten years now and it seemed a natural. Until I got my hands on an advance copy of the book Concussion (release date: 11/24/15).

I knew that the movie “Concussion”, starring Will Smith, would be coming out on Christmas Day and was eagerly looking forward to seeing it. When I learned I would get to read the book, I was thrilled. When I got it, I stayed up all night reading it until I was finished. What I read changed my life.

I decided to change my platform to Concussion Awareness. My reason for doing that is because of our oldest son. He started playing football when he was eight and went to Tulane University on a football scholarship. Before he got to college, he’d had at least one concussion. By the time he had a career ending neck injury at the beginning of his sophomore year of college, he’d had five concussions. I now believe the broken neck was blessing in disguise.

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After our son had his last concussion, the doctors at Tulane University Medical Center told us they felt he was fine to play but they would have him wear a high tech helmet that would provide him extra protection. I was happy with this. Even up until the beginning of college football season this year where it now looks like all players wear this helmet.

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Up until I read the book “Concussion” that says that no matter what kind of helmet an athlete is wearing, they will still be able to sustain a concussion because, although the helmet can stop the skull from being fractured, it cannot stop the brain from banging around inside of the skull in the cerebral fluid.

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Every time another NFL player takes his own life, and they indicate it was due to concussions, I pray that God will keep our son safe and, even if we never get to speak to him again, he will have a happy life.

What we know when we let our kids play football is that they may break an arm or a leg. We know about those kinds of injuries but no one talks about concussion. In our son’s case, he was a defensive lineman in college and played both sides of the ball all the years before college. The research indicates that the cumulative effect of all the subconcussive hits, the hits that a lineman receives on nearly every play as they go head to head with the other line, could be even worse.

Parents need to have this information and understand the potential outcome of multiple concussions. They need to be aware of the signs of concussion. I want to help get this word out.  

Would we have done anything differently if we had had this information? I can’t say. But at least we would have been making the most informed decision we could make because we would’ve had all the facts.

This isn’t just a football problem, either. Concussions happen in all sports. Football just happens to be the topic for the movie and my own experience. A place to start.

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I’ve chosen to work with the Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation. When I read Patrick’s story, and it was so much like our son’s, I knew it was the place for me. 

While I will never stop telling you how great walking is for your heart, overall health, and even your marriage, I feel that making parents aware of the signs and effects of concussion is so very important. If I can stop one mom from feeling the way that I did when I learned that a helmet doesn’t really protect against a concussion at all, it will be worth it. 

You can learn more about concussion and CTE at the Foundation website www.StopCTE.org. 

 

Put A Cork In It Winery – Sponsor

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I’d like to thank my sponsor, Put A Cork In It Winery! The winery is located in Bricktown along the canal and is one of my favorite destinations in the City.

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They have awesome wine which is, of course, the major attraction. My favorites are Outlaw

and Skirt Alert. 

Put a Cork In It has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Not only can you have a great glass of wine or do a wine tasting, there are also rooms there where you can have a bridal shower, going away party or other event you are planning. 

Andrea and John, the owners, are the best! So friendly and welcoming. They will be sponsoring my gift for the silent auction that will be held at the Red Carpet Gala at the Mrs. International pageant next July. I’m so thankful for their donation. Proceeds from the silent auction will be going to Go Red for Women. 

If you’re ever in Bricktown in Oklahoma City, make it a point to stop by the winery and have a glass of one of their tasty wines.

Thank you so much, Andrea and John!

 

Mrs. California International Pageant

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This past weekend we drove down to Palm Desert to attend the Mrs. California International Pageant. I was super excited because I hadn’t seen my friend Eddie, the director, since my last trip to the National pageant in 2011. 

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We drove and drove and drove. And drove some more. It seems like it took so very long to get down there. We were in constant bumper to bumper traffic. We even pulled off to have dinner in hopes that when we got back on the highway the traffic would have lessened. But it didn’t.  I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the traffic in California!

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We were exhausted and fell into bed as soon as we got into the room practically. The following morning when we went out to get breakfast, Eddie and the contestants were all down in the lobby and we got to say a quick hello. 

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The pageant was held at the Indian Wells Theater which was right across the street from the fabu Italian restaurant where we had dinner. (Look at us in the reflection. :D)

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There were 21 beautiful contestants in the well run pageant. It was fun to listen to all of their platform statements as the community service platform is the basis the International Pageant system. When it was time to for the reigning queen to give up her crown, Eddie sang to her! It was so sweet that I got all choked up. I’m not sure how she was able to hold it together so well. 

Finally the moment arrived when the new Mrs. California, Tiffany Calig, was crowned. I loved watching her husband place the crown on her head, another hallmark of the Mrs. International system. 

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Photo Courtesy Mrs. California International Pageant

We then waited for things to calm down a bit so we could thank Eddie and say goodbye. It was really great to see him, see his production and to be part of such a wonderful evening. Thank you, Eddie!

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On the way home, we stopped in San Dimas (Yes! San Dimas where Bill & Ted are from!) and had breakfast with Jayna, who was Miss International 2008. I hadn’t seen her since 2009 so it had been way too long. It was wonderful to see her in person and visit and catch up. Breakfast was really great, too!

Then we traveled the rest of the way home. The highlight of the drive was seeing RAIN! I hadn’t seen rain in so long. It seems like it rains here when I’m in Tulsa and it rains in Tulsa when I’m here but we drove in the rain almost the entire drive home. It was great!

Mrs. Southwest International 2016

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If you’ve been following along, you’ve seen that I’ve made a couple of appearances in the past month wearing a new banner. Yes, I’m Mrs. Southwest International 2016 and I’ll be competing at the Mrs. International Pageant in Jacksonville, FL next July. I’m excited!

I’ve loved the International system for a long time. I directed the Oklahoma pageant from 2006 until 2011 when we were told we’d be moving to Saudi Arabia. I reluctantly gave up my directorship. While I was directing, I was the only female director who’d never competed. At my last director’s meeting, the other directors suggested I should compete. I demured.

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But the idea remained in the back of my head. The competition age for Mrs. International is from 21-56. As I get closer to 56, I realize that I’m running out of eligibility to compete in this pageant. I discussed it with my husband, who agreed I should compete. I also have the strong encouragement of many friends, so I entered.

What I love about the Mrs. International system is the requirement to have a community service platform that you’ll promote throughout your year. I’ve been promoting walking for health for the past 10 years and that will be my pageant platform as well. I’ll be aligning myself with the Start! Walking Now program with the American Heart Association. I’ve been working with the AHA since 2008, mostly with the Go Red for Women program but, as happened the other day when I joined them at the Capitol for the tobacco rally, whatever they need my support for, they have. I love the message of the AHA. There are so many simple things we can do to ensure our heart remains healthy and knowledge is power! If you can share that message, and let people know what they can do, you help them.

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I’m really looking forward to this year as Mrs. Southwest International and the culmination of the year at the pageant next June. If you’re interested in competing for Mrs. International, many states have preliminary pageants you can participate in. You can find them at the Mrs. International website. If you decide to enter, let me know! 🙂

Save Lives California Tobacco Rally

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On Wednesday morning, bright and early, I carpooled with two other folks from the American Heart Association up to the state capitol in Sacramento. We were joining the many other groups that make up the Save Lives California Coalition for a tobacco rally.

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A special session was held to approve a package of six tobacco bills. 

The package included:

  • SBX2-5/ABX2-6, which would add electronic cigarettes to the existing definition of tobacco products;
  • SBX2-6/ABX2-7, which would add hotel lobbies, small businesses, break rooms and tobacco retailers to the list of smoke-free workplaces under state law;
  • SBX2-7/ABX2-8, which would increase the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products to 21 years old;
  • SBX2-8/ABX2-9, which would require all schools in the state to be tobacco-free;
  • SBX2-9/ABX2-10, which would allow local jurisdictions across the state to tax tobacco; and
  • SBX2-10/ABX2-11, which would create an annual Board of Equalization tobacco licensing fee program (California Healthline, 7/17).

Cigarette smoke related disease is the most preventable cause of death. The measures above should not only save money to the California health care system, it will also save lives. 

The day started with a press conference in the park. 

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Then we were broken up into groups and we visited the lawmakers on our list asking them to consider supporting the bills, giving them the reasons they should support them, and sharing our personal stories. 

My group included Jang, a heart attack, stroke, survivor, heart, kidney transplant wonderman and three medical students from UCSF: Rachel, Iris and David. 

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It took us a while to get cleared to go into the building.

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But when we did, my group and I visited all of the lawmakers on our list. I thought we did a great job of presenting our case and were received very well. Then Jang and I decided to visit one of our local assemblymen. He hadn’t received a visit from anyone so we were happy we stepped outside the box on that decision. 🙂

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I read this morning that the bills passed the Senate. I hope they will become laws and more control will be placed on the smoking and second hand smoking here in California. 

 

 

Bay Area Wellness Symposium

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On Tuesday, I was invited to attend the Bay Area Wellness Symposium put on by the American Heart Association. Although the focus was on workplace wellness, because I’m interested in health and fitness, I was very excited to attend!

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The day started with  welcome followed by a panel interview. All of the panelists spoke about the employee wellness programs they are operating at their companies. They are doing some innovative things and they are getting lots of participation which equals healthy employees and healthcare cost savings.

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Then we had a little Zumba before the break. It was fun to watch the whole audience participate but it would’ve been hard not to want to follow the lady who was leading it. She was upbeat and fun!

 After that, there were two break out sessions to choose from. I chose the session on Fit-Friendly Worksites. I don’t currently have a job, but if I did, I would want it to fall in line with these guidelines. I think it’s a great opportunity for people to be motivated by their co-workers to optimum health. Excellent idea that I’m also hoping I can figure out how to translate to our apartment complex here. 

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The morning ended with a keynote by Jeffrey Pfeffer who spoke to us about Dying for a Paycheck. His preseantion was about his research into the negative effects of workplaces on our health. He was funny and extremely interesting!

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I’m glad I learned about and decided to attend the Bay Area Wellness Symposium. Not only did I take away some great information, it also allowed me to start connected with the American Heart Association in the Bay Area. 🙂