What a fun way to raise money for a school! Back in March I attended what the Gilbert School District calls the Rock Hop! The theme was "A Red Carpet Affair" so everyone was encouraged to dress up as their favorite celebrity. I was lucky enough to run into "Johnny Cash" and "June Carter Cash"! That's really my good friend Tim Miner and his girlfriend. Tim is the carpenter that installed my ceiling fan, as well as my new doors.

I also was priveleged to run into "Sara Palin" and "Lorax". They are really my daughters soccer coaches.

And last, but not least I met some basketball players for the "Wildcats"! In reality, they are my daughters teachers, Mrs. Kautman and Ms. Paustian.

At the end of the night, I had spent more money than I intended but it all goes to the school, so it was well spent.

I suppose I should explain a little about the night. It was basically an auction. There were numerous "gifts" in the silent auction that were VERY tempting, but the highlight of the evening was the live auction! You can see some of the items listed below. Most went for more than the "suggested price". It was a great night!

Pageant Time is near again!

Well, it is almost time for me to say goodbye as your reigning Mrs. Iowa America. I am sad, but excited for the next adventure in my life! The 2009 Mrs. Iowa America Pageant will be held June 6th at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul, MN. I will be attending the rehearsals in the days leading up to the competiton and look forward to meeting all of the Iowa contestants. I have spoken with a few of them and know that we will have a good competition again this year!
I do have a few appearances to post on here yet. I am waiting to get my pictures developed (I only had a 35mm film camera until about a week ago!) As soon as I get them all developed I will be posting them.
I hope all of you enjoyed following along with me through out the year and I hope you will follow the new Mrs. Iowa as diligently! I see great things for Iowa in the years to come! Thanks for a great year!

Augie's Diner 2/22/09

We had our very own "American Idol" at Augustana Lutheran Church, Sunday afternoon & evening! I was blessed to be a part of this talented group of people. Every year Augustana puts on a talent show called Augie's Diner (Augie is short for Augustana) to raise funds for our youth to participate in the Youth Gathering held in New Orleans. The show is made up of people from the church and include singing, instrumental and comedy acts. I even took a stab at telling a few jokes (which I am not very good at!) but still managed to get a few laughs! I was asked to be the Mistress of Ceremonies for both the afternoon show and the evening show. I had such a great time! I would love to do it again next year! of course, that would mean coming up with a few new jokes! Yikes! I am glad of the opportunity to use some of the "talents" that God has given me and look forward to many more chances to showcase His generosity!

Iowa's Meat Processors Association Convention

Well, I learned a lot this day (2/21/09)! I have also developed a deeper appreciation for our local meat lockers. I grew up on a farm, but still did not know a lot about the meat lockers where we had our meat processed. I always thought they only did processing for farmers & hunters. But they offer so much more than that! Anyone can go into a meat locker and buy fresh meat and meat "snacks". You don't need to have your own animal to bring in. And the prices are going to be competitve with those you see in your local grocery store. One of the things I like best about the local meat lockers, is you will always know where your meat is coming from! Sometimes you may even know the producer of the meat. With the economy the way it is, right now is a great time to shop local! Support your neighbors and you help your state stay afloat during these tough times.
There was quite the turn-out for some of the meat processing contests! There was a delicious aroma the minute you stepped inside the building! I was honored to be the guest of Clint Smith and his family. They were the ones who were so kind as to give me a "lift" during the Stanhope Parade last summer. What a wonderful family they are! They may not be natives of Iowa, but they truly embody what Iowans are like. I met another family, the Kerns, who own a meat locker in Edgewood, IA. They were the lucky winners of several of the meat contests. I am pictured with 3 of their children (whose names I have misplaced!) as well as with Clint Smith & his wife, of Stanhope (above).

Feel free to check out the IMPA website at http://www.iowameatprocessors.org/ for more information.

Pink Ribbon Tea

What a fun way to raise money for Cancer Research! I had the honor of being the Mistress of Ceremonies for the Boone Pink Ribbon Tea on Saturday, Oct. 25. Shortly after I was asked to MC the event I found out that my mom had Stage II Breast Cancer. I have always been interested in this particular organization so I was thrilled that I had the chance to be involved. Cindy Bell organized and headed up the tea. She had a unique way of raising money for Cancer Research. She had experienced a similar event when she visited her sisters in Kentucky where the Govenor's wife had put together a "Tea" and then auctioned off hats! Instead of hats, we auctioned off purses! Every purse was full of extra goodies, too, including 2 tickets to the Broadway Series show, "Legally Blonde" playing here in Des Moines. There was also a lot of Mary Kay and Avon products tucked into these purses. I ended up leaving with two purses myself! They were just too cute to pass up! I am not sure how much money we raised, but it was a lot of fun! Originally we were only going to auction off 25 purses, but then Cindy Waterman, owner of the Iris Tea Room and one of our sponors, had put together 25 centerpiece purses that were just too cute to pack away again, so we auctioned those off as well! What I loved about all this is that all the purses, along with the items tucked inside, as well as all the tea, sandwiches, desserts, plates and all the services, were donated! So 100% of the proceeds go to Cancer Research! We had two speakers at the event. The first one was Carolyn Lehnus of Urbandale and she shared her survivor story. I learned a lot listening to her and hope that I can help my mom through her "journey" a little better now. The other speaker was Jo Myers-Walker of Gilbert. She gave a presentation on watercolors. Watercolors? you may ask. What do watercolors have to do with cancer? Jo has started offering classes at the hospital in Ames to cancer patients, family & friends as a way of healing as they go through cancer treatments. We are all artists, she says and after her presentation I agree with her. I think the event was a success and I look forward to doing more with the Relay for Life/Cancer Foundation of Boone!

Clay County Fair

Well, I think I am finally catching up!! This particular appearance is a little out of order, but I didn't have the pictures ready to post, so I am writing about it now. September 13 was the day that I got to relish in my farm upbringing! Every year, for over 60 years, the Johnson family has shown their family Herefords at the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa. I am not sure exactly how many years it is, but I am sure one of them will let me know as soon as they read this! ;-) I actually became a part of their tradition many years ago, 16 years, if memory serves me correct! I grew up showing Dairy (Holsteins) cattle, so the whole concept of walking forward to lead your animal was a little foreign to me, but I caught on quickly. Back in the day, there was a lot more preparations to be done with the animals. I remember fluffing their tails and spraying them into a ball shape and going all out on curling the hair on their bodies. Now-a-days we just wash them real well, have a friend clip them where needed and comb the hair up on their bodies to give them more curl. Most of you probably don't know much about Hereford cattle, so the whole "curling their hair" thing is probably making you scratch your head! They are one of the few breeds left that genetically have longer hair. It protects them in both summer and winter. That's just one of the many traits that make them such a great beef animal. Herefords are one of the most self-sufficient beef cattle you will ever find. They practically take care of themselves. They are low maintanence and easy keepers, with laid back temperments. They are a joy to be around (except some new mom's), even the bulls! Over the years I have tried to discern what the judges are looking for, but I am so used to showing & judging dairy, that I am almost always wrong! This year was no exception.
Things were a little different for me this year. Instead of helping to show the cattle, I had the honor of handing out the ribbons to all the exhibitors, with the occassional help of the Hereford Princess...who also happened to be showing some cattle, too! We both had dual roles; she was not only the Hereford Princess, but also one of the showman. As for me, I was Mrs. Iowa, as well as the "official" photographer for the Johnson family! I am grateful that my, hopefully soon to be sister-in-law, Amy was there to help out with Wyatt. She kept him occupied and entertained through-out the entire show. The show lasted right around 3 hours or so. In the end, we walked away with the Premier Breeder Award and the Premier Exhibitor Award. As for how they determine these awards, I am not entirely sure, but I think with the Premier Exhibitor Award it is the exhibitor with the most points at the end of the show. My understanding is that for each class you enter, you get a certain "score" for your placing in the class. In the end, it is whoever has accumulated the most points, that wins! I really have no clue how they determine the Premier Breeder Award. That, you would have to ask my father-in-law, Jack, about. All in all, the day was a great day. We even got a professional family picture taken with the 3 year old bull. Lynne, my mother-in-law, will be using that as their Christmas card this year. I can't wait to see it!
I almost forgot to mention!!!....Both Caisha and Zach helped show this year again. That is them in most of the pictures. They love to help out and get involved.

Chocolaterie Stam & Music Walk

On September 18th I enjoyed the music and sweets offered at Chocolaterie Stam on Main Street in Ames! I had the best seat in the house at the front of the store where I was able to greet each person as they came through the door. Chocolaterie Stam is an italian sweets shop and they have some of the best gelatto(I think I spelled that right?)! What is gelatto, you ask? It is italian ice cream. Terry Stark, the owner of the store...and one of my generous sponsors.....explained that gelatto is a much denser ice cream with a little more sugar in it. I am one of those who grew up on Schwan's ice cream and I could eat a HUGE bowl of that ice cream. The gelatto, on the other hand, I could barely finish a 6 oz serving! It is so rich and delicious! As I was greeting people and talking about my platform, one of my fellow sorority sisters, Jessica, came in with her daughter. That is them in the photo. I also have a photo with Terry, the owner. Thank you, Terry, for being such a wonderful sponsor and arranging this appearance for me. I wished I could have stayed longer!!