Pictures speak a thousand words! Check out me, Miss Minnesota, at the Minnesota State Fair! It's just the best gosh darn fair around, dontcha know?

Scroll through these photos and check out th

After a long day at the State Fair, I headed to the Target Center for the Minnesota Lynx Game. I stood at the CADE (Children with Autism Deserve an Education) table before the game, during half time, and after the game. I barely got there after the game because I was mobbed my people who wanted autographs! Thank you to Cory, Kacie, and Brianna at CADE for including me in your event! Make sure you come to the Autism 5K on September 9 at Lake Calhoun!

(180 miles)

Thank you to the Stiftungfest committee in Norwood Young America for inviting me to their queen's coronation and your parade! Stiftungfest is the longest running festival in Minnesota!

(85 miles)

I had so much fun hanging out with the Dassel Ambassador candidates on Thursday night. Make sure you come to the Dassel-Cokato Performing Arts Center to support the Dassel Ambassador program on Saturday, September 3. These ladies make the Dassel community proud! They all have brains, beauty, and talent, and they are highly involved in their school and community activities Best of luck to all of them!

(5 miles!...had to make an extra trip home to get a dress for one of these ladies to borrow, otherwise it would have been an even shorter trip. This one was easy!)

I woke up bright and early on Tuesday to head to the airport for my flight to Orlando to cheer for Alexis Houule, Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen, at the Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant. I met Ariana Walker, Miss North Dakota, and her mom Renee at the gate. We had a TON of luggage! I can't imagine how many bags we will have once it is actually time for us to compete at Miss America!

Ariana and I arrived at the Rosen Centre Hotel (we were roommates for the week!) and freshened up before heading to a short rehearsal at the Linda Chapin Convention Center with Miss Montana, Veronika Ohlinger, and Miss Idaho, Geneveive Nutting. We are all former Outstanding Teen titleholders, so we had the opportunity to play some special parts in the show. Each night, the nine formers were introduced and interviewed onstage, and we were split into groups of three to co-host each night of preliminary competition. I was so excited to be back where my journey to becoming Miss Minnesota started! Alexis competed in Lifestyle and Fitness that evening and did a wonderful job. The poor girl was tired as can be, but somehow still found the strength to remain her chipper self!

That night, a chunk of the Miss America contestants who had arrived (perhaps about twenty of us) headed to Denny's to celebrate Miss Hawaii's birthday! It was a great chance for us to bond over our chocolate shakes!

On Wednesday, I took full advantage of the opportunity to sleep in! That afternoon, I headed to rehearsal at the theater with Miss North Dakota, Ariana Walker, and Miss Nebraska, Kayla Batt because it was our turn to co-host the pageant. Ariana announced the ladies competing in Lifestyle and Fitness that night, Kayla did the first half of talent, and I did the second half. I don't think it's any shock to anyone by now that I LOVE to emcee! I had a ton of fun in this position, particularly when I was asked to fill time while the piano was being moved on and off the stage. Thank you to everyone who gave me such encouraging feedback after the show. I am glad you enjoyed my humor! 

And, Alexis ROCKED her talent! I was sad that I couldn't be the one to introduce her talent (she was in the first half), but I told her it was probably better that way because I'd end up building her up too much and I might get fired! ;) It was such a special opportunity to be backstage after Alexis finished her talent because I got to give her a big hug and tell her what a great job she did! I also saw her later for more photos at visitation, where I also had a photo op with Kathryn, who is the daughter of Vicki Kueppers, Miss Minnesota 1983. Our Minnesota crew was there to cheer for Alexis! That night, a number of us headed to the convenience store to drool over the Ben & Jerry's freezer. Did we give in? Ya sure, you betcha!

On Thursday, the nine former Outstanding Titleholders met for a photo shoot with Jenn Cady. I am still waiting for the rest of the photos to be posted. They are fabulous! I can't wait for you to see them! Jenn and her team were WONDERFUL to work with! Then, we met for a quick video shoot for an MAOT promo, and it was off to record our viral videos! Keep checking Facebook and YouTube! They will be up soon! I decided to talk about my connection to autism, because it is my platform work and the opportunity I have had to impact lives that has kept me coming back to the Miss America Organization since I was sixteen years old. 

Each of the Miss America contestants also had a consultation with Artistry by Amway. Thank you so much to Artistry for providing us with the lovely gift of skin care products and make up!
 

That evening, Regalia and the Miss Florida Organization invited us to Maggiano's Little Italy for a wonderful meal. All 53 of us had the chance to introduce ourselves and share an interesting fact. I was blown away! Everyone was so funny! We have someone who weighed 12 lbs. when she was born, someone who is an adrenaline junkie, a few who can do incredible impersonations, and even someone who is afraid of opossums! I can't wait to get to know everyone better, and I hope we get the chance to share more of our sparkling personalities on the Miss America stage this January! Thank you to Mary from the Miss Florida pageant and David and Carey from Regalia for hosting us for the evening.

And... (drumroll please)... Alexis won the preliminary Evening Gown and On Stage Question award! I was so happy for her! No Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen (including myself) had every stepped away from Miss America's Outstanding Teen with a preliminary award. The farthest I got was what I call the "nerd" award, aka the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. Yay Alexis! I am so proud of you!

Friday was a MAGICAL day! I woke up at 4:30 because we had to leave at 6:15 for Disney World. We were all tired, but the early morning was worth it! At Disney World, we spent a lot of time filming for a Disney promo that will air in January during the pageant (That's right! I am going to be in a Disney World commercial!). I felt like a little girl again when, every so often, a Disney character waltzed into the street to surprise us. These included Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, Cinderella, Belle, and Pluto. We were screaming with sincere joy! I can't wait to see the looks on our faces when the commercial airs! After filming was over, we had some time to go on rides, including Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain and Tower of Terror. Thank you to Walt Disney World for taking such wonderful care of the Miss America contestants that day! It was a truly magical experience. I cannot wait to come back!

That evening, we attended a gala to mingle, eat delicious food, and be entertained by the Atlantic City Boys! Thank you to all of the Miss America supporters who attended or planned the event.

On Saturday morning, the contestants attended the official Miss America orientation! Everything is starting to feel much more real. I am competing for Miss America! Wow! I am so blessed! Thank you to everyone who continues to support me on my journey as Miss Minnesota and, hopefully, on my journey to becoming the next Miss America. We will see what God has in store for me! Tune in on January 14, 2012, to watch me compete for the title of Miss America LIVE on ABC from Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas!

When the final Miss America's Outstanding Teen competition came on Saturday night, I think the audience was much more nervous than the girls who were competing! I was so happy for Alexis when she was named Top 15, Top 10, and finally, 4th runner up! Way to put Minnesota on the map, Alexis! She is such a gracious young woman, and hilarious to boot! I feel like she really is my sister...although she is half my size and a brunette! 








(3,200 miles)

I got off the plane from Washington D.C. and immediately headed first to David and Rod's backyard to retrieve a bag of autograph cards from their barbeque (sketchy!), and then to Mendakota Country Club in Mendota Heights for the Chianti Grill Feed My Starving Children golf tournament. It was a BEAUTIFUL day for golfing. I met everyone at the end of their long day of golf, when they were ready to eat and spend their money on raffle tickets. I got to play Vanna White for the day, announcing the winners of fabulous prizes, which included Vikings tickets, camping gear, spa treatments, and a trip to Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, where I will be competing for Miss America in January! 

Thank you to Court and everyone else at Chianti Grill for not only including me in this event, but also for supporting the Miss Minnesota Organization each year! We appreciate your continued support of our scholarship program. 

All funds raised contributed to FMSC's Horn of Africa efforts. Due to the worst drought in more than 60 years, 12 million people in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan are at risk of starvation. Thousands of malnourished families are flooding into refugee camps, and many children are dying of starvation on the journey. FMSC has committed a minimum of 5 million meals to the Horn of Africa, and they need help raising the funds to do so! Chianti Grill contributed greatly, but if you would like to donate more, go to www.fmsc.org.

Here are all the winners from the day! I apologize for the photos that didn't turn out well!

After the Chianti Grill event, I headed home to re-pack my bags for the Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant in Orlando, Florida! I woke up at 5:00 the next morning to head to the airport. Stay tuned for a recap of my amazing week in Orlando!

(130 miles)

I am excited to announce a new partnership with the Autism Society of America! I visited Bethesda, Maryland this week to meet the ASA staff. Thank you to Catherine Medovich for arranging this meeting for me and for taking the train all the way from New Jersey to join me! I will be doing a regular blog discussing my perspective as a sibling of someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder and as an advocate through the Miss America Organization. I will also be participating in their monthly "Sensory Friendly Films" in Minnesota. Check out the article they included in their weekly newsletter: "Miss Minnesota Teams Up with the Autism Society to Improve Lives"

(2,300 miles)

Another 600 miles

On Thursday, I headed to an amazing restaurant called Pinstripes in Edina. This is THE place to hold events: bocce ball, bowling, and probably some of the best pizza I've eaten! I am so thankful to Sarah Moses, the owner of The Pageant Shop, for inviting me to this benefit for her friend Michelle Barnes, who recently received a kidney transplant. The turnout of supporters was amazing. Although Michelle couldn't be there due to health issues, she was certainly there in spirit as she was on everyones' minds. My job was to sell necklaces for the Heads & Tails game, and-not to toot my own horn-I am an excellent salesperson! It's hard to say no to a chatty girl wearing a crown! The winner of the Heads & Tails game received an iPad 2! The event was a huge success! Almost 15K was raised to support the Barnes family. Best of luck to Michelle Barnes during her recovery!

On Friday, I had a meeting with Angie's Kettle Corn, a Mankato business and new supporter of the Miss Minnesota Organization, but I'll get to that more later! 

After my meeting with Angie's Kettle Corn, I headed to Mankato Ribfest and enjoyed a DELICIOUS pulled pork sandwich from Barbeque Co. Every year, vendors from all over the U.S. come to sell their ribs and other barbeque delicacies at this community event. I wish I could have tried food from all of them! After indulging in my delicious sandwich, I took some photos with vendors and spent some time catching up with Stunt Monkey from Radio Mankato! Thank you to Shelly Bartlett for being my chaperone that day!

I love coming to local pageants, especially when I get to spend a lot of time getting to know the contestants. I was so blessed to be able to spend two days with the contestants vying for the titles of Miss South Central and Miss Waseca Co. Sleigh & Cutter. I spent a few hours with the girls during rehearsal on Friday night, but Saturday is when the real fun started! Following their interviews, they were sent to a room with candy, pretzels, popcorn, and....Wii. Now, I don't pretend to be good at video games. In fact, I am horrible. But, Wii "Just Dance" is incredible! This is definitely going to be my workout of choice for Miss America preparation! So...would anyone be interested in buying me a Wii? Any takers? Anyone? :)

I was ecstatic about being invited to emcee the Miss South Central/Miss Waseca Co. Sleigh & Cutter pageant last weekend. While I love most every part of my job as Miss Minnesota (except not being able to find a decent radio station during long car rides in the less-populated regions of our state), please note: my FAVORITE thing to do is emcee! 

Emcee or not, however, it was great to be back in Waseca. This year was my fourth year on the Waseca Pageants stage. I was crowned Miss South Central in 2008, I passed my title onto Aja Majkrzak in 2009, I was invited to emcee for the anniversary in 2010, and I had the honor of coming back this year as Miss Minnesota. Waseca is like a second home to me. The committee is like family to me. I had such a wonderful time catching up with some people who have been hugely supportive of me during the past three years.

It was my pleasure to get to know Liz Scipioni, Miss South Central 2010, and Landi Dulas, Miss Waseca Co. Sleigh & Cutter extra well this year because of our "Team Waseca" connection. These ladies are incredible! Liz and I often bonded over our sibling stories. Both of our siblings have disabilities and they are the inspiration for our individual service platforms. I am so impressed with Landi and the clarity she has for what she wants to do with her life. I can't wait to see where she goes on her path to a career in law enforcement and a life of service. 

Congratulations on their incredible years of service as Miss South Central and Miss Waseca County. I hope you see these ladies compete with the Miss America Organization again! 

And finally, congratulations to our new titleholders! Kalli Randall was crowned Miss South Central 2011. I still have her talent song stuck in my head! She has incredible stage presence and a personality to boot! It was also my pleasure to announce Rachael Hoverstad as the new Miss Waseca Co. Sleigh & Cutter 2011. This was extra special for me because her brother, Nick, attends St. Olaf College with me and he is one of my best Awesome Club volunteers! Congratulations to both Kalli and Rachael! I am so excited to see where this year takes them! And, congratulations to all of the contestants on a job well done! I hope to see them continue their involvement with the Miss America Organization in the future!

On Sunday afternoon, I attended Alexis' send off to Miss America's Outstanding Teen. I could not possibly be more impressed! This young lady has so much confidence and poise! She truly sparkles, and I am so excited to see how she will do at Miss America's Outstanding Teen. In my opinion, she could win the whole thing! Whatever the result though, Alexis, know that your "big sister" is so so proud of you! I will be cheering you on all four nights, and I am hoping to be able to introduce your talent on Wednesday when I co-host! You will be fabulous!

Now, back to Angie's Kettle Corn: As I mentioned before, I met with Angie's Kettle Corn the other day. They have been incredible sponsors of the Miss Mankato Organization for years, giving us their  product to sell at our pageant to raise scholarship money. Angie's Kettle Corn has always made it a priority to support people whose goal is to be their best. I am so thankful for the support they have offered to give me on my journey to Miss America and to the Miss Minnesota Organization. In exchange, I have offered to be a spokesperson for their product. On Monday, they invited me to the Vikings Training Camp to distribute free samples of Angie's Kettle Corn. 

And, more perks of the job: Yes, indeed. Check out who I got to meet!

I am heading to Washington D.C. this week to meet with the Autism Society of America, then it's off to the Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant to co-host and meet the other 52 contestants vying for the Miss America title! More updates to come soon!

I had a jam-packed four days with 700+ miles added to my car's odometer!

On Friday, I headed north to Perham for the Miss Heart of the Lakes/Miss Perham pageant. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Brittany and Kallie again! Brittany was our Miss Congeniality at the Miss Minnesota pageant this past June. She sat near me in the dressing room, and we had a ball together! Kallie probably deserved an equivalent award; she styled so many girls' hair before even tending to her own! They are both such kind and giving people, and I am so proud to have had them as representatives of our program. Best of luck to them in their future endeavors!

The group of contestants competing for these two titles was a great bunch of girls! I hope they will all compete again in our pageant system. Congratulations to Paige Meyer and Caitlyn Thompson, the new Miss Perham and Miss Heart of the Lakes. These young women both exemplify what it means to be resilient and to persevere! Live every moment of your years of service to the fullest! Thank you so much to the Perham/Heart of the Lakes committee for including me in your program! I greatly enjoyed my time in the city of Perham!

Happy Turkey Days, Everyone! Yes indeed, that's me with the world's largest Turkey! I had the best time in Frazee! I felt like I was home. Frazee is about the same size as Dassel, AND, get this: We both have town holidays related to birds! Frazee celebrates Turkey Days, during which they serve what is supposed to be the most delicious turkey sandwich in the world (I didn't get a chance to eat one! :( I'll take their word for it!). Dassel celebrates Red Rooster Days and hosts Minnesota's largest chicken barbeque every year! Like I said: I have a true bond with the city of Frazee and its people! The turnout for the Miss Frazee pageant was incredible! The high school gym was packed and the audience was lively! 

On top of it all, I love Emily Kallis, last years Miss Frazee. 1) She has a heart of gold; 2) She is hilarious; 3) She is a Timberwolves dancer! (That's not why I love her, but you have to admit that it's pretty darn cool!). This girl has so much to be proud of, but she is so humble. I can't wait to see what her future entails. I hope to see her back in the running for Miss Minnesota again someday soon!

A big congratulations to the new Miss Frazee Katie Winter. She is only 17 years old and she had just passed on her Miss Becker County Fair title 4 days prior to competing for Miss Frazee! That's one busy gal! Also, congratulations to the new Miss Frazee's Outstanding Teen, Haley Jutz, who was crowned by Ellie Bachman! I know this was a huge growing experience for Ellie. I hope she joins us again soon! I must also add that I LOVE TEEN PAGEANTS! There's something completely adorable about that cutesy lifestyle and fitness routine. Please come support the Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen fund raiser at Macy's on August 27 (Check Facebook for more details!)

Thank you so much to the Miss Frazee committee for including me in your program and to the town of Frazee for being so warm and welcoming. An extra special thank you to Hazel, who hosted my mom and I in her beautiful home for two days!

I saw another amazing woman give up her title in Thief River Falls on Sunday! Congratulations to Meghan Kuznia for an incredible year of service. Meghan has so many talents: she is well spoken, highly intelligent, and an entertaining dancer to boot. I will always love her rendition of Johnny Be Good. Meghan recently finished graduate school, and she is about to start her career as a speech and language pathologist. I am so blessed to have shared the Miss Minnesota stage with this exceptional young woman.

The Miss Thief River Falls pageant also crowned a Little Miss Thief River Falls! This was definitely a highlight of my year so far! Twelve little girls between the ages of 6 and 8 competed for this very prestigious title! They all walked across the stage while the emcee told the audience a little about each of them. Then, they had to answer one question, which they chose ahead of time. Their responses were adorable! One little girl was asked, "If you could be any circus character, what one would you be and why?" She wanted to be a clown so she could make people happy. Others were asked about their career ambitions. One girl spoke about her desire to become a teacher and have a dream classroom "filled with books and art supplies and snacks and happy children." Brooklyn, who ultimately won the crown, talked about how she was so happy to finally be a big sister. She told us about how she and her parents had to go "aaaaaaall the way to China to get her," and that she tried very hard to help her new baby sister even though she was kind of messy. These girls were too precious! What a fun experience for them!

Thank you to the Miss TRF committee for including me in their program! They do an absolutely beautiful job putting together their pageant! And, I must comment on how organized Olive is! Everyone who runs the Miss Minnesota local pageants is organized (they have to be, or else there would be no pageant!), but wow, was I impressed by Olive! She had a highlighted program book all ready for me and a big stack of certificates to sign right when I walked through the door. She immediately walked me through everything I needed to know and had a great crew of backstage helpers who ran like clockwork! Thank you so much for your service to the Miss Minnesota program! We are glad that Miss Thief River Falls is a part of the Miss America sisterhood again! Congratulations to the new Miss Thief River Falls, Michelle Stahlecker.

...to my mom! Thanks for driving all over tarnation with me last weekend! I love my mama!

I concluded my 700 mile trip with a golf tournament on Monday. I had a wonderful day in Hudson, Wisconsin at AuSM's annual Golf Benefit. The Autism Society of Minnesota is a non-profit organization. It is not publicly funded, so AuSM's many volunteers work hard to raise money so it can continue to serve Minnesota families. I had the opportunity to meet and greet our many generous donors. I also sold Mulligans and raffle tickets. This event was a great opportunity to introduce myself to more of the people with whom I will be working this year. Unfortunately, the actual golfing never occurred due to the weather, but people still stuck around to support the cause by participating in the raffle and the silent auction. Thank you to AuSM's many supporters! Your money will go to good use! To make a donation to the Autism Society of Minnesota, please visit www.ausm.org. Thank you for your support!

My first experience with the Miss America Organization occurred when I competed for and won the title of Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen (MMOT) in 2006. I was a skinny, gawky, awkward teenager, and I am in awe of how much I have changed in the past five years through my involvement with this program. 

When I first started doing pageants, it was all about ME. I wanted a singing and acting career (I know, I was a weird kid.), and MMOT was a great place to showcase my talent. However, as time went on, my involvement with this program became about much more than that. 

I looked up to the Miss contestants. They were incredible role models for this young, impressionable teenager. They were beautiful, smart, talented, and they were making a difference in their communities. Their influence caused my aspirations to change. The Outstanding Teen program, and consequently the Miss America Organization, opened my eyes to the fact that one person can impact many. It empowered me to take my personal experiences and channel them into service work that positively impacted my community. The Miss America Organization has played a significant role in shaping who I have become. After I finished my year as Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen, I was hooked. I knew in my heart that, one day, I would become Miss Minnesota and continue to use the Miss America "microphone" to make a difference in my state.

As it turns out, there are EIGHT other Miss America contestants this year who are also former teen titleholders! I am excited to announce that I have been invited to co-host one of the Miss America's Outstanding Teen preliminary competitions in Orlando this August. I can't wait to reconnect with the Outstanding Teen titleholders from my class, Miss Idaho, Genevieve Nutting, and Miss Texas, Kendall Morris! The other former teen titleholders are Miss Georgia, Michaela Lackey; Miss Kentucky, Ann-Blair Thorton; Miss Montana, Veronika Ohlinger; Miss Nebraska, Kayla Batt; Miss New Jersey, Katharyn Nicolle; and Miss North Dakota, Ariana Walker.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to return to the stage where my journey began!

Best of luck to my "little sister," Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen, Alexis Houule! You will shine!