Photo Shoot for Mrs. Texas Program Cover

After only a few hours of sleep, I was sitting in a chair prepping for my photo shoot for the cover of the Mrs. Texas program book. Tamara worked her magic on my make-up, Jo Ann did an incredible job on my hair and Larry captured some great shots with his camera. Before I knew it, John and I were back on the road heading home. Megan and Susana were able to enjoy the rest of the day taking their official photos as new state titleholders. I love that Tracy does this for her new queens. There could not be a better time to take pictures than the day after you win. You are floating on a high that can keep you smiling hours upon hours. It is a day they will not forget!

Mrs. OK and Mrs. KS

We drove a few hours up to Guthrie, OK today. John and I were broth judging Mrs. OK and Mrs. KS. We arrived in time for the private interviews with the contestants. These ladies are full of passion and energy. They were all really good on stage. It was hard to only select one lady for each crown. The new Mrs. OK is Megan Murray and the new Mrs. KS is Susana Kingsley. They are both beautiful ladies inside and out. I can’t wait to see how they do at Mrs. America.

It was bitter-sweet to watch Samantha and Alyssa give up their crowns. We have shared a wonderful year together and have many great memories. I left lucky to have them as roommates at Mrs. America. We were the perfect little trio!

After the pageant and after-party, we crashed Tracy’s hotel room. This group always has entertaining stories to share. It was a nice break from the hard week John and I had. It was so nice to sit around and laugh with everyone. Laughter is good for the soul!!

Alyssa and Tucker

We had a tragic loss in John’s family this past Sunday. John’s first cousin, Alyssa, and her 10 month old baby, Tucker, were killed by a drunk driver on her way to work in the morning. We drove down yesterday morning for the visitation. The funeral was one of the saddest I have ever attended. It is hard to understand how something this horrific can happen to two beautiful and innocent people. We were just sick to our stomachs driving back to McKinney. Alyssa left behind a husband and two young boys who will only have a memory of their mother and baby brother. I don’t know how a family moves on from this. It is definitely a situation that reminds you to take nothing and no one for granted.

Kiwanis Module Build

Tonight was my first module ramp build for Kiwanis. All of the Kiwanis clubs in the DFW area share one warehouse to build the modules for our ramp builds in our area. I joined five other members after work today to help put the ramps frames together. It has been extremely cold, so I had to break out my ski jacket to make sure I stayed warm. We were people on a mission. We knocked out our assigned modules in less than 2 hours. We celebrated by grabbing some dinner and sharing stories.

McKinney North's Key Club

After the Kiwanis meeting today, I joined one of our members at McKinney North High School for their Key Club meeting. It has been a long time since I have been in a high school. The students keep looking younger and younger. I observed the meeting and then spent some time after the meeting with the president and vice-president. They invited me to come back and speak at one of their future meetings. I am excited to be able to speak to all of the members next month.

Last Few Mock Interviews

I spent the last two evenings on the phone helping Stephanie, Miss DC, with her last mock interviews before she leaves for Miss America. It is such a stressful time for her. I have not had another event that put as much stress and anxiety in my life as Miss America did. I always tell the girls once you make it through Miss America, you can make it through anything! I am excited for all of the girls. I really hope they are able to enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Christmas in Florida

We drove back to McKinney on the 26th and then caught a flight to Florida to spend the rest of the holiday with my family. Mom loves having everyone together and she even cooked another traditional dinner especially for John and me. My oldest brother Sam and his wife Farrah have been building a house. We went down and checked it out. The house is close to being down, so we were really able to get a feel of what the finished product is going to look like. They have put a lot of special details into the house. I am very excited for them!!

We were also able to see some of my cousins before we left town. My mom’s side of the family used to have a very traditional sit down dinner every Christmas at my grandparent’s house. It would range from 30 to over 40 people. My mom is one of seven. All of her brothers and sister would attend every year with their families. It was an organized chaos, but we loved the opportunity to see everyone. It has been a hard tradition to let go of, so I still try and see some of my cousins when we are home.