Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Catching Up

Hello Again,

So any of you that are following my blog know that I am not very good at keeping up with it. Sometimes I have a hard enough time keeping up with myself! Here is another long one to keep you up to date on what I am doing now!



The rest of July was fabulous once I felt better from getting my wisdom teeth taken out! I went to a Pheasants baseball game in Sioux Falls where I helped out with the games between innings. They had me throw a baseball for one of the games. I am so terrible at throwing! It is ridiculous! People have tried to teach me numerous times, but I am not any better now than I was then. It was so much fun! I haven't had the chance to watch a baseball game in a very long time. They even won! GO Pheasants!!!



I have been very busy with fundraising. Being Miss South Dakota is expensive but so rewarding! I have been doing A LOT of shopping, but again, I am also taking a lot of time to fundraise for the rest of my year and for my Miss America attire. There are a lot of people I would like to thank for helping to sponsor me thus far: SDSU Wellness Center, Hills Edge Auto, McGillvrey Oil, Bauman Agency, Anderson Furniture, Vaillancourt Korean Martial Arts, The Carpet Center, Barti Metal, West Way Trailers, Vision Care Associates, Crossroads Event Center, NorthWestern Energy, Pro-PT, Huron Chamber & Visitors Bureau, Farmer's Cashway, Hurd Alignment, Schoenhard, Huron Regional Medical Center, Prostrollo's, MO Federal Credit Union, Cornerstone Financial , Fuch's Orthodontics, Karl's Appliances, Farmer's Union Insurance, American Bank & Trust, Red Wilk Construction, Carr Chiropractic Clinic, Precision Auto Body, Stoney Brook Suites, and Precision Planting. THANK YOU!



My birthday was the 29th of July and I was able to celebrate by going to Wild Water West in Sioux Falls. It was so much fun because I was able to take some much needed time to relax with good friends! On the day of my birthday I had a second photo shoot for my crown picture for my autograph cards. Evans Photography took an amazing set of photos at their Sioux Falls studio. I had a blast. I love taking pictures and modeling for them and Rod Evans was so much fun and easy to work with. Soon after that, I attended a birthday party for an older gentleman in Mitchell that used to be a member in government. I visited with a distinguished group of attendees and had a blast! Thank you to my wonderful escort Lance.



In August, I was able to attend the Children's Miracle Network Treat Day at Dairy Queen, in Madison, SD. This event goes on all over the nation. FUN FACT: This Dairy Queen location in Madison, SD was the top seller in the NATION last year. Thanks for your great service and donation to CMN! I signed autographs all evening and had the chance to talk with many young children. There is truly nothing like seeing a little one's face light up when you walk over to talk to them. Yes, if you are wondering… of course I had a blizzard! For the record, the midnight truffle is my favorite. I can't pass up ice cream.



The next big event on my agenda was the Miss Sioux Empire Fair Pageant in Sioux Falls. The pageant was held on the Front Porch Stage and the weather was so hot! I met a number of talented new contestants. Brianna Larson (Miss Sioux Empire Fair 2009) and I emceed the pageant. All the contestants did great job and Kelly Wismer came home with the title! Congratulations Kelly! Thank you to everyone that helped out—the volunteers, judges, and to the generous sponsors who donated to prizes and scholarship money for the ladies. I know how much it means to them.



There was a small fair pageant in Clay County Fair where I attended and watched all of the little girls perform numerous phases of competition. I was surprised and impressed with the talent these young girls had! After I left Vermillion that day I headed to Sioux Falls for the Fair.



The talent at the Sioux Empire Fair this year was outstanding. I was able to accompany Kelly Wismer, the newly crowned Miss Sioux Empire Fair, the night of the Lifehouse and Spill Canvas concert. We rode around in the golf cart for awhile and we both had some Fair food. I had some lemonade, naturally! I love fresh-squeezed lemonade! We had the honor of taking photo shots with both Lifehouse AND Spill canvas band members. They are two of my favorite bands! I was so excited. They played fabulously!


The next couple of days I spent shopping for my trip to the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Competition that was quickly approaching. I was shopping for attire needed for the various activities and appearances that I would be participating in while in Orlando, FL.



I headed to Rapid City South Dakota to support our Miss South Dakota's Outstanding Teen, Emma Thomas, at her trunk show. I performed my talent and watched Emma sport her gowns and sing her talent song. She is so talented and she is such a sweetheart. I am glad that I have the opportunity to share my year with her! Go Emma!



I spent the next few days in Rapid City shopping and spending time with Sally and Daryl Isburg. They are such beautiful people and wonderful hosts, and I don't know what I would do without them. Sally has opened my eyes to the world of protein bars. Now I am obsessed :). Thanks to KNBN in Rapid City, Jim Simpson and the crew, for helping me practice on camera and for the interview. Any chance I can get to practice the better!



Once I got back, it was a matter of packing and getting my things to leave for Orlando. Before I did, however, I helped out with the Habitat for Humanity Lucky Duck Pluck! People bought rubber ducks with numbers on them and the volunteers let them out into the pool. There were numerous prizes that were given away as we had some local firemen, the SDSU diving coach and SDSU Football Coach jump into the pool, one by one, to pick the winning ducks. I was the featured celebrity to dive for the winning duck in the pool which was a big cash prize. I did a back-flip! I signed autographs and boogied by the DJ before I left.



The next day I left for Orlando! It was the very first time I had traveled by myself. My first connection was in Minneapolis and I had to literally run to the other side of the airport in heels to catch my next flight. I am sure that it was quite a sight to everyone else. I made it never-the-less, barely in time for the first night of prelims! I had to hustle-hustle to get ready, but, I literally just made it as all of the other title holders were walking in to the auditorium. WHEW!



Emma did really great at the pageant and I was so proud of her! The poor girl is a vocalist and had laryngitis! She barely had a voice and pushed through her talent never-the-less. While Emma was busy and I wasn't, I spent time with her family. They are great people and her little sister Veronica was the best shopping partner! I even tried sushi for the first time ever. It was so much better than I was expecting. I will definitely have it again!



All the 2011 Miss America contestants took a 60-second on-camera taping of why we want to be Miss America. You will have to watch for me in October when they post the video clips. I hope you like it!



I met all of the other Miss America 2011 contestants when I was there and we spent a good amount of time together. We went to Disney World and I had so much fun. My favorite ride is definitely is Space Mountain! We met the Disney princesses and Mickey and Minnie. I had not been to Disney World since I was a little girl. It was nice to go back. Nothing makes you feel more like a kid again than a visit to Disney!



We went to a fundraiser after Disney World where there was an auction and we all danced until the night was through. Our feet were numb by the end of the evening but it was a blast.



We watched the finals the next evening. They crowned Miss America's Outstanding Teen from Oklahoma, Lacey Russ. Emma's roommate was Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen and she was 1st runner up! That girl can dance! It was quite funny because at the beginning of the week, I heard Emma talk and she sounded different –was that a southern accent? I thought that maybe that was because she was sick? Then when I realized that her roommate was Miss Alabama's OT I realized that was why! It made me chuckle until, at the end of the week, I found myself speaking with a southern accent too! It is catchy - I don't blame her!!



When I got back from Orlando I geared up for my first dance class! Then I packed for the State Fair and headed to Huron. I went to promote my platform with the Highway Patrol and talked to many people about my story and the Dangers of Distracted Driving. It was a great opportunity for me. I was able to have some fun to! I love the South Dakota State Fair! I ate some Fair food, rode some rides, and went to the Martina McBride concert.



Monday was the Miss State Fair pageant. It rained all day long. The pageant was scheduled for outside but it was moved inside, thank goodness! Kristi Richter, our state ED, and Carrie Wintle, Miss Outstanding Teen 2008, emceed the pageant. Congratulations to Brianna Larson, Miss State Fair, and Cassidy Schoenfelder, Miss State Fair's Outstanding Teen! We were entertained by talented, beautiful contestants who all did a wonderful job! Thanks to the pageant director, State Fair contacts, Miss State Fair 2009, Theresa Knutson, all volunteers, judges, and sponsors! Your support is so very much appreciated!



When I got back to Brookings I had a photo shoot for an advertising picture for South Dakota State University that will be featured in the Miss America Program book. I am honored to represent South Dakota and such an outstanding school as SDSU! Go Jacks! Thank you for your sponsorship and advertisement!



Later that week, I went to Minneapolis to shop for gowns and other attire. I found something I love and it may be "The Dress"! My mother, Kristi Richter, my ED, and Holly Hoffman, my local ED, came with me to help. I hadn't seen Holly for months and I missed her very much! Watch her on Survivor Wednesday Evenings!



On the 12th of September, I went to the Children's Miracle Network marathon in Sioux Falls. They had thousands of runners from numerous states. I had the chance to hand out all of the prizes of the competition. I had the opportunity to talk to lots of families and people at the event and cheer on the runners. After I was done at the marathon, I traveled to Yankton, SD to judge Yankton Idol, a fundraiser for CMN. I was awed by the talent of the performers and I had so much fun picking this year’s Idol!



I just gave my very first school presentation to Huron High School (my hometown). I talked to the students about my platform - the Dangers of Distracted Driving. It is hard to tell my brother's story, but I really felt like they were listening. For those of you that do not know, my brother was killed in an accident caused by a distracted driver in May 2009. My brother was a passenger in a vehicle, with his seat belt on, when the driver (whose distraction is unknown) pulled out in front of a semi-tractor trailer truck and was t-boned from the driver's side. The driver of my brother's vehicle was killed on the scene, and my brother was airlifted to Sioux Falls where they concluded that his brain injuries were "catastrophic". I held my 21-year-old brother's hand as I watched him take his last breath. Now I am an only child and I lost my very best friend. All because of an accident that was 100% preventable. Distracted driving is an issue everywhere, and I am dedicating my year to reaching out and talking to students and as many people as I can about the reality of this issue. I was touched by a young lady that came up to me after my presentation crying and telling me “thank you”. “Thank you for raising money for the CMN” because she was in an accident herself last year and had a 99% chance of not making it. Children's Miracle Network helped save her life.



Moments like this one, that I have had wearing my crown, have made all of the hard work worthwhile! Sometimes it is so hard for me to tell my brother's story over and over again. I know that by telling it, I am saving lives, and that helps me get through the pain of it. Thank you for all who are supporting me! You are also the ones that are giving me strength and making this a healing process for me. I know that Kelson was there in the auditorium and I know he will continue to be.



God Bless



<3

Loren