There She Is!...

This evening has been a night filled with such inspiration and exciting performances! Tonight I was a guest performer at the 25th Annual Miss Vergas and the 12th Princess Altona Pageant. As many of you know I was Princess Altona in 2008 and was so ecstatic to be back to the Vergas Comnmunity to share my experiences this past year as Miss Red River Valley Outstanding Teen.

There were nine contestants vying for the title of Priness Altona and four ladies running for the 25th Miss Vergas crown. The evening was filled with inspiration as 24women were thanked for their year of service to the Vergas Community. It was very exciting to witness the success of both of the programs.

I had the opportunity to share my talent from Miss Minnesota Outstanding Teen with the audience and talked about my experiences and platform work. I was so excited to be back to a familiar place and feel the small warm-hearted communities love. It was so good to see and catch up with such wonderful people from the community.

Tonight Leah Wuebben was crowned the 12th Princess Altona. I am so proud of her! Leah and I are great friends and I am so thrilled to watch her this next year and all of the amazing things she will do. I am confident that she will amaze you! She was also the overall talent and interview winner! I love you Leah. Your first runner up was Maren Anderson. I am continually proud to see all of her talent. The overall Party Dress winner was Maggie Wothe, not only was she awarded for her party dress, but for her service to special olympics. She has grown so much these past few years and I can't wait to continue to see how she inspires those around her. Best wishes Maggie!

Haylee Dagget was crowned the 25th Miss Vergas! She shinned so much on stage tonight. Not only does she shine on stage, but does each and every day! She was the overall talent and evening gown winner! Congrats girl! I am so excited for the year you have ahead of you! Nancy Stenger was your first runner up. She was the overall interview winner and was awarded the Cheryl Glawe Community Service Award. I am very happy for you, girl! Way to go!

This evening I was once again reminded of all of the amazing people I have in my life. I went through just a huge rhelm of memories and found myself smiling the entire evening. Congrats to my Miss RRV Outstanding Teen commitee who have put so much time and energy into not only one program, but two! You are such inspiring people! What a success for all of you crowning the 25th Miss Vergas! Love you guys!

I am now only a month away from crowning the next Miss RRV Outstanding Teen and I can't believe that it's coming so fast!! Just a reminder the pageant will be held at Moorhead High at 7 o'clock on September 11th! Hope to see you there and enjoy these last few weeks of summer!

God bless!
Paige

Princess Altona 2010

I wanted to invite all of you to a great event that will be taking place in Vergas, MN this Thursday during Looney Days! I'm really looking forward to the evening as I held the title of Princess Altona in 2008. I would love for you to be there to cheer for not only the Princess Altona contestants, but for the Miss Vergas Contestants as well! This year the 25th Miss Vergas will be crowned and the 12th Princess Altona.

I can't believe that it was just last year when I held the title and that now I will get to watch and cheer for the girls competing for the title. I can relate with all of them as I was in their place just a couple of year's back. I wish all of them the best of luck!

The Princess Altona Program was the start of my pageant journey and I am so thankful for the steps it allowed me to take and the growth that happened while I competed and held the title! I'm so excited for the next girl that will have that same experience!

The pageant will take place at the Vergas Community Center in Vergas, MN! Hope to see you there!

Miracle Treat Day!

Today I had a magnificent day at Miracle Treat Day in Moorhead, Minnesota. A day filled with spreading the message of Children's Miracle Network and the partnership with Dairy Queen that they had to raise money for such a great cause! Each blizzard sold around the Dairy Queen community donated a part of their proceeds to CMN.

Bethany and I arrived at the Moorhead Dairy Queen and got to work right away. We met the owners of the DQ who were so great to us and filled us in on what we would be up to for a couple of hours.

We got the chance to sell t-shirts, hand out coupons, and have the opportunity to talk about CMN with customers! I met such a great group of people today many of whom came to support CMN. Bethany and I even got a tour of the adorable Moorhead DQ which was established in 1949. Troy shared with us little details of treat making, to the traditions that he and his wife have kept in place the past 15 years they have owned their business. It was such a great way to spend the afternoon learning new things and meeting new people!

I always love meeting people who understand and have experienced the incredible blessings of the Children's Miracle Network. It's so great to look back at the kids and families I have met and continue to get to know them. At each and every appearance with CMN I am continually reminded of how fragile life is and how blessed we are to be healthy!

A very special thanks goes to Moorhead DQ who were so great to me and for supporting such a worthy cause!

God bless,
Paige

Last and Final Day of PIU/ Welcome Home!

It was bittersweet as we ended our last day of the Pack It Up Anti-Tobacco Road Trip. I can't believe that it was less than 24 hours ago that I was driving back to the state of Minnesota!

Our day started very early to make sure that we made good time on the way home. It was a long stretch through South Dakota, and North Dakota. Road construction was at times an issue, but we worked through it well! Nothing as big as road construction seemed to really phase us at all by the end of the week. Our crew and cast were very tired so a lot of us rested and took some cat naps on the long hall home. The ride home is a bit of a blur for me! I was so excited to get home to see my family and friends. It has been quite a while since I had really gotten the opportunity to speak with many of them.

We stoped in Dickninson to have some lunch at Applebee's and share our last lunch as the PIU cast and crew. We had some great times just reflecting about the trip and having some great laughs! It was bittersweet as it really hit us that the trip was coming to an end. However, the one thing I was trying to remember the entire day yesterday was that the trip was ending, but that our impact would go beyond our last day. I am confident that even today that impact is still being felt around the midwest.

All of us arrived at the ND State Capitol around 5 o'clock. We took one last picture together and sad our goodbyes! Some tears were shed, but we were all comforted by hugs and the see ya laters! I had such a great week, with such a great group of people!

I then made the treck from Bismark to Perham with one of the crew members from the trip. I was very anxious to get home, but especially because the Miss Perham and Miss Heart of the Lakes pageant was taking place on my way home. I was very jittery and really wanted to be there! I rolled into Perham around 9:15 PM in perfect timing to hug the new Miss Perham, Brittany Bachumann and Miss HOTL Kalli Randal. Not only did I get to congratulate them, but I also got to see the new Miss Frazee, Emily Kallis, and catch up with Bethany and the rest of my friens who were at Perham High Auditorium! It was such a great reunion. I know that a week doesn't seem very long, but when your on a road trip time is a bit different. I was so excited to see everyone! It was a pefect way to come home.

The Pack It Up Anti-Tobacco Road Trip was such an incredible experience for myself and the entire group. I was so humbled to be a part of such a big project whose idea was born over a year ago! I never expected to have such an incredible time and feel as blessed as I did along the way. It was a challenge, a new experience, and very rewarding! I made new friends this week, met a ton of new people, and got to witness the stunning world around me made by my creator! I am so thankful for the trip and could not have asked for anything better! I took a lot of my passions this week and ran with them. I'm still burning with a desire to make a difference in the lives of others!

I have to give a huge congrats to my PIU friends! We did it guys. And of course to the new ladies that were crowned while I was away! I'm so excited to watch all of you thrive this year! I give you my best wishes! Thanks so much to all of you were there to welcome me home! I love you guys!

God bless!
Love,
Paige

PIU Day 6: Summer Nights Festival in Rapid City, SD!

The sound of the alarm clock came very fast this morning in Nebraska. With our time zones changing it was tough for all of us to get rolling out of bed this morning with little hastle or groggy eyes. However, we all pushed through it together and got on the road by 9 AM.

We covered a ton of miles today and a majority of our morning was spent being in the vehicles. It was alright though. We really used our IPOD's to our advantage this morning. Dancing to the music not only helped us keep occupied, but also gave us some energy for the morning.

All of us pulled into a McDonald's in Alliance to grab some quick lunch things and take a rest break after our long morning of driving. We decided to take our food on the road to save us some time. I enjoyed a great meal of fruit and walnut salad and a great snack rap! Yeah, for fast food. ;)

We then drove, and drove, and drove, our goal to make it to Rapid City with extra time. Surprisingly we arrived a bit more early than what we planned with all of the detours we ended up taking from road construction. So we decided to shed some extra time off and we stopped at the Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, SD. There we were able see the gorgeous view of Rapid City. We snapped a couple of pictures and then it was time to hop back into the car to head to our awareness activity.

Our awareness activity was held at the Summer Nights Festival. Each week in the summer Rapid City holds a night of activities for the kids and their families in the cities. It's much like a street fair. There we set up a tent and shared our story of the week that we have been having. The families were so excited to talk with us. Our smoke-free pledges, prize wheel, side-walk chalk, and silly bands were a huge hit with everyone! Our camera's were rolling and snapping and we got some great footage of the night and interviews from parents and children!

After our awareness activity we went to visit Mount Rushmore. We were worried about the time and if we would get there to see it all lit up. We arrived with ten minutes to spare so we ran up all of the flights of stairs. Once we got to the top we witnessed a ceremony of lighting the monument and got to see our military men and women be honored on the stage right in front of the entire monument. Even though the visit was short it was a great reminder to always remember how blessed our country is. Thank you all men and service women!

On our way home we stopped at Little Cesar's to grab some pizzas. Some of us ate really quick and the festival so it was great to fell refreshed again before arriving in our hotel in Sturgis, SD!

Tomorrow is our last day that we will be on the road. After the trip we still have a ton of things left to do with our video! I'm so excited for you guys to see it and experience it!

P.S. Pics up soon!

God bless,
Paige

PIU Day 5: Kansas is way too sweet!

This morning we woke up in Council Bluffs, Nebraska at our home-town feel Western Inn Hotel. Our goal was to be driving of the parking lot by 8:30 AM. We are proud to say that we accomplished that goal and got a great start on the highway this morning. We headed to Topeka, Kansas for our awareness activity. It still amazes all of us the time that we make each day and how fast we move to different locations and states. It’s pretty crazy, it’s all about a ton of team work.

We stopped at a gas station to re-fuel our vehicles near the border of Kansas and Missouri. It was pretty full and hard for us to squeeze in to get some gas. Eventually we were able to get a couple of gas pumps! Filling up with gas is no worry at all now and we are quite fast at it. We all were feeling a bit hungry so we pulled into a Burger King near the gas station to fill our tummies. Our cast and crew are loving the sandwiches, chips, and fruit lunch routine. We had to re-stock our cooler last night so we enjoyed some fresh new items today!

Our minds were quite focused on getting some great footage today! We had a significant goal of making sure that we will share all of our experiences with the public. And I mean all! The camera was rolling in the girls hotel room this morning while blow drying hair and applying make-up was taking place! We have even filmed our random experiences in the car and many of our groups quite interesting conversations. We even got some great footage of us dancing to "I gotta feeling" the make your move routine from our NL SADD conference.

We arrived to a very sweet community around 1 o'clock today, Topeka, Kansas. After getting some coins into our parking meter we made our way into the beautiful Curtis State Office Building (it was air conditioned!!). We were very excited to see some familiar and new faces from Kansas SADD. We had some very great SADD people that greeted us right away and lead us to where we needed to be.

As soon as we entered our conference room that was within the office building we spotted a camera man/news reporter. He was very enthused to speak with the cast and crew. We quickly moved into interviews with the cast and our Northern Lights SADD Student of the Year, Beth Ryan had a personal interview with the camera. We are very pumped about the news coverage we received in Kansas today!

Several tobacco prevention people visited us and we had a great hour discussion about several different issues, ideas, and thoughts about the use of tobacco among people in Kansas and in North Dakota. All of us were anxious to explain our trip to them and they were very interested in what our goal was with the Pack It Up trip. We interviewed a few of the people from the prevention office and we can't wait for you to see them on our documentation video.

There were about 10 students that we had the privelege of meeting from Kansas SADD. They were so great and it was quite a thrill to meet students from another state who are on the same page and mission that we are. They were all so friendly and exciting to talk to.

Kansas was so great to us. They surprised us with a lot of gifts which included Kansas SADD T-shirts, backpacks, and water bottles. The PIU crew and cast along with our Kansas friends made our way to the state capitol to get a group photo.It was sad for us to say goodbye to them, but we are very thankful for the great visit we had with them! Thanks Kansas for being way to sweet to all of us!

After our awareness stop we enjoyed supper at Buffalo Wild Wings, and a ice cream from Cold Stone! yummy, yummy! I'm loving the food on this trip. I have ate at a lot of places that I haven't this week! It's been great!

Then it was a 5 hour drive to our hotel, however we are in great hotel tonight in Nebraska and are ready to greet our day and activities in South Dakota tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Lots of Love,
Paige

PIU Day 4: Des Monies, ending in Nebraska!

This morning the crew and I awoke in a suburb outside of Chicago in our hotel. All of us hometown North Dakotan's and the one Minnesotan (me!)were ready to move out of the city. In all honesty it wouldn't have bothered me to stay at all! However, deep down I do love home. :)

We were off around 9 and drove, until we reached an IHOP. Our hotel this morning did not have a continental breakfast so we decided to have a brunch today which would also helped our budget! I enjoyed a great meal of chocolate chip pancakes. It was fun to enjoy pancakes from IHOP. Sadly I have never enjoyed a meal from there, but I made up for it today. It was great being in IHOP again. I haven't been in there since National Pancake Day this past winter.

We then got back in the car and made our long hall to Des Monies, Iowa. I decided to take a nap after our meal at IHOP since our sleeping schedules are really off with just traveling in general. I woke up at a rest stop and was really, really warm. I asked the driver to turn the air conditioner and he told me it wasn't working. It was about 95 in Des Monies and I decided to wear jeans! It was a bit warm!

We arrived in Des Monies about 4 o'clock. Today our main focus was to get some great footage for our educational video that we will be creating after the trip. The park that we visited today was so interesting with all of it's different sculptures and unique architecture. It was very cool. We were able to get some great shots and had a fun time while doing it.

We decided to head to the zoo in Des Monies. Sadly the zoo closed at 5 and we were 15 minutes late. We were all a bit bummed, but we decided that getting supper and heading to the hotel earlier would be a great plan! So we headed to Quizno's to have some sandwiches. Supper was great and it was amazing to have a full tummies and spend some time in air conditioning!

Heading to the hotel early sounded like a great plan for all of us, so we did just that! After another hour drive we arrived at the Western Hotel in Council Bluffs, IA. Right when we arrived we unpacked our bags and relaxed in the hotel. Ice Cream was an urgent request after seeing Dairy Queen as we arrived at our hotel so after settling we all enjoyed an ice cream to end our day on a high note!

This trip has been so incredible and I'm very thankful for the people that I have been with on this entire journey. Not only have I been spending time with an interesting, crazy, and hilarious group, but we have really connected this week. It will be sad to leave each other after the trip is completed.

The road trip is now half way through and we are very excited about our progress and success! Tomorrow all of us are off to Topeka, Kansas! It will be a great day!

God bless,
Paige