2010 wrap up

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas. We just returned from Christmas in Wichita, where my mom and dad live. I was also able to celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday! I feel so lucky to have her and that my girls have a relationship with their Great-Grandmother.

Right before Christmas I had the opportunity to participate in a holiday surprise for the residents of Safehome. Safehome is a shelter for battered women and children here in Johnson County, KS. A local hair stylist had the idea to treat these women to a makeover and professional photo shoot. It was fun to see them smile and feel good about themselves! I also had the honor of meeting the KCTV 5 morning news anchor Kelly Jones, 2 local professional photographers, and the director of Safehome, Sharon Katz. I was there with Hoffman Models and Talent Director of New Faces, Laura Beckley and Linda Loveless, a model and former Mrs. Kansas America. I was able to present each woman with a gift bag filled with items donated by local companies. I was deeply moved by being a part of this special event and could feel the spirit of Christmas all around me!

Safehome is such a worthwhile organization. I was reminded that they not only need cash donations but also basic items such as soap, toilet paper, paper towels, underwear for women and children, etc. They have a website where you can find more info at http://www.safehome-ks.org/. Click on the "needs" tab and you can find a link to their wish list.

Here is a link to the video which aired on Christmas Eve: http://www.kctv5.com/local-video/index.html?grabnetworks_video_id=4473979.

Angels for Afton

I am really excited to help out with a new ministry "Angels for Afton." This caught my attention from a friend on Facebook. Afton, Oklahoma is located about 3 hours from Kansas City and over 80% of the children in the school system are living in extreme poverty. Their principal is collecting gently used children's clothing, shoes, backpacks, books, personal care items (such as body wash) and food for the kid's grades K-8.

Tomorrow they are having a sorting party with all of the donations they have collected from the KC area. On Monday several volunteers are driving down to Afton to deliver the gifts and watch the children's Christmas program. I will be there bright and early to sort clothing and other donations!

I am competing in the Mrs. Kansas America 2011 pageant in January as Mrs. Kansas City 2011. Since our pageant is being held with the Mrs. Oklahoma pageant in Guthrie, OK, I am inviting all of the other contestants to join me in being "Angels for Afton." We are going to bring all of our donations to Guthrie and present them to someone from Afton during the pageant on January 22, 2011. I am excited to see how much we can collect to help these children!

December Christmas Tree Lighting in Lenexa

Last night at volunteered at the Lenexa Community Center. It was so much fun to help with the lighting ceremony along with Santa, Mrs. Claus, Allie Marx (Jr. Miss United States World), and some children from the audience! Next I helped at their holiday gift shop where children of all ages shopped for holiday gifts for family members with the help of Santa's elves:) It was fun to see how excited the children were to see Santa, giving him great big hugs and high fives. I saw children from age 18 months to 14 years old go in the holiday shop to select gifts for mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, cousins, aunts and uncles. They came out with gifts wrapped up and smiles on their faces! I wonder how many of them will be able to keep their gift selections a secret until Christmas? I also met several people who work for the city of Lenexa, KS and really love serving their community. I saw alot of joy in people's faces last night. Of course, I got my picture taken with Santa!

November news

Hello all, I hope everyone is enjoying this unseasonably warm weather! I guess that will change on Thanksgiving. The month of November has been filled with family activities for me. My oldest daughter Alyssa tried out for club volleyball and made the U13-1 team! I can't wait to experience this level of volleyball. In the past, she has always played rec volleyball. Today we had the pleasure of watching Alyssa's confirmation ceremony at our church (COR). It was awesome to see 166 young people accept Jesus as their personal savior and become official members of the church. More than a few tears were shed this afternoon!

I had the pleasure of meeting several women in the Mrs. Kansas and Mrs. Oklahoma America pageant system this past weekend in Manhattan, KS. I am looking forward to competing for the title of Mrs. Kansas America 2011 in January in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The America system is a new one for me. I am looking forward to new friendships and new challenges!

I will have the pleasure of watching my dear friend Kiley celebrate her marriage to John right after Thanksgiving. Several of us in my small group hosted a fun bachelorette party for her a few weeks ago. It has been many, many years since I have been to a bachelorette party!

Every year I look forward to packing a "shoebox" for a child living in extreme poverty through the Operation Christmas Child ministry. Alyssa and Lexi each packed their own shoebox for a girl their own ages. Since we donated online this year, we can actually track which country our boxes go to! This is such a fun family activity. Alyssa and I started doing this when she was in kindergarten and now she is a 7th grader. You can get more info on this wonderful ministry at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/, then click on Operation Christmas Child.

I want to wish everyone a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving. I will celebrate with my in-laws in Lawrence and then head to Topeka for dessert with my side of the family. After dessert, my girls are looking forward to a weekend at Mimi's house in Wichita! I guess I will be decorating my house for Christmas without my little helpers this year as they will be helping my mom do her house:)

Sacred Steps 5K fun

Hello all! It has been a great month so far. The Walk Now for Autism Speaks event had around 10,000 walkers and raised $200,000 in Kansas City! It was an absolutely gorgeous day! I just got home from the Sacred Steps 5k event which raises money for people in Africa living in poverty. I got to ride in the lead car and watch the winners cross the finish line. As a runner, I am amazed that some people can run a 5k in 16 to 18 minutes! After the race I had the honor of presenting the winner's in each category with their medals/certificates. It was an honor to meet Adam, who participated in his wheelchair, who finished faster that I could ever dream of running! I was only able to snap a couple of pictures but more will be posted on http://www.seekcrun.com/.

October events

Hi all, sorry it has been so long since my last update! I am looking forward to my appearance at the Kansas City Walk Now For Autism Speaks event at the Kansas Speedway. It is this Saturday, October 16th and the walk starts at noon. I will be there early to help with registration. You can still register or donate at www.WalkNowForAutismSpeaks.org/kansascity. I worked with this organization this past summer at an event and they are doing great things to raise awareness about autism and fundraise for a cure! Families with strollers and wagons are welcome to participate in this 2 mile walk.

On Saturday October 23rd I will be at Church of the Resurrection's Sacred Steps 5k Run/Walk helping with late registration and presenting awards. This annual event raises funds for widows, children and orphans living in poverty in Africa. Register or donate at www.cor.org/missions/beyondkansascity/sacred-steps-5krunwalk.

On a personal note, I am looking forward to shopping for a cause at the Junior League of Kansas City's annual Holiday Mart on October 21st. This event raises money for local children's charities and is one I look forward to every year! On October 23rd, I look forward to celebrating my friend Hailey Johnson's remission from leukemia with a costume party! Hailey was the 2010 LLS Girl of the Year. It has been a joy getting to know her and her family this past year!

Birthday Week

Hello family and friends! My birthday week was fun and exhausting! My virtual food drive ended up providing almost 1,000 meals to Harvester's Community Food Network in Kansas City. Several of us went down to the warehouse and sorted fresh fruits and veggies that were donated to Harvester's. I have never seen so many bell pepper, tomatoes and jalepeno peppers! We accomplished alot in a few short hours.

I enjoyed a birthday lunch with my dear friend Sherri Hoover, dinner with my family, and a girl's night out celebration on Thursday evening with my small group from church. We laughed a lot this week! Looking forward to being in the Overland Park parade in the morning. Will post parade pics soon after!