Skate-A-Thon

A big THANKS to Thomas Johnson, the Dimond Ice Chalet and Dimond Center Mall for hosting my Skate-A-Thon fundraiser last night. Thomas offered the Skate-A-Thon idea as a way that the rink and mall could help support my fundraising efforts. They're super excited to have one of their skating coaches serving as Mrs. Alaska this year and really wanted to jump on the Support Lyndsay Bandwagon- "All Aboard!" I say. The more the merrier.

Last night's event offered an opportunity for the public to come in and skate with me while directly donating their admission and skate rental cost to me for my trip to Vegas. It was a creative fundraising idea and I am so thankful for their willingness to join my fundraising team. It was a fun night and I really enjoyed getting to spend time talking with the skaters, especially the younger kiddos, doing a few jumps and spins and posing for pictures and signing autographs.

We had a great turn-out and I really enjoyed my time networking and visiting with the folks that were there. I met several kids up from the lower 48 and they were absolutely tickled to take a picture with me to take home to show to mom and dad, friends, teachers, etc. I got to spend some extra time with some of my the Special O skater I coach and two of my husband's high school students (both are fellow figure skaters) showed up-though there was talk of the possibility of extra credit. The best part was, all I had to do was show up and put my skates on and hang out. I'm pretty much more comfortable on the ice than anywhere else so there certainly wasn't any work involved. Pretty easy for a fundraiser :)

Crazy for Carhartt

I'm excited to announce that Carhartt has joined my sponsorship team! Now, I know some of you are thinking, "Hmmmm...Carhartt. That's interesting-different-not very pageanty." Let me put your mind at ease, Carhartt will not be providing any of my wardrobe for the Mrs. United States Pageant- I will NOT in fact be wearing a Carhartt swimsuit on stage :) But, thanks to their generous sponsorship I will be sporting some new Carhartt duds at appearances, doing some events with them and keeping nice and toasty this winter. Another divine appointment lead me to a friendship with a Carhartt rep through my involvement with FFA. He got the sponsorship set up and I spent the afternoon at Army Navy trying about at least a billion Carhartt products-okay that might be an exaggeration, but I can honestly say Carhartt makes everything- except swimsuits. I had no idea the scope of their designs has expanded so much. They have so many options not just in products- jackets, vests, jeans, workpants, overalls, long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, button down flannel shirts, sportswear, sweatpants and shirts, thermals, hats, gloves and even shoes- but in the styles, colors and fits of those products. I think I probably tried on just about one of everything from their catalog and I can honestly say there wasn't a single thing I didn't like. Every single thing I put on I found myself thinking, "I could totally wear this for..." it seemed there was something for every occasion. Army Navy sent my list items, sizes and color picks on to the Carhartt placement rep and she'll be filling the order. I can't wait to get all my new gear and get it embroidered and start strutting my (Carhartt) stuff. Carhartt says sponsoring a titleholder is new for them and I'm pretty sure I'm the first Mrs. Alaska to wear Carhartt instead of a fur coat come Fur Rondy time, but I'm okay with that. I'm a lifelong Alaskan and I cherish the unique aspects of our state-even the cold winter weather. My philosophy is to get out and have fun even if it's cold-it's part of what makes Alaska Alaska, it's alot easier to have fun if you're prepared for the conditions and thanks to Carhartt I'll be prepared for anything Alaska can offer up! I'm grateful to Carhartt for their generous sponsorship and to their staff, along with Army Navy for investing so much time and energy in my fitting yesterday. I could really get used to this whole personal shopper business :)

For 120 years, Carhartt has manufactured premium workwear known for exceptional durability, comfort, quality of construction, and fit that you can feel in the fabrics and see in the performance. As a choice brand of those who work and play outdoors, Carhartt is proud to serve a variety of workers in many industries including construction and manufacturing along with farmers, ranchers and outdoor enthusiasts (and now pageant titleholders!) Durability, comfort and quality? All things this Mrs. Alaska is proud to get on board with!

Silent Auction Fundraiser

Last week was my silent auction fundraiser and I'm still amazed at what a success it was. Planning and organizing it was no small feat, but turned out to be well worth all the effort. Again, God provided even beyond our financial needs. Thanks to the generous donations of over 60 local businesses and individuals, we had 83 wonderful items up for bid. And thanks to the support of friends, family and strangers we had a good crowd on hand to do the bidding. It was an evening full of fun, food, fellowship and the inspiring music of Suzi Rawalt (see my earlier blog post for more about her.)

My friend Jessica Nolin, Miss Alaska United States 2009 served as hostess and did an excellent job highlighting the items up for bid, commenting on the bidding action and interviewing me about my experience, plans and platform as Mrs. Alaska this year. Now, Jessica and I go way back, and our roots are not in the pageanting world, either. I first met Jess when she was in 8th grade and was participating in an FFA speaking contest I was judging. From there she went on to serve two terms as Alaska State FFA President. My husband and I had the pleasure of working with her throughout her service in the Alaska FFA Association and spent almost a year mentoring and coaching her as she prepared to run for a National FFA Office. We spent many hours going through practice interviews, essays, tests and other scenarios she'd encounter during the week long National Officer selection process. My husband and I (along with our oldest daughter, Sycely who was 15 months old at the time-and my mom who met us there from California) traveled to Indianapolis in October 2006 to see Jess through the candidate experience. Turns out God has other plans in mind for Jess and she was selected as a National Officer that year. She went on to do a year long internship on a sheep farm in New Zealand and return home to shortly thereafter become Miss Alaska! There's not a smidgen of doubt in mind that all those hours of interview practice and mock speeches and all those years serving in leadership and speaking to crowds of students helped to shape and prepare Jessica for her role as Miss Alaska-not quite sure how the sheep farming fits into that, but I do know she spent that year really focusing on figuring out her personal goals and she came home ready for the next big thing which turned out to be Miss Alaska.
God has a way of putting people in our lives, making divine appointments, and using those people in impacting ways in the future, that we aren't able to anticipate when we first meet. For me, Jessica has been one of those people in my life. I could never even have imagined when she stood before me 10 years ago as a middle schooler at the speaking contest that we'd someday, be traveling to Indianapolis together for National Convention or that, as adult women, we'd be running in the same pageant circles. Life has a funny way of turning the tables on you, and sometimes that's a positive thing. Jess and I have swapped roles from the days of me mentoring her to her helping me with pageant preparations. It's been a crazy, winding road to get here, but I'm so thankful that Jessica's here along the journey with me.


I'd be remiss to give the impression that Jessica is the only one I'm grateful to have along for the ride we call life, especially during my preparations for Nationals. I'm so very blessed by the support of all my friends and family, sponsors, donors and fans. Most importantly I'm thankful for God, for His faithfulness, for His unending and abundant blessings in my life. Putting together this auction was no easy job and I know it was on His strength alone that I got through just one more phone call asking for a donation. And I know that it was through his grace that businesses were receptive and willing to offer their support through donating items. I know that it is through His divine appointments of people in my life that my fundraising continues to be successful because of connections to local business and individuals who believe in me and are standing behind me this year. I know that all good and perfect gifts come from God and the success of this auction is no exception. I don't believe in coincidence; I believe in God and that all things are ordained by His good and perfect will for our lives. The day of the auction I was $2200-$2400 short of my fundraising goal for Nationals. That night after tallying up all the bid sheets and counting up the money, our grand total was $2410.50! You can call that coincidence if you want, but I'll call it God's faithfulness. I truly believe God put it on my heart to have the desire to be Mrs. Alaska this year and that He brought that plan to fruition when I won the title nearly two months ago. He knew the obstacles that would lie before more and the challenge fundraising would be for me. He also knew that donors and bidders would come forward to provide for my needs. I'm so blessed to have yet another undeniable testimony of God's abundant blessing and provision for my life.

Miss Alaska America

I had the opportunity to call in to Dan Fagan's radio show and share a little about my experience in the pageant community and as Mrs. Alaska so far this year. I was grateful for the opportunity to give Dan's listeners some insight about what "pageant girls" are really like and what being a titleholder really involves. Alot of people (including Dan's producer) seem to have a dislike for all things pageants, including their contestants. Maybe it's because these girls are showing courage they could never muster, unabashedly standing up for something they're passionate about; maybe it's because they represent grace and poise they don't have the discipline to develop; or maybe it's because they're achieving goals they never had the motivation to set. Whatever the reason, people , especially women, seem to enjoy making themselves feel better by tearing down or poking fun at pageant contestants.

I don't deny that there are those famous pageant moments that make us all cringe; moments where contestants have misspoken or showed a lapse in judgement that leads to ridicule and mockery from the public. But, haven't we seen and heard the same from all kinds of celebrities, even dignitaries, in our society? If we don't expect our President to speak without error is it fair for us to expect it of pageant contestants, (let alone, do that AND be able to look fit and confident in a swimsuit while wearing 4 inch heels?!)

The bottom line is contestants are comfortable and confident enough with themselves and satisfied with their lives enough that they're willing to stand up and say, "Here I am, this is me, go ahead and judge me, but in my eyes I'm already a good enough me."

Their motivation can be personal-setting a fitness or weight loss goal, learning about their ideals and beliefs, mastering a fear of public speaking or many other facets of personal development. I don't know anyone who thinks knowing who you are and feeling great about it as a negative thing, so why would they see participating in a pageant as a way to develop that confidence as a negative thing? Their motivation can be financial-many young women receive scholarship money as part of their prize package for winning a title. In fact, last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. This assistance is not just for the handful of young women who become Miss America, but is available to the over 12,000 young women who compete in the state and local competitions as well. This allows girls who compete, not just win pageants to receive scholarships to further their education. I don't know anyone who thinks education is a negative thing, so why would competing in a pageant as a means to afford that education be seen as a negative thing? Their motivation can be altruistic- seizing an opportunity to promote a platform and stand up for a cause they are passionate about on a larger stage. I don't know anyone who thinks giving of your time, resources and self to make a positive impact on the world is a negative thing, so why would they think doing so on a pageant stage or as a titleholder is a negative thing?
Now, mind you, this isn't coming from a gal who's been around the pageant world her whole life. In fact, I attended (and participated in!) my first ever pageant just over a year ago. Since then, I've never once been disappointed by the contestants at any pageant I've watched or participated in. These women are strong and confident, genuine and passionate. They're a balance of professionalism and intelligence, fitness and beauty, community service and in the Mrs. system, marriage and family. To anyone who has a negative opinion of these women, I'd say, do a pageant, get a first hand look about what it's really all about. Walk a mile in our shoes (and our swimsuits and our evening gowns!) It isn't easy, it's hard work and for me, personally, it, it's been oh so worth it! Just the experience of sharing the experience with a group of women who not only know, but proudly embrace, who God made them to be has been immense blessing to me.

That's a long segue, but regardless, the point is, I went to the Miss Alaska America pageant on fancy date with my hubby and as I mentioned, this pageant, like all others, didn't disappoint when it came to grace, poise and talent. I even got a chance to chat and catch up a bit with my Mrs. counterpart, Tracy Zadra, Mrs. Alaska America. The Miss and Teen contestants all showed remarkable eloquence and impressed with their maturity and dazzled with their talents. I'm always surprised at the variety and creativity these girls show in the talent portion of the competition. One of the contestants (whose mom is a former Dimond math teacher) actually did a statistics equation set to a musical parody "I will derive." There's something you don't see in every pageant! Lem and I had a great time and I commend each of the contestants on their outstanding performance.

Flower Festival

My 4 year old daughter, Sycely, loves all things flowers so I thought taking her along to the Flower Festival downtown in Townsquare would be a fun Mommy Date for the two of us. We had a great time checking out all the gorgeous blooms and really enjoyed being surrounded by all the fabulous colors of summer. The Festival offered lots of activities and entertainment- informational booths, workshops by master gardeners, live music, flowers and plants for purchase and lots of local artisans displaying their amazing work.

Sycely enjoyed planting a Marigold, her favorite flower this summer, after decorating a cup planted for it at the children's planting station. Then we checked out the booths of art, listened to some tunes and picked out a sunflower for one of our front yard planter boxes. All in all we had a great time and thought the Flower Festival was a great family activity and a successful fundraiser for such a worthy cause. Anchorage (downtown in particular) is known for its beautiful flowers and I'm happy to have been part of helping keep our city alive with color.

Going Green (and Gold!)

I’m very blessed to have the University of Alaska Anchorage as one of my generous sponsors this year. Chancellor Fran Ulmer put me in touch with Julia Martinez, Senior Director of alumni Relations and Annual Giving and after just one meeting I was delighted by her joyful personality and her obvious passion for the University, its students and particularly its alumni. Julia is working hard every day to improve and promote the image of UAA, its education programs and college experience in a way that will encourage our local graduates to attend UAA as their University of First Choice.

As both an ASD and UAA grad I’m grateful for folks like Julia who are striving to improve the experience and opportunities our local educational institutions offer to our students. I attended UAA as a UA Scholar after graduation from Dimond High School and felt that I could receive a sufficient education here at our own state university and didn’t feel the need to travel outside the state to complete my college education, despite the fact that almost all of my friends did so. I felt that my family and home were here in Alaska where I planned to make a future and a life for myself (and someday my family.) I had no intention of living my adult life anywhere else and have no plans to be leaving anytime soon. As a teacher, I blossomed under the tutelage of my professors, especially those in the Early Childhood and Education departments and emerged from college with a teaching job already waiting for me. I’m so grateful for all of those at UAA who took and interest in me as a student and had an impact on me as a teacher, and more importantly, as a person.

Part of Julia’s job is to connect UAA Alumni in the community and promote the great things they’re doing. I’m really excited to have the support of UAA and the camaraderie of Julia. One of the things UAA’s doing to support me is outfitting me with some UAA gear to wear around, especially to Nationals. Julia and I met with Pat at the UAA Bookstore for a little shopping date and boy, was it a blast. Who knew having a personal shopper could make picking out a new wardrobe so fun-and easy! Pat sure does know her merchandise and she was awesome at picking out some items that would be perfect for various occasions. And kudos to Pat for her great taste. The bookstore sure does have some super cute stuff. It’s got such a better selection than when I was at UAA, then again I did graduate 7 years ago! I’m proud to be a UAA Alumni and I’m proud, and grateful to have them on my sponsorship team this year.