Tough Decisions!

This weekend I flew down to Tennessee to serve as a judge for the Mrs. Tennessee America pageant. I have gotten to know the state director, Delayna Bridges, over the past few years and I adore this woman. She is such a kick in the pants and so upbeat! It was also a perfect excuse to see a few of my favorite girlfriends from Nashville. Let me tell you just how impressed I was with every single contestant! Each lady was so polished and well-spoken and each was a complete package. Congratulations to every contestant and to the new Mrs. Tennessee America, Marlena Bohanon!

1)Mrs. Tennessee America 2013 2)Monette Bryant (TN '10)was a hoot at nationals. 3)We judges, Terra Tucker (TN '01), me and Mallie Nagle (TN '99)met with Marlena to give her our insight and advice for her year. 4)Paige Bennett's (TN '04)husband is in the final stages of MS and a fundraiser was held that night for the family. Her family's story is heartbreaking and she is so inspiring. 5)Kerri McMillin (MS '10)entertained the crowd with her fantastic voice. She is such a jem. 6)My girlies!

Making Progress

Tonight I was invited to help with a fundraising event on behalf of the Partners for Progress organization. They provide equine therapy to individuals with disabilities. by working with horses, riders are able to improve physical, mental, emtional and cognitive abilities. And they now have a program which works with military veterans who have been injured or suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. The Denim and Diamonds Doe Down was held at Arlington race track and several of us ladies helped with the raffle and auction items which included the cutest black lab puppy! It was wonderful to see everyone again as it gave us a bit of a chance to catch up in person.

1)Robin, Christine, Claudia, Jennifer and me. 2)Ready to sell those raffle tickets! 3)Getting ready for the live auction.

Happy 8th? Anniversary?

How is it I have the memory of an elephant, but had a hard time figuring out how long John and I have been married? well, I am terrible at math. But I guess it is also because time flies when you are busy living life. September 25, 2004. That is when we found ourselves surrounded by many family and friends as we said our vows of forever. Flash forward eight years: We have a first grade son who is a genius builder, a pre-K daughter who is always dancing and singing-unless sleeping, a cat who refuses to eat cat food, five horses, three fish and much much more to keep us running. We were introduced through my sister-in-law while I was still reporting in Indianapolis. And for almost a year I would fly from Indy to chicago almost every weekend. It doesn't seem like that long ago when we were long distance dating. But between then and now, we have created so many wonderful memories and faced the challenges together. I know the next eight years will pass just as quickly and I cannot wait to see what it has in store for us!

You Gotta Have Heart

Early this morning a group of us who are competing in the Illinois International pageant met up in Palatine for the American Heart Association's Heart Walk. Our job was to get teams organized for their photos before kicking off the 5K trek. We learned more about the AHA's Teaching Gardens program and the walk gave a few of us contestants the chance to get to know one another a bit too.

Yee Haw for a Cause!

This weekend John and I were cowboyed up for the annual sold out Equestrian Connection gala. EC is a phenomenal equine therapy center on the edge of Lake Forest. It offers 10 acres of riding for special needs children, giving them chance to bond with horses and improve skills such as balance. There is even a pond on property that is equipped for wheelchair access during the summer camps! The stories of those who have been helped through EC are nothing less than amazing. And the those who volunteer their time to help clean the stalls and work with riders are truly wonderful. I ride with a couple of those volunteers and theu have inspired me to get involved. So, we all honor the efforts with a concert by Kenny Loggins and the Sky Riders. At 66 years old, we ladies agreed that he is just as cute as he was during the day of, "Footloose," and "Top Gun."

Rain or Shine...or Rain

The annual club camp out over Labor Day weekend was cancelled due to impending weather. But my kiddos had spent the better part of Summer planning the camping out part. So, we did the next big thing. We pitched a tent in the back yard and made smores on the patio and called it a night...a late night, but worth it.

The Heart of It

This week 500 of us Northshorers came out for the first fall fashion show and dinner to benefit the Glenview Giving Foundation. The foundation gives to several organizations such as Youth Services of Northbrook, the Northfield Food Pantry and Clearbrook. A few of us friends got our glam on to cheer on Tanja Hamm who walked in the show for one of the shops. The fashion show was held inside a movie theater. The models walked across the stage while famous movie clips played behind them. It was very original and Tanja was just fabulous dahling!