This Is Me
Hello World! There's so many things that I would love to share but I think it would be fun to share a little bit about where I started and how I got to where I am. I grew up in Small Town, Oklahoma and I loved every minute! I'm the youngest of 4 girls. Of course I share my birthday with my clone, Shelly. Yes, we are identical twins. Having your best friend to share all of life's moments with is a pretty awesome life bonus! We did EVERYTHING together. Softball, basketball, cheerleading, horses... you name it, we did it!
Chapter 1...
Growing up in a small town may have limited our options in activities but we never lacked in the "want to" and we liked to try new things. Shelly competed in the Miss Northern District Pageant our sophomore year. That was a whole different world for this tom boy to comprehend. Shelly looked like she was having a great time up there but I never could imagine myself doing that. The next year our local fair pageant needed more girls to enter so Shelly begged me to do it with her. Reluctantly I said yes. AND the rest is history. I must say I should be very grateful Shelly stretched my comfort zone and convinced me to try something new. Pageantry has been an important part of who I am today.
After graduating high school I started college but continued to pursue my love for horses and I always dreamed I would be able to rodeo professionally. I never quite reached that goal in the barrel racing but I did have the opportunity to be a part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy's Association by representing my state as Miss Rodeo Oklahoma 2000. It was such an amazing honor. I had the opportunity to travel across Oklahoma and surrounding states promoting a sport that I love. Pageantry brings amazing opportunities and my year as MRO was always full of surprises. I had the honor of singing the National Anthem numerous times, interviewed country music star Mark Wills and I even had the opportunity to be a part of the opening number at that year's NFR. All of us Miss Rodeo America contestants danced to the song "Viva Las Vegas" and performed with Wayne Newton himself. Such an amazing experience!
Chapter 2...
Winning Miss Rodeo Oklahoma opened some really amazing opportunities. The people I had the opportunity to work with and meet is something I will always cherish. Some people don't fully realize the life long relationships and skills you gain from doing pageants. Win or lose you always walk away with some sort of new perspective and definitely a whole new group of friends! Your sash sisters are ones who understand the passion for service and they lift you up and encourage you through all of life's journeys.
After my year as Miss Rodeo Oklahoma I attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University. I lived with one of my rodeo queen friends and I was so excited to be able to use my scholarship that I earned as MRO. Attending SWOSU was by far one of the best college experiences I had throughout my college career. I might be a little biased since I met my husband while living in Weatherford, OK.
I worked at the dry cleaners there in town while going to school and he was one of our regular customers. He was always super polite and even kind of shy. Which is kind of weird knowing him now. He is NOT shy AT ALL and never knows a stranger. I knew the moment I met him he was the one. Now 20 years later we are still loving life and making memories. He is truly one of kind.
Of course life wouldn't be the same without our beautiful daughter McKenzie. She is one of the most amazing kids I have ever met. Talented beyond belief in the arts but her heart is what makes her so amazing. God is doing beautiful things in her life and it makes this mom so happy. She has taught me way more about truly living life than I could have ever taught her. It's an honor to be her mom!
Chapter 3...
Chapter 4...
My Mrs. International journey actually began when my twin sister started her Mrs. Oklahoma International journey. In 2001 my sister Shelly entered her first "Mrs" pageant. I was single at the time and I had no idea what a mrs pageant looked like. I was so excited to watch her compete. The pageant did not disappoint. I loved everything about it. A pageant system showcasing married women along with their accomplishments and passions. Shelly looked amazing on that stage and I couldn't wait until I was eligible to compete for the Mrs. Oklahoma International title.
Chuck and I got married January 11, 2003! It was the happiest day of my life (other than having McKenzie of course). I could not wait to see what all Chuck and I would do in our many adventures. I wouldn't compete for the first time for Mrs. Oklahoma International until 2008. That year they had a prelim to qualify for the state pageant. I won Mrs. Northern Oklahoma International to qualify for my first chance at the title. However, things didn't quite work out in my favor that year. Sasha Townsend would go on to win Mrs. Oklahoma International and 4th runner up at Mrs. International. I learned a lot from my first mrs pageant experience. It was also my first time to work with the Go Red For Women organization. Something that would later on play an important role in saving my husband's life. But we will get to that in just a bit.
After my first Mrs. Oklahoma International experience I was hooked. I knew I wanted to try again for the title but I really needed to work on my platform. Working with Go Red For Women introduced me to more knowledge and opportunities through working with the American Heart Association. I learned so much about heart disease and stroke. Which was really awesome because my dad had suffered a stroke in 1999. It was a scary time for us because at the time we knew nothing about stroke, the side affects or the even the symptoms. So I decided to start advocating for heart health.
Shelly and Aaron at the Mrs. Oklahoma International Pageant 2001
Mrs. Oklahoma
International Pageant
2008
I entered the 2009 pageant as Mrs. El Reno International. I was honored and excited to represent my community, neighbors, friends and family. I had some really fun opportunities working with Go Red For Women. They welcomed me with open arms. I had the neat opportunity to be a part of their ad campaign that year and even ended up on a billboard in Oklahoma City. It was also my first time to visit the Oklahoma State Capitol in the capacity of advocating for heart health and continued funding for research. I met so many amazing people who had loved ones who had been affected by heart disease and I appreciated their drive and passion to make a difference in the health care system. I knew I was working on an important cause and I didn't take the job lightly.
The 2009 Mrs. Oklahoma Pageant was definitely one to remember. I met some amazing ladies that year. Along with the Mrs., they had a Miss, Teen and Jr. Miss division. It was so much fun having the younger girls competing with us that year. Rehearsals went well and I got some really great tips for evening gown from one of the moms watching her daughter compete. As we were getting ready for the pageant the director came in and said my husband was sick. Bless his heart, he had apparently come down with the stomach bug. Well, I was kind of in need of an escort for evening gown. Luckily, our director's son was there and just happened to have a suit with him. So the show went on and I was so grateful Jeff stepped in for Chuck. I was honored to win 1st runner up and the evening gown award that night. The amazingly talented and beautiful Rachel Roberts won Mrs. Oklahoma International that year. Rachel and I are still great friends to this day. She inspires me with her strength and grace! I'm so thankful to call her friend!
Competing in pageants definitely has it's ups and downs but my positive pageant experiences definitely outweigh all of the negatives. While I was definitely discouraged by not winning Mrs. Oklahoma International in 2009 I felt the need to continue what I was doing. In 2011 I decided to compete for the title once more and the results were a little different than before but none the less, I did not walk away with a state crown. It was disheartening and frustrating. I felt like I had poured every bit of myself into preparing that year. I was 4th runner-up and once again devastated. However, I was awarded the Red Dress Award for my work with Go Red For Women. Since that was a part of my platform, I was honored to receive this award. However, I began to ask myself why in the world I kept putting myself through the rollercoaster ride of competition. Honestly, it boiled down to the relationships that were being built with each year that I competed. It also continued to give me an outlet to be a positive role model to those around me and the new people I had the honor to meet along the way.
The 2012 pageant was the last time that I competed on stage for the state title. I had prepared by working with an interview coach, picked a new red dress for evening gown to represent our family and our cause and I left it all right there on that stage. I gave everything I knew to give. I was honored with the People's Choice Award and 1st Runner Up. Another opportunity, gone. I couldn't believe it. Why did I keep falling short. Why was I not ever good enough to wear that Mrs. Oklahoma International crown? I struggled with that thought that I wasn't good enough. Four attempts, two first runner ups and one fourth runner up. Pageant results are just the opinions of complete strangers but yet I was allowing it define me. But what I didn't realize was that through all the attempts and through all of the "failures" I was becoming a different person. I was also being an example to my daughter to never give up when facing disappointment and short comings. Those life lessons were priceless, for both of us. So looking back, I wouldn't change a thing about my Mrs. Oklahoma International journey.
So how did I become Mrs. Oklahoma International 2014 if 2012 was my last year to compete? That's a great question!! In 2013 Oklahoma did not have a director for the following year. So I took this opportunity to apply for the title through the national office. I still had that drive and determination to walk on that national stage. After participating through several interviews with Mary Richardson I was awarded the 2014 Mrs. Oklahoma International title. FINALLY!!!! I was going to follow in my sisters footsteps and represent our state at the Mrs. International Pageant.
My International Pageant experience did not disappoint. Imagine spending an entire week with some of the most positive and influential women you have ever met. Each individual woman had their own story to tell and had overcome amazing odds to be where they were at that moment. Standing in the gap for someone or a cause close to their heart. It was so inspiring. You truly felt like you could accomplish anything after that week.
I had a great year as Mrs. Oklahoma International as well. I was able to share our story multiple times at the Oklahoma State Capital, I had one tv experience and many opportunities to mentor and to speak at different women's and youth groups across the state.
My most memorable was being a part of the signing of HB1378 into law. It was a 3 year process of gathering signatures and speaking with legislators about the importance of Oklahoma high school seniors knowing the life saving skill of CPR. The bill passed and is now a state law. Lobbying is something I had never had the opportunity to do until I started competing in the International Pageant System. I highly recommend anyone working toward making a difference in their community to communicate with their legislators. They want to hear from you so that they can make the best informed decisions for our state!
Chapter 5...
Chapter 6...
Chapter 7...
Now, here we are in 2021 after spending all of 2020 trying to figure out WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOIN ON! In the fall of 2019 I had decided to return to pageantry as a title holder and entered the Mrs. International Pageant as a Regional Title Holder. I was Mrs. Southwest International 2020 and I was so ecstatic about promoting my platform on a national stage once again. After serving as the Mrs. Oklahoma International Director in 2016 and 2019 I had learned so many things about what it meant to be a solid title holder. Seeing things from a director's prospective was a game changer and I think every director on the planet, no matter what pageant system they are a part of, are strong and determined human beings. I applaud each and everyone of them. Directorship is not an easy job but it is one that brings many opportunities to mentor and meet amazing women. Part of the reason why I have loved competing for all of these years. Anyways, the plan was to compete in July of 2020 in Tennessee. As you all know, when March got here and we went into lockdown it was very apparent that this was a serious situation. I had no idea what would become of our pageant experience later on that summer. None the less, I continued to promote my platform the best I could and did things mostly virtually. I took advantage of being home and worked hard on my physical fitness. Which was a journey all in itself.
Over the last 4 years my body has gone through many changes and I began to gain weight and I wasn't sure why. Turns out, the hormone changes us women get to experience as we get older was the culprit of my weight gain. I found myself weighing around 155 lbs. at Christmas 2019. Now, being 155 lbs. was not necessarily my concern because beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. It was the health problems that could accompany weight gain I was more concerned about. I carry most of my weight gain in my mid-section. That's an unhealthy place to carry your weight. It can put strain on your internal organs and cause other health problems. So other than wanting to be in better shape for the pageant, I wanted to be healthier. So I began to work out and figure out what diet changes I needed to make in order to reach my goal. It felt good pushing myself physically and doing things I had not done in a long time. From March of 2020 to June of 2020 I lost 20 lbs. and I was feeling great.
One of the highlights of getting geared up for my year as Mrs. Southwest was my daughter taking my headshots. We were in the beginning stages of quarantine and I needed my headshots taken for nationals. So, I put up my photography backdrop and my lights and handed my 16 year old the camera. She did an amazing job. She also helped me design my national's ad page, platform sheet and my "journey" video. She also designed my new logo for my platform. I am so blessed with a talented daughter which made my preparation a family effort.
With all of the unknowns of Covid, I was really unsure about going to nationals. With Chuck and McKenzie having heart conditions and McKenzie having asthma, I did not want to take the risk of going and bringing sickness back to Oklahoma. This was such a difficult decision after investing all of that time and money into going. However, I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do. Even though I didn't get to walk across that stage, I still had the opportunity to promote heart health and share our family's story once again. It is a story I will continue to share to encourage and empower others to make the changes necessary to live a heart healthy lifestyle.
#twinergy
2020 was definitely an interesting year, however...
I couldn't let my pageant dreams end there. I have decided to compete for Mrs. Oklahoma in a new system that I have never competed in. The America Pageant System is a prestigious system that represents the accomplishments of today's married women and celebrates the ideals that make being an American such an honor. I have had many friends compete in this system and loved it. But I have to admit, what has held me back all of these years from competing for Mrs. Oklahoma America was the swimsuit. I love this portion of the competition but never thought I had the confidence to compete in a bathing suit myself. But if 2020 taught me anything, it is that you can't let something so silly as a bathing suit stand in the way of my goals. So here I go! Now, the goal remains the same, I want to meet as many amazing people on this journey just like all of my other pageant experiences and I want to continue to share our hearth health story to inspire and encourage others to start their own heart health journey. You are never too young or too old to start living a healthy lifestyle. I'm so excited to represent my community as Mrs. Canadian County.
Chapter 8...
Mrs. Oklahoma 2021!!!! What an honor! Read about my pageant experience on my blog page! The Mrs. America system's moto is We Are Family and I feel that deep down in my core. What a system!!!! I have made some life long friends, like I always do in my pageant experiences, but this one has been such a beautiful journey. I love this system and all that is represents. The women that come through this organization, from the local title holders, to the national title holders are making a difference and leaving their mark on the world! Continue to follow all of the great things going on in our lives by checking my blog page. I'm adding articles all the time and it is a great way to see how Mind Body Soul - A Love Project is my continued mission to share with others. Heart health begins with each one of us loving ourselves and taking care of the vessel we are given to live this life in. As I always say, you are never too young to begin a heart healthy journey!