My first appearance of the weekend was at the Sno Ball dance. It was a pleasure to meet new community members and visit with some familiar faces. I was even able to hit the dance floor a few times! I do enjoy some dancing :)
Valentine's Day is a time to spend with loved ones and celebrate the amazing things that make your life complete. So what better way for me to celebrate than to fill my day with my students, my parents and my adopted community of Coon Rapids?! After an active day in the classroom, my parents and I set off for a full weekend of activities. My parents have not had as many opportunities to make these trips with me so I was very excited to have them with me. My first appearance of the weekend was at the Sno Ball dance. It was a pleasure to meet new community members and visit with some familiar faces. I was even able to hit the dance floor a few times! I do enjoy some dancing :) Saturday morning was filled with hair and makeup prep for a photo shoot with my sister queen, Bree. A huge thank you to Laurie Ehlert for opening her home, Megan Ehlert for the lovely makeup and James Peterson for the amazing hairstyle! Bree and I had a wonderful time taking photos and have some great, frame- worthy sister shots! Thank you Angie Koos for capturing our personalities :) After the photo shoot, it was time to head over to the Children's Carnival for my last Snowflake Days event. I was able to catch the end of the magic show, which brought out some surprising feathered friends! I was able to pet a duck as well as have a dove sit on my hand, shoulder and even in my crown! It was a very cool experience. After the show I was able to work the fishing pond and do a craft with Bree. We are really just little girls at heart! Who doesn't love dress shopping? That was the next item on the agenda and I was fortunate enough to have a large group of supporting, encouraging and helpful ladies to help me with the process of finding the perfect evening gown. I was stuck between two choices and what do you do when you are stuck? Why, buy two of course! I am beyond jazzed about my evening gown and my ramp gown/ gala dress. One small hint for ramp gown... Think Frozen :) Many, many thanks to Sarah Moses for her sponsorship and hospitality through the process! My STUPENDOUS committee and I rounded out the weekend with some Miss MN prep and evaluation. I am very thankful for their direction and guidance through my year. They know just how to highlight the best "Kayla" possible! Stay tuned for more updates and a blog about IHOP's National Pancake Day :)
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This past weekend was the second week of Snowflake Days in Coon Rapids. I was able to join my fellow titleholders in welcoming our final Miss MN 2014 classmate on Saturday. Since Blaine and Coon Rapids are so close, I am looking forward to spending more time with Grace! We have a fantastic group of ladies and June can't come soon enough! :) After the pageant, I headed over to the Coon Rapids Ice Center to be a part of the hockey game between the NHL North Stars Alumni and the Coon Rapids Guns and Hoses/ Rum River Lawmen. The teams were mixed with local police officers, firefighters, paramedics, as well as the former North Stars players. This made the game very close and competitive! After the three periods the score was 7-7 and it moved into a shootout. After a shootout goal from each team, the yellow team was successful with the final goal and the win! Broadway Pizza was a wonderful host for everyone after the completion of the game. The North Stars Alumni were kind enough to auction their jerseys to support the Kevin Roche memorial fund and Heart Safe Coon Rapids. $2600 was raised for the two amazing causes! I had the chance to learn more about the background and purpose of Heart Safe Coon Rapids, as well as how to respond in a situation that requires a AER. The technology used to save lives is incredible and it is so simple that I was taught by a 6 year old! All communities should be working to become Heart Safe! Sunday morning was a very exciting day of Snowflake Day events. I started the morning by welcoming the start of the first annual pickleball tournament. I always enjoyed this game in gym class and I hope that it continues to be part of Snowflake Days festivities for many years to come! Next, it was on to the waffle breakfast. Brianna and I made many waffles and stayed quite busy with the long line of people. Thank goodness we has a fabulous system with the other volunteers and we were extremely quick and productive in our waffle making! I had the most wonderful time and had more than my fair share of sausage links and cinnamon-like waffles. :)
The Miss America Organization has connected me with the outstanding organization, the Children's Miracle Network. The fundraiser opportunities and connections that I have made within this organization will continue to impact my life even after I leave the system. Fargo, North Dakota has a wonderful Children's Hospital that I have closely worked with since I was young. I was able to once again give back to my own community through the Cares for Kids Radiothon. It was a two day event that had a strong backing from two of our local radio stations. They spend the days promoting the organization, sharing stories from families in the area and encouraging citizens to give back to our local hospital and the children that it serves. This year was a record breaking year for Cares for Kids. We were able to raise over $157,000 for Sanford and our local children!! I am pleased to say that in addition to taking donations, I also stepped up to give my own $20x12 donation. That is only $0.66 a day and there is nothing better or more important that you could spend that money on! I had the best time working with my community to make an impact. |
AuthorLeah Mau Archives
September 2020
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