There's a lot to be said about sisterly love. It's strong, it's real, and it's something I had always wanted. I love my older brother and am so proud of everything he is doing. Wrestling with him on the floor until one of us got hurt or my mom made us break it up when I was younger was one of the best memories with him. But I never had a sister to look up to, to share makeup tips, to watch horribly sappy romantic movies with. Now I have over 100 sisters through my Alpha Chi Omega sorority. I'm so proud of each and every one and look up to many outstanding women in my house.
One really special part of Greek life is getting a Big Sister. There's a special connection that is made with your Big or Little as you become a family. And I just happened to get the most amazing, smart, caring, determined, and dedicated Big Sis out there, Alexis Freisen.
As soon as I found out we had a pageant girl in the house, I knew I needed her as my Big. People say we're a lot alike which I take as the biggest compliment. And when I heard she was giving up her Miss Lakeville Princess title, I knew I needed to be there.

Getting to Lakeville South High School wasn't exactly the easiest task. I naturally assume any city I've heard of is about 20-30 minutes away from where I live. That's great logic, right? Well not so much as I soon discovered that it's about double that. Getting ready (this includes changing, curling hair, touching up makeup, and downing dinner) took all of 12 minutes. Beat that! When I have a goal, I make it happen.
Driving 40 minutes away, getting a little lost, and battling traffic all without A/C didn't make for a super calm Miss Minnesota. Thankfully Kathy, my roommate from last year, came along with me and we didn't miss much.

Watching the contestants compete was fun, but the real joy of the evening for me was watching Alexis deliver her farewell speech. I felt like the proudest little sister ever! I now can understand why pageant moms take so many pictures as they're proud and want to capture the moment. In all the farewell speeches, you could see how much a year of volunteerism, parades, and appearances had shaped and molded the queens. As a queen I feel you always make it your goal to give to others but end up receiving so much back.

One of the cutest moments of the night was listening to the Lakeville Junior Royalty. One little boy liked Pan-O-Prog (the main Lakeville Festival) because he won $2.17. It was a big deal. So congrats to the newly crowned Lakeville royalty and good luck to the Lakeville Queen as she competes for the Aquatennial title.

WOW! Has it already been 4 years since I secured my first state title as the first Miss Minnesota High School? It's crazy to reflect how much I've grown since then and how fiercer of a pageant competitor I have become. I've won 2 additional state titles since then and I must attribute that to my experiences as Miss MN High School.

I've had the joy of seeing the pageant progress and grow over the last few years...and knowing I was the first to kick off the Minnesota program as a state queen. The state directors, Suzie and Allyson, have dedicated countless hours to produce the state pageant and I am blessed to call them friends.

On Saturday, July 7th, the Miss Minnesota High School and Collegiate pageant was held at Normandale Community College. In addition, Iowa and Wisconsin girls competed for their respective titles. All competitors showcased their attitude in the opening number, their funky fashion style in fun fashion, their grace in evening gown, and their sharp brain in an onstage question.

Molly West captured the title of Miss Minnesota High School while Gianna Capuzzi won the Miss Minnesota Collegiate title. Courtney Igbo (Miss Wisconsin Collegiate), Christy Prust (Miss Minnesota High School), and Haley O'Brien (Miss Minnesota Collegiate) gave up their titles as they crowned their successors. However, Haley O'Brien's year is not over as she is the current Miss Collegiate America and is competing in the Miss Collegiate International pageant in August 2013. Best of luck to her!

At the event, I was also able to catch up with some old friends, one being Bailey Wacholz who is the current Miss Minnesota Outstanding Teen for the Miss America pageant. We were pageant sisters when I was Miss MN High School and she was Miss North Dakota High School. Such a sweetheart and I wish her the very best as she heads to nationals soon!

So happy to be allowed to share in the excitement of the Miss High School and Collegiate system. Best wishes to the newly crowned queens. Make your year count as it flies by so quickly!

July 1st marks the start of a new month, but it also marks the start of my new getting-ready-for-pageant routine. I'm eating healthy, working out a LOT, and getting to bed on time. I'm not trying to lose weight, but I'm trying to tone...a lot. So what better way than to start with a 2 and 1/2 hour workout at my favorite fitness center, Lifetime fitness. Oh goodness I'm going to be dead tomorrow, but it'll be worth it.
To help me stay on track, I finally registered online with my Lifetime card and found out classes like Yoga, Pilates, Hip Hop and some types of Martial Arts are totally free to members. Guess where I'll be living until pageant? I've recently taking a liking to yoga and I'm really excited to try Pilates.
In addition, I downloaded a health app to track what I eat just so I can keep myself accountable. And of course, I perfected my workout playlist. Need to update your own? Here are just a few I added to get my list to get myself moving and to cool down.

Listening to my motivational new playlist, I did a medium intensity workout with running, stair stepping, abs, weights, biking etc. When I was good and worn out, I took a 5 minute break and then hit the hard stuff. A Hip-hop class taught by a 33 year old intense dancer. Wow. I couldn't keep up but I did my best and it was really fun.
Awkward moment of the day when a guy (props to him) joined our class and attempted to do our booty shaking, hip circling moves. Bless his heart he really did try.
Exhausted after an hour, I finally called it quits then enjoyed a well-deserved dinner of sushi and a white peach.

So here's to working out, being healthy, and shedding those extra pounds. If you're attempting the same journey, I'm right there with ya.

Remember, you can always find an excuse for anything you don't want to do and you can always find a reason for anything you do want to do. You decide...then get your butt out to run!

About .0000005 seconds after I read Jovani's new pageant line was out, I was on the website looking at their newest designs. I was actually on the site so quickly that as I looked, more dresses were added. So I waited (semi) patiently while watching Craft Wars on TLC. Side note, I'll never be as creative as those people on the show.

Back to dresses. For those unfamiliar with the pageant dress scene, there are a few main players. Sherri Hill is HUGE and has been for years now, Claire's collection is classic, Jovani is a regular on stage, MacDuggal is up and coming, and Tony Bowls is good. They are all competitors, friends, and seen all over the pageant world. First, I must say I'm very particular about dresses as I have had the blessing of owning amazing dresses from many of the designers above. New line releases are kinda like the NFL draft for me. It's serious but fun as I know I'll see these designs on stage the following year at state pageants. I know what I like, what I don't, and what should be changed. That being said, I know any of these dresses will become some girls dream and they will rock that stage, feeling like a million bucks and own it. But for now, get ready for the critiques.

Jovani's new pageant line features feathers, sky high slits, spectacular and intricate beading, chiffon, satin, and velvet (cue This is what Dreams are Made Of from the Lizzy McGuire Movie. What? Only me? Nevermind.) One of the dark haired models, Raina Hein, is recognizable from America's Next Top Model, cycle 14. Also, she went to my k-8 school and my mom taught her art. Small world.

Am I seeing double? One of the things I observed when looking at the line was how familiar some of the designs are. I can only assume this is Jovani's response to claim the sales of some of the top-selling dresses of other designers such as Sherri Hill or MacDuggal. You be the judge. Inspiration or knock off?

One theme of the collection this year is open backs. I've always been a huge fan of this look as it's classy, timeless, and sophisticated. However, sometimes for stage it may not be the best if there is an extremely conservative judge. For giving up a title it's a fabulous look because rules don't apply as you're not competing.  The left is a blue velvet which, on the right girl could look really great but in the photos it doesn't look like fit is the best. The right dress I really love. Just enough bling paired with a fabulous and simple bottom.

So I'd like to start by saying the world of pageants is a confusing one. It took me years to fully understand it and even now I have questions sometimes but I will share what I've learned over the years. I've often have people ask me if I'm going to Miss America and to be honest, it's a little difficult to explain simply. When it comes to pageants, ignorance is not bliss (especially for those beginning their sparkle-filled journey of competing) and I hope to elaborate on the differences of pageant systems as well as explain how National American Miss fits into the pageant world.

Basic Pageant 411: There are different pageant systems that have their own rules, age divisions, categories of competition, and usually a specific type of girl they crown. Once a pro, you can get a glimpse of a crown and for the most part know exactly which pageant system they belong to but let's start with the basics.

Miss America, Miss USA, National American Miss, Perfect Teen, Miss United States, Miss High School/Miss Collegiate etc. are all different pageant systems. Miss America, known for crowning the top public speakers, next politicians, and super talented girls, was started in 1921. They compete in swimsuit, evening gown, interview, and talent. Miss USA (held since 1952) is known for crowning the supermodels, tall and stunning. Just look at last year's winner, Alyssa. Miss USA is owned by Donald Trump and competes in swimwear, evening gown, and interview.

These two systems are the most well-known in the country and target older girls (early 20s). Both also have their own teen divisions, Miss Outstanding Teen and Miss Teen USA which allow teenage girls to compete and eventually age into the next division. These pageant systems have a National competition where each state competes to win the coveted title of Miss American and Miss USA, respectively. Miss USA also goes on to compete at Miss Universe.

Another different between the two is that the girls who compete at the state level of Miss America had to win what is called a preliminary to compete. These are local state pageants where the winner is crowned with a local title, like Miss Brainerd Lakes. This differs than Miss USA who has all girls compete at the state pageant and crown a Miss Minnesota USA or Miss Minnesota Teen USA.

So how does the National American Miss system fit into all this? National American Miss (commonly known as NAM in the pageant community) is a different pageant system which is actually the largest pageant in the nation as the ages of girls crowned range from 5-20. There are 6 different age categories from Princess, Junior Pre-Teen, Pre-Teen, Junior Teen, Teen, and Miss. Just like Miss USA or Miss America, NAM has its own areas of competition. Girls compete in evening gown, interview, personal introduction, and community involvement. No swimsuit, no talent required. One great aspect of NAM is that there are also optional contests that have nothing to do with the overall state or national winner. You can chose to compete in Casual Wear Modeling, Talent, Photogenic, Top Model, Spokesmodel, or Actress. It's a great way to try something new and it gives girls a chance to win even if they don't take home the state crown.

NAM also has a National pageant in Anaheim, CA where 6 National Queens and 6 All-American queens are crowned. The National Queens competition is a fierce one where state queens compete for the coveted title of National American Miss. The All-American competition is also tough and is comprised of girls who have placed at their state pageants as runners-up to the queen or an optional winner.

As I've been competing with NAM ever since 6th grade, my views may be biased on which pageant I think is best. In my opinion, NAM allows girls to be girls. Strong, fun, sassy, world-changing girls and women. There is no makeup before age 13 and all dresses are floor length so there is no toddlers and tiaras...which brings me to my next point.

Toddlers and Tiaras has been changing the world's definition of what pageants are. Unfortunately, when I tell people I do pageants, they always ask, "Like Toddlers and Tiaras?" No. Although the show is good for entertainment and usually a train-wreck waiting to happen, the show only features a type of pageant called "Glitz pageants". These pageants are the typical fake teeth, huge hair, overly excited moms, and thousand dollar costumes. They are mainly for younger girls, although some do have girls as old as 19 competing in them. Glitz pageants are typically seen in the South but attract girls from across the country. Like Miss USA or Miss America, each pageant has its own rules and categories of competition. However, usually they include beauty (short dresses), swimsuit, fun fashion (usually a theme), and sometimes talent. Those in the "Glitz" world often call the minimal makeup/less over the top pageants natural pageants. Some young girls are perfectly happy competing in Glitz pageants and thrive in the atmosphere while others may opt for natural pageants which allows the contestants to be more conservative. It all depends on the girl.

Still with me? We've covered a lot of ground and now you know a little more how pageants work. There is always more to learn and pageants keep evolving which keeps the competition alive. Bottom line, each pageant offers something different to competitors and each girl has to figure out which pageant system is right for her. Which allows her to shine the most? Most serious pageant competitors try out more than one pageant system and often girls find one or two that fit the best. Pageant systems crown the girl who shined the most during the competition that week and each and every girl should be proud of her system, title, and year-long reign because SHE DID IT!

I've totally been working hard. Balancing preparing for NAM and work, I've found a little time but not much to go outside and enjoy summer. That wouldn't matter as much because currently we're going through a hot day/stormy night stage. Typical Minnesota. Don't like the weather? Wait 5 minutes.
What I have been doing with my time is worth mentioning more. As the oldest queen, I'm excited to play an active role in planning and leading the events of the year. I've had some amazing Minnesota Miss queens as rolemodels (cough Jackie cough Lindsey) and I hope to do a great job just like them. I know it may be strange, but I have been in only a few parades in my pageant experience so I'm really trying to set up a lot this year. Let's just say whoever my pageant sisters are had better be ready for a busy year!
On another note, I'm already seeing some of the other Miss queens get crowned at state pageants on Facebook and I can't believe I still have over a MONTH until I get my crown. I feel like a cat, ready to pounce and get this pageant-filled year off to a great start.
I've actually already been preparing for Nationals and I may have some really important pieces already...but I can't say anything more yet. It makes sense to prepare early because although I'm only 20 minutes away while I'm living on campus during the school year, I've heard it's a bit of a challenge to prepare for a pageant in college. I'd much rather get everything nailed down now and not do the last minute freak out that usually happens.
Another pageant nerd detail is that NAM changed the logo on the back of the sashes last year and I'm super excited to get my Miss sash that has that logo on it. Nerd excitement, I know.