Miss Iowa Week - Day 1

What a WONDERFUL day!

We started off with Jazzercise at 7 a.m., and I must say, what a fun way to workout! Then, we got ready for the day and left for yoga and massages at the Institute of Therapeutic Massage in Davenport. Bonita Howes so kindly donates the time of her staff to us, and I speak for all of the ladies when I say how appreciative we are! The massages are one of the highlights of the week before competition, without question. Thank you to everyone at the institute for being so gracious!

Later, we visited Senior Star Assisted Living Center for a wonderful, nutritious lunch and many of us were able to perform our talents. Anne Michael, our current Miss Iowa was there as well, and WOW, was her talent phenomenal! She is such a gifted young lady, and I had such a blast listening to her perform and chat throughout the day. She really is an inspiration.


We then went to the Ridgecrest Senior Center and heard even more of the contestant's talents. Talk about entertaining! The young ladies did a great job, and I had a blast performing Chopsticks again. I can't wait to do it in full costume on Thursday night ;) It is such a fun piece and really allows me to connect with the audience.

For dinner, Hy-Vee very generously donated an all-access pass to their buffet lines. I know the girls would agree with me when I say it was de-lic-ious! Thanks to all of the Hy-Vee staff for being so welcoming to us. It is one of our favorite places to dine during the week!

We finished the evening with a quick rehearsal and some down time in our hotel rooms. What a full day! There we so many laughs and memories already shared today, I can hardly wait for what's to come.

More tomorrow,
Jennifer

Sign In at Miss Iowa :)

It is finally here, and I could not be more excited.

Yesterday, I started off my day at the crack of dawn with a 5-mile run around Gray's Lake in Des Moines, and finished all of my packing for the week.

I then traveled to Iowa City to meet my family for a quick birthday lunch with my family at the Brown Bottle. What a great way to kick off the week; my youngest sister, Nicki, presented me with a homemade book of pictures of me with quotes about the type of person she thinks I am. In the back, my family each wrote me a good luck message filled with some of my favorite quotes from The Office, which inevitably make me laugh. I could not possibly feel more loved and supported by my family than I do right now. Love you guys!

By mid-afternoon, I arrived at the Clarion Hotel in Davenport, who so kindly sponsors the Miss Iowa contestants each year. My board of directors - or my army as I called them yesterday - was there to help me move in. They also had a giant cooler of fruit, a pageant week survival kit (you can only imagine what might be in that bag!), and several other bags filled with useful items for the week. They have been absolutely incredible to work with this year, and I would not be where I am without them. Thank you, ladies!

We had our first dinner as a group around 5 p.m. where we were able to reunite with our hostesses and introduce ourselves once again. It was great to see everyone. We finished the evening with a meeting in our head hostess's room to discuss plans for the week.

To say that I am prepared for this week is an understatement. I really left no stones unturned this year preparing not only for the Miss Iowa competition, but for the job of Miss Iowa. What a blessing it is to be here in the midst of such wonderful young ladies while interviewing and competing for the opportunity of a lifetime. There is nowhere I would rather be.

All my best,
Jennifer

Coffee Club Talk Show and St. Jude's Elementary

Today I was the special guest on the Coffee Club Talk show in Muscatine, Iowa. Gary at KWPC Radio allowed me to join him for an interview to talk about my platform, my personal background, and the upcoming Miss Iowa competition. I particularly enjoyed chatting with them about my Snacking Smart from A to Z cookbooks.


Jane from the Muscatine Chamber of Commerce was in on our interview as well, and kindly agreed to help me distribute even more of my recipe booklets to the Muscatine community through the Chamber office. What a gem!

Later, I traveled to Cedar Rapids to visit all of the kindergarten through second graders at St. Jude's Elementary and distribute my snack books. They loved them! I even had a chance to eat lunch with my princess, or "little sister," as I like to call her. What a treat it was to see Carmella again.


More soon,
Jennifer

A Day in the Davenport Community School District

Wow! This Tuesday was another wonderful day in the eastern side of the state. I had a chance to promote my platform and reach students with my Snacking Smart message.


Just before 8 a.m., I was greeted with my first ever welcome sign and just couldn't resist snapping a photo. After the first bell rang, I was the kick-off speaker for the Adams Elementary Fit Kids Day. I shared my story (in a beautiful outdoor assembly) about learning to eat healthier foods, and discussed how important it is not only to be active, but to eat well. All the students received one of my Snacking Smart from A to Z cookbooks.


Afterwards, I observed my colleague, Dr. Ed Thomas from the Department of Education film fitness videos with third and fourth graders. Topics ranged from posture and medicine balls to agility ladders. He and I are spear-heading the Stories in Motion project I created, and immediately following Miss Iowa, we have plans to launch it into after-school programs throughout Iowa. In the fall, we will bring it to K-5 schools throughout the state to get students more active in the classroom.

After the morning session, I was kindly escorted by Mr. Brad Oates, director of Physical Education and Athletic Programs for the Davenport Community School District, to Hayes Elementary where I presented on Snacking Smart from A to Z with first and third graders.


My last stap was Truman Elementary, where I presented my message in an assembly format with five grades. I was able to have 20 minutes with each age group so that I could tailor my presentation to their knowledge level. The kids had great questions and comments that made me realize the impact my visit had on their lives.


Though, the best part of the day came from the surprise group hugs, cute questions ("Are you a real princess?"), soft-spoken comments ("I want to be like her"), and off-the wall inquisitions ("Are you a kid or an adult?")


One kindergartener even said "Hey, what's your phone number?" You just never know what kids will say :)

At the end of the day, I felt so rewarded knowing I reached over 1,000 students in that short visit. Beyond that, I felt an incredible sense of content when I exited the parking lot at Truman Elementary and saw tons of elementary boys and girls proudly carrying my little yellow book of healthy recipes.

This message from Brad was an added bonus:

Thank you for taking the time to come to Davenport and speak to some of our elementary students. I was very impressed with your presentation to the students as well as your poise in front of the students. Students, especially elementary, can be among the toughest crowds. The message was spot on and reinforces what we have been doing in our curriculum. I look forward to more opportunities to work with you and getting out the message of fitness and nutrition. I have enclosed a picture from yesterday. I hope we will have some pictures on our website soon. Good luck in the Miss Iowa competition. I know there will be a lot of elementary students rooting for you. Take care.

Brad W. Oates
Program Director of Athletics, Physical Education, & Health
Davenport Community School District

I could not be more honored to be Miss Pearl City.

Yours,
Jennifer

A Grand Piano in My Backyard :)

On Friday, I was honored to be the special guest at Scottish Rite Park's monthly Ladies Luncheon in Des Moines.

We had a wonderful meal, which I was happy to see included fresh spinach salad with mandarin oranges, a meal of chicken with a side of parslied pineapple, and melon for dessert :)


After eating, I had a few minutes to share with all 75 guests a little about myself and my platform and then played two piano pieces and my talent selection for Miss Iowa, Liberace's version of Chopsticks.


They loved it!



The best part about the day was being able to perform on a baby grand piano. This was a rare opportunity for me, as I have become accustomed to playing on keyboards and upright pianos. The women at Scottish Rite Park said I am welcome to come back and play on their piano anytime. Since their residence is just couple of miles from my apartment in downtown Des Moines, there is no question I will be back to take advantage of that opportunity!

More to come soon,
Jennifer

Touching Lives in Iowa City

Thursday, I headed east for a jam-packed, but fun-filled afternoon.

First, I stopped at St. Jude's Elementary in Cedar Rapids to practice a piano/vocal duet with my princess, Carmella. We were scheduled to perform later in the afternoon, and wanted to make sure everything was just right :) During that time, I also set up a school visit to St. Jude's for next week. I will be presenting my Snacking Smart from A to Z cookbooks and eating lunch with Carmella. She has been my princess for the past three years, and what fun we have had!

Next up was Iowa City, where I volunteered for the fourth year in a row at the Star 102.5 Children's Miracle Network Radiothon. Miss Muscatine, Elizabeth Davidson and Miss Henry County, Abigail Carr were both answering phones as well. We were able to witness a couple of interviews with CMN miracle children.



I met a woman who lost her daughter to cancer, saw a boy whose dad saved his life with a kidney transplant, and witnessed in action the child life specialists who make patient stays at the hospital as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. It was great receiving calls from first-time donors. I speak from experience when I say they will be calling back next year. What a joy it was to be able to help.

From there, I visited the Oaknoll Reitrement Community in Iowa City, where I met my princess Carmella and her mom Kim. We performed We are One from the Lion King 2. Carmella has been taking voice lessons for three months now, and she has such a beautiful voice. It has been incredible seeing her blossom.

I performed one of my favorite Lorie Line pieces, Nevada Skies, and finished with Liberace's rendition of Chopsticks, which I will be performing this year at Miss Iowa. The residents loved it!



Afterward, one of the residents, Mary, shared her talent with us. She taught piano for 50 years, and though she does experience health challenges on a daily basis, her fingers can fly.

After our performance, Kim, Carmella and I headed to Applebees for a quick dinner. Carmella's mom is very health-conscious, and we mentioned how much we like Applebees for its tendency to offer more nutritious options than the typical dine-in restaurant. More and more eateries are doing this, which is exactly what we need in Iowa and across the country today.



I cannot wait until next week. I have several more fun appearances planned!

Hugs,
Jennifer

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Mrs. Obama has started a movement! First, she initiated her "Let's Move" campaign, and we now have a month dedicated to National Childhood Obesity Awareness.

I was reading an article in the most recent American Dietetic Association Policy Initiatives and Advocacy Report: On the Pulse, which said "House Resolution 996 designating September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month was passed by the House last week. Reps. Marcia Fudge (D.-Ohio) and Kay Granger (R.-Texas) introduced the resolution as a way to help bring awareness to the health of children around the country at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. The month will promote healthy eating and physical activity."

What I love about this resolution is that it was introduced with bi-partisan support. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, you cannot argue that childhood obesity is an issue that deserves even more national attention and focus. As Rep. Fudge said on the House floor: "Dedicating at least one month out of each year to bring awareness to this issue of childhood obesity will help maximize the effect of programming, messaging and campaigns all aligned with the sole purpose of eradicating childhood obesity."

To raise awareness about the issue of childhood obesity prevention through my platform work and involvement of Miss Iowa, I have selected the color yellow for many of my publications and wardrobe, because it represents the color of the obesity awareness ribbon. My Snacking Smart from A to Z cookbooks are yellow, and I will wear lots of yellow during Miss Iowa, because it is a constant reminder to me of why I am running for the job of Iowa's Official Hostess.

What great news this is!