Well, I’m FINALLY finding time to tell all of you about Dancing With the Stars! It was amazing! 7 state title holders were in attendance: Miss California, Miss New York, Miss Arizona, Miss Washington, Miss Mississippi, Miss North Carolina and myself. We went to the first night and sat in the balcony just behind the DWTS sign (no you can’t really see us in the telecast.) After the show, we had the opportunity to meet almost the entire cast of DWTS which was incredible! I never would have dreamed that I would have such an wonderful experience. The second night we sat on the floor behind the judges, so we could really see facial expressions! I’m amazed by how much behind the scenes work goes into producing the show week after week!
Today I went to Liberty Elementary in Broken Arrow with Southwest Dairy Farmers. Ralph Keel and I presented the Mobile Dairy Classroom to Kindergarten-3rd grade students. Ralph explained to the students about the process of milking the cow, what it eats, where it lives, etc. He then gave a milking demonstration for a brief time for the students. It is so fun to hear the students reactions when they learn about dairy cattle and milking, but my favorite is how they react to actually seeing a cow be milked!
I closed the program by talking to the students about why milk is an important part of their diet. We talked about the nutrients found in milk, what each one does for their body and a few other fun activities.
Enjoy this video of the Liberty Elementary Kindergarten class when they see where their milk comes from!
I am so excited that beautiful weather is gracing Oklahoma! Everything is green, flowers and trees are blooming, and it just puts me in a great mood!!
This week I went to the State Capitol and spoke in both the House and Senate! Wow! What an honor. They were so receptive, and they treated me like royalty the entire time I was there. Just one more way that Miss Oklahoma has opened so many doors for me and allowed me to meet some incredible people.
On Thursday I spoke at Jones Academy in the Choctaw Nation. They were such a great group of students, so involved with my program and eager to hear what I had to share with them. On Friday I visited Perkins-Tryon Elementary and Intermediate schools. I can’t remember having a group of elementary students that was THAT excited about me coming to their school! They were so much fun and they loved watching my video of my dance. Saturday I spoke in Norman for Kinslow Sonic Corporation meetings. I had the opportunity to do a goal setting session with Sonic managers and supervisors!
This week I will be speaking at OSU Animal Science, doing Mobile Dairy Classroom visits with Southwest Dairy Farmers, visiting Nicoma Park Middle School, Heritage Trails Elementary, Speaking at the DHS Child Abuse Seminar and the Oklahoma Health Expo.
Of course I will spend Easter with my amazing family, and the next day I set out for one of the most exciting events as Miss Oklahoma! I will be traveling to Los Angeles, California to meet up with Miss California, Miss Arizona, Miss New York, Miss North Carolina, Miss Mississippi, and Miss Washington. Together, we will be attending Dancing With the Stars LIVE to watch our AMAZING Miss America judge, Mark Ballas! I can hardly wait! What an incredible journey this year has been!
What a busy week! On Monday evening I spoke at the Davenport Chamber of Commerce Banquet. It was wonderful to be back home and to see so many familiar, friendly faces! So many of the people at that banquet have had a tremendous impact on my life and helped me get where I am today. It didn’t seem to matter if I was doing a fundraiser for 4-H, FFA, Pep Club, asking for donations for our annual Davenport White Elephant Auction, or selling Salute Page ads for Miss Oklahoma and Miss America, this town has been behind me and supporting me all the way. I’m so grateful that I had the chance to tell them how much I appreciate all that they’ve done for me.
On Tuesday morning, I went to the Oklahoma State Capitol to speak and dance at the “Support the Arts” event. Immediately after, I went to the State Fairgrounds for the Oklahoma Youth Expo “This One’s For the Girls” event. It was so much fun to be a part of such a wonderful activity. Several of the young girls from the youth expo as well as their moms came in for our luncheon. I again had the chance to speak and dance along with a few other special guest, including Robin Marsh from News 9. I met so many incredible women at that event and the great thing is that we all came from an agriculture background. I was even more excited to get an invitation at the end of the luncheon to return the following day and speak to the Representatives and Senators before the Legislators showmanship!
My mom had been my traveling companion since we live so close to OKC, so we drove back to Tulsa on Tuesday night and I went to “Kids, Kows, and More” at the Tulsa Expo center on Wednesday morning. We had around 1,000 4th graders from the Tulsa area. I talked to students during the Mobile Dairy classroom, which allows students to see all about the process of milking a cow. It’s so fun to watch their reactions, and even more fun to hear the questions that they have! I left the Tulsa Expo and my mom and I drove back OKC to the Oklahoma Youth Expo so that I could speak at the Legislator’s showmanship. I met so many wonderful people and I am so grateful that I got to share with our Oklahoma Legislators just how important Oklahoma Agriculture, as well as our youth livestock expos are. I know that I developed my work ethic and responsibility from growing up on a farm and in the show barns.
Today (Thursday) I am back in Stillwater! I spoke to the Stillwater Rotary Club this afternoon, went straight to an interview with SUNUP, and now I am getting ready for this evening’s appearance at HEC Family Night where I will again be speaking and performing my talent! Tomorrow I will be at OSU’s Evening of Art and Fashion featuring Stella Thomas’ new line! I’ll be wearing the first outfit of the fashion show and emceeing the rest of the event. This event will be raising money for our women serving overseas!
On Saturday I will be dancing at the Tulsa Southern Hills Country Club for St. Patrick’s Day! I’m so blessed to have so many appearances and opportunities as Miss Oklahoma! I can’t believe this year is coming to an end so soon! In just under 3 months I will be crowning a new young lady who will take on this incredible job!
I had the opportunity to go to Wisconsin for 5 days for Laura’s homecoming! It was such an honor to be a part of such a special experience for her, and to have the opportunity to perform my own talent at 2 of the events. We had a busy week of appearances and homecoming events that celebrated Laura’s first trip back to her home state as Miss America ranging from pep rallies to production shows, birthday dinners to eating at “The Spot.” It was great to get to see her again and hear all about her Miss America journey so far. I wish we could have spent more time with Laura while we were in Wisconsin, but fingers crossed that she’ll have an appearance in Oklahoma!
Another BIG part of my trip was spending time with the “court of honor” Miss New York Kaitlin Monte, Miss Arizona Jennifer Sedler, and Miss California Noelle Freeman! It was in these 5 days that I made some of the closest friendships that I will ever have. I did not get the chance to know any of these young ladies in Orlando or even in Vegas, but I am so grateful that I had the chance to get to know each of them personally. I can honestly say that they made that trip amazing! My roommate was the lovely Miss Arizona. That girl inspired me in so many ways in just the short time that we spent together. She is such a kind hearted, genuine and honest person. Our other “quarters” as Jennifer called them were not only funny, but they had the ability to lift our spirits no matter how tired we were or how desperately we needed coffee! 🙂 By the end of the first day, all four of us had bonded and I think we each realized it was the kind of friendship that will last a lifetime. Not only did we share a very unique experience, but we just seemed to mesh so well together…or maybe more like we balanced each other out! None of our differences mattered at all, and in fact I think that was the best part!
It was amazing for me to get to watch these ladies “in their element” as “Miss State” during events and even more amazing to get to know the young woman under the crown. They are the most intelligent, articulate, passionate, talented and driven young ladies that I’ve ever met in my life. I watched each of them take command of a room when they spoke, light it up when they smiled, and wow audiences with their talents. I truly felt honored to be a part of such an incredible court of honor, and I quickly realized why each of them had captured their state titles and stole the hearts of the Miss America judges and audience!
I wish that I had the ability to express in words the experiences that we shared and the friendship that we formed, but I know I can’t do it justice. I am so grateful that God brought those young women into my life and in a way I never expected. I ran across a quote recently that I thought was very fitting, it said: “Friendship is a knot tied by angel’s hands.” I am so blessed that I am Miss Oklahoma 2011, because like Jennifer said this week, the friendships that you make truly are one of the best things that the Miss America Organization offers!!
Miss America’s Homecoming
Enjoy the video that Miss California put together about our week in Wisconsin!
I’m so excited to be keeping busy after Miss America! I will get back into appearances this upcoming week! I’ll be at my elem/high school on Wednesday followed by an interview with Lauren Nelson on News 9!
I’ve had some pretty exciting requests coming though and even a few for after I pass on the crown! Im so blessed that I have such an incredible job! I can’t believe I’m on the countdown to crowning a new Miss Oklahoma! She’s in for the best year of her life yet!
Wow…What a whirlwind! I feel like I was leaving for the airport only a few days ago anxious and excited for what the week would bring. Hours of rehearsal, and 3 full cans of hairspray later the pageant is over but the memories I made will last a lifetime.
We did on site filming all over Las Vegas–the Wynn, Bellagio, Palms, Fremont Street, and the Cosmopolitan. We even got to watch Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian! It’s by far one of my favorite shows of all time, but watching it in Vegas was a whole new experience.
One thing that I really loved about our Miss America Class of 2012 was that we all got along really well. There wasn’t a division among the girls and even after preliminaries began, jealousy issues didn’t surface. I have never been in a pageant, or situation where 53 women got along so well. I became especially good friends with a few of the girls and I know we will stay close for a very long time because we all share a bond…we have experienced something so wonderful, exciting, nerve-racking, and emotionally draining together. No past or future group of Miss State’s experienced exactly what we did together and for that reason I believe we will always be close. We laughed together, cried together, boosted each others confidence, and we prayed together.
My prayer leading up to Miss America, and all through Miss America week was that God would allow me to have no regrets. I knew that I had done the preparation I needed to feel my absolute best and it was time to give it all to Him. I prayed that the words I spoke, the questions I answered, the way I carried myself, and even my dance would all be a reflection of Him and His will for my life. I prayed that whoever wore the crown of Miss America, whether it was me or not, would give Him the glory and that she would have a heart for Him. That prayer couldn’t have been answered any more clearly. I got to know Laura in Orlando during MAOT, and she truly has a heart of gold. She wouldn’t dream of speaking ill of anyone. I think it’s obvious from watching her compete in Miss America that she is a genuine, gracious, and humble woman. I am so proud to call her my MAO class sister, my friend, and our new Miss America!
I know in my heart that God’s will is definitely at work in my life. His plans for me are more magnificent that anything I could ever imagine!
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11
God has truly blessed my life! I left Miss America with the honor of being America’s Choice, a preliminary talent winner, 1st Runner Up to Miss America 2012 and $27,000 in scholarship in addition to my Miss Oklahoma scholarship! I’m so blessed to be home in Oklahoma, where the land really is grand, our “waving wheat” is ORANGE and sweet, and our THUNDER rolls!!!!!
I can’t believe that I leave for the MISS AMERICA PAGEANT a week from Wednesday! This is one of the most exciting feelings that I’ve ever had….to know that I am about to have a truly once in a lifetime experience. My days until I leave are crucial…the packing begins, ensuring I have EVERYTHING organized, dance rehearsals everyday, keeping up with my daily fitness routine, and of course, interview prep! My send off party is on Thursday! I can’t wait to show all of my friends and family my wardrobe and how hard I’ve been working to prepare.
I’m so excited to see all of my Miss America sisters, and VERY excited that I have so many friends and family coming to support me in Vegas! It has truly been an honor and a blessing to serve as Miss Oklahoma for almost 6 months now. I have the most amazing support system here in Oklahoma, from our wonderful MOP board to all of our volunteers, our local contestants and directors and of course, my family! I can’t imagine being Miss O without them. I also know that no matter what God has planned for me on January 14, I will be happy and blessed. His will is at work in my life!
I am so blessed to be Miss Oklahoma! This weekend was my “Miss America Retreat Weekend” with Jack, Mignon, Momma Kay, and one of my role models, Miss Oklahoma 2009, Taylor Treat Burgett! We had a great time doing interview prep, rehearsing my talent, modeling, accessorizing outfits and even going to the movies. 🙂 They made sure there were plenty of “healthy snacks” for me all weekend, since m&m’s aren’t on the diet right now. 🙂 I can’t imagine having a more incredible prep team to make me feel my very best for Miss America!
My sendoff is next week and I CAN’T WAIT! I’m so excited to show my friends and family how hard we’ve been working to get ready for Vegas. 16 days and counting until I board the plane for Miss America! I can’t believe Miss America 2012 will be crowned in 26 days! Don’t forget to tune in and watch it live: Saturday, January 14 on ABC!
missbetty.org 