Mrs. America

I will be flying from Washington to Arizona early tomorrow morning. For those of you who are eager for news about Mrs. America, my sister Lori has agreed to be my guest blogger for the week. She will be arriving on Saturday September 5th. When you check in please leave a comment for her to let her know you appreciate her work.

Signing out until September 10th.

THANK YOU!

I wanted to post a big THANK YOU to the following people:

Pam Curnel
Lisa Quast
Jessica Riggs
Marikay Coyer
Patricia Richards
Carol Milliron
Darleen Deeben
Laura Hunter and Beyond Photography
Lori Larsen
Lanny Larsen
Mary Hurley
and Hayley at Desert Sun in Juanita

Thank you so much for your help and support.

Ruby Room Fashion Show and Auction

One of my bracelets was included in the silent auction to support the Ruby Room.

Auctioneer Laura Michalek

Tia Huntsperger, a former Mrs. Washington America contestent.

Chinchilla Von Schwamp, one of the hostesses for the show.

Jessica Riggs, Mrs. Snohomish County, and I attended the Ruby Room Fashion Show and Auction at the gorgeous Paramount Theatre in Seattle. This will be my last appearance until after Nationals.

Work Send-off Party

My co-workers at ENVS threw a send-off party for me today in our library. I even wore my crown and sash for the event. Thank you everyone for your support.

Interview for Community Life

This morning I had an interview with Mary Ellen Wood for her program on KSER 90.7. As the host of Community Life, Mary Ellen talks with local people who are working to make our community a better place to live. It was quite an honor to be asked to be on her show and I had a great time talking about my experience in pageants. The program will air on Monday at 6:30.

Grant County Fair

Mrs. Washington 2006, Patricia Blair (on my left) joined us for dinner at Michaels on the Lake.

Pam and David Curnel (Mrs. Washington America Directors) and their daughter Melissa. Pam is also Mrs. Washington 1993.

(L to R) Jessica Riggs (Mrs. Snohomish County), Laura Hunter (Mrs. Whatcom County), Pam Curnel (Pageant Director), Elizabeth Larsen (MRS. Washington 2009), Lisa Bluhm (Mrs. Pacific NW), Lisa Quast (Mrs. Issaquah) and Edie Higby (Mrs. Spokane).

I spent the day in Moses Lake with Pam Curnel, the Mrs. Washington director, her family and some of the Mrs. Washington pageant Class of 2010. We made an appearance at the Grant County Fair, had dinner at Michaels on the Lake and visited with friends.

The Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire

Kristi Bonham

Cavallo Equestrian Arts provided thrilling entertainment throughout the day.

The famous Blue Fairy

The Bawdy Juggler

Her Most Royal Majesty, Queen Mary of Scotland.

This steel wyvern was created from recycled spoons.

With my friends Keith Westlund and Beth Easterday.

With my friends Beth Easterday and Carmen Foss.


I joined several of my friends today at the 2009 Washington State Rennaissance Fantasy Faire. We started the day with fabulous crepes, visited the many merchants and enjoyed the exciting shows. There were also many fabulous costumes to admire. A fun day was had by all.

UPDATES : Additional Photos from the Faire by Chris Yetter.

Hobby - Jewelry Design for the Chris Elliott Fund and The Ruby Room

This bracelet was designed for the Chris Elliott Fund's Gray Ribbon Gala on October 2nd. The bracelet includes gray freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystals, laser cut sterling silver beads and a sterling silver ribbon charm.

This bracelet was designed for the Ruby Room Benefit Fashion Show and Auction on August 29th. It includes freshwater pearls, garnets and Swarovski crystal. The toggle clasp in embedded with two garnets.

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This week I designed two bracelets that will be auctioned off to support great causes, the Chris Elliott Fund and The Ruby Room. It is a pleasure to be able to help these organizations. Please consider donating to their causes.

Carbon Offsets

In order to make my trip to Mrs. America carbon neutral, I purchased carbon offsets for my round trip flight to Tucson. I have included information on carbon offset businesses below in the Links of Interest section.

Doing Our Part

I thought I would share some of the things my family is doing to reduce our carbon footprint.

Our electric/gas hybrid heating system.

Reusable shopping bags.

This is my first attempt at growing our own vegetables. This year I started with zucchini and yellow squash and a lone pea plant. They are doing pretty well so far. You can't get more local than this, plus they are organically grown.

Buying local. Snohomish County values it's farms so we are lucky to have a variety of sources for locally grown products. Bob's Corn, pictured above, is one of our neighbors. Purchasing local products not only reduces your carbon footprint, it also supports the local economy.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle through Waste Management.

We replaced all the lighting inside and outside with compact fluorescent light bulbs.

According to the World Resources Institute Data, 13.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions are transportation related, the majority of those are emissions on roads (9.9 percent). In Washington State, transportation energy use is both the largest greenhouse gas producer and the fastest growing sector. My family purchased a 2009 Toyota Prius this year as our main driving car.