Sorry for my lack of blogging...
It's been a crazy few days and I'll be away from my computer until Sunday.

Wish me luck at Miss Ohio USA!

Pageant Press: Zanesville new home for state pageant

I have to admit, I am saddened that the Ohio International system is leaving my area, but I am very excited for pageant-pro and directing-diva Vickie LeVeck, who is taking over…

Zanesville new home for state pageant
Executive director excited about moving headquarters
By Holly Richards

ZANESVILLE - With the definite prospect of an economic boost, Vicki LeVeck is excited to bring the state pageant headquarters to the Y City.

LeVeck, who serves as the executive director of the Muskingum County Convention Facilities Authority and Miss Southeastern Ohio Scholarship Program, will also wear the hat of executive director and owner of the Ohio International Pageant System.

Earlier this month, she officially acquired the Miss Ohio, Mrs. Ohio and Teen Ohio International franchises, which could lead to a major boost in tourism and business.

"This will create an incredible spike in the local economy," LeVeck said. "In addition to the three divisions of the state competition, the competitors' friends, families and fans will be staying in our hotels, buying gas at our gas stations, shopping at our retailers and attending events like this that we've been looking to bring to Zanesville."

She said she will bring these three competitions to Zanesville as early as March, and will be marketing throughout the state.

While experimenting with these responsibilities, LeVeck said she still plans to head up the annual Miss SEO competition.

"...this year, we will offer the new Miss SEO an opportunity to go on to Miss Ohio International, and we will waive the entry fees."

LeVeck said Zanesville seemed to be the perfect fit for the headquarters, which has been located in Toledo since 1991.

Click here for the entire article.

The reigning titleholders are Mrs. Ohio International, Kecia Pringle of Cincinnati, Miss Ohio International, Britany Jordan of Columbus and Miss Teen Ohio International, Alexandra Desantis of Cincinnati. I'm sure they're all excited about a shorter drive to give up their crowns! :)

Fabulous and on Floats!

I realize, these pictures of Miss USA and Miss America at recent Thanksgiving Day parades are awful, but they’re all I can find…

[Above, Miss USA Rachel Smith in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade; photo from a Facebook friend who was in attendance. Below, a still shot of the TV production of the Boscov's Thanksgiving Day Parade, in which Miss America Lauren Nelson sang.]

"Wish Upon a Song" TONIGHT with Local Titleholders!

Ring in the holiday season TONIGHT at the Lima Civic Center with the Wish Upon a Song Holiday Show featuring

Miss West Central Ohio,
Shannon O'Neill
Miss West Central Outstanding Teen, Monica Bates
Little Miss Ohio, Kaylee Piatt
Miss Canal Days, Victoria Miller
Miss Maumee's Outstanding Teen, Rachael Osting


Along with 50 dancer, singers and Santa!

The show begins at 7 p.m.; tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children and seniors. Call the Civic Center Box office at 1-888-377-0641 for more.

Wish Upon a Song will be a televised talent search coming this spring. http://www.wishuponasong.com/

Black Friday Poll

Abby’s Black Friday Equation

Step One:

Put a value on your time. (Your hourly wage at work is a good place to start, and then add some to account for your personal time.)

Step Two:

Subtract a percentage of your worth to account for frustration, just as taxes are frustratingly taken out of a real paycheck. In this case, consider your personality and how you will be taxed on Black Friday by stresses like waking up at 3 a.m., parking, long lines, unhelpful associates, aggressive shoppers, screaming children, etc…

Step Three:

Divide your overall hourly worth (wage + personal - frustration) by 60 so you know what you’re worth every single, tedious, ticking minute!

Step Four:

Calculate the overall amount of money you saved (or would save) on all items by subtracting their Black Friday price from their regular price.

Step Five:

Add up the minutes you spent fighting the Black Friday crowds… 3 hours in line before the store opened, 20 minutes at this check out, 35 minutes at that check out, driving in circle to find a parking spot for 15 minutes… etc…

Step Six:

Multiply the results of Step Five by the results of Step Three.

Step Six:

Compare the results of Step Four and Step Six.
Did you at least break even? :)

Healthy Holiday Hints!

- choose whole grain breads
- eat lots of green and colorful vegetables
- drink lots of water
- eat the turkey meat, but not the skin
- enjoy a low fat dessert
- slow down - eating fast means eating more food

The above tips were from THIS website. Cartoon from HERE; click it to enlarge.

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- Don't go to the Thanksgiving dinner hungry: we often eat faster and more when we are hungry - therefore eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch on the day to avoid overeating at dinner time.
- Thanksgiving dinner is not an all-you-can-eat buffet: Fill your plate half with vegetables, one quarter with a lean meat and the rest with a starch of your choice. Eat slowly and stop when you are full.
- Turkey - go skinless: choose your 4-oz turkey portion skinless to slash away some fat and cholesterol. Save your appetite for the side dishes and desserts.
- Side Dishes - watch your portion size: go for smaller portions. This way you can sample all the different foods. Moderation is always the key.
- Limit high fat items: high fat food items can be found in fried and creamy dishes as well as cheese-filled casseroles in a traditional Thanksgiving meal . For instance, mashed potatoes are usually made with butter and milk; green bean casseroles are often prepared with cream of mushroom soup, cheese and milk and topped with fried onions; candied yams are loaded with cream, sugar and marshmallows. If you cannot control the ingredients that go in to a dish, simply limit yourself to a smaller helping size. Again moderation is the key.
- Drink plenty of water: alcohol and coffee can dehydrate your body. Drink calorie-free water to help fill up your stomach and keep you hydrated.
- Substitute high fat ingredients with lower-fat or fat-free ingredients. Learn about the 5 easy steps to recipe substitutions or see table below.

The above tips were from THIS website.

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- Drink water: I know that most kids (and a lot of adults) would rather drink soda, apple cider and other sugary drinks. Water is good for you. It has ZERO calories and can help keep you feeling full so you'll eat less. Why not have an 8 - oz. glass of water (that's 4 oz. less than in a common can of soda) before you eat, during your meal and after?
- Eat the healthier foods: I'm not saying you have to skip the pumpkin pie or the stuffing, but make sure you eat some of the healthier foods on the table too - like turkey. Turkey is a very healthy food. It's high in protein and amino acids, which are the building blocks of cells. Other good choices are: squash, cranberry sauce, green beans, salad and nuts.
- Only eat until you feel full: Sometimes, when you see lots of food on the table, you want to eat more - even if you're not really hungry. It's okay to walk away from the food - and the table (after you excuse yourself, of course). Even if someone tells you to eat more, you don't have to. Just be polite and remind them you ate all you need, but you may come back later if you're hungry again.
- Play football or another fall sport as a family: One of my best friends and her family have an annual (that's every year) tradition. They choose two teams and play tag football before dinner. After dinner, you can also take a walk, rake some leaves or do something else you can enjoy as a family.

Remember: The whole point of the holiday season is to enjoy being with those you love--not eating more than you need.

The above tips are from THIS website.

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- Enjoy the variety of food available at Thanksgiving without consuming large volumes.
- Get some exercise before and after the meal, even if you just take a walk.
- Make an effort to see if there are lower-fat alternatives to some of your family's traditional holiday meals.
- Give others the opportunity to work in the kitchen. Even if they don't do things the way you would, they may know of healthier methods for meal preparation.
- Buy a smaller turkey and prepare smaller servings of all that you plan to serve.

The above tips are from THIS website.

Roberta's New Headshot

The Miss America website has been updated with the photo on the left of Roberta; originally the photo on the right appeared. As I mentioned when photos were first posted, some stink was made about photo guidelines. Many fans felt that most women "broke the rules, " including our Miss Ohio. Paul Krajnyak, the official Miss Ohio photographer clarified for me, writing the following:

The guidelines said and I quote, “The titleholder must be looking forward and the whole head must be shown. Don’t crop the hair or some elements of the face out of the picture.” Looking forward to me says that the eyes are looking at the camera. Apparently, it means something different to other people? If it said facing forward, then I would take it to mean straight-on.

Tune-in Alerts: Thanksgiving Day Parades

Miss USA Rachel Smith will ride in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Click here for a
Q & A article in the New York Post.

Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson will perform "All I Want For Christmas" in this year's Boscov's Thanksgiving Day Parade that will air live on ABC Thanksgiving morning from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Parade is scheduled to air throughout various parts of the country - mostly on the East Coast.

Click here for the official press release.

Miss Ohio USA Contestants!

I just returned home from teaching, tanning and working-out to find that the Miss Ohio USA contestants are posted on the official website!

Familiar faces to the readers of this blog include yours truly :), Monica Day (Boggs), Heather Lindsay, Angelique Verbarg, Kara Roberts, Kristen Swinehart, Jennifer Nageotte, Brooke Waddles, Meredith Driscoll and Amanda Wagner in the Miss division and Victoria Miller and Heather Wells in the Teen division.

CLICK HERE for the official website where you can view contestant photos and find ticket information.

I can’t believe the pageant is in less than two weeks! I can't wait!

Congrats to Ohio native Laura Pennington who won Interview and 1st Runner-up at the Miss Hampton Newport News / Miss Hampton Holly Days pageant in Virginia (where she attends college) this weekend! Click on her name to check out her wonderful blog, which has photos.

Birthday Wishes!

Miss Scioto Valley, Megan Wombacker and Miss Portsmouth, Katie Camp, competed together and were crowned at the same pageant. Ironically, they share more than just E.D. Greg Davis, they also both celebrate their birthday today! [Photo and information from Megan's Blog]

While we're on the topic, Kyrsten Chambers' birthday was yesterday; Mary Krouse, Holly Blinn, Catherine Sengenberger and Ashley Bowman all shared the nineth and Ali Speicher, Mellissa Marksberry and Jessey Wiseman also have November birthdays.

Ohio VS Michigan- Pageant Style

Miss Ohio, Roberta Camp and Miss Ohio USA,
Anna Melomud

VS

Miss Michigan, Kirsten Haglund and Miss Michigan USA,
Elizabeth Crawford

Shame on me, I'm a Notre Dame fan!

Below, Miss Indiana, Nicole Elizabeth Rash and Miss Indiana USA,
Brittany Mason

Being Smart

This post is not a major revelation, nor does it tell of a close call… just a reminder.

This afternoon I had plans to get some things done online, have them copied at Kinko’s and mailed, then take Niki to the park, which doubles as light pre-workout cardio for me… But things got pushed back a bit, as they always do, and fall finally arrived so I took the time to outfit Niki in a human sweater vest! (I’m not at all the type to dress a dog, but she’s old and dislikes the cold, so it seemed like the right thing to do…) While they did a great job, Kinko’s took forever and culminated in the realization that they can’t send to a P.O. Box. Good to know! I rushed to the post office (which I desperately hate) and stood in line for a good fifteen minutes.

By this point I needed a coffee from Beaners, my guilty pleasure. (On a side note, most Toledoan’s didn’t realize the derogatory meaning of the name, but with growth in mind, the company is now changing it to “Biggby.”)

Anyway, Niki and I finally arrive at the park around 5:20. Toledo has several wonderful metroparks, some are quite expansive and remote, so there’s only one I’m comfortable visiting by myself. It’s always busy, with trails ranging in length from half a mile to over two miles through woods and meadows. My immediate thought was the timing was great because it increased our likelihood to see deer, but as we started on the boardwalk behind the Manor House (a beautiful old estate on park property seen above) the stillness of dusk just didn’t feel right.

“What am I doing?” I asked myself. Although we could have finished the trail before dark, it just seemed stupid. The sweater vest seemed to void the intimidating effect of Niki’s size and the park was not at all busy, so we took the first exit trail and walked back to the car…

I couldn’t help but wonder, how often I do stupid, unsafe things without realizing it? I told Niki, “Sorry to cut your walk short, girl. I am an independent woman, but I’m also smart and it’s just not worth the risk.”

I realize this is a really boring post, but it’s never a bad thing to remind yourself and those around you to be smart.

Miss Northwestern Ohio In Review

Contestant order and Talent selection:

Lauren Hogan- Broadway vocal to “My Strongest Suit” from Aida
Susan Downings- Flute performance to “My Heart Will Go On”
Jillian Dansko- Tap dance to “Drums”
Whitney Fricke- Vocal to “Orange Colored Sky”
Sylvia Macias- Classic Hispanic dance
Tiffany Westfall- Broadway vocal to “Defying Gravity” from Wicked
Brittany Taylor- Live charcoal sketch to “Walkin’ on Sunshine”
Brandi Drain- Vocal to “Remember Me This Way”
Dani Bash- Harp performance to “Moondance”
Erica Gelhaus- Classical Vocal to “Sapor Vorreste”

The Judges:

Mary Boyde- A member of the Fort Defiance Players board who holds a Masters Degree in Engineering.

Ted Callie- A former committee member of the original Miss West Central Ohio program who holds a BA from Wright State; he has been a letter carrier for 23 years and has 9 years piano experience.

Sue Swinehart- She is experienced in dance, piano and flute, and has been involved in the Miss Ohio program for over 20 years.

Thomas Stuckie- He is the president of Northwest State Community College, and holds a PhD. in Administration from Bowling Green State University.

Kelly Creager Gilson- A former Miss Northwestern Ohio and Miss Ohio 1998. She is an experienced spokesperson and model who holds a BA in Education from Ohio Northern University.

Jeff Leonard- He is the Defiance City Administrator and holds a BA from Bowling Green State University

Heather Hall- A former board member for the Miss Lake Erie program, she holds a Master in Special Education from Bowling Green State University.

The Show

As usual, Randy Schroeder and his crew put on an excellent show to the theme "Cruisin' to the Crown," featuring emcees Mark Schnitkey and Becky Minger, the Defiance Dance Studio and Varsity Blues vocal ensemble. The Perkins Award to honor volunteerism to the Miss Northwestern Ohio Program went to production assistant Janice Johansen.

As I mentioned below with the results, this is the second year in a row that Miss Northwestern Ohio had been the First Runner-up at her first try at Miss Ohio. (Becky had been First Runner-up as Miss Greater Dayton prior to representing Northwestern Ohio and this past summer Erica was First Runner-up as Miss Lake Festival.) Also, for a third time in Four years Miss Northwestern Ohio is a native of Mercer County and former Miss Lake Festival. In 2004 I won the title via my eligibility as a student of Bowling Green State University (in Wood County). The next year the pageant extended its boundaries to include Mercer County and Marissa Minor was crowned. For the first time in its 32 year history, this year the pageant became open to any eligible woman in Ohio; I believe 2nd Runner-up Jillian Dansko was the only contestant from outside the traditional Northwestern Ohio county radius to take advantage of this.

To be blunt about the contestants, there was a stark contrast between the experience of Erica, Lauren and Jillian and the others. However, there is great potential among the group. Brittany Taylor managed to make a non-traditional talent (drawing) intriguing and entertaining and I have to commend Sylvia Macias’ continuity; her platform is Teen Pregnancy Prevention among Hispanics and she performed a classic Hispanic dance in traditional dress.

Photos [click each to enlarge]

Above left: Erica wins Talent; right: Lauren is awarded 3rd Runner-up. Below left: Jillian wins 2nd Runner-up; right: Dani is 1st Runner-up.














Below left: Erica's winning reaction; right: Becky crowns her the new Miss Northwestern Ohio.

Below left: Miss Buckeye State Rachel Maris and I show off our sexy kicks; right: my girl Lauren and I.

My "Official" Write-up

Saturday night in Defiance ten contestants were “Cruisin’ to the Crown,” but only one could be named the new Miss Northwestern Ohio. She is St. Henry native Erica Gelhaus.

Erica is a Music Performance major at Otterbein College; she won the Outstanding Talent Award for her performance of Verdi’s aria “Sapor Vorreste.” She swept the pageant, also winning the Outstanding Interview Award. Erica stresses the importance of making time to read with children through her platform, “Turning the Page for Youth Literacy.”

This is Erica’s second local title having been the First Runner-up to Miss Ohio as Miss Lake Festival this past summer. As the First Runner-up she went on to represent the Buckeye state in Hoopeston Illinois where she competed against about thirty other runners-up and was awarded the title National Sweetheart. (The National Sweetheart pageant is run like Miss America, but is not officially affiliated. It is designed to provide a national pageant experience, and does not restrict its winner from holding other titles.)

This marks the second year in a row that Miss Northwestern Ohio is a former state First Runner-up. Erica was crowned by former First Runner-up Becky Minger. Becky, a vocalist attending Bowling Green State University; she won her third local title, Miss Maumee Valley, barely a week prior to crowning Erica. Also, Erica is the third former Miss Lake Festival in four years to also be named Miss Northwestern Ohio.

The First Runner-up was Dani Bash. Dani is a harpist from Findlay who advocates Arts Education. This was her first pageant of the season.

Second Runner-up, Jillian Dansko, is a tap dancer and graduate of John Carroll University. Her platform is Arts for the Disabled. Jillian is looking for her fourth local title; she has placed at two previous pageants this season.

Lauren Hogan was awarded Third Runner-up. Her platform is “Risky Business;” she is a vocalist and graduate of Bowling Green State University. Lauren recently gave up her first local title and this was her first pageant of the season.

Fourth Runner-up Whitney Fricke is a vocalist from Archbold. She educates women on self esteem issues through her platform “True Beauty.” This was Whitney’s first pageant of the season.

The remaining contestants included: Susan Downing, Sylvia Macias, Tiffany Westfall, Brittany Taylor and Brandy Drain. The pageant awarded over $3,000 and the prestigious Perkins Award for volunteerism went to production assistant Janice Johansen.

A Letter From Miss America's President...

The following was posted on the Miss America message board:

To: State Executive Directors:

We just completed the taping of four one-hour episodes of a new reality series which is scheduled to be broadcast in the month of January, 2008. We will make sure you are notified the exact air dates as soon as we receive confirmation.

The contestants are all on their way home and have had a truly remarkable experience. They have all bonded so well together and we strongly believe our class of 2008 promises to be a memorable one.

Part of the making of this new show offered the ladies the chance to have a complete makeover. Many of them embraced it and in our opinion this is going to be one of the highlights of the show. Many of you need to be aware that those girls who did choose to change their look are thrilled with it and we hope that you will be too. These contestants loved being together and loved sharing all that the reality show presented in terms of critique, bonding, athletic events, etc.

We will be very hands on with the editing as we do not yet know what the contestants might have said on camera during private moments. One of the messages of the reality show is that these girls must ALL BE REAL and true to themselves… comfortable in their own skin. We do not want a teased or heavily made up appearance. We want the contestants to be as natural and beautiful as they are on a day to day basis. The girls are thrilled with this new direction. You should also know that some of the girls chose not to change, and that is great as well!

Our judge’s panel for Las Vegas will not be permitted to view the reality series as we do not want to prejudice them in any way. The seven judges of the finals will be comprised of health, beauty, fitness, talent and interview experts from all walks of life. We are attempting to find a younger group of judges this year that represent experts in the fields mentioned above.

While the production company was taping the reality series, our TV partner TLC took the opportunity to tape some funny promotional spots to spoof the way we “used to be.” Everyone here, including the contestants, enjoyed the experience.

We reminded each of the contestants that it is their responsibility not to talk about the making of this reality show since they have all signed confidentiality agreements. We are asking each of our State Executive Directors to respect that agreement since some of the contestants have expressed nervousness that their Executive Directors will insist on knowing.

In addition, we will have final wardrobe information to you sometime during the Thanksgiving period.

As always, we thank our State Executive leaders for their hard work leading into the "2008 Miss America Live" event.

Sam Haskell Art McMaster
Chairman of the Board
President / CEO

Reserve your copy of the 2008 Competition Magazine

Reserve your copy of the 2008 Competition Magazine Today to get it in time for the holidays!

This beautiful four-color magazine is packed with information on Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson and all 52 national contestants competing for the Miss America crown.


It also contains exclusive information about 2008 Miss America Live! including information on preliminary events and the finals, which will air live on TLC from Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas on Saturday, January 26th 8-10 PM ET/PT (tape-delayed).

When you purchase a competition magazine, you help fund future Miss America Scholarships! We will continue to rebate States $3.00 per book sold with State Rebate Code.

Order today at http://magazine.missamerica.org

Miss Northwestern Ohio Photos

These photos are thanks to Paul. I am once again running out the door to a freelance event, having judged Forensics this morning... so my pictures and more from both this pageant and last weekends will be coming soon... I promise!

Miss Northwestern Ohio Results

For a second year in a row Miss Northwestern Ohio was the First Runner-up at Miss Ohio and for a third time in four years she is from Mercer County...

Miss Northwestern Ohio: Erica Gelhaus

1st runner up: Dani Bash
2nd Runner up: Jillian Dansko
3rd Runner up: Lauren Hogen
4th Runner up: Whitney Fricke

Talent: Erica Gelhaus

Interview: Erica Gelhaus

Best of Luck to the Miss Northwestern Ohio Program!

I am rushing out the door to Defiance for tonight's pageant (starting at 7:30)!

I'm sorry I haven't done a normal pre-pageant post, but I've had a very busy past few days.

I believe about a dozen women are competing, including Lauren Hogan, Jillian Dansko, Erica Gelhaus and one of last years runners-ups at this pageant. The beautiful Becky Minger will be giving up her title, and it's no secret that I'm pulling for my good friend Lauren!

I'll have results and photos when I get home tonight...

Pageant Press: Paris Hilton Judges Beauty Pageant

Socialite PARIS HILTON can add pageant judge to her resume - after presiding over a beauty contest in Japan. The 26-year-old joined her fashion designer sister Nicky for the competition at a Tokyo clothing boutique on Tuesday (06Nov07), where they each selected a finalist for the Miss Universe Japan contest. And Paris is overjoyed to be working in the south-east Asian country. She gushes, "I love Tokyo. The shopping is great." The reigning Miss Universe, Riyo Mori, was the first Japanese woman to win the pageant since 1959.

Edit- 11.9.07

I rewatched an episode of Pageant Place last night and found the following comment hilarious:

"It's a little Paris Hilton... and we don't do Paris Hilton..." -a quotation from a Miss USA officials while Katie Blair (Miss Teen USA 2006) was trying on gowns for her farewell.

Wow! 30,000 hits!

Thank you all for reading! I continue to be surprised and excited when I meet you in person. I wouldn't spend the time on this blog if I didn't enjoy it, and it's icing on the cake to watch the webcounter rise and know others enjoy and utilize it as well.

From Miss to Mrs.: Pageant Brides A Plenty!

Congratulations to former contestant Leslie Ondrey; she and her beau of five years, Chris, got engaged over the weekend! Also, Miss Ohio 2005 Marlia Fontaine will be wed in a small private affair in early December and Miss Ohio 2006 Melanie Murphy recently had her bridal shower!

Pageant Pictures: MMV, MAC, MFT, MMVOT and MACOT

Above: Miss Maumee Valley's Outstanding Teen: Rachel Osting, Miss Maumee Valley Becky Minger, Miss All*American City Jessica Barrett, Miss Fallen Timbers Emily Cousino and Miss All*American City's Outstanding Teen: Emily Werling

Above: Visiting titleholders Miss Lake Festival Heather Waterman, Miss Portsmouth Katie Camp, Miss Scioto Valley Megan Wombacker and Miss West Central Ohio Shannon O'Neal

These first three photos are from Paul. Please note, he's away from his computer and will not likely be updating his site or the official Miss Ohio website until Friday.

Click on the smaller pictures to enlarge them.

Above left: Outgoing Miss Maumee Valley Kristen Haas; Right: Miss Scioto Valley Megan Wombacker, Ashley Hartman, Amy Allen and former Miss Ohio Marlia Fontaine

Above left: Betsy Wagener; Right: the women of west central Ohio, Jessica Barrett, Kyrsten Chambers, Kristy Moneysmith, Rachel Osting and Emily Werling

Above left: Jillian Dansko; Right: Maria Minnich, Rachel Osting, Jessica Nelson, April O'Brien, Emily Phiels, Emily Werling and Kristy Moneysmith

Above left: Heather Wells, Krystle Formosa and Emily Phiels; Right: former Miss West Central Ohio's Jessica Barrett and Kyrsten Chambers

Above left: April O'Brien; Right: Kristy Moneysmith and Amy Allen

Above: Ashley Hartman, and Amy Allen and I taking pictures of one another.













Above left: the three outgoing titleholders, Kellie, Kristen and Lauren; Right: Ashley, Amy and I



Above: After the show with outgoing Miss All*American City, Lauren Hogan and Jessica Nelson

This was a nightmare to format, so please enjoy!

Also, many thought my boyfriend Loren would be there taking pictures, but he's taking shots of a very different kind right now. He's on a ten day elk hunt in Colorado!