Sorry this is so short but we are due at rehearsals in a few minutes!

The life of a beauty queen is never dull! What am I going to do when this is over and I have a daily routine... decisions, decisions! Ok enough of that!

Thank you so much Diane Ritter for the gorgeous belt, Emily for dropping off my swimsuit earrings, and Ozzie, Hannah, and Diane Ross for my beautiful cards. I'm so lucky and fortunate to have so much love and support from my family and friends. More tomorrow!

-- Diane

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I can't believe we have been here a whole week! Everyday is so exciting!

This morning our wake-up call rang at 5:45 a.m... ouch! My roommate, Drennan, Mrs. Utah, had early morning interviews with the show producer, Peter. I immediately hit the gym for a good cardio and shoulder/back work-out. The gym was packed with beautiful contestants! Mrs. Texas, Tracey, and I then went to breakfast and loaded up on fresh fruit and eggs. Tracey and I have already become really good friends and I can't wait to visit her in Dallas!

After rehearsal practice we had a delicious barbeque dinner catered by Texas Roadhouse. Everyone relaxed in a southwestern atmosphere...southern hospitality watch out! Arizona hospitality may become a national trend!! We ate dinner outside to enjoy the weather and beautiful sunsets.

-- Diane

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Our time here continues to be incredibly special and I am making so many new friends and getting to know so many wonderful people. I have been able to spend time with Mrs. Maryland and she is a doll. Last night at rehearsals I also got to know Mrs. Colorado and I love her too!

Today, we had a fabulous day at Old Tucson Studios and the Desert Museum. As soon as we arrived they asked for 8 dancers and I immediately volunteered! We dressed as Can-Can girls and learned a fun dance routine in a half hour. Then we danced for the Mrs. America staff, producers, and the contestants.

We got a standing ovation! We had a blast! It is really a unique opportunity to see your home town as a visitor. I am so proud of Tucson! Our tour finished with a trip to the Desert Museum. It was so fun to see otters, prairie dogs, and deer. It was so fun to be outside enjoying the beautiful Tucson weather. Looking forward to this evening's dance rehearsal!

I'll keep you posted!

-- Diane

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Thank you so much Diane and Megan Ritter, Jaime, Mayda, and Trudy for your beautiful flowers, faxes, and cards. You are so sweet. My room looks so good decorated! Saturday morning Mrs. Idaho, Elizabeth, and I worked-out at the resort's gym. We did cardio and legs real quick, and then rushed to pick out our swimsuits, hats, sarongs, and swimsuit shoes. I love my swimsuit and can't wait for you to see it!

In the afternoon we had rehearsal with Fritt and Fratt. The dance is looking great! In the evening, we had dinner with the General Manager of Loews Ventana, Mike Dominguez. I presented my gift to him, a wine basket filled with Arizona's famous delicacies. We had a delicious five-course meal including a chocolate dessert that will keep me in the gym an extra 30 minutes this weekend... it was worth it! The dinner was made even more special as it was in the Ventana Room overlooking the beautiful Tucson city lights.

On Sunday, we had brunch at the Ventana Room with our Mayor, Bob Walkup. I presented him with a U of A basketball signed by Lute Olson. Mayor Walkup was thrilled and immediately started bouncing the ball. He was so kind and gracious to receive all our gifts. In the afternoon I had individual interviews with the Producer, Peter. He asked a few questions about why I'd like to be Mrs. America. They will show clips of that tape during the telecast which will be aired on the WE channel Sept. 23rd.

Sunday evening we attended a Tucson Sidewinders baseball game and I threw the first pitch! We were honored (all 50 of us) to be the featured "artists" singing the National Anthem. It was so exciting and the crowd loved it! I don't think any of us will be quitting our day jobs!

Only 9 more days! Can't wait! Thanks again for you support!

-- Diane

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This morning at 7:00 a.m. we were given beautiful Tony Lama cowboy boots and hats, loaded up the busses and arrived at Tanque Verde Guest Ranch. All 50 contestants rode horseback through the beautiful desert surrounded by red rock and saguaro cactus. (I think we will all have sore tushies tomorrow!!!)

It is such a beautiful part of Arizona and I was thrilled to be able to share it with everyone. It was so calming and peaceful and I really think that after the buzz of the last few days, the timing was perfect for all of us. My horse's name was Dapple, a beautiful white horse. At the end of our ride, the cowboys cooked us a delicious blueberry pancake breakfast! What a treat! ...when was the last time a cowboy cooked you breakfast?

Thursday evening we went to the newly remodeled Fox Movie Theater in downtown Tucson. They rolled out the red carpet! There were photographers and media everywhere! As soon as I got off the bus the crowd was screaming. It was so exciting! My parents and Grandma Mary read about it in the newspaper that day so they stopped by to show their support. It was wonderful to see them! We sat in the balcony and watched the classic movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's." I had never seen it and loved the movie! Tomorrow we have the morning off; we get our swimsuits and have rehearsal in the afternoon. Tomorrow evening is dinner with the president of the hotel... they will be filming for the show... still trying to decide what to wear!

Thank you to everyone for your support! 'til tomorrow...

-- Diane

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Hello Friends!

This has been such an incredible journey! This morning at 6 a.m. I worked out at the gym. I hope my trainers are reading this! The gym is beautiful with flat screen mini televisions in front of each treadmill! I think I need one of these at home! We had our first dance rehearsal this morning with Fritt and Fratt, (really!!) the dance choreographers and they are amazingly talented! The dance routines are hip and fun and you're going to love the music. LL Cool J!

This evening we attended the "Mayors of Arizona" conference and I met with my friends Tom and Nancy Hessler. Tom is the Mayor of the beautiful city of Sierra Vista, where I grew up! We were all introduced by state and when they announce Arizona, the entire room stood up and cheered! I have never been so proud to represent you. Most of the Mayoral body at this conference was from Phoenix so when I cheered "Go Wildcats!" there was an immediate reaction from the ASU fans! It was great!

Got get my beauty sleep! More Tomorrow!

-- Diane

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It is finally here! Wow! What an exciting evening!

I finally met my roommate, Mrs. Utah! She is great! We have become fast friends and I am so excited to get to know her better! We already have so much in common!

Tonight was our check-in cocktail dinner event. As soon as I got off the elevator, a swarm of beautiful contestants approached me saying "PICTURE TIME!" I'm truly amazed how beautiful, friendly, accomplished, and intelligent these women are in Mrs. America Pageant. It was like a fashion show tonight with all of the most beautiful gowns and cocktail dresses I've ever seen! It just goes to show that the economy of the United States may just be driven by beauty contestants in shopping malls… just kidding, but think about it! OK, I know it is NOT really about the clothes... I can't wait to get to know them better!

We were introduced to the founder of the Mrs. America Pageant, David Marmel. He is a charming man and the entire staff of Mrs. America welcomed us with open arms. It is going to be a great event!

You would not believe the gift bags full of goodies!! And I have a feeling this is just the start of the generosity of the sponsors! What girl doesn't like presents! Bring 'em on!

We have a crazy schedule for tomorrow. The Producer of the pageant scheduled us to appear all over Tucson visiting horse ranches, museums, dignitary dinners, fundraisers, etc. That's all for now! I need my beauty sleep! Stay tuned!

-- Diane

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Hello! I interviewed this morning with Phil at KGUN Channel 9 local news station. We spoke about the upcoming Mrs. America Pageant, "Breast Cancer Awareness," and www.mysweetconnection.com. I received a lot of phone calls from family and friends who watched the interview and everyone is getting so pumped! I leave in two days!

-- Diane

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Hello Everyone,

This morning I answered phones for the Children's Miracle Network "Cares for Kids" radio-a-thon fundraiser. A young couple approached me who had just lost their premature baby and had asked me to read a poem/prayer on the radio. It took me about five minutes to read and everyone in the room cried. As soon as I finished the couple gave me a big hug. It was a very emotional morning. "Cares for Kids" in Tucson raised $370,000 this weekend for uninsured families who have children patients at Tucson Medical Center. It was an honor to meet these beautiful children and get to know them.

-- Diane

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Hello Everyone!

I had a blast at the Channel 3 news station! I was a guest on the "Your Life A to Z" program. It aired Monday morning at 9 a.m. I was interviewed by Lisa Haffner. She was so wonderful and had such a fun personality. I had the opportunity to speak about the upcoming Mrs. America Pageant and my platform, "Breast Cancer Awareness." Since interview is 50% of the total score, Lisa wanted to prep me and asked some really good pageant questions such as, "What has been your biggest disappointment?", and "What would you like to achieve in the future?" She showed me another list of pageant questions she had and thank goodness she asked those. She had a list full of tough ones! I was so thrilled to see my friend Molly, her sister Sarah, who just won Arizona's Fit Miss, and my awesome Director Diane Ritter.

-- Diane

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Yikes! I'm so excited to compete for Mrs. America! The preparations are coming along so well. Tomorrow morning I have a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting with the American Cancer Society "Relay for Life" committee. Friday morning I'm a guest on the "Your Life A to Z" television program. Sunday, I'm scheduled to answer phones at a radio-a-thon at Tucson Medical Center to help raise money for children living with cancer. Monday morning I'm a guest on KGUN Channel 9 local news in Tucson. Next Wednesday I'm meeting with John Jay and Rich from KRQ radio. This has been such a wonderful opportunity to promote my community service platform, "Breast Cancer Awareness," and The Mrs. America Pageant. I'll take lots of pictures this week!

-- Diane

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My mom and I flew to Houston last month for my official headshots and to search for the "IT" gown.

Here are my photos from Houston, Texas. It was so exciting to get photos taken by our sponsor Ladd Photography! I highly recommend this photographer to anyone interested in competing. Sheila, the make-up and hair artist was amazing! Paul Ladd, the photographer, and his wife Carrie are so kind and generous.

AND, I found the gown of my dreams. You'll see it soon!

-- Diane

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Only more 4 weeks!!! It's been so much fun preparing for the big day. My husband, Thomas, has also been very involved with the preparations. He's helping me with "news quizzes" from MSNBC.com and American history trivia questions. We've been reading the Arizona Daily Star newspaper every day and watching Headline News. Today our mission was to shop for the dignitary gifts. It's a Mrs. America Pageant tradition for each contestant to arrive with two dignitary gifts at a formal dinner before the pageant. One gift will be presented to the Mayor of Tucson, Bob Walkup, and the other gift to another VIP (not sure who that will be yet). We found the perfect gifts! I'll tell you all about it after that dinner. I'm hoping to write in my blog every night after rehearsals. I will be at Loews Ventana Resort from August 23rd through September 6th.

-- Diane

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