The 2008 Miss Arizona USA and Miss Arizona Teen USA Pageant was an exciting event. It was held at the beautiful Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. Congratulations to my good friend Diana Jung for placing in the "Top 15." It was wonderful to see my friends from Alabama Julie Love Templeton, Mrs. America 2005 and Dohn Dye who judged the event. Congratulations to Kimberly Joiner, Miss AZ USA, and Ashley Stainton, Miss AZ Teen USA. You will have an amazing year increasing awareness, educating, and fundraising for charities.

I served as the the Keynote Speaker at the Dove Mountain and Marana Rotary Club breakfast meeting. That afternoon, I spoke at the Marana Chamber of Commerce luncheon. My topics included my platform Breast Cancer Awareness and the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation, the Mrs. America/ Mrs. World Organization, and my upcoming trip to Malaysia next month!

It's been a blast training with my new Personal Trainer, Tony Copeland, twice a week to get ready for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Run/Walk. It's scheduled for October 28th at the Tucson Mall. Thank you so much Tony, Pro Performance, and Select Fitness for your tremendous support.

It was an extraordinary opportunity to speak at the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day walk and candle light vigil in Nogales, Arizona. NLAAD is a collective movement that focuses on educating and mobilizing Latino communities to increase their knowledge and understanding on the impact of HIV/AIDS. Their mission is to draw attention to the importance of HIV testing, education, and prevention. Thank you so much to Ernesto, Myrna, RJ, and Octavio for your hard work and dedication to NLAAD.