Louisville and Flora Fall Festival Parades

The onstage portion of the Louisville Fall Festival Pageant is on Friday evening with the parade and crowning on Saturday. The two photos of "me and my guys" are taken at each of the parades. The Louisville parade is in the afternoon through the heart of the town square, and the Flora follows that evening through historic old downtown. We were blessed with really mild weather. Bay and Jackson were so excited to throw out candy from the car. This was something they had waited for since my crowning. The last photo is of retiring queen Julia Wendling and the newly crowned Marcy Lewis. A very successful Fall Festival!

Louisville Fall Harvest Festival Pageant 2006

I spent a large portion of my childhood in a little town named Louisville where the population never topped 1300. It is where all of my grandparents lived and as a small child I had always wanted to move back home and be close to my family. That is exactly what happened, only in a small town everyone becomes your extended family. When I turned 16yrs old along with getting a drivers license I wanted to participate in the annual Fall Festival Pageant. It is kind of like a right of passage "so to say" in our area. Having just turned 16yrs old on the 4th of October I competed and won the title on the 26th of the same month. After becoming married and having the desire to be around pageants I coached 3 consecutive winners. Yeah! I am so proud of those girls. One of just celebrated her first wedding anniversary. This year I found myself invited back to judge the competition. Of course, I couldn't refuse. To return to a program grounded in selecting a strong young woman making good life choices was something I wanted to be a part of. The first photo is with my second winner I had coached, Emily M. Each year several past title holders return to the competition held during the annual Fall Festival. It is a huge reunion seeing people from high school and others you've not seen in years. The second photo was on Thursday evening at the interviews with each contestant. The other two ladies are Amy T and Chris, the young woman standing is Julia Wendling the reigning titleholder from last year. The last photo is with two of the most beautiful ladies in Clay County, Whitney and Morgan L. Of course, I am a little biased afterall they are my cousins.

Birthdays!

October is a busy month in our house. My birthday is the 4th and our oldest son's is the 8th so we celebrate all week long. Being Mrs.Illinois is special to me, but more so is my role of Mom. I wanted to share these everyday life photos with you. The first is of Bay celebrating his birthday at school with the football cupcakes we made for his class. They are such a great group of kids! It is a really neat age. The next photo was take at my 31st birthday dinner with Brandon and Tyra. My husband was in the same kindergarten class as Brandon and they have remained close friends since then. He was even the bestman in our wedding. Tyra and I tumbled on the same team as young girls. She is an incredible athlete having set track and field records in high school and college while attending Stanford University. It is strange how life can go full circle and you end up almost where you started.

Perfect Opportunity for a Family Photo

The day after we returned from Tucson we had some family photos and I had some photos taken with my crown and sash. We arrived home from Tucson at 3:30am and slept most of the following morning. Considering how tired we all were the photo shoot went really well. I wanted to take advantage of all my "boys" in tuxes. I don't really need to explain most of the photos, you can figure that out. It was a beautiful day with perfect weather for some really nice outdoor photos. One of my Favorite photos will be on our Christmas card and I will post that when we send out the cards. We had these amazing photos taken at Dunbar Photography in Woodlawn,IL. They are great with kids!

Flora Academic Foundation AppleKnocker Festival

On our return home from Tucson I could see something on the garage door as we approached our house. My mother-in-law had made a sign and attached to the door so that when I got home I would know I am loved and supported. That was the perfect end to a great adventure! It meant so much to me that she would think to do that, thanks so much Peggy! Our neighbor had been taking care of our dog and they had left a plate of my favorite chocolate chip cookies on the counter along with a note of encouragement. I have such amazing friends and family, I am truly blessed.
My first appearance after returning home was the 17th annual AppleKnocker Festival hosted by the Flora Academic Foundation the last Saturday in September. It is a festival full of educational activities, yummy food booths, and lots of entertainment. In the second photo I am thanking them for the rose they presented to me and giving a quick review of my time as Mrs.Illinois. I love the photo with the little girls from Das-zle Dance. They look so cute in their pink cowboy hats and the clown on stilts adds a certain element of fun. The last photo is what it is all about. Miss Kasey was looking at my crown and when I told her she could hold it her eyes grew to the size of half dollars. She was so careful and looked excited to hold the crown. Of course as usual they all asked if it was made of real diamonds...I wish!!

Goodbye Tucson!

It's the morning after the Mrs.America finals and now I have to adjust back to "real life". No more prepared buffets, turn down service, or activities scheduled for me. It was wonderful while it lasted! I was so excited to have time to spend with my boys. They told me all about the places they had been while in Tucson and of the things they had seen. The first photo is after we had checked out and we almost ready to leave for the airport. Of course I needed a few more photos before leaving the place I had called home for the last 17 days. My boys and I are sitting on a rock formation at the base of a saguaro cactus that is over 200 yrs old. The second photo is of my boys in the T-shirts Joe made for them while I was away. The shirts say "I love my Mom, Mrs. Illinois". Believe it or not they still wear those shirts. The last photo is one of the views on the back portion of the Loew's Ventana Canyon Resort property. Bye Tucson...It is has been AMAZING!!

My awesome family and friends

Following the taping of the Mrs.America finals I managed to find my family in the huge crowd of people. There they were all dressed-up with their Mrs.Illinois signs in tow. My husband had taken the boys back to the room. Jackson had fallen asleep and Bay was getting very tired. After they called top 12 and I returned to the dressing room I called my brother on his cell to let Joe know if the boys need to go to the room I understand. It isn't as much fun for them if mom isn't up there. It was getting late and they were getting tired. So the group the first photo is , back row: Joe Aceto, George Cammon (my dad), and Wes Cammon (brother, the front row is Julie Aceto, Marcie Aceto, Debra Cammon (mom), Myself, Katie Landreth, and Anji M. Not in the photo is my husband Joe, sons: Jackson and Bay, my sister and her family: Tiffany, Richie, and their baby girl Vayda. Vayda was only 9 months old at this time and she couldn't make it the whole show. My sister-in-law, Jacque Bridgeman and father-in-law Larry Rinehart had just arrived the day of finals to catch the big show. Also Tammy W. and her daughter Kyla made the trip to Tucson. It was such a surprise to see them there. I wasn't able to find them for the photo, but their presence meant alot to me. I had 16 people there to share this experience with me. That is wonderful size group coming all of the way from Illinois! The next photo is with one of my favorite guys in the world...my Dad! I had the opportunity to catch a quick photo with Mr.Marmel on his way to the reception.

Mrs.America Diane Tucker

One of the first photos of Diane Tucker as Mrs.America. Here she is with the current Mrs.World- Sofia Arzhakovskaya of Russia. Diane is such a beautiful person bringing class and sophistication to the Mrs.America title. She should do incredibily well at Mrs.World...Go for it Diane, bring home the title! The other two photos are of the top 12 in swimsuit and evening gown. They chose a top 10 and then the last two were included based on extra scores from the contests. The ladies in the photos L to R: Mrs.Minnesota-Holly, Mrs.Colorado-Marney, Mrs.Nebraska-Jennifer, Mrs.Louisianna-Nomika, Mrs.Alaska-Michelle, Mrs. Georgia-Robin, Mrs.Wyoming-Aimee, Mrs.Washington-Patricia, Mrs.Utah-Drennan, Mrs.Arizona-Diane, Mrs.Iowa-Katie, and Mrs. NewYork-Lidia.

Mrs.America Finals

The night of finals had finally arrived. I really did enjoy every day and appreciated just being in the moment. Finals night was exciting, but in the full view of the whole 2 weeks it was only one night. When I think back and remember being in Tucson I think of the time with the other delegates. At meals, riding to Ba-Da-Bing for tanning, during rehearsals, and just experiencing this with 50 other women much like myself yet unique. It truly is a sisterhood and a bond that can not be duplicated. Thank You to my Mrs.Illinois family, amazing friends and co-workers, and most of all my family. All of you have helped me become who I am and encourage me to continue growing. I love you all! The first photo is during the dance number we spent 2 weeks learning...and then got cut! We were so frustrated. That dance was so fun and really showed our energy. I am on the front row in a turquoise suit second from the right. The next photo is the state costume presentation. I've explained that so I won't go into it again . The photo of us in evening gown is when we were taking the stage for the final results. I am standing on the main stage second from the right next to Mrs.Indiana-Brielle. The last photo is actually from the beginning of the pageant. This is the ending of the flag routine I have mentioned. Again, I am front row second from the right.

A Tucson Monsoon

Our final day of the Mrs.America pageant. I think we were all ready, but it was sad to see it end. Mrs.Wyoming-Aimee and I kept joking about how we were staying in Tucson and our families could come and visit. It was just so nice to have a wonderful buffet prepared at each meal, housekeeping to keep the room just right, and activities planned each evening. As wives and mothers we are the ones that does all of that for our families. It was nice to be pampered! The first photo is the view of the Kiva Courtyard as we approach for final rehearsal. It was so green, lush and quite the lovely view. The next photo is with Mrs.Idaho-Liz and Mrs.Minnesota-Holly while we were cooling off during a water break at rehearsals. I think this was by far the hottest day. The third photo is what happens in Tucson during Monsoon season. Excuse me...did anyone know there was a monsoon season in Arizona? News to me! I had always just thought of it being a dry climate...guess not. We actually had pretty good luck missing the big rain storms. As we were on stage rehearsing for finals a huge clap of thunder sounded and we all looked at each other wondering "what does this mean". The Loews is at the foothills of the Catalina Mountains which is a beautiful place, but whoa the thunder is so clear and loud. We had to put the brakes on rehearsals and wait it out. On my way back to my room to prepare for finals I ran into one of the servicemen conducting border patrol. We had been sharing the resort with several young men serving our country. They were incredibly respectful and made us so proud to be representing the married women in America. I had encouraged Culp to attend the finals in his fatigues and extended an extra ticket to him. It is a small gesture of gratitude for such a selfless act as protecting our country. Then it was time to prep for finals.

Show Run Through

All of the delegates were snapping photos left and right. We knew this was our last evening together and no one wanted it to go by any faster than it already was. The stage had brilliant colors that popped against the dark night sky. It was so exciting to be in the middle of all of that energy. The lights, cameras, the activity of the crew prepping everything to be just right, and knowing in 24 hrs there would be a new Mrs.America chosen from our group. I couldn't leave Tucson without a photo with Frit and Frat, our choreographers. The next photo is of Peter, the producer, doing what he does best. The last photo is Mrs.Idaho-Liz, Mrs.Arkansas-Kim, IL, Mrs. Missouri-Lanie, and Mrs.Tennessee-Tracy.

Rehearsal, Rehearsal, and more...Rehearsals!

This was our last full day of rehearsals and our last "real" day together as a group. After spending so much time with 50 other women it was a little sad to not have that constant time to be with each other. By now most of our families had arrived and we were trying to fit in some time with them. The first photo is of the second half of the group practicing the opening flag routine. Each state delegate carried the state flag of which she was representing. The second photo is a group of "us girls" relaxing and looking cool in our shades after flag rehearsal. They ladies are: Illinois, Delaware-Laura, Arkansas-Kim, Misssissippi-Kristy, and Tennessee-Tracy. The last photo is GREAT!! We were maxed out on rehearsals and ready for some sleep. The cool chic in the hat is Mrs. New Hampshire-Jessica, and the one in the front is Mrs.Indiana-Brielle.

Mrs.America Quiz Show

Monday, September 4th was full of rehearsals. We worked all morning and returned for more after lunch. At 4pm we were released to prepare to film the Mrs.America Quiz Show. I was very curious how everyone scored on the quiz. Surprisingly I knew several of the answers and felt very confident about getting a good score. You see the quiz was based on information about Arizona, the Mrs.America organization, and things learned while in Tucson. A few of the questions were: What is the Arizona state cactus?, Who is the Mayor of Tucson?, How many Mayors are there in Arizona?, What state did the current Mrs.America represent as a delegate?, What anniversary is this year for Mrs.America Org.?, and What is the name of the restaurant we eat at everyday? Some were more difficult than others. Thanks to my observation and assessment skills, from my nursing experience, I tied with Mrs.Minnesota for the best score. However when they announced the scores Holly and I were the last two called. I started to think I did much worse on the quiz than I thought. We only missed 7 out of 25, which isn't bad since we live nowhere near Arizona. I made it through all of the questions until the last one: Which state delegate has an identical twin sister? Holly was the only one who answered correctly. I had no idea who that was, but cool I was in the quiz show. Yeah! The first photo is with Mrs.Mississippi-Kristy prior to filming the quiz show. The second photo is when Batsheva received her gift from us. We had ordered her a custom design crown ring through Mrs.Oregon's jeweler in her home state. Thanks to him we had a one of a kind gift to express our gratitude to her.

A couple of quick pics

Just a couple of photos from preliminary night. The first is with my wonderful directors Joe and Marcie Aceto as we visited and enjoyed relaxing. My husband joined us and took the photo, so of course the poor guy isn't in it. The second photo is with my midwest sister, Mrs. Missouri-Lanie. We were backstage during the preliminary competition. She is such a doll!

Mrs. America Preliminary Competition

Well, here it is the Mrs.America Preliminary competition. I wish there was a way to have taken photos from the stage so I could share that view with everyone. We were in a large ball room with the seats filled and still tons of people standing. The crowd was so incredibly supportive! They not only cheered for their delegate, but for everyone. When I looked into the crowd my directors were right there just a few rows back, easy to see, sending me encouragement and smiling. Then I found my family! There they were with the "We love you Mrs.Illinois" signs. My boys had fallen asleep by the middle of the show and the wonderful family of Mrs.Georgia helped my husband cheer for me since he was holding a sleeping 5 year old. That feeling of support was shared among all of the contestants and families. We all knew how important this was for each other. The show began with a production number dancing in our swimsuits and sarongs. What a great way to kick the show off, Lots of energy and excitement! We then competed in swimsuit, evening gown, and then state costume. My state costume was a flapper from the Roaring Twenties in Chicago. To explain my choice I said: "The Roaring Twenties brought the warm rhythm of Jazz and the chilly staccato of tommy-guns to streets of HOT Chicago. Representing Illinois, I am Julie Rinehart." I had designed the outfit and my mom was the seamstress. She has spoiled me! The quality of work she does is unlike anyother. My responsibility was the headress and accessories. She constructed the dress and attatched all of the beaded fringe and rhinestones. I am sooo proud of her! We are very fortunate to have this competition at our state level. We were told the day of prelims that we would give a short description of our individual state costume choice. I was prepared and completely relaxed...I welcomed the opportunity to speak on stage. Following prelims I was very satisfied with my performance and knew I had given it my ALL!

Interviews at Mrs.America

The all important moment we prepare for...the interview. Personally my favorite segment of competition. The morning went really well and fell together quite nicely. My group included: Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois and Indiana beginning at 10:35am. I felt confident and excited about how well my interview went. A special thanks to Justin Rudd for his assistance in my preparation and fine tuning my communication skills! Following the interview I, by chance, saw my directors in the Canyon Cafe and had the chance to sit and chat for awhile. Then we met with Marcie's husband Joe, the executive producer for Mrs. Illinois America, and I stayed downstairs even longer. It was so nice to see them, express to them my gratitude for being there and catch up with my Mrs.Illinois family. They are with me in the first photo along with the granddog BeBe. The next photo was taken at the National Anthem Project Seminar. Several of us had the opportunity prior to nationals to participate in the National Anthem Project Roadshow. I know my time in Chicago at Navy Pier with the roadshow will always be a highlight of my reign. The ladies at the table are:New York-Lidia, California-Sheryl, Vermont-Barbara, Colorado-Marney, Illinois-Julie, Oregon-Kati, Oklahoma-Chastity, Hawaii-Peblz, Montana-Cherith, and North Carolina-Staci. While at seminar Mrs.Minnesota-Holly and I took advantage of another photo op. Why do I do that? I am vertically challenged enough...next to her I look like a smurf! Love Ya Holly!!! That evening we all took advantage of the opportunity to unwind at the Budda Bar Lounge on the resort. It was a great chance to meet several of the delegates family members that had arrived. We danced until, as adults, we knew it was time to get some rest before more rehearsals. The group photo from the Budda is myself, Batsheva, Nicole Brink (Mrs. World 2002), Mrs. Minnesota-Holly, and Mrs. Kentucky-Shawn. I can remember watching the 1992 Miss Teen USA pageant on TV and taping it to help prepare to compete the next year. That year Nicole (L.) Brink was Miss Indiana Teen USA and I later watched her compete for other national titles. Wow, that is a very successful pageant career!