Mrs. New Hampshire America, Nashua NH

The Beautiful Winner!!!

Whew I made a quick stop and went from the Cancer Relay for Life this morning to the Mrs. NH America pageant in nearby Nashua. I made it just as Erica Baker, Mrs. MA America 2007/Mrs. MA United States was singing an opening song....boy I wish I could sing like that! Donna gave a wonderful farewell speech and I look forward to getting to know her in Vegas! This was a tough contest any one of these ladies could of taken the crown....glad I was not judging. Robin Mooney (Mrs. MA America 2008) did a great job MCing the pageant! Maggie S. (the director) did a good job....it was a nice place. It was great to see all my New England friends/queens. I had fun sitting and chatting with Jessica Plante (Mrs. MA International 2008) and Irene Raissis-Alton (Mrs. NH International 2008). In attendance was the lovely Kate Werner (Mrs. Maine America 2007) and the lovely Heather Clarke (Mrs. Maine America 2006). A lot of beautiful New England women! I came to the pageant after walking in the humid air for a few hours at the Relay for Life I had such a lovely flat hairdo......ick:)


The New Hampshire 2008 Queens!


My Friend Erica and I at the pageant!

Relay For Life Wasserman Park Merrimack NH

The day started out sunny but then became overcast but humid! Luckily the ran was holding off for the 1st Merrimack NH. Relay For Life at Wasserman Park. Participating in the Cancer Relays mean a lot to me because four years ago my Dad died of Lung Cancer. I took a leave of absence from my job to move in with him and be his caregiver until he died the day after Thanksgiving 2004 and 5 months after I got married. The relays are a great way to raise money for Cancer research and awareness, but I look forward to the day that relays are not held because a cure has been found! This relay took place in beautiful Wasserman park. It had an awesome DJ spinning tunes and was very well organized by Kathy and her staff. I met a lot of great people today and I appreciate them sharing their personal stories with me! I'll be back next year :)


Setting up the tents....


Community organizations forming walking teams

A family with to many that have had Cancer....

A spirited group!
Kathy the director of this great event...



Rays of Hope!!!

My 37th Birthday Cape Cod MA

This past weekend I celebrated my 37th birthday...where does the time go? On Sunday my in-laws took my husband and I to dinner to celebrate :) My family is spread all over New England....we are fortunate to have the house on the lake in NH and a cottage on Cape Cod. This is my grandmothers cottage, its 150 yards from the beach and right next door to the golf course. It's such a pretty place :) We went down and spent the day and it was a lot of fun, though my grandmother spoils me rotten! I have been so good with my diet...but I had to have one piece of that ice cream cake...yummy.....

My Great Husband

Work has been very stressful with lots to do before the students and staff leave for the summer.
So I have been putting in a lot of time and some restless nights. Which sometimes does not make me a treat to live with. This week we had an early dismissal because the heat reached 101 degree's and my school being 113 years old does not have air conditioning. The third floor classrooms reached a lousy 95 degrees and I had the students and staff moved to the lower levels for some relief. Anyway on Friday this beautiful arrangement came delivered to me from my husband to cheer me up and it certainly did....he is a great guy who is supportive of me in anything I do he is truly my best friend! Just wanted to thank him for always being there for me. I love you John!

BBBS Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, Nashua NH.

Tonight was the night of the Gift of Friendship, the Big Brother and Big Sister Appreciation Dinner ! This was held at the beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua New Hampshire.We were treated to a fantastic buffet and a welcome from Joy Barrett.Then a terrific slide show was played on the screen with all the events of this past year.It was great to see the smiling children up on the screen with their big sisters and big brothers. It was fun to see my pictures up there at the events I had volunteered at. Then Joy did a really nice introduction of me and it was my turn on the stage. When I speak to groups about youth mentoring and why I am so passionate about it, I usually don't use a prepared speech. I like to talk from the heart and no matter how many times I talk about how my mentors (my grandparents) saved my life, I always get a catch in my voice. It is a story that even now holds so many emotions for me. I truly am blessed that I had such wonderful people who came to my rescue. After my speech I was surprised to be presented with a silver BBBS pin for my sash, I love the pin and I am grateful for the gift! Then the BBBS awards were presented such as the BBBS of the year, cheerleader, John Sias award, and the corporate award. Such remarkable people who give a piece of their heart to this organization, I'd love to give everyone in that room an award for what they do for the children. They are truly hero's and angels that make a difference in the lives of many children.It was a great event and I was honored to be a guest speaker.

Nashua New Hampshire Summer Fun 5k Road Race

Jeff the road race director and I hanging in the shade!

Whew talk about a beautiful but hot hot day !!!! The temps on main street read a toasty 96 degree's. I arrived early in the day as a volunteer and runner in the road race. The road race is part of an all day event called the Nashua Summer Fun 2008. There are vendors set up all around the park and food, games, music and of course the kids run and the 5k run/walk. The races were at 1:30pm and I kept drinking lots and lots of water! I almost chickened out but I figured I'd give it a shot :) It was a small turn out for the 5k and I know it was only because of the hot weather! So anyway I ran/walked the three miles and boy was I pooped afterwards, the heat was a killer...but I managed to survive and come in second :) Trust me my face was a beautiful stop sign red for a while after !!!! I figure it is survival training for the dessert heat in Vegas! The road race course was awesome, such a beautiful run through the woods. The money raised benefits the local soup kitchen/food pantry. The entry fee was $6.00 dollars but if you bought can goods to the race it was $3.00 dollars, which I thought was a great idea! It was well organized and I had a lot of fun. I'll be back next year to run again!

These adorable boys who are both five years old
ran the children's fun run !!!!

Kids stretching before the fun run.

The Summer Fun 2008!

Big Brother and Big Sister Bowl for Kids Sake, Merrimack New Hampshire

The ladies of BBBS that make a difference in children's lives!



On Saturday May 31 on a rainy day the Ten Pin Bowling Alley in Merrimack was overrun by Little's and Big Brothers and Sisters! This is one of the biggest fund raisers that BBBS holds for the year. People are bowling on many different nights raising money for BBBS but on this day it is the bigs/littles throwing those boulders down the alley! Also all the children had raffle tickets and Joy was calling them up to an enormous assortment of toys that were donated from Toy's for Tots for prizes! At the end of the day there were so many toys left that each lane was called up to chose another toy! Everyone was fitted with BBBS t-shirts that luckily glowed in the dark...otherwise you might not had been able to find them :) This is a huge alley with an awesome snack area and tons of games! Everyone was having a blast and I was thrilled to see some of the children I had met at a recent event :) Unfortunately I had been at the doctor the day before and I have a painful sinus infection, so I am not looking to sharp in these pictures.
But honestly when you are with the kids you forget the pain, really that's what this is all about the children!


It was a great event and I had a lot of fun!


I am a ham...so shy!


We need more young men and women
like this to be mentors!!!