Interviews, Parties & Celebrations - - Oh My!

Breakfast at Sher's
My director, Mandi Feely

With Susan Marler/Pageant Choreographer
Crowning Peggy! Our group always wears crowns and we are noticed by everyone!

Peggy Parton

With Jennifer Boals and daughter

Rain or Shine -- We love our Mrs. Idaho America Gang

Susan in her fashionable "PONCHO"

We love making appearance together!

YEA - - We made it!

Two adorable little fans!

With my mom and my sister

Genesis, Owner of Anytime Fitness - - Official Gym of Mrs. Idaho America

The Anytime Fitness Gang
All of us with Jared

JARED - - the famous Subway guy!

With Taylor Bergrenn
Signing Autographs for some very cute little girls!

With Chantel Moir (we go to church together!)

Jennifer & Carmen Peters

We ate our way through 10 x-tra large pizzas, salads, lasagne, breadsticks and drinks

My great friends Vicki & Gentry - - thank you for the roses!!!

Caroline brought me flowers - -thank you so much!

With Mandi, Jackie & baby T.J.

Taylor with a couple of his friends - - Ryan & Kody

Grandma Glo the Movie Star and Grant

Colby & Jennifer Peters (Mrs. Canyon County)

Sherm & Juliette Blaser

Go Broncos #86

McCall

Jeanette, M'Kay & Spencer

Brenda & Kevin - - KIZN 92.3

Thank you so much for providing all the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for my Mrs. America viewing party. They were a huge hit!

Interviewing at KIZN Country 92.3

Interviewing at WOW Country

Panama Jack and Amber Lee - - WOW Country

This week was crazy busy! On Wednesday I headed over to Boise (in the early morning hours) for an interview on the new WOW Country Radio Station, 104.3 They of course had lots of questions regarding Mrs. America, the snakebite, making top ten etc. It was a lot of fun to be there. Friday morning I had another radio interview - - this time with Brenda Mee (former Mrs. Idaho America) at KIZN 92.3 Again, questions about me sucking venom out of Mrs. Tennessee's foot, the airing of Mrs. America that night on WE television, and my platforms. Again, a super fun time! When I was finished, I ran over to the Women's Fitness Show at the Grove. Mrs. Idaho America had a booth there for 2 days and we were able to visit with so many women and spread the word about our pageant. Hopefully we met some future contestants. It was fun to be able to share some of my experiences and sign autogtaphs. After working the booth for about three hours, I headed home to get ready for the Mrs. Idaho America viewing party. We had about 45 people show up to the Pizza Factory to watch the show. It was so fun to be able to share that with so many of my family and friends. Marc was in Texas on business so he wasn't able to be with us. He was however able to watch it with about 30 of his family members down there. You would think that would be enough excitement for one week, but wait, we are not done yet. Saturday morning came bright and early as we all met at Sher's home for a quick breakfast before the Women's Fitness Celebration. This is the 15th year for this event -- the largest "women's only" walk in the nation. Mrs. Idaho participates each year and we have a fabulous time together. We even had Subway's own "Jared" as a celebrity. The weather was questionable this year and we had to break out the umbrellas a few times - - but all in all it was awesome!

What a week - - and that is just the Mrs. Idaho stuff! Add in scouts, football, school, football, cross country and more. Not to mention the fact that my washing machine broke - - not a good thing with laundry for 7 piling up! All in a day's work!!

Enjoy the pictures!

~Lauralyn

TOP TEN!!!

My dad & Spencer

Taylor, Marc & his mom

M'Kay, me, Grant

McCall

In the Tucson Airport - - bright & early!

With my Aunt Marilyn

My sister Melanie

Angela, Me, Liz, SuzAnn


My family!

Congratulating Kelly - - I am thrilled for her!

State Costume Competition

Representing our beloved Boise State Broncos on national television!

Staci, Colleen, Me, Roxanne, Julie

(my friends)

Top 15 in Swimsuit Competition

Waiting to find out if I made Top Ten

Taylor

Spencer

Grant

M'Kay

McCall

My fans waiting in line!

WOW!!!

SuzAnn Ramos

My gift to all of the contestants

Asleep at dinner!

Me - - pigging out on nachos after prelims!

With my Aunt Marilyn and Cousin Alison

Blue & Orange in our blood!

With Heather Osmond, Mrs. Utah

Getting ready for prelims

Lauralyn, Hallie, Denise

Interview

Well, I did it! I made the top ten at Mrs. America!!! What an incredible feeling! The final night had lots of twists and turns - - including my earring dropping off my ear on stage during costume, someone taking my competition shoes right before I went on stage to compete in swimsuit, (didn't get a final look at myself because I was frantic trying to find them and you can see tape out the top of my suit - - thank you Mrs. South Dakota for letting me borrow your shoes) another earring breaking as I was headed on stage, and my gown getting completely wrapped around my foot as I competed in evening gown. I never did get my shoes back, I stumbled in evening gown - - but I accomplished a goal of a lifetime! I walked the runway on national television in a modest dress. I proved that you can look beautiful and be competitive in modest clothing. I am very committed to this platform and look forward to sharing that with young women. It was difficult to find "pageant" clothes for two weeks as well as "competition" clothes that would cover me where I wanted to be covered yet still make me look as though I belonged at Mrs. America. Mission accomplished!

The pageant was very much a reality show during finals. They called a "top ten" from the judges interview and preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competitions. Then they called an additional five that had extra points from games we participated in during the week. Some were eliminated immediately after swimsuit - - I was in the group with the highest scores! After evening gown they called a top five and I was not in that. The strangest thing to me is that some of the runners-up were not even originally selected by the judges - - but hey - - that is television and they are looking for ratings.

After a long night and a very early morning to catch our plane - - I was finally home. I spent most of Friday laying in bed between loads of laundry (still not done!) I am completely exhausted! Last night was our high school's first home football game. For as much fun as I had during the last two weeks at Mrs. America - - and as cool as it would have been to win the title, I must admit that as I sat there at that game (in 85 degree weather!) with my friends and my family there was no place I would have rather been. What a great feeling to be happy with me, who I am and what I stand for! I am a mother! While I love the glamour and the gowns, most often you will find me at football games and wrestling matches - - and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me though this journey. I would not have been able to do it without you! I think I had the loudest cheering section! It is a great feeling to know how much people care!

I love you all!

~Lauralyn

Mrs. Idaho America 2007

Top Ten - - Mrs. America