Back Again!

Good Evening Friends!

It is nice to be back to the message boards! Please note, since I have been MIA for a while, this post may be a bit lengthy. I will use my words wisely and try to make the best of your time!

Let me begin by saying that I have had the most amazing experience thus far, serving as Miss Coon Rapids. I have begun to get the city engrained in my mind, especially the restaurants and gas stations. It seems that I get to visit those two places quite often because I am usually running from one place to the next. I will try to showcase what I've been up to, especially this last weekend. So we will start on Friday. Early last week I received an e-mail inviting all contestants to a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network. I just happened to not have any plans that night so I volunteered to go. It was at the U of M and the fundraiser just happened to be a dance a thon. (Thought: I don't dance. Hmm...24 hour dance a thon could be quite interesting...). My mom was actually in the cities so she came with me to the fundraiser. I get there, expecting that Jen was going to be there as well so she could cover up my terrible dance moves. Well, she wasn't there yet but I just assumed she was coming. I go in and get myself settled and start visiting with some of the families that are there. Wow. What amazing people. I am SO proud to say that I had the opportunity to chat with them and be able to raise funds for CMN. They do such amazing work! As the night progresses I hear that Jen is not feeling well and is not going to make it. Awesome. Time to break out the dance moves. ... To my surprise, I didn't do too bad! We learned a few steps to a dance and then we competed in groups against each other. We also did the electric slide and the Macarena! Whew. After that workout, my mom and I headed out as we had a big day ahead of us for Saturday.

After a quick stop for cheesecake at the Cheesecake factory (as a stunned look crosses your mind because I am eating cheescake and preparing for Miss MN at one time...), we made it back to my place. Then on to Saturday. Saturday brought us all sorts of adventures. We made the trip to Coon Rapids and started setting up. Saturday was our fundraiser for CMN and we held a PRINCESS PARTY for girls in the Coon Rapids area. We had an amazing turnout and a ton of fun as well! All the girls came dressed as their favorite princess and some moms came dressed for the show as well! From there, they participated in activities ranging from making their own crowns to a treasure hunt to pin the crown on Stacy!! Each girl left that day with a polaroid picture of her and myself. I crowned each girl if they didn't already have a crown and then wrapped them in a luxurious feather boa. I must send a thank you out to my Mother. She was wonderful to help me through this event and I couldn't have done it without her! She made crown cut out cookies for the girls and we also had juice boxes for snacks. It was a great day!

Then on Sunday I joined the junior royalty of Coon Rapids to help pass out awards to dancers from Dancin' Feet Dance School out of Anoka. This Dance School set up a charity event for the Alexandra House. This charity is devoted to ending domestic violence among women, families, and communities. The dancers put on a charity show and the royalty had the opportunity to hand out the awards. We had a great time, especially with Rocky the Raccoon in attendance as well!

To finish off my post I will leave you with the most current event. On Tuesday, I was officially named a Good Will Ambassador for the city of Coon Rapids. I with I could tell you how much this meant to me. The people of Coon Rapids have been so welcoming to me. Words cannot even explain it. I love being in the city, visiting, and exploring new sites. For this visit, I officially got to meet the City Council and Mayor, Tim Howe. Mayor Howe made the official proclamation during the beginning of the City Council meeting, followed by a declaration for the junior royalty as well. This event was very symbolic for me and I was very proud and honored to be named into this position.

I want to close with a quote I found. Throughout this entire journey, there have been many people supporting me along the way. First of all, I owe almost all of my growth to my director Diane Buszta. What an amazing woman. Her heart and soul for this organization is unbelievable. I also need to thank Roberta Ziegler for also helping me along the way; making me laugh and giving me confidence. Finally, I need to thank my family, but most importantly my mother. She helped me so much this past weekend and throughout my entire life. Thank you Mom.

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my Mother."-- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Stacy E. Mandelkow
Miss Coon Rapids 2008

Playing a Game of Catch-up!

Good Morning!

I apologize to all of you for my delay in writing, the past week has just been crazy! So...in order to catch up I'll give you an idea of what I have been up to! Last week I had the amazing opportunity to meet with a representative at Mercy Hospital. She was a heath care administrator in the oncology department which is exactly the area that I want to work with. We met on Wednesday and originally we were only scheduled to meet for forty-five minutes and we ended up staying for an hour and a half. What a great day! We got to talk a lot about the different services that are available at Mercy Hospital, my history, and hers, and much more! It was very educational for me as well because I hope to one day be a health care administrator so I loved hearing how she got to where she is and what I should be doing to someday make it to that point. Also during the interview, we talked about how I can get involved. We decided to have me come in as a volunteer through the hospital and work with the inpatients at Mercy. This means that I would go into the roooms of the admitted patients and talk to them about services and options that they have to help them relieve the pain of the diagnosis of cancer. I am super excited to get involved and look forward to showing them the potential options that they have. Some examples of these options include massages, support groups, wigs and fittings and much much more. Mercy has so many programs for help it is just unreal! What a great program!

Then on to Thursday which was a very exciting day! Thursday morning I woke up around 3:00 a.m. Yes, I just said 3:00 a.m. Crazy, right? Well let me explain. By being involved in AFROTC I found the opportunity to join the detachment choir. This entails performances of the National Anthem and other patriotic songs throughout the year. Well, fortunately I didn't have to sing at 3:00 a.m. but I did leave for the airport at 4:00 a.m. That's right, I just said the airport! Thursday morning, I and 13 others left MSP airport for Los Angeles, CA. It was here that we attended SCIDM (Southern California Invitational Drill Meet). Our drill team, the Black Knights, performed their routine there but I had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem for this event. Our detachment is the only detachment that has a choir and so we were invited to sing the National Anthem for this drill meet. What an amazing opportunity! It was also REALLY nice to get off the plane and be warm! The sunshine, palm trees, and green grass made me realize how much I love summer and how much I hate snow. I hope that I could someday be stationed in California because it is really just an amazing state (minus earthquakes). On Thursday, we arrived and basically just got settled. Then, that night we drove to the beach which was only a few short minutes away and went for a run. (Thing I love about ROTC #109: We will always take time for exercise) It was SO beautiful to run next to the crashing waves and see the oil rigs on the horizon, not to mention being outside in shorts and a t-shirt and being comfortable! Then on to Friday. This day was really my favorite. We headed out to the beach fairly early and that is where we spent our day. A few people were brave enough to take a dip in the ocean. Some even rented surf boards and went surfing. Congrats to Alex for being the only one to stand out of the entire day. I, on the other hand, stayed out of the water for the most part. I played football for almost the entire day which is another sport that I love to play. I love to play catch or even a game of two hand touch. What a blast! (Thing I love about ROTC #207: Competition is never hard to find). At the end of our time at the beach that day, I managed to find enough nerve to enter the freezing cold ocean. A friend and I raced to the water and as soon as I made it there I lost my breath. Now, I didn't lose my breath because it was so stunning, I lost it because it was SOOOO cold!! I could just feel my body trying to retain heat. Fortunately, I can now say that I have been completely submerged in the ocean, something I had never done before. Then on to Saturday. Saturday was the actual competition and where I got to sing. We (one other cadet and I) sang at 8:00. Bright and early for a singer... The other cadet I sang with was the one that wrote the arrangement so technically we performed a world premiere arrangement of the National Anthem. We stayed at the competition for the majority of the day and then in the evening we had a beach party which included more football and a cook out. It was seriously a blast. Sunday we left bright and early again around 4:00 a.m. but really in MN it was 6:00 so that doesn't make it seem quite as bad. I must say, I was a little disappointed to fly into MSP and see all the freezing rain and snow that was on the ground, especially after we were just staying on Beach Blvd. I am glad to be back because as always, I missed being home, but California is a place that will always hold a special place in my heart.

Unfortunately, that is all the time I have for today but I will try to write more soon!

Tiny Little Circles

Tomorrow is a big day for me. It is our first day of PT (physical training) in our BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform). Yeah. Big deal. For me, it is the first time that I have ever worn my BDUs outside of trying them on. SO, my first memory of ever wearing them will be when I am getting my body pushed to the maximum fitness potential it possible has. Awesome (hint of scarcasm placed here.) So for the past two hours or so, I have been going between my ironing board, starch and tiny little circles. That's right, when one shines their shoes, you must go in tiny little circles to get that "perfect polish" across the toe of your boot. Now, let me just throw this out there...I hate shining shoes. Not all the time, but tonight, it was bad. You see, my boots are new. And with new boots, comes ALOT of shining. It takes forever and then when forever has passed you may have only just begun.

Today was also a big AFROTC day for me. You see, today was contracting day. That means, that I took an oath, promising myself to the Air Force for at least four years after I graduate college. This is HUGE! I am SO excited to serve our great nation and go where they send me. It was also a nice surprise because my parents were able to come up from home to watch me take my oath as well. I originally was just going to take the oath and get it over with but something inside told me I needed to tell them and invite them up. Boy am I glad I did. What great support and they even brought a surprise visitor! When I arrived in the detachment this morning to do my paperwork before taking the oath, a fellow cadet asked if I knew the chief that was in the detachment. I said no and just thought in the back of my mind that it was someone that was visiting. It never even crossed my mind that this Chief could be here to see me. Boy was I surprised. You see, my second cousin just retired from the Air Force, Chief Angerman. I saw him when my Grandmother passed away and we talked a bit about ROTC. He was SO proud of me for choosing to join. He was also an inspiration to me. When I first found out about my scholarship, he was one of the first I called and when it was my turn to contract, he was right by my side. Boy did it feel good to have him there. I'm excited to talk with him more about his experiences and life lessons. I love family.

Grand View!

Today was a beautiful day! Ok, so the weather was a bit crummy but other than that, it was beautiful. I woke up and was ready to get up! I couldn't believe it! So I got up and realized that I still didn't have a voice, but there was some tone in the voice. Yesterday was only at a whisper. From there, I went to PT. Today was a big PT day for me because I had my PFA (Physical Fitness Assessment). The test consists of a running 1.5 miles, sit-ups, and the notorious exercise of the military, push ups. mmm.... There are minimums in each category that you must reach in order to pass. The reason this was so important for me, was because if I didn't pass, I wouldn't be able to qualify for a scholarship within ROTC. We started with pushups and let me tell you, they are not my forte. You are given a minute and since I wasn't feeling very chipper, I only made it to 30. Earlier in the year, I made it to 42 so I know I can do better. I will take one more test this year and then I hope to really show my stuff. After the push ups, we moved to sit ups. I am very stron here. I made it to 53 and the max is 51 so I just decided to stop. I wouldn't have gotten any points for any beyond 51 so I just rested for the run. After a short break, we started the 1.5 mile run. Now, this run is inside on a really bad track. You have to run 14.5 laps (although I ALWAYS forget to count...) in less than 14 minutes. Easy right? Yeah, not so much. After you have just used your legs for push ups and sit ups, they are tired. PLUS, you are now running around in a stuffy gym with tight curves as you go around the track. Another thing is that I would rather run 10 miles over 2. It is way different running distances. In this case, you need to sprint in order to get done in time. Gross. I ended up finishing in 13:30 or something like that. Not great but I passed.

After that, I took a nap. I love naps.

From there, I had a long awaited meeting with Megan Torgerson, Miss Minnesota 2003. We met at the Grandview (hence the title...) Grill in St. Paul for breakfast and chatting. What a blast! I talked with Megan a bit after the pageant in Coon Rapids and from what I knew from Facebook, I could tell she was an overall wonderful person. As it turns out, we are alot alike! I had heard from a few people that we were fairly similar but until you actually see it for yourself, I must admit, I was skeptical. After a few tops of coffee, and full bellies it was off to work. We talked about almost everything, from competition, to our pasts, to what we are going to do with ourselves in the future. After meeting with her, she really inspired me to work on a few things that I kind of was on the edge about.

To digress for just a moment, I thought it was pretty cool to be sitting at a table with a former Miss Minnesota! Oh my goodness how cool is that! I had always had the "dream" to meet Miss MN or even Miss America but never really thought it would happen. Now, I have met four Miss Minnesotas and even one former Miss America! WOW! That is pretty cool to me.

Finally, to close for the day, I wanted to send my love and prayers to the families in southern Minnesota. Earlier today there was a bus crash involving other vehicles. There were three fatalities with others injured. I know what it is like to lose a classmate. It is not something you think will ever happen, until it does. Details are vague at the moment but I am sure there will be more to come. To the school of Lakeville and the community of Cottonwood, you are in my prayers.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

Firsts

Today was my very first day as the new Miss Coon Rapids 2008! What a busy day! The day started fairly normal with my alarm going off at 5:55 a.m. Then I usually lay in bed and wish I could sleep for just five minutes longer. Fortunately, dreams really do come true because I WAS able to sleep for five extra minutes. Life really is quite extraordinary! From there I made myself get up, shower, and head to Coon Rapids by 7:25. I was even on time this morning with EXTRA time! On the way to Coon Rapids, I decided I needed some caffeine so I stopped at Caribou to fuel up. From there I headed to the Carnival to set up. Diane and I both arrived around the same time, of course she was there first. She is so on top of things I don't know how she does it all! We got to set up all the crafts and games for the day and then it was just to wait for the show to begin.

Now, we didn't really know what kind of turn out we were supposed to expect but we were looking for between 50 and 100. As soon as the clock turned 10 it was like a zoo! There were SO many cute kids that got to play some really cool games and get some even better prizes. I must say, my favorite game had to have been the cake walk (and I think all the kids would agree as well). It was similar to musical chairs but when the music stopped, if you were standing on the number they called, then you got to pick out a box of treats. That's right, I said treats. I love treats. I hope you all are as excited about that as I am.

Then, at around 11, it was time for the magic show. Now, I didn't know there was going to be a magic show, nor did I know I was going to be in it (another first)! It turned out to be a huge success and the magician was even better! He did a great job. From there alot of our guests ate/did a medallion hunt. Finally, around one we started to run out of prizes and our guests started to slowly clear as well.

I must also put in a note that this was the first time that I met the junior royalty of Coon Rapids. What an amazing group! They are all wonderful and I am looking forward to spending the year with them! Also, I love to talk. I get it from my dad. We could be in Antartica and he would find at least three people he either knows or is a friend from back when. Not kidding. SO I had a great time today talking to all the parents, children, parents of junior royalty, and the junior royalty. I left around two, only to race home (not literally), change, touch up the make-up, and get ready to go to Mankato.

Miss Mankato was my first pageant I have ever had the chance to watch and boy was I excited! We stopped at a small pub to eat at in Mankato and I think we all thought we were going to miss the pageant! The food was great but we were short on time. Needless to say, we made it. The show started and there was a great group of girls ready to compete. All the girls were really on their game. Each competition stage came and went and picking a "favorite" was nearly impossible because they were all so outstanding! I also had the opportunity to watch the current Miss Minnesota (locally, Miss Mankato), give her farewell speech and just watch her in general. She has alot of things that I could learn from so watching her and a pageant was very helpful. Finally the time came and LIZ was crowned Miss Mankato! I feel so fortunate to have been able to compete side by side with her in Miss Coon Rapids and really got to know what kind of person she really is. I am SO excited to spend a week at Miss MN with her and all the other girls as well. Tonight I also had the chance to visit a bit more with other Miss MN contestants. They seem like a great bunch of girls and I can't WAIT for June to come. What a great year we have ahead of us. It is crazy to think that one person holds so much potential, talent, drive, and personality. For those of you that may have not witnessed a pageant before, these girls are amazing and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to join them on the same stages across the great state of Minnesota.

Locals are now done...on to Miss MN!

p.s. after the day of talking and a week of battling a cold, I must say, I have officially lost my voice...airborne here I come.

Joys of College

As I go through the day, there are times when I am buried with homework that I never think I will surface. Then there are days that I have time/need to take a nap. That is what I love about college:

Naps.

Ella

Tomorrow will be my very first appearance as the new Miss Coon Rapids. Wow. Saying that just feels great. I will be at Epiphany school helping with the last of the snowflake days events from 10-2. From there, we will be trucking down to Mankato to watch the Miss Mankato pageant. I am very excited to watch my very first pageant! Can you believe that I've never watched a pageant?? Since this is only my second time competing (although I was in my hometown pageant, it was nothing like MAO) I've never really had the chance to watch a pageant in person. I am very excited and I hope I learn a thing or two as well.

The Miss Coon Rapids webpage has been updated with an awesome picture and we will soon put up a picture on the Miss MN website as well. You can check it out at http://www.misscoonrapidspageant.com/. There will probably be more pictures on there as well so feel free to check them out.

I would like to leave off with a couple random thoughts. In 3 days (Feb. 18) it will have been two months since my Grandma passed away. For those of you that know me well, you know that my Grandma meant alot to me, especially since she lived on the farm with us and was the only grandparent I ever knew. She knew how much she meant to me too. I truly believe it is because of her that I have had the most amazing and blessed two months of my life since she left. She really had alot of plans for me! So because of all the blessings she has given me, I was trying to think of a way to "give back." I was thinking that someday if I ever have the opportunity to have a family of my own, I would like to name a daughter of mine, Ella. My grandmother's name was Luella. Now, this is an older name today and she knew that as well but I think Ella is just perfect. Short and sweet and I think she would be honored if she were here with us today. I miss her so much but know she is in a better place. I don't know where I would have been without her.