Godspeak

Godspeak is the term I use to refer to those little affirmations that let you know you're exactly where you're supposed to be. I once worked closely with a mentor who encouraged me to heighten my awareness of these tiny spiritual moments as a way to invite more of them into my life and ever since, I feel like I have developed a sixth sense.

I think of Godspeak as little secrets between me and God. It comes in many forms and yesterday it came to me in the middle of Bed, Bath, & Beyond (evidently, I was in the "beyond" section). Lately I've been making an attempt to turn my empty corporate-feeling condo into an actual home. As if buying a piece of property isn't expensive enough, I neglected to consider how much it would cost me to make it livable. Thanks to my upcoming bonus, I felt inspired to spend my Saturday shopping for clearance housewares.

I was perusing the wall art collection for a door mirror when I came across the section that has all of the cliché plaques and cheesy coffee shop decor that screams things like "Faith, Hope, Love, and Dance Like No One Is Watching". Don't get me wrong, there is a place for that kind of artwork, just not in my home. Hiding amidst the barrage of banalities, was a tiny little plaque that said, "Happiness comes from the heart, not circumstances". For some reason, this ridiculous little decoration really spoke to me. I felt my face getting hot like it does before a meltdown as I realized that this described my situation perfectly. I realized that joy I have experienced over the past few weeks has not been about circumstance, even though it may appear that way on the surface. It has really been about a rediscovery of myself and prioritization of what is most important to me.

I thought about buying the plaque because I felt like it was significant to me. After thinking long and hard about how country it would look in my contemporary condo, I decided to leave it behind. I'm actually considering going back for it.

Wow, speaking of Godspeak, I'm sitting in a Starbucks right now and as I am writing this the song 'Happiness' by Goldfrapp came on. This is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. To fully understand the coincidence (or lack thereof), check out the lyrics here.

On a completely different note, I cannot wait until the homecoming celebration this weekend. I'm most looking forward to spending time with my closest friends and family, but performing and dressing up for a fancy dinner are up there as well.

I'm in a random mood, so I guess that's all for now. I'll see many of you soon!

gv

The VA Hospital

Last Monday (Feb 11) I had the privilege of visiting the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor. This was actually my third appearance at the VA Hospital, since I had been twice before as Miss Washtenaw County. Of course, that was already 4 years ago, which is hard to believe. I had a chance to spend the evening moving from room to room with John Kinzinger, who coordinates visitors and volunteers at the hospital. John is one of the most kind-hearted genuine people I have ever met and it was really great to see him again after all of these years. I also had the honor of being escorted by Major Rob Gagnon of the US Army, who is on a short leave from his tour of duty.

I was really excited to return to the VA hospital for two reasons. The first is that I had been there twice before and new that it promised to be an amazing experience. The second is that, since the last time I had visited, I met Jill Stevens (Miss Utah 2007) who has served in Afghanistan. Spending a week will Jill at Miss Sweetheart (September 2006) gave me a new perspective on what it means to serve others. Knowing Jill has helped me develop a deeper respect for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our country. She has been a true inspiration and I am so proud to call her my friend.

Over the course of about 2 hours I must have visited about 25 patients, many of which are terminally ill. I chatted with them about my unexpected crowning, the excitement of Miss Michigan winning Miss America, and autographed some of my old photos (I had to cross off the 'West' in 'Miss West Michigan'). More importantly, I had a chance to listen to their stories and learn about their lives. I am truly in awe of the sacrifices these men have made so that I can enjoy my everyday freedoms. It was such a blessing to spend even a small amount of time with these veterans.

Before making our rounds, one of the nurses warned us not to go into room 44 because the patient had been aggressive earlier that day. Well, that bit of relevant advice seemed to escape all four of us (John, Rob, Terri, and I). This particular patient pulled me in close for a hug and proceeded to smother my right cheek with really slobbery kisses. It was a bit awkward and uncomfortable, yes, but at least that man got a visit he won't soon forget. The four of us laughed about that one for a while, and I coated my cheek in antibacterial hand sanitizer. All in the name of service...

I have had a little time off from being Miss Michigan since last Monday. I've actually been pretty sick these past few days. I went to the doctor yesterday and she handed me a piece of paper with a diagram that helps you distinguish between the common cold and sinusitis. She added that neither required a doctor's attention. I went home with a bruised ego and a recommendation for non-prescription drugs and lots of fluids.

I'm getting really excited for Kirsten's Homecoming Celebration/My Crowning. I can't wait to see everyone and celebrate. It's going to be an absolute blast. It's kind of nice knowing that I'm driving to Muskegon to pick up my Miss Michigan crown. The pressure's off and I'm ready to just enjoy myself and share this moment with the people who mean the most to me. If you'd like to join in on the fun, please visit www.missmichigan.org for details.

'Til next time...

GV

I'm Miss Michigan!!!!!

I have an email alias that includes just about everyone I've ever known. For the past few years I have been sending updates to this list about the latest things going on in my life. Most of the updates were about pageant milestones and my crazy travel adventures. Below is the (slightly edited) email I sent out to this list on February 11, 2008.

Hello again,

It's been so long since I've written, and I've been meaning to send an update for a while. After a six month hiatus from the pageant scene, it's only fitting that I'm writing to you as the new Miss Michigan. For those of you who haven't heard yet, our Miss Michigan, Kirsten Haglund, won the Miss America pageant two weeks ago. As first runner-up, I have the honor of representing Michigan through June.

As you can imagine, it's been a crazy whirlwind since it happened. Watching Kirsten win Miss America was surreal. My gut told me she would win, and I had a feeling she would since the day after she won Miss Michigan. I was fortunate to be watching it with close friends that were there to celebrate with me. In fact, I was at Kelli Taliscka's house (she's a former Miss Michigan) and she crowned me Miss Michigan with her crown. Someone was taking pictures and when I
hunt them down I will pass them along.

I am in awe of how amazing God's timing is. I have said several times that I believe everything happens for a reason, a lesson I have learned several times over in my pageant career, but this has given me a renewed faith. I never questioned whether or not I would accept the honor (as long as I could keep my full time job), because I could feel in my heart that this was meant for me.

I had my first appearance as Miss Michigan on Friday evening at the First Step Charities Ball in Livonia. I had a chance to mingle with the sponsors, sell raffle tickets, and perform for the crowd. I went with my traveling companion, Terri Dooge, who is a total hottie and was hit on all night. I felt like I was chaperoning her. Actually, she was great at helping me dodge the overly friendly men and the women who were trying to introduce me to their sons. I was asked several times if I was Miss America, and grew tired of explaining that no, I was not the tall leggy blonde that they saw on TV, but I am "the next best thing". Of course, that was better than explaining to one woman that I was not the local homecoming queen.

I didn't get home until 1:30am, and I had to be up at 6am to drive to Grand Rapids (2.5 hours) to speak at a leadership conference. It was a last minute request and I had only found out about it on Friday afternoon, so I had no time to prepare. It's not like I've been doing this all year. I had 45 minutes to fill, and while it was a bit disorganized, I think I managed to make a few decent points in between the rambling. I spent the rest of the day hanging out with Dave Weinandy, our communications coach and one of my favorite people ever. We sat and had a 4 hour cup of tea. Well worth the early morning and long drive.

Tomorrow I am off to the Veteran's hospital to visit with patients. It's only been four days and I'm already exhausted. Working two full time jobs is a bit ambitious, but I'm up for the challenge (and the paychecks). It will be a lot of travel, but full of great opportunities. I feel like this is going to be a great launching pad for a speaking career and I am going to work with Dave to create a portfolio and market myself. Perhaps I will be starting my own business sooner than I thought...

The good news is, I'm happy. I really am. It's not easy being the person who was "promoted" to Miss Michigan, but it has also put me in a really unique and humbling position. I'm proud of Kirsten and proud of Michigan. It's a great time for all of us. I feel so incredibly blessed that I can share this with all of you. Many of you have been a part of this journey for several years and I can't help but feel like this is for all of us.

I'm planning to start a blog soon and I'll be sure to invite you all when I do. I don't want to clog up your inboxes with stories of autograph signings in Walmart :)

With love from Michigan,

Gina