Traverse City by Storm

I am on a plane right now and have officially exhausted all possible sleeping positions, so I figured it was time for some Red Hot Chili Peppers and a blog entry. My neck is cramped and I’m crabby. I’m on my way to San Francisco for our annual sales conference, which I’ve been looking forward to for a while. I just hope I can keep my eyes open long enough to listen to the speakers and actually enjoy myself.

I just had a jam-packed weekend in Traverse City. Michael and Loretta Cole from the Miss Heart of Michigan pageant hosted me for a number of events and I can hardly believe everything we accomplished. I got in late Thursday night after working a full day and driving 4.5 hours. It shouldn’t have taken me that long, but apparently I drove right past my hotel for a good 15 minutes before turning around. I was so excited when I finally got to my room and found a plate of fresh baked cookies and a balcony overlooking the bay. I felt like I was on a real vacation and I felt really lucky all of a sudden. I paused on the balcony to take in the beautiful view and thank God for all of the incredible gifts he has given me.

The weather was perfect so I slept with my door open all night and woke up looking out at the same amazing view the next morning. My day started on the air at 7:00am with three different radio interviews. From there we headed to our first of three schools where I delivered the Right Decisions Right Now program. It was my first time doing it, so it wasn’t the greatest. With this particular group the kids were more interested in asking me out than anything I had to say about making good decisions. Most of them were 8^th grade boys, if that tells you anything. It was a tough crowd.

Our next stop was an elementary school with 5^th graders. When we walked into the building I saw a huge sign that they made me and my heart just melted. It said ‘Welcome to BV Miss Michigan’ and had pictures of different things about our state. It was so precious and it made me realize how much they were looking forward to having me visit their class. I delivered the same presentation, but this time it went much more smoothly. The kids had just finished drug and alcohol prevention education, so they were much more interested in hearing about making good decisions. There’s a part in the program where we talk about how we decided what to wear today and some of them just went on and on about their choice in clothing and the other things they had considered wearing. I quickly learned how to cut them off without embarrassing them. I haven’t had much experience with this age group, but they were adorable and well-behaved, which is really all I could ask for.

We grabbed a quick lunch and Don’s Drive-In, an adorable diner with the coolest clocks on the wall, before heading to our last school. I was feeling much more confident in delivering the program and by this time my stories were really beginning to take shape. Most of these kids don’t know the story of how I became Miss Michigan, so I like to take them through each of my years competing and build suspense with the announcement of the runners-up. As I’m telling this story, their mouths are wide open and they’re leaning forward with anticipation. I make it very clear that the third time was my last chance, so when I say ‘And the first runner-up is… Gina Valo!’ they were simultaneously confused and disappointed. I wish I had pictures of their little faces. It was priceless.

During the section on deciding what to wear to school, a lot of them confessed to taking a long time to get ready because they knew that I was coming. Later their teacher told me that it was Denim Day at school, but several of the kids chose not to wear jeans and one boy’s mother called to make sure it was okay because he wanted to dress nicely for Miss Michigan. I was dying. It’s so easy to forget what a big deal this sort of thing was when I was 10. If Miss Michigan had come to my school in 5^th grade I would have done the same thing. They also made a paper chain and tore off links to count down the days until I got there. I was so moved by it and just felt incredibly special.

I was truly impressed with this group of kids. They listened so well and had such great dreams. They were past that stage of wanting to be princesses and firefighters and had real goals in mind. One kid said he wants to run the 800 faster in track and another said he wants to be an aeronautical engineer. That one caught me off guard, but it was so cute. They had some really intelligent questions for me too. I’m used to being asked things like ‘Is your crown made of real diamonds?’ and ‘Do you live in a castle?’, but these kids put me on the spot. They wanted to know if I ever made a bad decision and if I was sad that I didn’t win. I always preface the Q & A session with a promise to be open and honest with them and they took me up on it.

From this school I headed back to the hotel to freshen up for my afternoon photo session. Michael and Loretta are photographers and generously offered to take some shots of me in my crown. We shot for about 2 hours before breaking for dinner. We came back to do a hot light session (think old school Hollywood glamor) and finished up around 10. I was thoroughly exhausted and went right to sleep.

On Saturday morning I spoke to a group of girls from the junior high youth group at Baypoint Church. There were only about 10 of them, so we sat around on couches and kept it more conversational. Talk about hard questions… Some of them I simply didn’t have a good answer for, such as ‘What if your parents are telling you to do something that you believe is against God’s will?’ I hardly felt qualified to answer them, but I stuck to my promise of being completely honest and shared some of my own experiences and I think I really connected with them.

Our next stop was Wilderness Crossing, a new family-fun center, where the Children’s Miracle Network bowling fundraiser was taking place. We had a nice lunch and I signed a bunch of autographs. I bowled alongside the teams that were raising money for us and had three different people giving me tips on my form. I blamed my poor performance on the holes being to big for my fingers and before I knew it this guy was rubbing some sticky stuff on my thumb to keep the ball from slipping while his wife and two kids went on a wild goose chase for the perfect ball. It was really sweet and kind of funny.

I had a chance to go back to my hotel and rest before heading out for another amazing dinner. I enjoyed an amazing cherry bread pudding, which set me up well for a good night’s sleep. Bad for the body, good for the soul.

Sunday morning was an early one (noticing a pattern here?) because we had to be at Baypoint Church for a sound rehearsal. I was scheduled to perform as the prelude to the 9:30 and 11:00 services. The 9:30 crowd was pretty tough, but the 11:00 group was fabulous and they gave me my first-ever standing ovation. It was pretty cool. In between I talked to some of the younger kids and they were a riot. They like to interrupt a lot to ask random questions and go off on unrelated tangents. My favorite was the little girl who stopped me to tell me that she sometimes has trouble making it to the potty on time. It wasn’t the easiest thing to spin, but I somehow brought it back. To be honest, I can’t really remember how I did, but I’m kind of impressed with myself now that I think about it…

After the second service I stopped in the youth group to do one last Right Decisions Right Now presentations before taking off. They were great listeners, but we didn’t have time for Q&A, which bummed me out because junior high/high school are my favorite age groups. Regardless, I felt like I connected with them. It’s nice to be able to talk about God’s perfect timing and how this experience has given me a new faith. I tend to avoid that topic in public schools and non-religious venues.

Looks like we’re about to land… I’m off to Google land for the next few days. I’m taking the red eye home on Thursday night so I can be back in time for the Dr. Pepper Idol contest on Friday. I pretty much quit sleeping. It was getting in the way of my schedule, so this plan makes a lot of sense. I’ll be sure to write again when I emerge from a long post-trip nap.

gv

Deeeetroit Basketbaaaal!

Whoa. Forgive me, but I'm still recovering from my brush with the Pistons last night. It was a hectic but amazing experience and I'm so grateful for the opportunity.

The night started at 5:30 when we met Tatiana in the lobby of the West Atrium in the Palace. From that moment on, we were on a mission and moving non-stop. This woman is about 5 feet tall and made of fire. Seriously. She navigates the Palace like she owns the place and though her legs are have the height of mine, they move twice as fast. Terri and I were struggling to keep up with her from the beginning. We kept looking at each other in amazement of how fast she moved and how she'd take stairs 3 at a time in 4-inch heels. She said she doesn't go to the gym because she gets such a workout at work, and I don't doubt it.

We started off with a walk through the tunnel to meet Jerry (I can't remember his last name), who works closely with the players. He's a manager of sorts and I'm sure he has a fancy title, but I don't know that either. After that we headed up to the offices to drop my stuff off. Keep in mind that the Palace is gigantic and we were booking it.

From there we were off to a table in the Comcast Pavilion where I signed autographs before the game. It was really fun meeting a lot of the kids and other fans, and a little bizarre that I was the one signing autographs at a Pistons game. I must have gone through about 200 photos and my hand was really tired by the end, and I was constantly up and down to take photos. Jut when things slowed down and I finally had a chance to breathe, Tatiana showed up.

We were headed down to take our seats for tip-off, which were with the press directly behind the bench. I love watching the Pistons play, but the opening is by far my favorite part. Every time the fire shoots out of the basket it startles me and then I get really excited. It's even louder, hotter, and more fun being right underneath it.

As soon as the ball was tipped we took off for the hospitality room to grab some dinner. On the way we stopped to meet Tom Wilson, the Pistons CEO. We took about 15 minutes to eat before heading up to the suites. We stopped to take pictures and sign autographs with fans because it was Fan Appreciation Day. I was floored at how elaborate these suites were. I'm not talking about the kind that overlook the court. These are the 'important people' suites that have 60" plasmas, marble everything, and come with tickets inside the stadium. Just when I thought we were wrapping up, Tatiana mentioned the 'West Suites', which were on the other end of the Palace. After another long hike I perused the 'really important people' suites for more pictures and mingling. It was halftime at this point, so people were very, um, social. One man was hitting on Terri and dropping the cheesiest lines. After I was sufficiently amused I decided to rescue her by moving fast and waving her over. It was a bit of a role reversal, but only fair considering how often she does it for me.

After halftime we finally got to sit down and watch the game. Of course, it was the last game of the season and the Pistons were up by 12 so we ended up seeing a lot of the bench players, but they held their own. Plus that meant that Rip was on the bench, which meant he was closer to me. In case you didn't know, I'm a big Rip Hamilton fan. It's the face mask, what can I say?

In between plays I was posing for more pictures and signing autographs for nearby fans. It was as if I were a real celebrity and I was pretty flattered to be such a spectacle. I got a special visit from Hooper, the mascot, who was extra 'friendly' with me. The pictures are posted in the slide show. If I had won the title of Miss Michigan outright I'd be worried that the first runner-up might try to use them against me. Lucky for me, I am the first runner up.

As soon as the game ended, we followed the team off the court and into the tunnel. It was kind of surreal listening to all of the people yelling "Miss Michigan, Miss Michigan!" and it reminded me just how lucky I am to be the one that they're talking to. It is such an honor and a blessing.

Terri and I waited patiently for the team to shower so we could catch them on their way out. Jerry was so kind as to let Rip know that I was a big fan and asked that he stop and say hello. We saw Rasheed Wallace walk by and to address the obvious question, yes, he really is unbelievably huge. The next player to come out gave me a hug, but I couldn't tell you who he was for the life of me. The problem is that they weren't wearing jerseys at this point, so I had to fake it. I think it might have been Amir Johnson, but I'm really not sure.

We said a quick hello to McDyess before Chauncey came out. Both were very friendly and Chauncey had really gigantic hands. Then came the moment I had been waiting for all night. The doors to the locker room opened and I saw Rip walking toward me. My heart started beating faster and then someone pulled him back in. I could see him arguing with them and saying he had to meet me, but he lost. I was worried that I wouldn't get to meet him, but a few minutes later he came out another door and walked right over to me. I was so excited that I forgot all of the things I wanted to say like, 'I love your work in the Dr. Ramani Eye Center commercials'. I also wanted to mention that his former chef now cooks my lunch every day at Google. But alas, I was starstruck and stuck to the basics because I didn't want to sound like a desperate fan. I told him he was my favorite player and that I loved his face mask. I asked him to pose for a quick photo and had him sign my press tag. He asked me when I won but I was so preoccupied with making sure Terri got the picture that I gave him the one sentence version of the story. Terri had him sign her son's jersey, which was actually Rasheed's. Rip thought it was funny and insisted that the next time we're there he'll make sure we get his jersey. I am so glad I had a chance to meet him. It made my night. I don't think I have been that starstruck since I met Mickey Mouse when I was 5.

I was at the Piston's game for fan appreciation day last year when Angela was there and I remember saying to myself that I would love to be here as Miss Michigan. It was one of the things I thought about when I didn't win the title and I was disappointed that I wouldn't get the chance. It's funny how things work out. It was a mini dream of mine and last night it came true.

Thank you to Rip and the team, and especially Tatiana and Jerry for welcoming me and making me feel special. I'm still flying high.

gv

Miss Sunrise Side: VW Bus Not Included

It has been way too long since I've added new content, but I've been so busy and tired lately. The end-of-quarter rush is finally behind me, just in time for my Miss Michigan duties to pick up. It has been a busy ten days, but it's been a lot of fun.

Last Saturday I attended a black tie benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Rochester. I spent the early part of the evening mingling with guests during the silent auction and met many of the distinguished guests. I found myself telling the same story over and over again (about how I became Miss Michigan), but I never get sick of talking about it. It evokes such interesting reactions and follow-up questions, and it usually helps break the ice for more genuine interactions.

We enjoyed a fancy dinner while listening to a number of different speakers highlight the effect Cystic Fibrosis has had on their lives. I never realized what an awful and fatal disease it is. I was shocked to learn what these kids have to go through and my heart just broke for them. I really enjoyed meeting some of them and tearing up the dance floor with my new friend, Brooke. Check out the picture of us making our diva faces in my slide show.

Special thanks to Tony from the i-Group for inviting me and stepping in last minute as my "chaperon". Tony is an experienced pageant wingman, and he looked smashing in his tux carrying my handbag.

On Wednesday, I was back on the Wal-Mart train. This stop: Flint town. Now that I have other openings to reference, let me tell you that the people of Flint know how to open a discount superstore. First up was a rockin' honors choir made up of local kids ages 7-12. They gave me flashbacks to my junior high swing choir days. I can still sing the alto part to Footloose and I even remember the dance. I thought I was so cool, and so did these kids. I couldn't quite make out a four part harmony, but they were ridiculously cute. There was a little boy in the front row and he was so distracted by my crown that he messed up the dance. It was adorable.

A long-time employee did the honors of singing the National Anthem, so I was off the hook. The best part was when she sang the line, "the bombs bursting in air..." and right on queue the produce misters turned on. It was one of those quiet moments that I found hysterical, but no one else really noticed.

Finally, no Wal-Mart opening is complete without the Wal-Mart cheer, and guess which lucky girl got to help lead it... That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I can now add Wal-Mart Cheerleader to my resume. The cheer starts with 'Give me a W...' and goes on down the letters. After the 'l' comes the squiggly, which is naturally accompanied by a twist and shake of the old derriere. Now, what doesn't make sense to me is where this alleged squiggly comes from. The website is indexed as 'Wal-Mart' with a hyphen, and the actual logo features a star, which begs the question "What's up with the booty shaking??" Sounds like a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen, if you ask me. If you haven't checked out my pictures yet, trust me on this one, it will be well worth your time.

My tour de Wal-Mart will continue in May. Next stop? Grand Rapids. It supposed to be a big one, kids, so hold on tight.

I spent this weekend in Alcona, Michigan for the Miss Sunrise Side pageant. If you're not sure where that is, make a mitten with your left hand. I was at the base of your index finger nail. It's about a four hour drive from Ann Arbor, which made for an early Saturday morning. I met up with Terri, my traveling companion, at a location that was on the way and equidistant from our starting points... The Flint Wal-Mart!!!!!! No joke. I left my car there and we drove the rest of the way together.

Miss Sunrise Side is a preliminary to Miss Michigan, and the executive directors, Sherry and Rex Manning, run a great pageant. The girls were really friendly and I enjoyed spending time with them. Special congratulations are in order to Kaitlyn Lick for winning this year's title and to Sarah Mumma (Miss Sunrise Side 2007), who will join us in Muskegon for the Miss Michigan pageant in June.

After the pageant we were headed to the Breitmayer's home for a reception, which is also where Terri and I were staying. Our directions to their house were the following: Go East on M-72 for 3-4 miles and turn left at the giant Moose. Now, when someone reference a landmark, especially something as seemingly obvious as a giant Moose, one naturally assumes that it would be impossible to miss. Not so. Terri and I flew right by it and found ourselves back at the lake. We turned around and slowed way down before noticing a two dimensional moose cut-out about 25 yards back from the road. It was rust-colored and basically blended in with the surrounding landscape. Once Terri and I stopped laughing we got out (in the snow) for a necessary photo op. My Franco Sarto shoes are covered in mud, but it was well worth it.

It was really great to spend some time with Sherry, Rex, and the Breitmayers. They are all such wonderful people and really have their hearts in this program. Thank you to Allona, Tom, and Tray for opening up your beautiful home to Terri and I.

We returned from Alcona today and I hit up some of the outlet stores on the way home. I had to get my sister a birthday present... ;) Needless to say, I'm exhausted. I feel like I haven't even had a weekend yet and I'm already back to work tomorrow.

I'm headed to the Pistons game on Tuesday for Fan Appreciation Day and I can't wait. I'm a big Rip Hamilton fan and a friend of mine said that if I get a picture wearing Rip's face mask with my crown on that I can have anything I want. Those are some pretty high stakes. I think the picture itself would be the reward, but I do need my car detailed... Rest assured, you'll get the play-by-play later this week.

gv

"You're Never Going To Leave Ann Arbor"

That's what someone said to me about six months ago. At the time, I was offended because I've never been the type of person to let grass grow under my feet, and to be honest, I hated the thought of being a "small-town" girl. In retrospect, I should have considered the source and brushed it off as an unfortunate side effect of an abrasive personality, but for whatever reason it stuck with me. Ironically, the comment that once made me cringe has turned into a sort of badge of honor. I'm pretty sure that I will end up moving away at some point, but there's a part of me that will never leave Ann Arbor, and there's a part of Ann Arbor that will never leave me.

Over the past few weeks I have found myself feeling very much at home in this town. I have to add a disclaimer here that, as far as I'm concerned, "home" is where my mom is. A recent trip home for Easter reminded me of this. However, I am finding a second home in Ann Arbor and settling into my life here. For the first time I feel like I am part of this community. I am no longer here as a student or a young professional just starting out. I am a bonafide tax-paying, half-granola townie and proud of it.

I have been making a concerted effort to take advantage of all of the cool things Ann Arbor has to offer. I'm going to concerts, hanging out at local coffee shops, logging time at the gym, and volunteering with a teen center called Neutral Zone. I'm meeting a ton of new people, and several times over the past couple of weeks I have run into people I know while out and about. In fact, today I met someone who remembered me from a Chamber of Commerce meeting that I spoke at 4 years ago as Miss Washtenaw County. I'm starting to realize how big my network here really is. I am so lucky to be a part of such a thriving community, and when people ask me where I'm from, I no longer hesitate.