Esther's Braves- Miracle League 2012

I can't believe this baseball season is over already! It honestly seemed to FLY by! The season and coaching experience was TO DIE FOR! I tell you it is one thing in life to see children just having FUN! I may be biased, but I do think we had the BEST team of the league! :)

A few highlight moments for me:
Little Colin (see we had Big and Little Colins!) was paired up with one of my best friends who was volunteering as a buddy that day. I thought this would be a great pair up-- only to my demise Colin muttered, "Oh man, I got stuck with the old lady today." Now, clearly Carol was not an old lady at the young age of 43, BUT I made Colin happy and changed his buddy for him!

"Cheeseburger Fries" Chase- always geared up each game for the catcher position. He was terrific at this and his dad, Terry- my co-coach, was always out there in full support to make sure Chase could earn his Cheeseburger Fries after a good game!

Lucas- he was one of our home run hitters! I tell you, these kids are terrific and many of them have hit it out of the park on more than one occasion.

Thank you for the great memories and I'll be back for more next year. The parents, athletes, directors, coaches and buddies have been so wonderful over the course of this season!

 Group shot with TC                                        Lucas                               Team photo with TC

                              Carol and Sydney


Sophia and dad                                                                 Patrick and TC

                                                       Sophia, Nichole and Bailey

Team Photos

When I signed up to be a coach, I knew it would be a one-of-a-kind experience. In our first coach's meeting, they gave us our teams and explained how the season would work. They also told us about our picture day! This got me amped up to get the season started even faster and I'm THRILLED to have decided to do this coaching job. I couldn't wait to meet my team on picture day!

We arrived at picture day at Minnetonka High School and it was just about how everyone explained-- mildly chaotic with a bit of excitement in the air. We found our t-shirts and gathered our team. I had the tremendous honor to have our team sponsored by Esther! Esther is a 90 year old woman (in the picture below) who (I'm told) comes to EVERY game. She sponsored the team and is such a joy to be around!

Picture time was a bit of a challenge as some of our players didn't want to get in or were getting bored, but I do think the photographers did a great job and we are ready for our season to begin!

Check out the final pic!

Progress MN Award

Yet again, something comes up and hits me by surprise! I could have never imagined that I would see a Proclamation from the Governor of Minnesota come across my desk... and for something I am getting recognized for?! It's God truly working his miracles in ways we can not even imagine.

So, I'm sitting at my desk when I get this information about Finance & Commerce magazine honoring Minnesotans and businesses for promoting the economic growth in our state through creating and employing Minnesotans. I'm not even honestly sure how I got nominated for this, but I am an honoree. Then, if that weren't enough, I get this Proclamation letter from Governor Dayton! This is sooo cool! :)

Anyway, I am honored to received and accept this award for the company that has made my life and so many others truly fulfilled over the last 10 years! To many more years of great job creating moments. Thank you so much for this tremendous honor!

Check out the article below:

http://finance-commerce.com/2012/02/finance-commerce-names-progress-minnesota-honorees/

Baseball clinic 2012

As part of the prepartion and excitement of the Miracle League Minnetonka games were only two months away, I was asked to be a part of the annual Baseball clinic. It was so fun to see some of my upcoming player now preparing for the season. The Minnetonka High School baseball coaches and players were also there to help. I got to help with the relay races. Below is a picture I LOVE with two of the guys... who were thinking they were "so cool" to get a picture with me! Oh I love this organization so much and can't wait for my upcoming coaching job this year!

Globe Job offer

I believe everything happens for a reason. About a year ago, I interviewed to teach at Globe University in Woodbury. At that time, they were looking for an additional instructor to help with some medical classes. Since I had always wanted to be a teacher when I was little and now had some extra time on my hands, I decided it would be a great opportunity to give back to a school that I graduated from as well as learn some new things myself. I ended up going through the whole interview process, but at the end of the day the classes never ran, so I never was needed.

About a week ago, I got an email from the Dean of Faculty asking if I might be interested in a part time Program Chair position in the Health Care Management program, which is what my degree is in. I was so thrilled that she had thought of me. I ended up getting the job and on the very same day I got the job, I also found out that I was going to be receiving the APSCU (Association for Private Sector Colleges and Universities) Hall of Fame award as well and would be traveling to Las Vegas in the summer to accept that! WOW what a day!

I'm thrilled to learn from these students and share my experiences of the world business in health care with them! Look at Woodbury, here I come! :)

http://blogs.globeuniversity.edu/category/campuses/woodbury/

Mrs Minnesota International 2012

After all the preparations and glitz, the pageant has officially come and gone! It was a weekend filled with more than I could have ever imagined. I was so blessed to have a huge support team along with my biggest supporter- my wonderful loving husband, Jared. It was an experience that really won't be forgotten!

From the moment we arrived at orientation, the festivities began! We were orientated to what would happen over the weekend, met the other contestants and went to dinner. Saturday morning, we woke up early and headed to rehearsals and then it was time for preliminaries. Even though we had practiced all day, the excited of a crowd and energy that could be felt nearly took my breath away. It was such a cool experience! Prelims went great and all of a sudden I felt a sense of relief and just decided to enjoy the moment and all that came with it! My friends and family were all so supportive... in fact I even won the Team Spirit Award! Thanks so much team! :)

Sunday morning, we had interviews bright and early followed by a luncheon with Miss Teen International, Jurnee Carr. She was a great speaker and helped get me amped again for finals. Finals came and I must say I was honored to receive the Go Red Award, Photogenic AND 2nd Runner Up! I am truly honored to have been so blessed to have a great experience and do so well for my first pageant ever. Jared even met some new friends. The men this year were soooo amazing!

Thank you so much for all your love and support throughout my prep and actual competition period. I couldn't have done it without you! I'm so happy for Sarah Bazey, who is no doubt an INCREDIBLE woman, and will do great at Nationals and representing Minnesota!

 

Mrs. Contestant Lunch

Preparing for a pageant is something that not many people have done and those that have done it can understand how hard it really is to do! Mrs Minnesota 2011, Mindy Uruza hosted us for a lunch at Cucumbers Restaurant in St. Paul. This was a nice opportunity to sit and talk with some of the former queens as well as get to know some of the other contestants. With only a couple weeks away from the big event, it was nice to just learn that all of the women competing were "real" and truly a great group of women I can call my friends. It seems like it is all coming together and there will be many people along the way to help us get through the big event! Thanks Mindy and the formers, Dee, Angela and Susie for helping us along the journey!

Go Red MOA 2012

 The last few weeks I've been definitely immersed in the Heart Association events and they have been full of excitement and learning. The annual Mall of America Go Red for Women event was well attended. Each of the courts had fun filled activities, all supporting the heart healthy efforts we all should consider adopting in our daily lives. While there was a fashion show, Diva couch and others, I was in the Yoga and Massage area. After carrying all the heavy bags and walking around the largest mall in America, who wouldn't want a massage? We had a great group of gals who volunteered and a few surprise visitors along the way!

The message remains the same-- maintain a healthy weight, quit smoking, exercise at least 30 minutes per day, determine your "de-stressors" and make healthy choices in foods. All of these could save your life or those around you!

Go Red Event

After being inspired by the message at the American Heart Association Luncheon, I thought it would be good to share the message with my coworkers. I prepared an event held at work and delivered the message to them. The simple steps of maintaining a healthy lifestyle are critical steps in helping reduce the risks to heart disease. I was happy to say that everyone was surprised to know how much it affected the woman population. About 85% of our workforce at Accurate are women and ensuring they can try to make healthy lifestyle choices is important.

We raffled off gift cards to Target and a Pedicure/Manicure package. The winners were happy with their $5 investment! All the proceeds were distributed to the American Heart Association. To learn more about the American Heart Association visit http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

Go Red Luncheon 2012

The American Heart Association is the primary charity that the Mrs. International system supports. After attending my first Go Red Luncheon, I now have a deeper understanding why! This amazing organization helps to provide resources and support for education and treatment options for heart disease. Heart Disease is the #1 killer in women in America. While most of us think of heart disease as a "man's disease," it is statistically proven not to be the case.

The AHA put on a great event for the local Minneapolis community. The event was held at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center and was a beautiful and well organized event. I had the privilege of greeting and helping guests find their places for the day's event. Everyone looked so great in their "red" attire. During this luncheon alone, over $80,000 was raised for this great cause.

To learn more about this organization and what SIMPLE steps you can do to prevent heart disease, visit http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/