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/