Yep, I'm actually going to do it

That's right. On April 17th I will be competing to win the title of Mrs. Oklahoma.

I have one year of pageant experience from my past. In 2001 I won Miss University of Central Oklahoma and went on to Miss Oklahoma, a preliminary to Miss America. It was fun and I was able to earn quite a bit in scholarship money, but I was in it for the wrong reasons and I didn't want to go back the next year.

At that time, my major was Music Theatre. I looked at the Miss UCO pageant as a chance to perform on stage and I knew that if I made it to Miss O I was going to get a gorgeous evening gown.

I picked a platform that was extremely worthy but that I wasn't all that passionate about at the time. At the end of Miss O I knew I didn't want to come back the next year. Even though other preliminary pageants were asking me to enter, I knew I couldn't travel around the state talking to children and adults about something that my heart wan't really devoted to. I would have felt like a fraud.

Fastforward to 2010 and my platform issue is the sole reason I'm entering this pageant. It isn't because I want to perform (there's no talent portion) or because I want a new dress (I'm going to wear the same one from Miss O if I can fit in it!). It certainly isn't because I want to parade around on stage in a swimsuit! It is because I think having a title could get my voice heard even more as I try to raise awareness of my daughter's disease and all the wonderful things the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is doing to save lives.

This pageant goes on to Mrs. America. Don't think I haven't been daydreaming in the shower about what I could accomplish if I were to win that title! One of the first things on my agenda would be to travel to the states that do not have newborn screening for CF mandatory. I would love to meet with their governments and get them to understand how important the screening is. It absolutely saves lives.

One of my REALLY big daydreams about winning the national pageant would be going on Ellen...or even Oprah! Ok, ok I know it's a major long shot but a girl's gotta dream. :)
First, I need to win Mrs. O. We'll see come April 17th!