Farewell

Growing up, we all have dreams and goals that we someday hope to accomplish.  Some people dream of being a veterinarian, others a writer, some even dream of being famous.  One year ago I stood on this stage and experienced one of my dreams come true. 

My amazing year-long journey was full of so many wonderful memories and life experiences.  Every accomplishment was possible thanks to the outstanding support and love of those I hold most dear.

 My fantastic committee, how would I have survived without you?  Always thinking of what’s best for me and organizing so many events and appearances to enrich my life.  This year simply wouldn’t have been possible without the constant support from the Bunkowske family.

My family and close friends, thank you for supporting me with whatever dream I try to pursue. You are my greatest cheerleaders.  Dad, thank you for cutting all my music and providing any technical needs, you are so brilliant!  Mom, thank you for being so driven to make me feel the best and for taking all my pageant photos, you are a very talented photographer!  Mel and Ben, you are the most unique brother and sister a girl could ever ask for, I love you both so much!

Travis, you mean the world to me.  You keep me level-headed and I have never felt more loved or supported.

Paige, Miss Red River Valley Outstanding Teen, you have been a true inspiration.  You are a remarkable young woman and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for you.  I enjoyed spending the year with you. 

My “little sister” Ashley (through the Big Brother’s Big Sisters Organization), you have helped me see life in a different way.  The growth I have seen within you and myself over the past two years is what fueled my desire to make this organization my platform.  Our relationship has blossomed and I cannot wait to see what the future hold for us.

Stacie McBride-Cox, you are such an inspirational woman.  You have helped me grow in ways that you may not realize.

Kathryn Knuttila, I have one word to describe you, WOW! I hold our friendship very close to my heart and can’t wait to cheer you on at Miss America.  I look up to you in so many ways.

To all of the girls competing for my job, I want to quote Ann Swanson when I say “remember that the judges tonight are not choosing a winner from a group of representatives.  They are choosing a representative from a group of winners.” So many opportunities and so many new doors have opened in my life thanks to the Miss Moorhead Organization and I end my year with nothing but gratitude.  I wish and pray for God’s continued blessings for this organization.

Although I am sad that this year is coming to an end, I am thrilled to forever be known as Bethany Beniek, your Miss Moorhead 2009.

Last Night as Miss Moorhead

As I sit in my hotel room with my sister queen Paige Meyer, It's bitter sweet to know that we will be giving up our titles tomorrow night!  We are having a girls night, practicing our intro number and eating lots of chocolate :-)

I have been so busy this past month, getting ready for my big Fundraiser on September 24th, working, and of course starting school.  If you haven't done so yet, check out my website about the fundraiser featuring TONIC SOL-FA, Johnnie Blend and Miss Minnesota!  All proceeds benefit the Children's Miracle Network http://cmnevent.beniek.biz/

I had my last Pizza Ranch Fundraiser on August 16th.  I brought candy for all the employees and I will miss seeing their friendly faces every month :-)

On August 28th, I was in the Barnesville Potato Days Parade.  I saw Miss Northwest, Melissa Paak, and we had some time to chat before the parade started.  Thank you to Ford Muscatell who donated an awesome truck for Paige and I to ride in :-)

On September 2nd I attended the Minnesota State Fair for the first time in my life! I went with Miss Minnesota, Kathryn Knuttila, and my Mom.  We were there from 7:30am to 11:00pm!  Plenty of time to eat as much state fair food as possible.  I had corn dogs, sliced apples with caramel and peanuts,  chocolate dipped bananas and strawberries, deep fried pickles, cookies, and of course a deep fried snickers bar! I definitely had my fair share of calories that day :-) I got to watch Kathryn be Miss Minnesota.  She did many radio appearances and got stopped many times throughout the day to give autographs and take pictures.  She also had an appearance on Twin Cities Live where I got to meet the host Elizabeth Ries.  I even got to dance with the "Go Groove" guy from that commercial :-)  That evening I had the opportunity to compete in the State Fair Talent Show where I sang the song "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.  It was so much fun to perform in front of such a large crowd.

Tomorrow I am waking up bright and early and meeting all of the girls competing for my job.  I can't wait to meet them and hang out with them all day :-)

I can't believe this time has already come.

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Last Night as Miss Moorhead

As I sit in my hotel room with my sister queen Paige Meyer, It's bitter sweet to know that we will be giving up our titles tomorrow night!  We are having a girls night, practicing our intro number and eating lots of chocolate :-)

I have been so busy this past month, getting ready for my big Fundraiser on September 24th, working, and of course starting school.

I had my last Pizza Ranch Fundraiser on August 16th.  I brought candy for all the employees and I will miss seeing their friendly faces every month :-)

 On August 28th, I was in the Barnesville

It's Not Over 'Till It's Over!

I have some great news! I competed at the Benton County Fair Talent Contest at the beginning of August and ended up WINNING!  I get to sing at the State Fair Talent Contest on September 2nd starting at 7:00pm, I hope to see you all there!

Last week I had the awesome opportunity of singing the National Anthem at the St. Cloud River Bats baseball game.  I got to meet the players before the game and sing the the National Anthem in front of over a thousand people.  They asked me to to come back and sing before their playoff game on August 18th.  I'm was excited.  I'll take any opportunity to perform!

I also attended the Miss Vergas and Princess Altona Pageant last week that my committee also organizes.  It was awesome!  I got to meet and greet with some of the newly crowned royalty and the pageant was a huge success!  The place was packed with supporters and the pageant was so entertaining.

This past weekend I attended one of my favorite appearances.  Gliks is a new store that has newly opened in Moorhead.  Savanna Snyder (Miss Moorhead 2008) is the manager of Gliks and asked me help promote the store during its opening weekend.  I got to wear their outfits all day and help out customers as they needed it.  I have never been to a Gliks store before and I was surprised when I saw some of the cutest clothing for the cheapest prices!  I would suggest getting to your closest Gliks store for your back to school shopping :-)

I cannot believe that my time as Miss Moorhead is almsot over.  I have been keeping myself very busy and I will enjoy every last moment as Miss Moorhead.

Always,
Bethany Beniek

A True Adventure!

I have been so busy!  I can't wait to tell you all about the last few weeks I have had.  On July 24th I attended the Miss Frazee and Miss Frazee Outstanding Teen Pageant.  Since it was another trip up North, Aja (Miss South Central) and Kaylah (Miss Capitol City) met me in St. Cloud and we all car pooled together up to Frazee.  It was an adventure!

As soon as Aja, Kaylah, and I were ready to go, Kaylah realized she had forgotten her bag with everything in it!  She had her crown, banner and a couple of outfits, but forgot her overnight bag with the essentials such as tooth brush, make-up, shoes ect... so as we were already running a bit late we had to make a quick stop to Target to pick up some shoes. We were also getting hungry so while we were in the mall we quickly purchased some "Extreme Pitas."  Aja was waiting in the car for us and didn't have her phone on so we couldn't ask her what she wanted to eat.  Kaylah and I improvised and went off of what we knew about Aja ;-)  "She's a vegetarian, OH and she likes spicy things!" I still laugh at the situation and Aja ended up loving her pita!  Finally, after getting some shoes and food we got back on the road and made it to the pageant right when the pageant started.  Perfect timing! We had to put our crown and sashes on in the car, but after Miss MN week were already pros at that.  The pageant was filled with talent.  Congratulations to the newly crowned Miss Frazee, Emily Kallis!

The next day I was in the Frazee Turkey Days parade.  It was a beautiful day! I got to ride in a red corvette with Kaylah.  We felt pretty cool.  Kathryn rode in a PT Cruiser convertible and somehow managed to drop her phone inside the vehicle.  When I say inside I don't mean on the seat, I mean in between the pieces of metal that holds the car together!  People from all over the neighborhood started to come and help all of us pageant queens try and fish out Kathryn's phone.  After about a half hour of sticking our arms in, using sticks and lots of tape, Kathryn retrieved her phone!  It was quite the adventure in Frazee.  We even got photos with the world's largest Turkey and the the world's largest Loon!

The next weekend I attended the Miss Heart of the Lakes and Miss Perham Pageant.  Congratulations to the newly crowned Miss Heart of the Lakes, Kalli Randall and the new Miss Perham, Brittany Bachmann!

After the pageant I headed up to Walker, MN where I was competing in my first triathlon the next morning!  I was so thrilled that Mackenzie Ross and my sister competed with me.  My cousin, Jesse Leblanc is a cop in Walker and organized the entire event.  It was called "Chase the Police Triathlon."  It started with a 0.25 mile swim, followed by a 17 mile bike ride, and then finished with a 2.5 mile run.  I never in a million years would have seen myself competing in  triathlon, but I can now check that off my list of things to do in life.  I definitely want to do another one :-) Check out http://www.walkertriathlon.com/ to watch a great clip they put in the LakeLand News about the triathlon.

After a day of relaxing, I was off to Thief River Falls to attend the Miss Thief River Falls Pageant.  I have one word to describe this pageant, organized! This pageant was perfect down to the very program books.  The theater was incredible and the place was packed!  There was so much support that they had to start seating the balcony seats.  Congratulations the to newly crowned Miss Thief River Falls, Meghan Kuznia.

I spent the night in Thief River Falls and was Kathryn's "little helper" for her first Inspiring America Concert as Miss Minnesota.  It was a grand success!  Kathryn recognized some incredible individuals and families that I can only define as truly inspiring.  I wore Kathryn's "WHIY" t-shirt to try and get people to buy them at the concert, symbolizing "Who Has Inspired You." Kathryn plans to organize many more Inspiring America Concerts throughout her year as Miss Minnesota and I strongly encourage you to attend one,  you will leave feeling uplifted and driven to make a difference.

On August 5th I was at the Moorhead Dairy Queen promoting Miracle Treat Day which is a nation wide fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network.  The owners we so kind and gave me an awesome "Moorhead Dairy Queen" t-shirt.  I handed out coupons and of course bought my own blizzard to support the cause.

As my year as Miss Moorhead is shortly coming to an end I still have so much work to do!  I'm enjoying every moment and keeping myself very busy.  I'm hosting my last two fundraisers for CMN as Miss Moorhead on August 9th and August 16th from 5:00-8:00pm at the Waite Park Pizza Ranch.  I hope to see you all there!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Scheels 5K to the Water Carnival Parade

On Saturday July 19th I attended the Scheels 5K benefiting the Central Minnesota's Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization!  It was great running for a cause that I have been so passionate about for several years.  The event had raised $1,420.  I was thrilled to have been a participant of such a great event.  My older sister Melanie ran it with me.  It was her first 5K ever and she was incredible! Thanks to Melanie and Tina for running it with me :-)

The next day I was in the Detroit Lakes Water Carnival Parade with my little sister queen Paige Meyer!  Her Mom, Alice, picked me up in Perham and we drove to the parade together in one of the largest trucks I have ever been in.  We were number 94 in the parade line up so when we got there we have some time to spare.  We made sure our crowns were on straight and talked to some of the other floats that were around us.  There were some clowns behind us who sang Happy Birthday to Bailey (Paige's little sister).  It was Bailey's 16th Birthday and she was helping us pass out candy at the parade.  Thanks to the Meyer family for helping out, you are all so kind!  If you have never been to the Water Carnival Parade, it is the longest parade ever!  It had to of been at least 3 miles long and it was packed with people the entire way.  It was HUGE!  I had a great time.  The best part about driving up North is that I get to see Kathryn.  I got to visit with her for a little bit after the parade before driving back home to St. Cloud.  Kathryn showed me some of the jewlery she got from Dazzle Me Jewels and Coco & Chloe, two of Miss Minnesota's sponsors.  It was all so beautiful! She had it laying out on the bed for display.  All I have to say is that if you think Kathryn already has great jewlery, wait until you see this stuff-so unique and fun!  

 

I will be at the Miss Frazee Pageant on Saturday and then in the Frazee Turkey Days Parade on Sunday.  I hope to see you there!

Always,

Bethany Beniek   

   

Miss Northwest, Pelican Rapids Parade and more FUN!

This past Friday, July 9th, I attended the 75th Miss Northwest Pageant.  There were 8 talented contestants competing for Miss Northwest and I of course had a wonderful time seeing many of the Miss MN 2010 girls :-) Congratulations to the new Miss Northwest, Melissa Paakh! 

The next day I was invited to be in the Pelican Rapids Parade.  My committee also invited Kathryn Knuttila, Miss Minnesota 2010, to join me in the parade and we had a great time together.  The best thing about this parade was that it wan't too long, and honestly everyone waved back to you :-) Kathryn's nephews watched the parade and collected A LOT of candy for me to eat :-) I ate all the tootie rolls in seconds.

After the parade Kathryn invited all of the Miss MN 2010 Contestants over for a reunion at her lake cabin.  Although many girls could not attend I was so thrilled to be able to see and hang out with a few of them!  I went water skiing for the first time in my life! I was so scared! I love going on rides and getting butterflies, but this was a whole different feeling.  Almost like I was watching a thiller movie and the super scary parts wouldn't stop!  Yes, I wiped out on my first try, but I am proud to say I got up on my second try and rode around the lake.  I looked like a rookie doing squats on water skiis.  I clearly had no idea what I was doing, but at least I can say I did it :-)

I was the first person to water skii, and then it was Kathryn's turn.  I did not know Kathryn was a professional water skiier! She was SO GOOD! She was very modest the whole time saying things like, "I haven't gone all summer," and "I know I'll fall first time."  Well, my jaw dropped when she got up on ONE skii and started doing tricks and water sprays larger than 12 feet!  I was impressed.  I told her that all the contestants for Miss MN 2011 need to step up their game after watching her water skii!

This is Kathryn.....I told you she was good!!

Let's not forget that Aja and Kathryn went water skiing at the same time!  One had a shorter rope than the other and they would skii under the other's rope!  This is just an incredible example that pageant girls are so much more than meets the eye! This weekend was unforgettable! I had a blast.

This Saturday I will be running in a 5K benefiting the Big Brother's Big Sister's Organization in St. Cloud and then singing the National Anthem at the River Bats Game in Waite Park that same evening. On Sunday I will be apart of the Water Carnival Parade.  Hope to see you there!

Always,
Bethany Beniek      

Fourth of July Parade

Since Miss Minnesota week I have been very busy with work and planning for my big CMN Fundraiser in September entitled, "Reach for you Dreams."  My mom and I have been thinking of advertisement opportunities around the St. Joseph area because the event will be held at The College of Saint Benedict.  We have been designing and printing flyers almost every day trying to get the word out about this incredible event to enjoy an evening out and raise money for an outstanding organization!

We decided to attend several parades to hand out flyers, the first one being the Fourth of July Parade in St. Joseph.  We handed out over 1,000 flyers :-) The weather was SO hot.  I was simply sitting on the back of a convertible and I was sweating!  Thank you so much to Travis and my Mom for walking the 2.5 miles handing out all the flyers for me! You Rock! After the parade we all sat in an air conditioned house for awhile.  I have to give a HUGE thank you to my Great Uncle and Aunt, Art and Char, for letting me use their beautiful Ford Galaxy Convertible during the parade!  It looked great.

I'm looking forward to attending the Miss Northwest Pageant this weekend and getting together with the 2010 contestants! Kathryn is having a "2010 Contestant Reunion Party" and I can't wait to catch up with everyone.  On Saturday I will be attending two more parades in Pelican Rapids and Dent.  I heard these are not nearly as long as the St. Joseph Parade :-) Whew

Always,
Bethany Beniek

  

Miss Brainerd Lakes 2010

I attended the Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant on Saturday, June 26th.  I was so excited to see some of the contestants from Miss MN week again!  Lauren Johnson was so beautiful on stage and gave up her title with poise and grace.  I also got to see Lexi, Kaylah, Samantha, Paige and Kathryn again!  It's crazy how much you can miss people after one week. 

I got to see Kathryn as Miss Minnesota up on stage!  She did such an amazing job and is already representing Minnesota well.  I'm so jealous of Kathryn's wardrobe, she always has some new dress to show us and I loved the gown she wore when she presented her talent.  It was off one shoulder and had black and white patterns on it.

The Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant had 8 outstanding contestants this year.  I had a blast watching the pageant.  Anytime I get to watch one I get so excited and want to compete myself :-) I just love performing!

Congratulations to the new Miss Brainerd Lakes 2010, Mary Peterson! I look forward to seeing the incredible things she will accomplish this year.

After the pageant a bunch of people went out to eat and I got to catch up with some close friends!  It was a great evening.

Always,
Bethany Beniek 

Miss MN Week! SATURDAY

Saturday had finally arrived.  I got a good night of rest and woke up to get ready for brunch with my family and friends.  It was so great getting caught up with my committee and family and telling them all about the week.  The brunch was delicious as well :-)

All the contestants got up individually and told a funny memory about the week.  Everyone had great stories to share and it was a wonderful way to showcase how much fun we had throughout the week together.  Writing this blog is so emotional right now because I'm at home trying to get back into reality and I miss everyone so much!  I really hope to keep in touch with all the wonderful contestants this year.  I have made some incredible frienships that will never fade.

After brunch we had some spare time before we left for the theater, so I tried to enjoy the last day at the hotel by visiting with everyone.  Once we arrived at the hotel we rehearsed the final night production and the directors surprised us with new swim wear and evening gown music!  The biggest surprise yet was that the top 10 had to wear sheer scarfs around their waist and have fun with them on stage while competing in swim wear.  I think we all freaked out at first, but once we saw how cool it looked we felt a bit more confident about it :-)

After rehearsal we had plenty of time to get ready.  I warmed up my voice, did some workouts and started doing my hair.  It all felt so surreal in a way.  I couldn't believe I was already getting ready for the Final night of Miss Minnesota week.  I thought to myself, "a new Miss Minnesota will be crowned in less than 3 hours!"  I recieved many cards and flowers from family and friends and I was already getting emotional before the show even started.  I appreciate all the love and support everyone has shown me.  I couldn't ask for better people to suround my everyday life.

Showtime was here! My dressing room always said a prayer before going on stage and we could feel the energy surge through our hands as we held them tightly together.  Thank you Siri and Emily for leading us in prayer our three nights of competition, you helped us feel at peace and excited at the same time.

After the incredible opening number, all 20 contestants stood on stage anxiously awaiting to see who the top 10 were.  This was the hard part!  I could never have chosen just ten people out of this group of ladies.  I really admire what Ann Swanson said at the brunch that morning, "the judges are not chosing a winner from a group of representatives, but a representative from a group of winners!"  I honestly believe that every single woman standing on that stage is indeed a winner.

I am very pround to say that I was a top 10 semifinalist and got to perform on the Miss Minnesota stage again that Saturday evening!  I feel very confident about my swim wear, evening gown and talent performances.  I would not have changed one thing.  Congratulations to the 4th runner up, Allison Lordbach, 3rd runner up, Lauren Johnson, 2nd runner up, Samantha Phillippe, 1st runner up, Siri Freeh and the New Miss Minnesota 2010, Kathryn Knuttila!  Kathryn is my best friend and I honestly felt like I had won Miss Minnesota that evening because I was so happy for her!  She will be a great Miss Minnesota and will represent us well during her year of service.  I cannot wait to see all of the wonderful things she will achieve this year. Kathryn, I'm so proud of you.

After the pageant I headed down to the reception area where I took plenty of photos with everyone who came to support me.  I said goodbye to as many of the contestants as possible and left for the hotel where my mom rubbed my feet (much needed)!  Now I'm back at home and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.  I was treated like royalty all week, never kept a phone on me, never knew what time it was, just enjoyed every moment.  Now I have to keep my phone on me, go to work, study for school, and apply to dental school!  Life is flying by and if there is anything that the Miss America Organization has taught me, it's to enjoy every moment and take in the experience.

The best part about competing for Miss Minnesota is that even though I did not win, I am still Miss Moorhead for three more months.  I am staying very busy with this HUGE event that I am planning on September 24th entitled, "Reach for your Dreams" at the College of Saint Benedicts featuring Tonic Solfa where all proceeds will be donated to the Children's Miracle Network!  Please get your tickets TODAY at

http://www.csbsju.edu/fine-arts/purchase-tickets.htm

My goal is to sell out the 1,047 seat theater! Help make my goal a reality and raise a substantial amount for the Children's Miracle Network!

I will be attending the Miss Brainerd Lakes Pageant this Saturday :-) I hope to see you all there.

Always,
Bethany Beniek 

Miss MN Week! FRIDAY

I cannot believe I am sitting in my hotel room for the last night of Miss Minnesota week!  This week went by so fast.  Today we all got up to eat breakfast at IHOP at 8:00am and then attended the Miss Minnesota Golfing Tournament :-)

The golfing tournament was great, but I have to admit - Lauren Johnson's family team was so funny!  They let me T-off for one of their female team members and I ended up getting it on the green for them! I was so proud of myself. I don't go golfing very often, but the one time it counted it all payed off!

After the golf tournament we headed back to the hotel to get ready for prelim night #2.  I competed in "On-Stage Question" and "Talent" this evening!  I was asked great questions and I feel very confident with how I performed.

Tomorrow I get to have brunch with my family and committee and can't wait to get caught up with everyone.  After brunch tomorrow it's the BIG NIGHT! The new Miss Minnesota 2010 will be crowned!

Congratulations to Kathryn Knuttila- Quality of Life Award recipient, Lexi Okeson-Swim wear winner, and Siri Freeh- overall talent winner!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Miss MN Week! THURSDAY

Competition day finally arrived! I had talent rehearsal today at 11:15am and my interview with the judges at 2:15pm.  We spent the entire day at the theater.  It went by so fast! I was so excited for the prelim pageant to begin :-)

I competed in Swim wear and Evening wear tonight.  I feel very confident about all areas that I have competed in thus far.  I can't wait to perform my talent tomorrow night!

My feet are absolutely killing me tonight!  Myself and about four other girls went down and sat in the hot tub to relax.  It felt great!  

Tomorrow we have breakfast at IHOP at 7:45am, attend the Golfing Tournament, and of course have the second prelim night competition :-) I hope to see you there!  

Always,

Bethany Beniek

Miss MN Week! WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, I got up at 5:00am to get ready to eat breakfast at the Original Pancake House.  It was so delicious! I had hot cocoa, banana pancakes and eggs over easy, just the way I like them :-)

After breakfast we went over to the theater to rehearse all day.  Honestly, I've never been so exited to perform an opening number.  It's so much fun! After rehearsal we got ready for the Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen Pageant and went to Santorini's for lunch.

We ended up being really early for the teen pageant so we made a stop at Target to kill some time.  It was so funny going into Target with all of our cocktail dresses on.  Everyone was asking us why we were so dressed up.

Finally we were at the teen pageant and it was so great to see my committee and family again.  They all came to support Paige Meyer, my sister queen (Miss Red River Valley Outstanding Teen).  Everyone was so talented!  Paige made me cry with her ballet performance and many other contestants made my jaw drop with how talented they were at such young ages!  Watching the pageant was very emotional for me knowing that that will be me on stage this week!  Congratulations to 2nd runner up, Bailey Wachholz, 1st runner up Paige Meyer, and the new Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen Katarina Akridge!

I have not been getting any sleep this week and was very excited to get 8 hours of sleep last night, BUT I woke up at 5:45am this morning and cannot go back to sleep.  I have my Interview today at 2:15pm and I compete in swim wear and evening gown tonight at Prelims.  I know my body is tired, but my mind is so occupied with thoughts I can't go back to sleep, so I decided to blog :-)

I hope to see you all tonight!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Miss MN Week! TUESDAY

Today we were up bright and early (like every day) and went to the Minnesota Zoo! It was so much fun having some free time to look at whatever we wanted.  A group of us went in the indoor exhibit where we sat and watched some awesome monkeys.  They had big bushy white tails and were hopping around from tree to tree and they even fought with each other.  I was very entertained!

After the Zoo we had lunch and had rehearsal for four hours.  Rehearsal was very fun!  We are using some incredible music this year and it is so much fun to rehearse to :-)

Once rehearsal was finished we had some time to freshen up to eat diner at BUCA! Buca was of course delicious, but I had to work out a little extra hard this evening because I ate so much!  I think almost all the girls were in the gym tonight because all we have been doing is stuffing our faces with outstanding food!

I'm SO excited for tomorrow (well except for getting up at 5am).  We eat breakfast at the Original Pancake House, head over to the theater for more rehearsal, and then get ready for the MISS MINNESOTA OUTSTANDING TEEN Pageant! Words cannot describe how excited I am to watch this pageant, it's going to be a blast!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Miss MN Week! MONDAY

As each day passes during Miss Minnesota Week it progressively gets packed with more things to do.  Today I got up bright and early to get ready to visit Gillette's Children's Hospital and the State Capital.  We had lunch from Panera and dinner at Fuddruckers.   We somehow managed to travel around the cities and take many photos with our sponsors.  After diner we came back to the hotel to rehearse the opening number.  If you don't come see the show you are missing out because this opening number will be so entertaining :-) I can't wait to show you all!!

My feet are starting to get a little sore, but what should I expect when I'm wearing heels for about 10 hours a day!

Tomorrow we go to the Minnesota Zoo and have rehearsal for 4 hours.  Let's not forget my favorite part, we eat dinner at BUCA tomorrow night! YUM!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Miss MN Week! SUNDAY

The five Quality of Life Finalists and Miss Minnesota

I bet you'll never see that at the Mall of America every day :-)

Today was packed with fun stuff.  I woke up at 7:30am, got ready and went to our directors room to design name tags for our hotel rooms.  Mine is pink and purple with sparkly flowers on it!  Everyone was so creative.

After making name tags I went back to my room and prepared for my Quality of Life Interview at 10:15am.  There were three judges for this award and it had a very relaxed feeling.  I think it went really well!

After the interview all of us contestants put on our red Introduction outfits and went to the Mall of America to eat at Panda Express.  The egg rolls were my favorite! Then we were off to the fashion show at Glitz.  I had SO much fun wearing two dresses.  One was a purple cocktail dress and the other was a beautiful deep blue evening gown.

After mingling with my family and friends who came to watch, we went to eat at Crave (also located in the Mall of America).

We had our first rehearsal tonight and walked through how the show will be.  You don't want to miss this pageant! It's going to be so entertaining and FUN!!

Tomorrow we are going to Gillette's Children's Hospital and the Capital and having more rehearsal.  I'm getting very excited for prelims!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Miss Minnesota Week! SATURDAY

Well it's official, I'm sitting in my hotel room enjoying my first night of Miss Minnesota Week.  I arrived around 4 o'clock today.  After getting checked in I brought my ridiculous amount of luggage up to my room and unpacked to get myself organized.  Sarah (my roommate) was already in the room.  Before we knew it we had to be downstairs to leave to go bowling!

The moment all the girls got in the vans all the cameras came out and we all started taking photos :-) I'll post all my photos right after June 19th.  The photo above is my bowling team, Aja, Tiffany, Lacey, and I.  We called ourselves the "Winners" so we tried to create a "W" with our bodies.  I think it was quite successful! Although my bowling team came in last place I am proud to say I bowled a 129!

After we arrived back from bowling, we met up in a common room to talk about the plans for tomorrow.  I have my Quality of Life Award Interview at 10:15am and then we are leaving for the Mall of America to have lunch at the Panda Express.  I'm looking forward to the Glitz Fashion show tomorrow, I love wearing dresses! I hope to see you all there at 2:00pm at Glitz!

I better get some beauty sleep because I didn't get any sleep last night (I was too excited).  I love sleeping in hotel rooms.  And let me tell you, this bed is very comfortable!

I'll try and keep you all updated throughout the week.
Always,
Bethany Beniek  

Send-Off Party

On Tuesday, June 8th, I had my Miss Moorhead Send-Off Party!  This was my first experience having a Send-Off Party because I didn't have one last year as Miss City of Lakes.  This was a joint send-off party for me and Paige Meyer, Miss Red River Valley Outstanding Teen. It was great practice for Miss Minnesota.  I modeled all my outfits which included my introduction outfit, interview outfit, evening gown and of course my talent gown and performed my talent as well.  I had a great time!  A great big thank you to the Eventide Assisted Living Home for hosting our send-off party!  Another great big thank you to Granite City DJ's for donating the sound equipment for the night (aka my boyfriend Travis).  Thank you to my wonderful committee for setting all of this up and my parents for making the drive up to Moorhead :-) Love you all! 

Only three days until check in! I better go start packing!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Quality of Life Finalist!

I am thrilled to say that I am a 2010 Tracie Joy McBride Quality of Life Finalist!  I worked really hard on my essay and tried relentlessly to put who I am onto paper.  What a great way to kick off Miss Minnesota week, a 10 minute interview talking about things that I am passionate about :-)

Also, this past week my little brother, Benjamin, graduated from high school and his graduation party was on Saturday, June 5th.  Since school is all over for Ashley (my little sister within the Big Brother's Big Sister's Program) we are allowed to meet with each other outside of school :-)  I invited her over to the graduation party to meet my family for the first time.  Not only did she meet my immediate family for the first time, she met my entire extended family and friends.  It was a little overwhelming for her at first because of all the names she couldn't remember, but once we ate some food and started playing some games she started to loosen up and become more relaxed.  We played card games, bean bag toss, and polish golf.  We had a great day together.  The very next day, June 6th, was her birthday! She turned 11 years old! She was having a sleep over with a bunch of her friends so I dropped off my gift for her before they all came over.  I got her an adorable beach bag from Hollister and a couple of movies for us to watch together.  We were so sad to part though because I won't see her again until after Miss Minnesota week.  I told her I would text her all of the results from pageant week and see her after Father's Day!  I like to share stories about Ashley and I because my relationship with her has really changed me as a person.  I truly feel like I'm making an impact on someone else's life.  I can see how much Ashley looks up to me.  I really want everyone to go through this same experience.  Please visit www.bbbs.org to see how you can become a Big Brother or Big Sister yourself!  It's something you would never regret.

                                                     Ashley and I playing Polish Golf :-)

The next four days are filled with my send-off party, mock interviews, driving to the cities three more times, getting my hair/nails/toes done and of course PACKING which I haven't even started.  I put all my pageant stuff in a separate room for now.  I'm organized I just haven't put anything into luggage yet. I simply cannot wait.  I can't sleep I'm so excited.  To give you a little perspective I went to work out tonight at midnight and am writing in my blog at 1:15 AM!!  I can't stop thinking about the pageant!

Always,
Bethany Beniek