Update

Hello, friends and family! It's been a while since I updated my blog. Every week since the beginning of February has been a whirlwind. I had media appearances promoting Forever. For Real. at the beginning of the month. Then my new position as Executive Director with Blended Love (it's a dream-come-true job for me!) was announced. I also had about five appearances a week on average. I judged the Oklahoma Elite USA / Miss Sooner State American Coed double header pageant last weekend, created my iFace with my fabulously gifted sponsors at New Day Media, learned a lot about marketing and creating relationships via the social media at the New Media Labs in Broken Arrow, trained for my position as the Vice President Public Relations of Toastmasters Tulsa Club #148, visited my favorite kids in Mrs. Mills' 5th grade class at Skelly Elementary, and I'm sure I left something out!

I'm so grateful to all of my sponsors, especially Oxygen, Inc. at the Promenade mall. As I have been running from one event to the next, Sarah Oh and her team at Oxygen have helped me to look and feel my best by dressing me in fabulous, affordable, youthful-but-not-too-youthful styles for all of my events and meetings. I also graded my first exams for the semester for my trig students and I was really sick for a bit. I had strep throat and a sinus infection. (Yuck! Maybe that's too much information? Sorry!) Life has been crazy but fun.

Bobby and I had a beautiful Valentine's Day. He was also promoted this month (I'm so proud of my hard-working man!). Even though we have been struggling financially due to my reduced hours at Tulsa Community College, I feel that it has really helped us to focus on what is really important in life. I have the opportunity to live my dream, helping children of divorce and helping couples nurture their relationships, with my husband's full support. I'm so very grateful that he stands behind me in this!

The Mrs. Oklahoma pageant will be here before we know it! I'm getting excited, and I'm feeling that it's crunch time. It's time to dot my i's and cross my t's to make sure I give it my very best. Honestly, no matter what happens, I'll be fine with whatever God has planned for me. I just don't want to take anything for granted. I also don't want to forget why I'm really doing this. Pageantry is fun and I love confidence and the sense of accomplishment that comes from preparing to do your very best -- but I also know that for me, being Mrs. Oklahoma is about serving others and being a role model, and more specifically, about addressing the divorce problem and changing the divorce culture. If I spend a few less hours in the gym because I'm out in the community making a difference, that's fine by me. I take care of myself, but I don't obsess over it, because serving others is really what being Mrs. Oklahoma is all about.

I'll post pictures and blog posts about February's events as soon as I get a little downtime! I'm off to trig! I'll write again soon.

On the Air with Steve on KBEZ

Wardrobe provided by Oxygen, Inc.
Located on the lower level of the Promenade Mall, next to Macy's.

Last week, I sent the word out that I wanted to promote my platform of supporting families and addressing divorce, and most specifically, the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative's Forever. For Real. event. Steve Smith, of Steve and Carly in the Morning on KBEZ, graciously accepted and allowed me to talk about this important cause and this fantastic event on the radio. It was a lot of fun! I love spending time with Steve. All of the staff and volunteers of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative are working together to make sure we have as many people as possible in attendance at this Saturday's free, skills-based, marriage-enriching event. It's for any couple, whether you are dating, engaged, or married with years of history together, although engaged couples can save $45 on the marriage licenses by attending. In sum, it's an event for any couple who wants to make "forever - for real."

Click the link to register for this Saturday's Forever. For Real. event, and be sure to mention that Mrs. Tulsa sent you!

Steve and I also recorded another segment, focused on Blended Love, and our wonderful divorce support programs. The Blended Love segment will air on a later date. Thank you so much to Steve and KBEZ for helping me spread the word about these important causes! No man is an island. We simply can't do it alone. I know I was able to reach a much larger audience through KBEZ! If just one more couple attends a Forever. For Real. event, we have made one relationship better and done our job. Thank you Steve and KBEZ, for giving me a venue to share my passion with others! Click play below to hear the Forever. For Real. segment.

My Mission Statement: Supporting Families & Addressing Divorce

So many people just don't get 'this pageant thing' that I do. I compete because the little bit of celebrity status the title provides me allows me to reach many more people with my cause of supporting families and addressing divorce.

Relationship Education
I want more individuals to know what a healthy relationship looks like. I want them to feel empowered, to know that healthy relationships aren’t just for some people who came from picture perfect homes, but that healthy relationships are for them. I want more people to take advantage of the awesome opportunity to get a free research-based, skills-based education on how to build and nurture a healthy relationship. I want that love we feel on our wedding days to last. For that reason, I encourage every individual and every couple to seek out the free relationship workshops offered by the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. We have Forever. For Real. for couples, Within My Reach for singles, Relationship U for college students, and many more programs for teens, for couples with new babies, for stepfamilies, for incarcerated individuals, and for many other groups…There are too many to list! I want everyone to know that “forever” can be “for real” and not only that, but we personally can make our relationships satisfying and lasting. For more information, go to www.okmarriage.org and www.foreverforreal.com.

Divorce Support For Children and Families
I also want to increase access to divorce support programs for youth.

My parents divorced when I was 13 and it was very difficult for my sisters and me.

Blended Love is an outstanding organization that provides real services for children of divorce. Our goal is to equip these children to deal with change in healthy ways. We have three programs to allow us to reach that goal. In our first program, we provide library resources for children, teachers, and staff about dealing with changes in the family structure. In our second program, Calm Classrooms in Turbulent Times, we teach teachers how to support children of divorce and children from changing families in their classrooms. Finally, we work hands-on with the kids in our research-based Things Change Journal Program. Through reading and writing, we help all children learn to cope with change in healthy ways.

My goal is to reach as many children and teachers as possible with Blended Love programming.

You Can Help!
You can help by writing or calling your principal or superintendent. Tell them you want divorce support programming at your school. You can also help by purchasing founder Monica Epperson’s children’s book, A Heart With Two Homes. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to Blended Love.

You can also help by educating yourself, investing in your marriage, and teaching your children to do the same. OMI programs are free – so there is no excuse! LOL When it comes to the most important people in our lives, there is always more to learn.

You can become a volunteer for Blended Love, or for the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. We are always looking for reliable, passionate volunteers who share our values and have the best interest of children and families at heart.

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Some people have said that my goals are too broad -- that as Mrs. Tulsa, I should choose one cause or the other. But I refuse to choose. We need relationship skills and support for families now more than ever. I hope you will join me on my journey.