Update to Miss America Post

I know you guys are probably getting tired of the Miss America thing, but KNEB (our local radio station) just posted this video of the press conference and it has me presenting the congratulations card to Miss America.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Read this previous post:

Country Chicken Girl and Dan the Man Meet Miss America

No one is forcing you to watch it. I promise I will still like you even if you don't watch it. You can even leave me a comment that you have had enough of the Miss America thing and I won't take offense, but I still think it is kind-of neat-o. Wait until I get to share the story with all my little granddaughters and can show them the video on YouTube! I'll be one super cool grammy!





If you really want to see the whole press conference, there are four parts to it. You can find them all on YouTube. Just click on the YouTube video here and it should take you to the YouTube page where the rest of the videos are.

Country Chicken Girl and Dan the Man Meet Miss America

Well, well, well... who says nothing exciting ever happens around here?

Actually, we never say that here at the ranch. Where there are animals... there tends to be excitement. One thing that is absolutely predictable is that animals are always unpredictable, which can lead to a little excitement now and then.

But that's not the subject of this post... I am getting off track.

I am talking about excitement that happens once in a life time. Excitement that is atypical and abnormal to experience when you are married to a rancher, live in the middle of nowhere, and hardly ever get to vacation or travel. Day in and day out, our lives are pretty mundane, predictable, ho hum, etc.

But for a brief hour or so, that was not the case on Wednesday afternoon.

If you missed the post about the BIG Miss America Congratulations card, you need to stop reading this post and backup and read this post before you continue or you won't know what I am talking about.

Help Us Welcome Home Teresa Scanlan, Miss America!

So we had the signing of the card at the winter farmers market and had quite a few people stop by to sign the card. Everyone loved it. It was beautiful! Thank you so much Spencer for your gracious donation. If you don't know who Infinite Graphics is, check out their website. They have any printed product and/or business advertising items you may need for your business or home! And if you need a BIG card for something, Spencer is your man!

Here's a picture of Spencer "reading" the card at his shop.

Hey Spencer, do you need your bifocals to read that card?

Spencer said while holding the card,
"You guys wouldn't believe how heavy this card is!
My arms are getting sore. Hurry with the picture!"

We were laughing so hard while poor Spencer was
trying to hold the card still for the picture.

So anyway, back to yesterday. It started as any normal day here at the ranch. Chores in the morning, then to work on what ever project is on the schedule for that day.

Yesterday, the project was to paint the guest bedroom which we are remodeling. Here we are, a typical picture of what we look like while we are working. By-the-way, that is a painting hood I have on my head since I was spraying paint. If you don't wear a hood, you end-up with a hair coloring job like Dan the Man's.

Me spraying the ceiling. Cute, huh?

This was the just of the morning. But the afternoon held something new for both of us. We were attending a press conference in Scottsbluff for Teresa Scanlan's, Miss America 2011, homecoming. Dan the Man and I were going to present THE CARD to Teresa at the press conference. We even had to get press passes for the occasion.

Here is a picture of the press pass.



After we got done painting, we ate lunch and got ready to go to town. I sure was glad I wore that spraying hood. It would be just my luck NOT to wear it and then have paint speckled hair to deal with before a press conference where I was making a presentation to Miss America! After my shower I must have tried on about 4 outfits before I chose what I was going to wear. Dan the Man even asked me to iron his shirt AND his jeans. He wanted to look his best as well.

I think we clean-up pretty good!

Remember the "BEFORE" picture?



AND the AFTER PICTURE!

I wrote a little "speech" of what I wanted to say to Miss America when we presented the card... so I practiced it over and over before we went and also during the 20 minute drive into town.

When we got to the Hampton Inn Conference Center, where the press release was to take place, the conference room was full of reporters and their cameras. Not FULL as in a presidential press conference, but FULL as in a press conference in Western Nebraska. I believe almost all of our news sources were there along with 9 News from Denver, the Lincoln Journal Star and a paper from North Platte.

Dan the Man and I felt a little out of place especially since we didn't know too many of the people who were there. I had spoken with the Miss Nebraska Organization people and had made the arrangement to present the card through them. We introduced ourselves to Dr. Scanlan, Miss America's dad, and waited for the big moment. While we were waiting I scoped out a person who I thought would be willing to take our picture with my camera while we were presenting the card. I don't know who I asked, but she said she would be more than happy to snap a shot or two for us. I gave her instructions on how to use the camera and left the camera in her capable hands. It seems like we waited a long time before Miss America was in the building. Just as we heard that she was coming down the hall, my camera woman brought me back my camera and said that the batteries were dead! Egads! Wouldn't you know it, I left the camera bag with the extra batteries at home.

The card before Miss America entered the room.
The one picture I took before my batteries died.

Miss America entered the room and people were taking pictures left and right. I was so BUMMED that my batteries were dead. We were first on the agenda so we were introduced and it was our turn to present the card. Dan the Man had it easy. He just went up with me and smiled real pretty! I pulled out my little speech and managed to stumble once because I didn't want to totally "read" it so when I tried to say it on my own I goofed it up a little. Oh well, I am human and it didn't really bother me too much. Miss America was genuinely surprised and loved the card. I told her we were really glad we didn't have to mail it because we were really having a hard time finding an envelope for it and didn't think we would be able to afford the postage on it.


With our turn over, the press conference went on. The mayor of Scottsbluff presented Teresa with a key to the city and then the press asked her questions. I think it lasted for about 45 minutes or so. After the questions we all had time to take pictures with Teresa. Well, all of us who had cameras with batteries in them. Thankfully, one of the reporters with Miss America said he would take a picture of us and send us a copy! Thank you Randy Henry of "On3 Photography."


After the press conference we told Teresa's parents that we would be more than willing to deliver the card to their house since it was a little hard to maneuver. They gladly took us up on our offer. So off we went to deliver the card. After dropping the card off at Miss America's house, we drove back to the ranch. We discussed how much fun that had been, from watching the pageant on tv to personally meeting and presenting the card to Teresa.

Then Dan the Man said something like, "well, now it is time to move on to the next non-profit for the farmers market," which is the local chapter of the Red Cross.

Yep, time to move on. We got home, changed back into our work clothes and worked some more on the guest bedroom.

Just another day in the life of one Country Chicken Girl and her man, Dan!

Help Us Welcome Home Teresa Scanlan, Miss America!

Wow, have I've got some exciting news to share.

I have had this in the works now for a couple of weeks and have finally got all the details taken care of and can finally share this newsflash!

For those of you who don't know, the newly crowned Miss America, Teresa Scanlan, is from my home state of Nebraska. But not only is she from my beloved Cornhusker state, she is from the same county, Scotts Bluff County. Actually her hometown of Gering, Nebraska is about 20 miles from where we live. Do I actually know her? No... but let me tell you that Teresa winning the title of MISS AMERICA has caused quite the excitement here in our little corner of the state known as the Panhandle.

Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011

As most of you know, I have organized the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market this past year. At each of the winter markets, we try to feature a non-profit organization that market-goers can donate to while they are shopping at the market. I have posted about several of them in the past.

Oh and by the way, you might like to know that our last organization, SKIPPER'S CUPBOARD, collected tons (not literally) of dog & cat food along with a total of $355.69 in cash donations. I will post about that very soon and share some pictures of Snickers and the market with you.

Anyway... back to what this post is suppose to be about.

I had heard on the radio a while back that the Miss Nebraska Organization would be responsible for the cost of Teresa's homecoming celebration. I immediately thought that the Miss Nebraska Organization would be perfect for an upcoming non-profit organization at the winter farmers market! What a perfect cause for the Panhandle residents to support.

At each of the markets where we feature a non-profit we usually collect donations from the vendors and compile a basket full of goodies to be given away to some lucky person who donates to the cause. In other words, if you donate to the cause, you get to enter your name into a drawing for a gift basket compiled of goodies from the market vendors. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do something other than a gift basket as a give away... I wanted something "special" for this cause.

Then the idea came to me, that we should have a BIG card, a congratulations card, for people to sign for Teresa. But, with the winter market not having a large amount of funds available for such things... I thought that it would be a great idea to have a local business donate the card. I called Spencer McMurtry who owns and operates Infinite Graphics in Scottsbluff and mentioned the idea to him. Spencer was very gracious and said he would be more than happy to donate the card! Thanks again Spencer!

This card is going to be BIG folks. We are not talking a "large" card, we are talking a 4ft by 4ft Congratulations Card. Not a poster, a real card, you know with a fold that opens up! My idea is to have the main artwork of the card be the signatures and congratulatory wishes from the residents of the Panhandle. We will have a rainbow of permanent markets available to sign the card and a lot of space for signatures.

We will present the card to Teresa at the press conference on Wednesday, February 23rd, time to be announced.

So, here are the particulars. The card will be available to sign at the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market on February 19th from 1-4pm at the Scottsbluff Hampton Inn Conference Center. Cash donations will also be accepted for the Miss Nebraska Organization to help pay for Teresa's homecoming celebration on February 23rd.

Please help us spread the word so that we have TONS of signatures on the card! I am sure that there are SEVERAL people who would like to personally congratulate Teresa for her accomplishment. What a perfect way to do so! Let us also donate to Teresa's homecoming! If you would like to donate to Teresa's homecoming, but will not be able to bring your donation to the Winter Farmers Market on February 19th, you can donate directly to the Miss Nebraska Organization (you can click on the link.)

To become a volunteer/sponsor/donor for the Miss Nebraska Organization, please contact:

Jay & Amy Engel: Co-Directors
2220 Cedarberry Rd.
North Platte, NE 69101
Home: 308-534-3638
Fax: 308-532-6748
jaengel@charter.net

Janet Heinzle, President
2320 West "A" Street
North Platte, Nebraska 69101
janetl@nque.com


Hope to see you all at the market!! You can follow details of the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market on Facebook.

Be sure to "like" Infinite Graphics on Facebook in show of your appreciation for their generous donation!