Girls Just Want to Have Sun

It's SUMMER time!! Well, technically in 17 days Summer will be here. But for all of us who are out of school for the Summer, it feels pretty darn good! The past month of being Miss Clinton County has been a busy one! I know I say that every single month, but this last month in particular with Miss Iowa Week starting in just TWO days!!!! Woohoo!! Let's look at the past month before we talk about the excitement that is Miss Iowa Week. 

May began as a stressful month due to finals. The University of Iowa scheduled finals for May 9th through the 13th. Luckily, I was finished with my four finals on May 11. The day after I finished my last final, I had the opportunity to attend the Partnership for Drug-Free Iowa's Board of Directors meeting. Not only did I learn a lot about the status of drugs in Iowa but I was able to make multiple connections. Thank you to Anderson Erickson Dairy for hosting us.

The following week, the Miss Clinton County Scholarship Program hosted a fundraiser at the Clinton Pizza Hut in order to raise scholarship money. 10% of the proceeds fed into the MCC scholarship fund. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported our program!!

On May 18, I had the opportunity to speak with a new organization at my old elementary school. Thank you to Jolynn Kruzich and the Young Ladies Club of Lakeview Elementary for having me! I'm proud of these young ladies for waking up early to be at school at 7:30 AM every single Wednesday to enrich their lives. It was an absolute pleasure to speak with them about the four points of the crown: success, style, scholarship, and service. I know these young ladies will go far. 

My last appearance of the month was at Ashford University Field for Princess Night at the ballpark. I had the honor of throwing out the first pitch. It was a fabulous night for a ball game and the Lumberkings won! The night could not have ended better!

Now it is game time! Or pageant time. With leaving for Miss Iowa in two days, my days have been filled with final preparations, packing, and goofing off. Miss Iowa Week will be full of service, memories, excitement, exhaustion, energy, and so much more. Stay tuned to my Miss Clinton County Facebook page, Twitter (@Lange_13), and Instagram (@maddisonlange) for all of the adventures I have during Miss Iowa!!

With Miss Iowa is right around the corner, I reflect on all of the memories I have made in the past year and all of the memories I will make this next week. Next week might not turn out the way I hope it to but everything comes to an end at some point. But the one thing that will remain are all of the memories I make throughout the week. Life is filled with opportunities and chances.

Don't squander your time away flipping endlessly through social media or binge watching netflix, only so you can move on to another. Make memories. Do spontaneous things. Start interesting conversations about something that matters to you. Help someone when they need it. Spend tons of time with your family and your friends. LISTEN. Create, Do, Change. Travel to new places. Experiment with different hobbies. Make mistakes. It's life. Live, Love, Laugh, Learn. Enjoy.

Au revoir!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

As always I have kept myself busy over the past month. What can I say? I'm always a busy bee. It really does not matter how busy you are, but WHY you are busy. This month have gotten to do quite a few appearances and volunteering opportunities that are near and dear to my heart. The best part, I have gotten to do them with amazing people!! 

I began the month by having the opportunity to speak at Jefferson Elementary School with the D.A.R.E. Program in Clinton, Iowa. I was extremely excited to speak at Jefferson because my grandmother, Carol Lange, taught there. Officer Bussie was kind enough to let me interrupt part of his lesson and speak about my platform. I had a wonderful time speaking with two 5th grade classes about drug education. 

The next morning I had the opportunity to participate in Miss America Serves Day. My team organized a controlled substance pick-up at two locations in Clinton. Miss Clinton County's Outstanding Teen 2015, Julia Campbell, and I accompanied officer Ben Huizenga of the Clinton Police Department and Kristin Huisenga from the Gateway Coalition in Clinton. All together we collected 17.5 pounds of medication! ‪Take this into consideration: the average size of a pill is 300 milligrams. One pound equals 453,592 milligrams. THAT IS ABOUT 26,460 PILLS!!

Up next was Miss Iowa 2016 orientation! The day was a whirlwind! We started bright and early at 8:30 AM and lasted until about 3:45 PM. I am blessed to have the best board to prepare me and to share this journey with. I would not be able to do this without them. I love knowing I have their undying love and support. I can not wait for Miss Iowa week!

To end the month, I volunteered at the Autism Resource Expo in Cedar Rapids with Miss Eastern Iowa, Allison Gerstenberger. We had the opportunity to announce the guest speakers, meet the vendors, play with kids, and take home multiple goodies! All in all, a very productive morning. We were thrilled to be able to volunteer for the second year in a row.

This month, my advice seems pretty obvious with Miss Iowa drawing nearer and nearer. Carpe Diem. Seize the Day. So often are these words said, but how often are they understood? As a titleholder, we are given multiple opportunities to take charge and impact someone's life. This is absolutely fabulous and we love doing it. Sometimes we forget the change that can happen to us while making a difference. So while we are seizing the day, we need to soak in every experience that comes with it. Make the most of every chance and opportunity held before us. When you allow yourself to be that vulnerable and open, you become like a sponge. This change can effect your very soul and change you for the better so that you can have an even greater impact. 

May the Force Be with You.

Marching Over the Madness

Whew! Another busy month has come and gone. I am finally finding myself with the time to sit and blog. March and the beginning of April have definitely been a rolla-coaster. But with Miss Iowa preparations underway, who would have it any other way?!

I began March by volunteering with a group of girls at Beadology in downtown Iowa City. We spent about a hour helping create inspirational cards and beautiful earrings for new cancer patients at the University of Iowa hospitals. We enjoyed decorating the cards with inspirational quotes and designs.

A few short days later, I spent my entire Friday volunteering at the Distinguished Young Woman of Iowa Program. I had the opportunity to help back stage during the show as well as lead girls to their interviews. It was a very rewarding day.

The following week I had the opportunity to give back and help the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals at IHOP's National Pancake Day. I was honored to help the Coralville IHOP by hanging balloons on their wall to symbolize this form of philanthropy. I even donated and put my own balloon on the wall.

Next, I had the opportunity to speak about my platform on the EDUCATIONAL television show Breaking Bad. My purpose was to help educate about addiction as well as help families who are going through what I went through using my personal experience. Many families struggle to realize the importance of the before, during, and after process of abuse. If each phase is not handled and treated with proper care and diligence, life for the addict and especially family members can be worse.

Next up was a surprise appearance at Rebekah's birthday party. I was extremely excited to be able to make a special guest appearance with Miss Iowa, Taylor Wiebers, at the princess party. We had tea and played with all of the little girls. Everyone was definitely a princess!

The Clinton Kiwanis is a proud sponsor and scholarship provider for the Miss Clinton County Organization. I was honored to speak to them about my year of service, the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, and my platform. It was a fabulous afternoon!

Last weekend, I helped at the very last Miss Iowa local for the 2016 season, the Sweeps Pageant. I woke up bright and early to help lead the beautiful 11 contestants into their interviews. All of the women were phenomenal. Congratulations to the four new titleholders. The Miss Iowa Class of 2016 is finally complete!

Last but certainly not least was the Father Daughter Dance. I was able to attend the Father Daughter dance in Clinton with over 300 fathers and daughters in attendance. I thoroughly enjoyed dancing, taking pictures, signing autographs, and playing with many girls.  I loved seeing over 300 fathers and daughters come out for a magical afternoon. Every daughter is her daddy's princess.

Today I have a message that hits hard at home. That message is about strength. No, not physically. Mentally. Sometimes the world is not all that it seems, and sometimes the world is not very nice or helpful. My best advice is to do the best you can and learn from every opportunity, struggle, obstacle, pain, honor, etc. that is thrown your way. This can be hard to do and you may not know how to do it. You must trust the people around you to help you. Without this support system, life can be hard but you can make it through. Even though everything may not be as it seems, the people who really matter will be there for you building you up and not tearing you down. No matter what happens, these events in your life will make you stronger. As Kelly Clarkson says:

Learn from everything. Grow from everything.

One LEAP at a Time

February was another jam-packed month! Between the Miss Clinton County Princess Program and the last locals winding down, I have been on the constant go. Though, I would not have it any other way. 

On February 13th the Miss Clinton County board, Miss Clinton County, and Miss Clinton County's Outstanding Teen held the very first Princess Program at Bemis Pavilion. We were joined by four sweet and rambunctious little girls: Jenna, Bella, Natalia, and Kenzie. The Princess Program is designed to be a mentoring program between the princesses and the titleholders. Both sides benefit from this exciting and fun relationship. The program is designed for girls who are looking to improve upon skills that promote self-confidence and poise and find mentoring from today’s young leaders. 

The girls had a packed day full of Community Service, Arts & Crafts, Lunch, and More! Each little girl received a tiara and decorated her own sash for her crowning moment. It's surprising in how such a short period of time a little girl can teach you so much and touch your heart. Each second with these little girls your eyes are opened to a whole new world. To them, we are role models and mentors. To us, they are inspiration, motivation, and teachers. Together we grow. Together we have a blast! The next few months together will go by extremely fast.

The end of the month was filled with local pageants. February 20th housed Miss Johnson County and February 21st was Miss Burlington. I attended Miss Johnson County with the Miss Clinton County Board as well as my Alpha Chi Omega little Katie Markey. We had an absolute blast. The next day, I traveled with Miss Iowa, Taylor Wiebers, to Burlington. Sunday was a day full of singing, laughing, and fun. Congratulations to Christy Scimeca, Halie Struecker, Paige Siegworth, and Ally Markey on their titles.

                                                  

                                             

The last thing I want to leave you with, is to be yourself no matter what someone else thinks. If they dislike you, most likely they are jealous. Always continue to be the best you every single day whether that be at school, with your friends, or with yourself. Remember, you have to live with yourself. They do not. So why would you want to be anyone other then who you are? Being different is more fun. Be Original. Be Unique. BE YOU!

Have a FABULOUS March!