I write this, my last blog as Classic Ms. Global United, to the 2013-2014 Global United Pageant contestants. If you’re like me, now is the time when you are in full stress out mode- about packing, making sure you have just the right outfits, comfortable but cute shoes, an amazing scrapbook of your community service, and every little detail has been thought of, shopped for and readied. 
It is now that I encourage you, instead, to step back for a few minutes, and remember why you are in the Global United Pageant. Why this one rather than another one? You see, I was never a “pageant girl”. In fact, being in a pageant has always been the furthest thing from my mind. If you don’t know my story, please go to the Global United website and click on my photo. It will take you to it, where you will see that I have been on a journey over the past few years to change my life. Competing in this pageant last year was part of that journey. NEVER once did I think I would win. What I did instead was to enter this week being myself. For the most part I wore clothes I already had and didn’t lose my mind putting so much weight in how fancy my dresses were or if my shoes matched perfectly. In the end, I was given the talent award, Best Eveningwear and Best Interview, before having the beautiful crown placed on my head as I received my new title as Classic Ms. Global United. The judges’ made comments on my scoresheet that included “She has real and practical ideas that are already implemented and do-able plans for the future.” “She is the REAL DEAL. Very confident! GREAT eye contact!”, “AWESOME”, “well poised”, “working it!” and “So impressed with her”. And even while those things were said about me by the judges, other women that competed against me thought I shouldn’t have won. Please remember, none of the others are in the interview with you, none of them have reviewed your volunteer log, read your essay or seen your scrapbook. Be real. Be yourself. And never doubt that you CAN take home the crown. I wish you luck and can’t wait to meet you all!

Classic Ms. Global United 2012-2013 Lisa Stordahl <3

                                                     I'm marrying my biggest fan in 30 days!

Time Really Does Fly!

I can't believe how fast one year goes!
It feels like just yesterday that I was on stage in my pageant dress receiving my crown from Rose in tears not believing that I had won!
This has been an amazing year, and I wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way then representing Global United Pageants as Miss Global United!
In the next few days as I get a chance to meet and get to know all the new contestants and the girls that will be running for my title, I hope that who ever takes my title and wears the crown wears it with pride because she was chosen to represent this pageant! :)


Here are a few pictures from some of my favorite events of this past year!

Top Left:
This is a picture of me volunteering for Kids n Kinship's Christian Elder Bike Memorial. I helped set up the event before the riders came back from a long bike journey that took weeks!!!! I played games with the kids, I even made a Thank you card which im showing in the picture!
Top Right:
This is also a picture of me volunteering for Kids n Kinship's Birthday Bash. I helped put together these yellow bags full of toys, books, and candy which will be distributed then later parents can get for there kids if they cant afford to get there kid a birthday present!
Bottom Left:
This is me volunteering for NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance for Mental Illness). I spent about an entire day sorting and packaging boxes full of games, toys, and cleaning supplies for all sorts of ages that would then end up getting delivered later that day to psychiatric hospitals.

 Sincerely, Miss Global United <3

Mrs. Global United photos with friends

 

 

 

I had to share one of my favorite photos, this is Nick and George. They are twins and they both served in the Korean War. They were so honored to have their picture with me.....but as I told them, the honor is all mine!!! These two are just adorable!!!

 

 

 

 

Where In The World?

Where is the world has Mrs. Global United been??? I have been everywhere in my crown and sash!!!

I have had so many amazing opportunities to meet incredible people and volunteer with organizations that are just amazing! I have golfed with blind and disabled veterans at the National Veteran's Tee Tourney, worked at the Stand Down for homeless veterans event, spent time at Dillard's Dept store promoting their clothes.....Dillard's has been very supportive of me and I buy many of my appearance clothes there! I have attended Honor Flight ceremonies and was even blessed to be a guardian to 2 Korean vets on a trip to Washington D.C. to see the WWII and many other memorials. I have volunteered at senior citizen expos, Birdies for the Brave, chaperoned the Miss Iowa/Iowa Teen USA and Miss Colorado/Colorado Teen USA pageants, have been a guest speaker at events to honor our military and veterans and dressed up to attend the Veteran's Day banquet.
Joe and I had the great privilege to travel to California and judge the NAM Nationals!! What an experience that was!!! I have never seen so many talented, well spoken and beautiful young ladies at once!! This experience taught me, that while judging, we really do just look for the best you!! We spent Thanksgiving with 100s of girls and their families and had some very delicious food! I hope to go back some day!!
For Christmas, my husband took me and all 5 of our kids to Cozumel! It was so fun to visit Mexico and take beautiful photos on the beach. I was so happy I was able to visit at least one other country as the International Queen!! The staff at the hotel also had fun.....they were all in awe of my gorgeous crown!! Who knows......maybe someday we will have contestants from Cozumel, I volunteer to do the recruiting!!!
Some of my favorite times have been spent time with my Princess Izzy, we had a great time attending parades! When I met her, she was so quiet and shy and now this spunky 11 year old can out talk me!!! And that is hard to do! Thank you to Global United for extending the opportunity to our youth, to gain self confidence and life skills they might not have had the chance otherwise.
Rounding out my time as Mrs. Global United, I celebrated the 4th of July attending the Voices of Hope concert, a parade of course, I attended a fundraiser for vets Fly-In breakfast at the airport, was a special guest at the Riverside, Iowa Blues Fest and after a hot day playing with the kids I found myself working at the beverage tent while the community danced the night away! Something I never thought I would do in a gown, heels and my crown and sash!! But it was so much fun!!

What can I say...... I have spent the last year doing so many things in my crown, sash and heels I never dreamed possible........guess that saying..."give a girl the right pair of shoes and she will conquer the world" is true!! This has been a year full of excitement......and I am not done yet!! One more week as your Mrs. Global United......... tick tock, making every minute count!!!

Isn't it funny what a difference a year can make in your life? If I go back a year ago, nearly every facet of my life was different from what it is today. I was a single parent of two amazing teenagers, trying to keep it together in a house I dreaded coming home to, struggling in a relationship with a man I loved dearly but couldn't get to see that I was worth fighting for...and preparing for the Global United Pageant at the very same time.

A little background: In 2010, I was recently divorced and underwent gastric bypass surgery to lose 130 pounds that had burdened me for years. During that time I set three goals for myself. 1) I wanted to run in a race. For someone that struggled to climb a flight of stairs without nearly dying, running in a race was crazy to think of. I successfully crossed the finish line at the Warrior Dash in July of 2012 and prepare to run in it again this coming Saturday. 2) I wanted to dance again. I was a dancer in high school and I loved to perform, but as a morbidly obese woman my entire adult life, dancing on a stage was never going to happen. Until it did when I joined the competitive ladies dance group at Dancin on Broadway in Maple Grove. I love performing in competitions and recitals, and even end in the splits! 3) I wanted to be in a pageant. I didn't even know what that meant, but I knew I wanted to do it. The only person I could think of in the pageant world was Wendy Lindberg.  She and I were involved in the Minnesota Women of Today a few years before and I sent her a message to ask her what she could tell me. She shared with me that she had just started a new pageant of her own that was centered in community service. Being a lifelong volunteer, I felt like it was something I should look into. I talked to my daughter Sydney about it and she decided to do it with me. This will be so fun, I thought, not knowing much about the details. I went into it as myself, someone that had struggled to find herself and discovered a whole new life under all that weight- a life worth sharing with others in new ways. 

I became Classic Ms. Minnesota Global United and made many appearances as such. Pageant week came and I arrived with Sydney at the hotel, bags packed, still not knowing what to expect. The next few days brought me so much joy, new friends, laughs and incredible moments with my daughter. I made a new best friend, Cici Berardi, Classic Mrs. Scottsdale~ she is a beautiful person inside and out. I went through the week learning new things about myself and others. I gained a confidence in an evening gown and was just me in the interview portion of the competition. I showed the audience who I really was in the Personality Wear portion and even performed a solo tap dance for all to see. What happened next was a complete shock to me. I remember saying "this is not MY life!"

I was awarded best evening gown, best interview and the crown as Classic Ms. Global United! This, after telling Wendy nearly every time I talked to her "I'm not going to win, but..." Here I was, winning...that was amazing to imagine and experience, and this suddenly was MY life! The months since then have been filled with nearly 50 appearances and volunteer shifts in my crown, meeting countless people across many communities, learning so much about myself and experiencing so many emotions. I was pictured in the Pageantry Magazine more than once, spoke to hundreds of people and as an added bonus, Deidre Hall from Days of Our Lives even wanted to try on my crown at an appearance. (Of course, I let her :-)). 

I could never actually share with you all that the Global United Pageant has done in my life. All I can do is encourage you, no matter what size you are, how old you are, or where you've come from, register to be a part of the 2013 Global United Pageant. It is worth every dime and every minute of preparation. It will change you forever, win or lose. I will never look back and say that this wasn't worth doing. I would do it again and again if I could! This really could be YOUR life!   <3 Lisa Stordahl, Classic Ms. Global United 2012-2013

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There is still time to enter the Global United Pageant's LIVE program this year! There are specials going now and AWESOME gifts/events for all delegates competing this year! 
Planned for the week includes a trip to the Minnesota Schools of Cosmetology for a manicure or pedicure, the gold banquet, the Mall of America, and a trip the the University of Minnesota Amplatz for a party with the patients and their siblings!
This is really a meaningful and wonderful pageant week! We want you to join us!

Check it out at www.globalunitedpageant.com

A quote from the Global United Pageant Director Wendy Lindberg to me upon winning my crown~ "I have a passion to see women like you grow and fulfill goals, young ladies find an excitement for the community, and to see ladies who are trying to find who they are discover it before my eyes." She is amazing. Contact her today to learn more about how to climb aboard with us! 

Hi Everyone!

Sorry that it has been such a long time since my last blog but I have been super busy with my title and work!  It's crazy that my reign as Ms. Global United will soon be coming to an end as I travel back to Minnesota to help crown the new winners. I can't wait for the week of appearances, volunteer events, and FUN!! I still cannot believe how FAST this year is going! It's true when they say that “Time flys when you are having fun!” In the past few months I have been honored to attend some very special events and appearances throughout my state as Ms Global United 2012!

September 2012:
I started a Toy collection for Wisconsin Hospitals at my employer Anytime Fitness. We involved all 18 locations and our staff and members donated over 500 toys, books, markers, puzzles, and stuffed animals to children in the hospital. It took me 3 packed carloads to deliver the toys to the Milwaukee Children's Hospital and St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay WI.http://www.stvincenthospital.org/Scripts/pageview.asp?id=375

October 2012:
I was asked to do “Trunk or Treating” with my mom and help provide a safe, fun place for kids to Trick or Treat. We wore our crowns and banners and dressed in MANY warm layers!! We had about 50 youngsters come through by our trunk for some sugary treats. Some of them asked “Where did you get your costumes?” To which we just smiled and explained to their parents that we had actually WON our “costumes” at the Global United Pageant. We loved sharing the details of the pageant and all that it promotes with others at this fun event.

November 2012:
This month was spent preparing for the holidays. There were many of members at the gym and friends and family who didn't have a chance to donate during our Toy Drive... I began collected cash donations and were able to buy $250 in itunes gift cards to donate to Colleen Dooke in St. Vincent Child Life Floor so that the kids could buy games and movies to play on the hospital provided iPads during their stay. http://www.stvincenthospital.org/Scripts/pageview.asp?id=375

December 2012:
My mom and I took a trip 45 minutes Northwest to Shawano Wisconsin to hand out candy and information about Global United Pageants for their annual Christmas Parade. We also participated in Christmas Caroling outside St. Jame's Lutheran Church.

I also dropped off our itunes gift cards at the hospital along with the last carload of toys to St. Vincent hospital just in time for Christmas!!

February 2013:
I was asked to attend and judge the Fresh Faces pageant in Rockford IL along with my friend Saryna Ritter. It was a long day filled with tons of cutie pies! All the girls were so cute and LOVED trying on my “big girl” crown! I loved seeing all their routines and hard work that they put into decorating their Valentine themed outfits. Afterward they gave all the judges Valentine's … what a sweet idea!!http://internationalfreshfaces.com/illinois/index.html

March 2013:
I was honored to be requested as a judge at the Mrs. Wisconsin United States Pageant. What an experience! These ladies are some serious competitors, volunteers, and accomplished business professionals! I was glad that I was on the judging panel and not the stage! Haha The winner – Aundrea Coon, and I have become quick friends. It's nice to have someone to tag along to appearances and volunteer events. http://www.mrswisconsinpageant.com/

April 2013:
This month has been one of the busiest yet! I completed a food drive through The Arms Forces: http://www.thearmsforces.org/ to provide food and hygiene products to homeless veterans and veterans in need. With the help of my coworkers we collected over 500 food donation items that were distributed throughout the Midwest.

We also collected diapers and female hygiene products as part of our “Diaper Drive” for since moms throughout the Fond du Lac Area. We collected a whole bin to donate.

I also attended The Pageant Event in Milwaukee Wisconsin with two of my BESTIES, Robin Ross Holmes and Wendy Lindberg. This event is great for promoting ANY pageant system or pageant related vendor. Global United had a beautiful booth set up by Wendy to recruit contestants and promote our cause. I promoted my online store and my new website and growing resale business “The Glass Slipper Pageant Resale Shop” which can be found online atwww.TheGlassSlipperPageantResale.com or on facebook. We participated in a fashion show and visited with close friends for the afternoon.

The following week I attended a Lunch event called “The Power of the Purse” put on by the Women's Fund in Fond du Lac. This fundraiser helps raise money for grants for women in need throughout the Fond du Lac community.
http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013304200054&nclick_check=1

May 2013:
Next weekend I will be meeting my sister in Vegas as we road trip back to Wisconsin and move her home for the Summer. We plan to visit The Vegas Strip, The Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, and Zion National Park. The Global United Crown and Banner with my with me all along the way back to good ol' WI ... so make sure you follow my Ms. Global United Page as I post pictures and updates on our trip!!!

SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO BE INVOLVED! Sr. Ms. Global United

Hi Everyone! 

I still have about 4 months left of my reign as Sr. Ms. Global United and can't wait to go out strong with more exciting involvement in community events.  It has been a fun few months being involved in fundraising, volunteering and being in the public eye.  It really is amazing how much attention a sash and crown brings.  I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to use my title to bring more awareness to children's cancer and suicide prevention.  As I have been healing from the grief of losing my son, I am realizing that I am a suicide survivor and that I can soon begin helping other suicide survivors.  A bittersweet opportunity, but very much needed.

Since my last post I have been involved in many numerous activities.  I have posted my event pictures on my facebook page in an album entitled Sr. Global United Happenings.  When you don't have a thing to do, check out my album.  I now have my own webpage too...so please check out my passion to help the hurting at www.sherrywestland.com  If you like my website, please click on the like button!

I have had the opportunity to judge several pageants with other women, some of whom I met for the very first time.  It's always wonderful to make new friends.  I have had such fun, especially judging my most recent pageant.  I just had to post this pix of "Baby Elvis" who won best Hollywood Theme in his age group.  The Midwest Dreams Pageant was held at the Sofitel Hotel in Bloomington, MN in February 2013.  The director was so organized and a pleasure to work with.  Is this baby cute, or what?

Anyway, life is good.  I have loved being a part of the Global United Pageant System and especially meeting & working with my wonderful pageant sisters and my director!  I'm not finished yet and have more activities to complete before my reign ends!  Can't wait to meet the new contestants in July! 

Sherry
Sr. Ms. Global United

Meet Mrs. Global United 2012-13

Hello everyone!!  I am your Mrs. Global United ~ Elaine Reinholz!!
 I am from Riverside, Iowa where I am a 40 year old mom to 5 amazing kids..... Amber-25, Zach-18, Adam-16, Emily-15 and Reagan 13 and I have been married to my best friend Joe since 2009!! We also have 6 fur babies...... 6 dogs!! What can I say... I have a huge heart and love being a mommy!!! I am beyond lucky to be a stay at home mom now but I am an Army veteran and have worked in the eduation and guest service fields prior.

August 25, 2012 is a day I will never forget.....this was the final day of Nationals, the day the 5 new Queens would be crowned. As I prepared for that night I thought of all I had done to prepare and I knew I had done all I could. It was in God's hands. I knew that even if I didn't win, being Mrs. Iowa had changed me forever. I had improved my speaking skills, found my confidence and self esteem, I learned to walk and pose in 4 and 5 inch heels, I learned how to wear make up, I learned how to make "cold calls" to organizations and present myself as a volunteer, I helped raise awareness and money for many organizations I will hold close in my heart forever. I learned that the biggest competition you have in a pageant..... and in life....is yourself. I made many new friends and have new "sisters." I learned to discipline myself to lose weight.... I taught my kids how to reach for their dreams and never give up....and I learned how important it is to have a supportive and caring husband to support your goals and dreams, and I learned that one person really can make a difference in their community!!  WHEW!!  Now that is alot to learn in just 8 short months as Mrs. Iowa!!!
So when I heard my name called as the new MRS. GLOBAL UNITED.......I had many reasons to jump as I high as I did..... in fact so high...... the earrings I borrowed from my sister Queen Autumn fell to the stage floor and broke!!! I knew that the judges had seen "the real me" and I was blessed!! All my work paid off!!   ( and I was very lucky Autumn has a heart of gold and wasn't upset with me)
In my interview I promised the judges I would not waste a day if I won!! And with  just 4 months into my reign..... I proudly say I have completed 30 appearances for over 400 hours of volunteer time!! 
Being Mrs. Global United is one of the greatest gifts God has placed in my life. I am thankful everyday. So stay tuned to see what I am up to...... I have 8 more months to go and alot more fun to have!!

With many hugs,

Mrs Global United ~ Elaine