What a whirlwind weekend!

This weekend, Renier and I headed to Las Vegas to meet some VIPs of the Mrs. California International Pageant family, which are a few of our beloved sponsors.  First off, we met Raeanne Smith Ducca of Royal Image Boutique and tried on a few evening gown options for the Mrs. International Pageant.  It was my first time meeting Raeanne and she was extremely warm and funny!  You can tell she LOVES PAGEANTRY! So of course, we had lots to talk about!

She is gracious enough to sponsor my national competition evening gown, which I cannot wait to share with you at the pageant!  It's going to be GORGEOUS!!!

Raeanne and me after trying on a few evening gowns

After a morning of playing "dress up," I got to play "high fashion model," with Terry and Judy Wright.  This was Renier's favorite part of the day, as he is a freelance photographer and loves to speak "photo" with other photo buffs.  He and Terry were two peas in a pod and I could tell Renier was soaking up every second with Terry. They were talking lighting, camera lenses, and other photo jargon that I have no idea about! But Renier was loving it! Judy was just so welcoming (and talented to boot!) and I loved working with her too!  She made me glam, yet still myself, and helped me channel my inner supermodel to create some awesome photos!

Judy helping me get "all gussied up!"

Judy and me after a successful photo shoot!

Renier and I spent the remainder of our Las Vegas trip enjoying the sights and sounds of the strip!  We love to walk around, shop and people-watch!  After a few more trips to the outlet malls, we headed home to Palm Desert on Sunday night.  What a whirlwind weekend!

Also happening right now is the national Alzheimer's Association Advocacy Forum in Washington, DC. Nearly 1,000 Alzheimer’s Association advocates, from all 50 states, are delivering an important message to Congress: Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in America, with costs set to skyrocket in the years ahead. Over the next 40 years, caring for people with Alzheimer’s will cost our country $20 trillion, so we need to urge Congress to continue its commitment to the fight against Alzheimer’s by increasing funding for Alzheimer’s research by $200 million in fiscal year 2015. 



For more information on how to be an Alzheimer's Association advocate, go to: http://www.alz.org/advocacy/take-action.asp.