What fun it was to judge the Miss Parkersburg Pageant May 25.

It was my pleasure to judge the Miss Parkersburg pageant. Emory Ballhagen is the new Miss Parkersburg.

No coincidence, it marked three years to the day of the devastating EF5 tornado which claimed 8 lives.

These young women deeply impressed me with how they have risen above extreme challenges.  

One contestant lost her home during the tornado.

One  contestant tearfully recounted how she was present when a gunman walked into the high school weight room and shot beloved Coach Ed Thomas.

Another contestant’s boyfriend was present during the shooting and has had to journey back from that horrible day.

But these young women all had clear direction.  They all participate in their communities through sports, music, speech, dance, and so much more.

God is an integral part of these ladies’ lives as well.

As I told their parents, the future is in good hands with young people like this.

The new Miss Parkersburg is Emory Ballhagen – a senior who is rolling full steam ahead to Iowa State University to study biological engineering. 

She is the student government president, and brought in a speaker to talk to students when she noticed some friends turning to drugs and alcohol.

She also got the community involved in a program called Elevate, which seeks to help young people transitioning out of foster care at age 18.

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…And she is a beauty.  Little Harper Katherine Steele was born May 19 at 7:47 a.m. 

Ron Steele's first grandchild Harper, born May 19.

She weighed  six pounds, two ounces at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.

Harper is the daughter of Ron’s oldest son Ben and his wife Abby.

Mom and baby are in good health and all is well.

Here’s to a happy new chapter in the Steele family!

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Ever since I was a young teenager, I have looked up to journalist and author Maria Shriver.  

I still do.

My heart breaks for her.

The heartbreaking split of this power couple begs the question, why do affairs start and how can you prevent them?

I can hardly imagine the pain and embarrassment that Shriver and her children are going through.

Infidelity on husband Arnold Schwarzenegger’s part has shattered the couple’s image.

It brings to mind the questions of why does infidelity start?

There are more temptations now more than ever to cheat.

I know one couple personally whose marriage ended after the wife met up with an old boyfriend over Facebook.

And there are hundreds more stories like it.

Here is a link to a great resource from the Family First Blog.  It’s called “10 Ways to ‘Affair Proof’ Your Marriage”.

The cliche is true: Marriage truly takes time and effort.

As one therapist put it on the Today Show a few weeks ago, some couples think dates are too expensive. You know what’s expensive?  A divorce.

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Wheels, helmets and… fishnets?

Must be talking about Roller Derby. 

We aired this story a while ago, but I realized I didn’t put it on my blog!  

So in case you didn’t see it, watch us making a fool of ourselves.

Danny DeBEATO, Rock of Gibrawler, Morganized Chaos, and more…

Those are just some of the Roller Derby names you’ll find in The Cedar Valley Derby Divas “Push-Up Brawlers” team based in Waterloo.  Click here to see me suit up!       

Meet Sunny "Get out of My" Layne

Recently two co-workers and I joined the Push-Up Brawler as “fresh meat girls” for a practice – how do you like that?

Amazingly we lived to tell the tale…

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I met one of the most amazing women I’ve ever met, and I had to share her with you.

Her name is Mollie Graves, mother of four, wife to First Lieutenant Russell Graves serving in Afghanistan.

Piano teacher, choir director, and she teaches all four children school at home.

Click here to watch her story.  

Military wife Mollie Graves provides a stable environment for her children while husband and father Russell serves in Afghanistan.

Did I mention that her four brothers serve or have served in the military, as well as her nephew?

And she lost her father to cancer in November 2010, and her husband couldn’t return to comfort her.

She and her mother say they find strength from God.

We featured her during our recent series, Iowans on a Mission Home Front.

One of my favorite quotes from Mollie, speaking of her children: “I want them to learn that you do the right thing even if you don’t particularly enjoy it, that you develop good character through the trials in your life. So you don’t begrudge the trials. You do it because it’s your job, and you do it because it’s needed.”

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First of all I want to apologize for not posting for some time.  I am sorry!

Thank you for reading my blog on the musings of parenthood and life.

May 7 I had the choice experience of attending the University of Northern Iowa’s Commencement with my husband and daughter.

I really wanted to make sure that my daughter could say she saw the First Lady of the United States.

Maybe she didn’t understand what was going on at the time, but one day she can tell her grandchildren about it.

A memory for the ages: listening to First Lady Michelle Obama.

Michelle Obama gave a great speech – she talked about how family anchors you, service connects you, and to reach for your dreams.

Here’s a picture (you’ll have to trust me that Mrs. Obama is on that stage and her image is in the jumbo tron.

The experience made me think of my own mother, and how much she valued being involved in the nation’s government, and appreciating truly momentous occaisions.

Whatever your politics may be, it is always an honor to be in the presence of the leaders of our nation and their families.

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