Holiday Cheer

I cannot believe Christmas has come and gone already.  Time sure does fly by!  I went to 5 Christmas gatherings in three days.  I loved spending time with my family and close relatives and of course eating as much mashed potatoes and turkey as possible :-) I certainly had my fill.  I am so thankful for the blessings that God has given me and what a better way to celebrate the birth of our Savior than by coming together as a family.

Last week, I rang the bell for the Salvation Army at the Herbergers store in Baxter with my little sister queen, Bailey Wachholz, Miss North Metro Outstanding Teen.  Because of our fierce Minnesota weather this past month, the Salvation Army has not been raising enough money for their upcoming year.  This was the first year ever where they actually sent the volunteers home because of the terrible weather in the Twin Cities area.  I wanted to help the cause so I volunteered my time ringing the bell.  Our shift was from 9:00am-12:00pm and we took turns ringing the bell when our hands got tired.  It was nice to have company this year.  Last year I did it by myself up in Moorhead and having someone to talk to made time go by a bit faster :-)

Bailey and I

The next day Bailey and I performed at the Mall of America in the Best Buy Rotunda.  It was a blast!  The mall was so busy with last minute shoppers.  It took my Dad and I about 25 minutes to simply find a parking spot.  The rotunda was decorated so beautifully with the biggest Christmas trees I have ever seen !  I sang many Christmas songs trying to spread the Christmas spirit :-)  I sold some of my CMN silicone bracelets to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network while we were performing.  Thank you so much to my director Christina for selling my bracelets and my Dad and Pam Wachholz for taking photos.  We also got some video footage of us performing and I will try and post them as soon as possible :-)

Bailey and I

Looking up at the four floors of people above me

The Biggest Christmas Trees Ever

My Cousin Carly and I

This week I will be attending Kathryn's send-off party in Detroit Lakes.  I am very excited to see her again and her new wardrobe.  I'm even more excited to watch her compete in Vegas!  I will be going to Miss America for my first time ever this year!  I will be there for an entire week watching all of the prelim nights and of course the final night!  I am so excited for Kathryn, she has already made Minnesota proud and I can't wait for the rest of America to meet her :-)

I hope you all have a Happy New Year!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Inspiring America Concert #6

On December 4th I attended my 6th "Inspiring America" concert.  This was Kathryn's last concert before she competes for Miss America in January.  It was yet again an evening filled with entertainment, laughter, and inspiring stories.  I realized that I sometimes underestimate the healing power of God.  John Leggate helped me see His power.  Here is part of his story from www.whohasinspiredyou.com  

          "Six years ago, John Leggate was diagnosed with cancer and given just months to live. 

          He sold his store in Minneapolis, planned his funeral and spent what he thought would

          be his last days with his family.  Here we are today... and John Leggate is still with us. 

          The doctors say that they have never seen anything like it and that he is truly a miracle. 

          John's attitude and amazing spirit and will to live should be an example for all of us to 

          follow."

The concert was a great success and I hope Kathryn will make her goal of raising $15,000 for the Children's Miracle Network before Miss America!  If you want to help the cause please buy one of Kathryn's CD's entitled "Blessed Beyond Measure" that contains 12 original compositions at www.whohasinspiredyou.com/cd.php 

We Love Our "Who Has Inspired You" T-Shirts!

I hope everyone is staying safe in this winter wonderland that I like to call Minnesota!  Yesterday alone I got stuck in the snow twice with my little Chevy Cavalier :-(  No need to go to the gym anymore, I have a driveway full of snow that needs to be shoveled every day! Not my favorite work out, but necessary.

I'm getting very excited to perform christmas carols at the Mall of America on December 23rd!  I have been rehearsing my christmas tunes ever since Thanksgiving!  I hope you can all make it!  I will be performing with Miss North Metro's Outstanding Teen, Bailey Wachholz,  between 3:00-4:00pm in the Best Buy Rotunda.  We will also be selling red and yellow silicone bracelets benefiting the Children's Miracle Network. Can't wait!

Always,

Bethany Beniek   

Fourpoints Magazine!

One of my crowning moments was featured in the Fourpoints Magazine this month! I scanned the page and you can see it below! How exciting!

Always,

Bethany Beniek

So Much To Be Thankful For

The month of November has flown by! Where did the time go? It's Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for.

I am so thankful of everyone and everything in my life.  God has led me to where I am today and I constantly find myself saying when I pray, "Thank you so much!"  I encourage you to think about all the things that you are thankful for on this special holiday.  Sometimes if we don't take time to think about what we are thankful for, it's easy to take it for granted.  Thanksgiving is a nice reminder of how no matter what life throws at you, there is always something that brings us happiness.

Another way of reminding myself to never take anything for granted is by attending Miss Minnesota's Inspiring America Concerts.  On November 6th,  I attended Kathryn's Inspiring America Concert in Wadena where there was yet again amazing talent to be shared and memorable stories to be told.  With the location being in Wadena, it was very touching to hear that one of the nominated Inspiring Americans was a volunteer who had tirelessly worked to clean up the pieces of their city that had previously been ripped apart by a tornado this past June.  Could you imagine losing your house to a tornado? You can read more about the inspiring stories at http://www.whohasinspiredyou.com/

Miss Coon Rapids, Allison Lordbock and I at the Inspiring America Concert

There will be another Inspiring America Concert in Coon Rapids on December 4th.  If you haven't gone to one yet you simply must attend, you won't regret it! I hope to see you all there.

On November 13th a New Miss Mankato 2010 was crowned.  Sadly I could not attend because of the snowy weather, but I waited up that night to hear the results! Congratulations to Natalie Davis, the newly crowned Miss Mankato!

And to end this month off with a bang, I got to sing the National Anthem for the Timberwolves basketball game last night (November 24th)! Where do I even begin?  I think to sum it up, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I had a blast! Not only did I get to sing I also got 4 tickets.  I brought my Dad, brother and boyfriend.  My brother was by far the most excited for he is an avid basketball player/enthusiast.  We arrived early and were taken into the Target Center (before the doors opened) and were sat in some court side seats to watch the players warm up. WOW we were all pretty pumped about seeing the players about 2 feet away from us.  I was even taken "Back Court" to warm up where there was a private DJ and a buffet of food.  There were guards everywhere and I had to wear my court side pass around my neck to be visible at all times.  I felt like a real VIP :-)

Once the time got close, they took me onto the court where I honestly felt like a baby ant.  All the players were so big and tall!

Standing next to DeJuan Blair

They told me how it was going to work and before I knew it they were announcing me to sing the National Anthem.  There had to of been at least 10,000 people there!  They announced me as, "Bethany Beniek- Miss North Metro." Since everyone loved my "Kevin Love" jersey they told me not to wear my banner because it would cover the jersey up, so they told me they would announce me as Miss North Metro which was so cool to hear.  If you want to see a video of me singing at the game follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yaq48LV9MQQ

Singing the National Anthem

I was displayed on the big screens in the center of the court

The game was intense with the Timberwolves ahead most of the game, but then lost in overtime. It was a very fun game to watch.  This was a once in a life time opportunity and I cannot believe I can check this off of my bucket list.  Like I said earlier, I have so much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

National Anthem at a Division 1 Hockey Game!

I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach from last night when I sang the National Anthem in front of over 5,000 people at the St. Cloud State Division 1 Hockey Game! I have sang our National Anthem well over 100 times at sporting events since I was 15 years old, but this one was by far the most exhilarating!

Look at all those people!

I have gone to several SCSU Hockey games through high school and I was so thrilled and honored that I was asked to sing the National Anthem!  The arena is HUGE holding 5,381 seats.  I arrived an hour before the game started.  The event coordinator took my mom and I into the empty arena where I was overjoyed with excitement when I saw how big the arena was.  He took me to an empty locker room where I warmed up and mentally tried to prepare myself.  All of these awful scenarios ran through my head, what if I fall on the ice, what if I forget the first note, what if I forget the words!  Even though I have performed this hundreds of times it still crosses my mind.

The time came where they took me into the penalty box and the anouncer was introducing all  of the players.  There were Husky cheerleaders on the ice doing beautiful figure skating moves and jumps, the lights were flashing with different colors and the anouncer reminded me of someone from Jock Jams.  The crowd went crazy over the Husky players, especially the student section.  This is where the butterflies started and for some odd reason my leg started to shake.  They told me to take the ice and I walked slowly to my spot.  The players were lined up on each side of me with the flag directly above us.  Finally the anouncer said, "Singing our National Anthem, performed by Miss North Metro-Bethany Beniek," I brought the microphone close and started to sing.

If you would like to see me singing the National Anthem, my mom video taped me. You can watch it by clicking on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOP8-jJES7A

You can't tell in the video, but my leg from the knee down was shaking profusley!  I have never had that happen to me, even when I performed my talent on the Miss Minnesota stage I didn't get that nervous.  I am very pleased with how everything turned out and it was an experience I will never forget! 

The spotlight

I had to wear my SCSU St. Cloud Sweatshirt :-)

Got to watch the game right behind the glass!

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you all get your fill of candy :-)  I know I already have.  I'm dressing up as a Star Trek Character!  For those of you who don't know me very well, I LOVE Science Fiction movies, I'll sit down and watch Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Trek anyday of the week!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Miss Twin Cities and Miss Capital City Pageant

On Saturday, October 23rd I attended the Miss Twin Cities and Miss Capital City Pageant in St. Paul.  Bailey Wachholz, Miss North Metro's Outstanding Teen, and her Mom car pooled with me down to the cities. It was great getting to know my sister queen a little better.  We went out to eat with our new director Christina before the pageant.  We got to know each other better and talk about the year ahead of us.  I'm so excited for what the next year has in store :-)

The pageant was fantastic! With ten young women competing, it was full of great entertainment.  I was pleased to see some new faces on the stage.  I hope they all continue to compete because they all seemed like intelligent, poised, and talented individuals.  I want to congratulate Kaylah Dockter and Kathryn Knuttila for their years of service! They were both great representatives of the greater Twin Cities area.

Aja Majkrzak was crowned the new Miss Capital City and Lauren Johnson the new Miss Twin Cities!  I am very excited that I get to compete with them at Miss Minnesota this coming June!  I had the opportunity of competing with them last year :-) How exciting! Congratulations to them both!

Local Title Holders

The "North Metro" Girls

I'm very excited to announce that I have been asked to sing the National Anthem for the St. Cloud State University Division 1 Hockey game this Friday!  The stadium holds over 5,000 people and they almost always sell out!  Don't worry my Mom will be there with her camera so I'll post some photos this weekend.

I hope you all enjoy your Halloween week, can you believe it's almost November! Crazy!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

CMN Bracelets are IN!

Good news everyone! I got my "Children's Miracle Network" bracelets delivered this past week.  I will be selling them on a donation basis throughout my year as Miss North Metro hoping to reach my goal of $10,000!  By clicking on the "CMN Logo" on the right you can see how much I have raised and securely donate online if you're interested.  The bracelets come in small youth sizes up to larger adult sizes and you have your choice of yellow or red, which are the two symbolic colors of the Children's Miracle Network.

Two of my friends, Addie and Levi wearing my Youth sized CMN Bracelets 

I had the opportunity of selling my bracelets yesterday night at the STC Entourage Kick Off Party.  Everyone was very supportive and I raised over $200 in a few hours :-) I have to give a huge thank you to the STC Entourage for letting me be apart of their special night.

Last week I also attended the Tech High School Orchestra Benefit Concert on the campus of St. Cloud State University where Miss Capital City, Kaylah Dockter, Miss Minnesota 2010, Kathryn Knuttila and former Miss South Central, Aja Majkrzak shared their talents with us.  It was a wonderful concert!  Kathryn, Kaylah, and Aja were so inspiring with their performances.  They really showed everyone what the Miss America Organization can provide for young women, scholarship, professionalism, talent and endless opportunities.

Tomorrow I will attend the Miss Capital City/ Miss Twin Cities Pageant.  I am very excited to attend my first local pageant as the new Miss North Metro! I hope to see you there!

God Bless,
Bethany Beniek  

Off to a Great Start!

I'm very excited to share with you that tonight, TGIFridays Restaurant in St. Cloud partnered with me to help raise money for the Children's Miracle Network at their annual "Bar Champs" competition. Bar Champs is a world wide competition that all TGIFriday Restaurants participate in where the bartenders do "flare" and flip bottles.  It is so much fun to watch, they juggle bottles in the air, they stack glasses on top of each other, the music is pumpin' in the background and the crowd always cheers for their favorite bartender :-) 

I want to thank the amazing managers at the TGIFridays in St. Cloud for choosing the Children's Miracle Network as their charity to donate to, and for helping me raise $415 tonight!

Congratulations to the St. Cloud Bar Champ 2010, Justin Williamson!

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Miss North Metro 2010

Today, I was crowned the new Miss North Metro 2010!  I cannot believe I have been blessed with another year of service for Miss Minnesota Organization.  For those of you who have not met me, I am Bethany Beniek, a 22 year old senior at the College of Saint Benedicts majoring in biology.  This is my third consecutive year competing within the Miss Minnesota Organization and I cannot express how much I have grown because of this organization.

Today was fast-paced, but I got to meet four other intelligent, talented women who also competed for Miss North Metro,  Brittany Tischmak, Natalie Davis, Justine Kirkeide, and Tiffany Buszta.  Everyone performed wonderfully and I couldn't have asked for a better group of gals to compete with.  Congratulations to the first runner-up, Natalie Davis! I would also like to congratulate the very first Miss North Metro's Outstanding Teen, Bailey Wachholz!  She is Miss North Metro's "little sister" queen and I look forward to spending my year with her.

I will be writing in this blog as often as I can with appearances and events that I will be attending as Miss North Metro 2010.
I recently gave up my title of Miss Moorhead 2009 on September 11th, 2010.  If you would like to catch up on what I have done last year please check out http://www.missmoorhead09.blogspot.com/ .

After giving up my title as Miss Moorhead I dedicated a lot of my time organizing a concert on September 24th benefiting the Children's Miracle Network, which is an organization that has become a part of my life.  The local UTVS Channel did a couple of specials on the event, please check them out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Qd9FenjC0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtRgPMUGnwg

One of my goals as Miss North Metro is to reach my goal of raising $10,000 for the Children's Miracle Network.  I have raised $6,422 within the past two years.  I know I can make this goal a reality with the help of my friends, family and supporters.  Please visit http://www.missamerica4kids.org/m.aspx?i=9703E6+A65A0B7 if you would like to make a direct donation, but if you see me around I will always have some handy cilicone bracelets that I will be selling for $1.  They are very stylish bracelets that say "Childrens Miracle Network" and you have your choice of yellow or red (the two symbolic colors of the Children's Miracle Network).  For only $1 you can support a worth while organization, and raise awarenesss at the same time by wearing the bracelet itself!

I am very excited for this upcoming year and I look forward to what this new journey in my life will reveal.

Always,
Bethany Beniek

Bailey Wachholz, Miss North Metro Outstanding Teen 2010, and I, Miss North Metro 2010

Crowning Moment

Fun photo with the other local title holders :-)

Kathryn Knuttila, Miss Minnesota 2010, and I