Miss Minnesota Week - Saturday

Once Saturday came around it certainly didn't feel real.  I kept thinking to myself, "Oh my gosh a new Miss Minnesota is going to be crowned tonight!"  The brunch that morning was very nice.  All of the contestants stood up and shared a fun memory about the week, we were all laughing and crying by the end of the brunch.  We all honored Kathryn for her outstanding accomplishments during her year of service.  Kathryn, you trully are an amazing young woman. I want to thank you for being such a fabulous representative of not only Minnesota, but of what the Miss America Organization truly represents.

At brunch on Saturday

Reflecting back on the final night of competition, I cannot be more pleased with my performance.  I am honored to say that I was a top ten finalist, a quality of life finalist, and the recipient of the Children's Miracle Network "Miracle Maker Award." I felt and still feel very confident about every area of competition and that's all I could ever ask for.  I know that everything happens for a reason, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me.  Thank you so much to all of my family and friends who helped me every step of the way, I couldn't have done it without you.  Congratulations to the newly crowned Miss Minnesota 2011, Natalie Davis!  I can't wait to see how you will continue to build the Miss Minnesota Organization.  It will be yet another exciting year for Minnesota! 

Accepting the Miracle Maker Award from Gillette's Champion Child, Emily Davis

My Family

Little Sister Queen

It's really difficult to come back to reality after being treated like royalty all week.  It was nice to sleep in this morning and catch up on some much needed sleep though.  I'm diving back into reality quickly as I will be applying to dental school this summer and searching for a "big girl" job during my year off from school.  Please stay tuned to my blog as I will be updating it as I continue my Miss North Metro appearances.  I do not give up my title until October so I will be trying to promote my title as much as possible.  

I will be attending the Miss Brainerd/Miss Baxter pageant on Saturday.  Hope to see you there!

Always,

Bethany Beniek                  

Miss Minnesota Week - Friday

Friday was an early morning for all of us contestants because we had to get up to eat at IHOP.  It was well worth the early morning though.  The manager was so nice and the food was yet again, delicious!

Mary and I on our way to IHOP

Aja and I coloring at IHOP :-)

After eating at IHOP we went over to the golf course for the golf tournament.  Aja and I brought some arts and crafts activities that her director had given her.  We colored cute princess faces and made a neclace.  It was really fun and they turned out really cute.  It was also really nice to have my own golf team and be able to hang out with them for part of the day.

My golf team

Arts and crafts!

After the golf tournament we headed back to the hotel where we all had time to take a shower and prep for Friday night preliminary competition.  Congratulations to preliminary winners Natalie Davis (swim wear) and Aja Majkrzak (talent).

I am so excited for tonight and I can't wait to see and speak with all of you :-)  I wish I could write more, but I have to leave to head over to the theater right now.  I will add more details tomorrow.  I have had the best experience this week and no matter what happens tonight, I know I feel confident about every area of competition.  I couldn't ask for anything else.

Always,

Bethany Beniek   

Miss Minnesota Week - Thursday

Today was a blast!  It was the best day of competition I have ever had, and I think it was because I was so relaxed and prepared for anything that would happen.  I feel like my interview went really well and I feel very confident about my swim suit and evening wear performances tonight.  Despite some wardrobe and tecnical malfunctions I think everyone performed extremely well for the first preliminary competition.  Congratulations to the two preliminary winners, Samantha Phillippe(swim wear) and Natalie Davis(talent), I am so thrilled for you!   

Getting ready backstage with Melissa

Contestants 12-21 in my dressing room :-)

Tomorrow we are getting up very early to eat at IHOP and then attending the golf tournament that is a fundraiser for the Miss Minnesota Organization.  After that we are off to our second night of preliminary competition where I will have my on-stage question and perform my talent peice.

I am excited to perform my talent tomorrow night!  I hope to pleasently surprise everyone :-)

Always,
Bethany Beniek        

Miss Minnesota Week - Wednesday

I woke up to the most delicious breakfast I have ever had!  We ate at the Original Pancake House where we got to order any type of pancake we wanted.  I ordered some banana pancakes that were so good I think I will dream of them tonight! 



After breakfast we all went to the theater for an entire day of rehearsal.  We went through everything so many times I think it's imprinted in my mind forever. We are ready for tomorrow that's for sure!

Taking a break at rehearsal

After rehearsal we went to Brunswick Bowling Alley to eat pizza and go bowling.  I am very poud to say that my team, Kali Randall, Megan Elhert, Elizabeth Scipioni and I were the bowling champions! We had the highest scoring team.  We won cute frames that say "Girls Night Out."

Winning Team!



I am pleased to say that after bowling we came back to the hotel and have the rest of the evening free!  I am so exhausted that I know I will fall asleep the second my head touches a pillow.  I need my beauty sleep for tomorrow.  I have my talent rehearsal at noon and then my interview around 3:00pm.  I still cannot believe that competition starts tomorrow.  It still doesn't feel real.  I'm excited to meet the judges in my interview and compete in swim wear and evening wear.  Pray that all the contestants do their best tomorrow!

See you tomorrow!

Bethany Beniek

Miss Minnesota Week - Tuesday

It was Minnesota Zoo day!  We all wore our matching Miss Minnesota T-shirts and had the opportunity to wander around the Minnesota Zoo for awhile.  We all attended the bird show which was so much fun to watch!  Kathryn was even chosen as a volunteer to let a bird fly up onto her arm!

After the zoo we ate at Chianti's Grill and then headed to the hotel to pack up all of our competition "stuff" to bring to the theater.  It was quite the task, but we managed to get everything there.

At Chianti's Grill

Once we got settled into the theater we had rehearsal on the stage where we mastered the opening number today ;-) 

Taking a break during rehearsal

Being silly in our dressing room :-)

After rehearsal we got ready to eat at Bucca Di Beppo.  It was fantastic!  Pasta, bread, and desserts...what else could we ask for?! 

At Bucca with Natalie

Tomorrow we are eating at my favorite breakfast restaurant, The Original Pancake House!  I am so excited to eat a hearty breakfast that will include bananna pancakes! YUM! After breakfast we will be having rehearsal all day at the theater.  When I say all day I mean it!  It will be a good six hours of dancing and walking in heals to make sure the show runs seamlessly this weekend.  After rehearsal, all of the contestants will be going bowling.  It will be nice to relax and hang out with the other contestants as we enjoy a fun evening together before competition starts on Thursday.  We will be getting back to the hotel early tomorrow night which will be nice to get my beauty sleep before preliminaries start on Thursday.  I still cannot believe how fast time is going by! 

  

Always,

Bethany Beniek

Miss Minnesota Week - Monday

Yet again, today was a whirlwind of appearances that have me wondering where the time goes!  This morning we visited Gillette Children's Hospital where we had a tour and made cookies with the patients.  I have been to Gillette Children's Hospital many times, but I have never seen it so busy.  So many little ones came out to make cookies with us and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion and awe of how incredible these children are.  Their bright personalities are a true testimony of what my platform is all about.  No matter what adversity these children may be facing, they don't let anything get in the way of having a positive attitude and fulfilling their dreams.  They are a fine example of how their life experiences with health issues do not hold them back, but rather motivate them to see the opportunity for personal growth and to be a positive influence to others.  I admire the patients at Gillette oh so much and I am pleased that the Miss America Organization is partnered with such a worthy organization.

Yes, Tashayanna ate all those sprinkles!

We have another princess in our midst :-)

After having lunch at Gillette we headed over to the State Capitol where we had a quick tour and the extraordinary opportunity to meet Governor Dayton.  He came out of his office and took the time to shake all of our hands.  It was a honor to have been in his presence and I was really impressed with the way he handled himself.  I correlated how he treated everyone in the room with how I think a local, state and national title holder should impact everyone they meet.  He made the effort to make sure he somehow connected with everyone in the room and left a lasting impression.  I only hope I have that same charisma that he expressed today.  Thank you Governor Dayton for spending time with us, it will never be forgotten.

Speaking with Governor Dayton

Meghan and I feeling powerful in the senator's seats

After the State Capitol we all hopped back into those glorious 15 passenger vans and took several sponsor photos.  We had a little extra time before dinner so we had some much needed "girl talk" at Starbucks :-)

Hanging out at Starbucks

Dinner at Fuddruckers was delicious if I may say so myself!  They had fountain Doctor Pepper which made me extremely happy!  I definately needed a caffeine boost before having rehearsal.  Rehearsal tonight was really productive.  We learned the rest of the introduction number.  It was a lot to take in so I hope we can all pull it together and remember everything tomorrow when we rehearse in the theater!  

Megan and I at rehearsal

Tomorrow we are visiting the Minnesota Zoo!  Pray for good weather because I hear it may rain.  I do have my umbrella just in case though.  After the Zoo we are eating lunch at Chianti restaurant and then heading back to the hotel to basically "move in" to the theater.  We need to have all of our competition wardrobe and anything we need for the theater brought with us tomorrow.  This is going to be quite a task with 21 contestants!  Once we are all moved in we will have rehearsal on the big stage and then eating at Bucca Di Beppo.  

Getting more and more excited with each passing day!

Always,

Bethany Beniek  

    

Miss Minnesota Week - Sunday

I had so much fun today!  Aja (my roomate) and I got up around 7:00am and started to get ready for our fun filled day.  All the contestants wore their opening number dresses to the Mall of America for the Glitz Fashion Show.  I love wearing pretty dresses and we all got to model two different gowns.  Glitz did a fabulous job with dressing everyone!

My little sister queen, Bailey and I

Kathryn and I

The Brunetts ;-)

After the fashion show we visited with our family and friends and we were off to have a delicious pasta lunch at Crave located right in the Mall of America.

Eating at Crave with Allison

On our way back to the hotel we stopped to take a photo with all of the vehicles that Morrie's Auto donated for the week.  It was an added bonus that we were all were wearing matching dresses, so I'm sure that photo turned out really cute :-)

We arrived back at the hotel around 2:00pm.  My Quality of Life interview was at 4:00pm so I had plenty of time to get ready and collect my thoughts.  I feel like the interview went really well.  There were three judges and they were all extremely nice!  I am not joking when I say these three individuals were so thoughtful, so intrigued, and so excited to be there.  It was an honor to have had the experience of interviewing for this award and to have met these incredible judges.  I wish the other 5 finalist the best of luck and I know whoever wins the Quality of Life Award on Saturday night, all of the women I am competing with this week are genuine, servant leaders and are deserving of this honorable award. 

Quality of Life Finalists

After the Quality of Life interviews were over, we all gathered to head over to Santorini's for Dinner.  It was a lovely place where I had the opportunity to get to know some other contestants better.  I already know that I will be making many new friends this week :-)

Kalli and I

After dinner we came back to the hotel for rehearsal where we went through our swim suit and evening wear walks, and began learning our introduction number.  Let me just tell you, get ready to be entertained! I am so excited to show you my new dancing skills! It's going to be very fun and upbeat.

Showing off our "guns" at rehearsal

Lauren and I at rehearsal

Tomorrow we are visiting Gillette Children's Hospital and the State Capital where we just heard the news that we will be meeting Governer Dayton! How Exciting! I can't wait to hear what he is going to say to us.  After that we will be having dinner at Fuddruckers and then coming back to the hotel for some more rehearsal.

Have a wonderful Monday everyone!

Always,
Bethany Beniek   

Miss Minnesota Week - Arrival

I still cannot believe that I am sitting in my hotel room for Miss Minnesota week!  Time has gone by so quickly and with the schedule we have been given this week I know the next seven days will fly by.  This morning I picked up some last minute items and packed the rest of my stuff and checked into the hotel this evening.  All of the contestants and the Miss Minnesota directors sat down for a meeting to go over rules and activities we will be doing this week.  There are also going to be some surprises for the production this year so get ready to be on the edge of your seats.

Emily, Mary, Aja, and I

After check-in we all made door hangers to put on our hotel doors.  Everyone was very creative, but I do have to say I was the most impressed with Melissa Paak's door hanger.  She said she wanted to make her's "3D" and I think she did just that! Look at the photo below and you'll know what I'm talking about ;-)

Melissa Paak, Miss North West

My roomie, Aja and I with our door hangers

Allison Lordbock surprised all of the contestants with a fun gift.  She gave us all caps that say "Miss Minnesota 2011," so as you can see below we had some fun with them. 

Allison and I

Tomorrow I am very much looking forward to wearing beautiful gowns in the Glitz Fashion Show at the Mall of America.  It starts at 11am and it is open to the public, I hope to see you there.  After that we are eating at Crave and then coming back to the hotel where I will get ready for my Quality of Life Interview. And then it's off to dinner at Santorini's and having our first rehearsal here at the hotel.  I can't wait to see what our opening number production will be like!

Always,

Bethany Beniek

Full of Activity

Last week I had the opportunity to speak with the Chaunteuse Choir from Hudson High school about my platform and perform my Miss Minnesota talent piece.  If you remember, I visited this high school about three months ago right when I began working on my talent song, so it was really cool to show them the beginning draft of the song, to the final product!  It was so great rehearsing in front of an audience and getting their feedback.  It was an all girls choir and they had a lot of great insight on the song.  A huge thank you to the Chaunteuse Choir students for being so supportive and I hope to see of you at Miss Minnesota!

This past Friday I was asked to sing the National Anthem for the River Bats home opener game.  The weather was beautiful and it was a great turn out! CLICK HERE if you want to view a video of me singing at the game.  The sound quality isn't the best, but you'll get the idea ;-)

A Real Riverbat :-)

The Color Guard

I was pleasently surprised when the Riverbats introduced me to Gary Gaetti after I sang the National Anthem.  Gaetti (also known as "The Rat" or "G-Man") was a first and third basemen for the Twins when they won the World Series in 1987!  I was thrilled to have gotten a picture with him.

Gary Gaetti and I

On Saturday I woke up bright and early to attend the Children's Miracle Network walk at Como Park.  This was my third consecutive year attending this walk and each year it seems to get bigger and bigger.  If my hearing serves me right I think they raised over $11,000 that day! It was an added bonus to be able to chat with other local title holders as we all walked around the lake together.  The weather was sunny and hot, which explains my flat hair in the following photos ;-)

On Sunday I had my send off party to Miss Minnesota at the Paramount Theatre in St. Cloud.  It was so nice being able to practice each area of competition on such a beautiful stage!  A huge thank you to Chuck Norwood, Trish Novak and Lory for opening the theatre for me.  You have no idea how much I appreaciate it!

My little sister queen, Bailey and I, at my send off party

Family and friends at my send off party

That same day I recieved the information that I was chosen as a Quality of Life Finalist!  I am so honored to even be considered for this scholarship and I am excited to share the experience with Meghan Kuznia, Aja Majkrzak, Tiffany Peterson, Natalie Davis, and Allison Lordbock! Congratulations to you all!

The next few days are filled with mock interviews, rehearsing, work and of course some self pampering.  I'm excited to get a pedicure and manicure with my mom and sister on Friday.  It will be nice to relax and have a girls night before I leave for Miss Minnesota.  Can you believe check in is this Saturday! I better start packing ;-)

Stay tuned as I will be blogging during Miss Minnesota Week.

Always,

Bethany Beniek