Update!

*Miss Roomie was named 1st Runner up in the state pageant and will be traveling to Hoopston, IL for the national Sweetheart Pageant! YAY! I'm so proud of you!!!!!!

*McMan's surgery went well last week and he's home and off of the pain meds - still is in a relatively large amount of pain, but as long as he keep it elevated and stays hyrated, we're good to go.

*Starting to get minorly excited about hockey season... it's been a LOOOOONNNGGG spring/summer.

*Thinking of going back to the more auburn-side of brunette... I miss being "that redhead"

*Singing the Anthems tomorrow at the Little League Tourney in the big Wick. Hopefully my voice holds out... I'm starting to lose the "i'm NOT getting sick" battle

100th Post is a good one - My Miss Roomie!

Miss [Roomie] has a story she wants to tell
By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer

Look behind the tiara and the sash, behind the perfect blond hair, the megawatt smile and the trademark wave, and there's a story.

For Miss [Roomie], the story began at the age of 12 when her mother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Being on the cusp of adolescence, she thought that would be the end of the story, that a diagnosis meant the same as a cure. She didn't understand it was only the start of a long struggle she and her mother would share.

"We went through the rollercoaster together," [Roomie] said. "My mom is now managing her illness. One of the hardest decisions a person can face is continuing treatment. ... My mother finally reached the point that she realized long-term treatment is important."

More than a decade later, [Roomie]'s story still is being written as she prepares to compete in the Miss Washington program in Tacoma on July 11 and 12. She hopes to go on to Miss America in 2009.

[Roomie]in turn has become a storyteller, using her position as Miss [Roomie] to raise awareness about the realities of mental illness.

"She's been extremely outgoing and she never turns down an opportunity to teach people mental health awareness," said Melody Otness, president of the National Alliance for Mental Illness [Local]. "She's bubbly, she's fun, but she gets her point across and people leave knowing more than when she came in."

[Roomie], 23, of [town], said she didn't enter Miss [Pageant] with stars in her eyes. She needed the scholarship money for college.

"My mom struggled to make ends meet for herself," she said. "She couldn't pay for school."

Winning Miss [Pageant] earned [Roomie] $10,000 for her college education. She plans to earn a bachelor's degree in elementary education and teach kindergarten.

"Education ties in with anything that's happening in society," she said. "I hope to be a positive impact on childrens' lives. ... I think it's interesting how you can impact young children. You can really affect a child's life for good."

Teachers were a strong influence on [Roomie]'s life through her challenging adolescence. She said music teachers in particular helped her find an outlet for her emotions through performing. She'll play alto saxophone as her talent in the Miss Washington program.

But it's talking about her platform that truly excites her.

"I learned that it needed to be spoken about," she said.

She's spent her year as Miss [Roomie] speaking to community groups and getting active with NAMI to teach the community about mental health resources, and to try to erase the stigma attached to people with mental illnesses.

They're no different than anyone else who suffers from a chronic disease, she said. They're the people we know -- our friends, our neighbors, our loved ones.

"Everybody has a personal story," she said. "Everybody can relate it to their lives."

OH MY GOOD LORD!

Thank you, Baby Jesus!

I just got the offer of a freakin lifetime!

MissRoomie calls me and says, "If there was a way for you to go down to Miss America, have your airfare and lodging paid for AND a ticket to the final night of competition, would you go?"

DUH!

All I have to do is watch the cutest little twins in the world on Thursday and Friday nights and pay for food.

Freakin awesome!

MIA McPhizzle

Ok, so the flying monkeys have pulled me out of the cave that is my new apartment and plopped me down in front of a computer.... ok, so really I'm at work and have some down time, but that's neithere here, nor there.

I'm all moved. Ma, McMan, MissRoomie and Rabbi Herschel and I did it in a weekend. I have so much CRAP! it's insane!!! oh, and my apt is handicapped-accessable, so it's laid out a bit differently than the floorplan online. whoops. Luckily all of my furniture fits, but not the way I intended it to. The closet is about 1/3 the size of what I had before, so I had to get creative - like getting rid of a CRAPTON of clothes, finding creative ways to organize things and putting all of my hoodies and hockey jerseys in with my coats into the already jam-packed coat closet. I LOVE LOVE LOVE not having to share my kitchen with anyone. and my FRIDGE! omgsh... for real, it's amazing.

Agnus Muffin Mary Pat Kate Francis McPhizzle is LOVING being able to roam free in the new place. Little does she know she'll be moving to the big city when McHannah comes to town in November. My little baby fluffball will be moving to Seattle. The Apts let me keep her for a few weeks as I am "kitteh-sitting" without the pet fee. WHich is $300. NONrefundable. OUCH. You could re-carpet my apt TWICE with that amount of money. Whatever. I am trying to get excited about having my laundry room for storage instead of her food/water/litter/scratching area instead of my heart breaking about the little love of my life not greeting me at the door whenever i come home from anywhere. Good death I love that crazy cat... even when I warn her that I'll sell her to a taco truck if she doesnt stop chewing on my laptop cord.

McMan and I are doing well. We've laughed a LOT the past couple nights. We're heading to Vegas in November. I'm excited. The people we're going with are freaking hilarious... Too bad the only thing I'll be able to afford drinking is water. lol. Maybe he wont mind if I bring some low-cut tops and bring "the girls" out to get me some free adult beverages sent to me from across the casino. *shrug* what else are they for before you have to feed kids with them? haha.

I freaking miss MissRoomie! She's ÜBER busy with all of her royal duties, but she started a new job last night where she'll only be working Monday and Tuesday nights. YESSSSSSSSSSS!!! I mean, that's cool... We spent SUnday afternoon and evening together - Grand Opening at the new Target in West and then to McMan's for the Seahawks Game in HD. Pictures document the fun we had... you can check them out on Facebook/Myspace and I might just post a little photoessay here if I feel like it. lol. No promises on when that may or may not happen.

in other news, IT'S FREAKIN HOCKEY SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ams - WOW! What a start to the season! Sure, they've pissed their last two games away with bad penalties (POKEY.... I'm lookin at you) and they've got some injuries players out due to numbers (Uncle Mitch)... but they're still an impressive 7-3 - especially with all but 1 of those being on the road. They're a-top the US division with 14 pts (Spoke nipping at their heals with 12) and have been ranked in the CHL top 10 the first two weeks of the season. Maybe the 15-game homestand will get them back on their game.

The First Born - He's in England, havng fun, playing the game. He's happy, he's more in-shape than he has been in years and that's all we could ask for, really.

Carey - OMGSH! So watching his debut game in the NHL was so strange.... We were all huddled around the TV at his old Billet's house cheering. He's still the same old Carey: cool, calm, collected and sickeningly humble. The success really couldn't be going to a better kid - and Lord knows it's not going to his head.

Sharkies - Honestly, with all of the moving and unpacking and getting ready for my spa party, etc, I've had NO time to watch them. I've got 5 games on my DVR right now on High Priority. I'll catch up someday... I heart JR. I heart Joe. I heart Tosk.... oh, that's right, i've been watching him in BLUE. grrr... still bitter? me?! NEVER!

I guess I should actually get some work done, hey? le sigh.