Rachel Roberts

I can't believe it! I am entering the last week of my time as Mrs. Oklahoma! I guess, when I won the title I really never thought this day would come. It has been such an amazing experience. There are 12 WONDERFUL women that will compete one week from today for the title of Mrs. Oklahoma International 2010. What a bittersweet day it will be. I look back on my year with no regrets. I am excited for the new titleholder and the year she has ahead of her, but I am sad that I have to give up my title. I do have to say, it is an honor to pass the title along and each of the contestants are very deserving of it. I am so glad I am not a judge! These past few months have really given me a chance to get to know and spend time with the local titleholders. They all have great platforms and are doing wonderful things in their communities and the state of Oklahoma. I wish they could all win next weekend!

I am so blessed that God chose me to represent married women in Oklahoma this year. I plan to continue my work spreading the message about Postpartum Depression. In fact, yesterday I was interviewed by Tulsa People Magazine for a story about mental health coming in the May issue! I am so excited! I also have some more exciting things in the works like helping with a new program called "Text4Baby" which is a free service from Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies (visit www.text4baby.org for more info) and volunteering to help with a fashion and talent show that will benefit the Mental Health Association of Tulsa.

Monday will mark my last official appearance as Mrs. OK Intl 2009 with an interview on TV-31 in Stillwater along with a radio interview on TEAM Radio. A week from today, I will pass along the crown, the title and the responsibility of Mrs. Oklahoma International. The new state titleholder will have an amazing year ahead of her that will go by way too fast. I am so grateful for the International Pageant system and all it does for married women. It has helped me turn a very difficult and almost fatal time in my life into something that I feel passionate about. I now feel I have a purpose.

"God wants to use you to make a difference in the world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but HOW you lived." -The Purpose Driven Life

Thank you to all of the wonderful people, businesses, family and friends who have given me their support these past few years as I worked to achieve a goal. I am forever grateful.

Please come and show your support to the contestants next weekend. They have all been working hard and it will be a great show!

Thank you again for following my year! Please continue to check back for more updates!

For the last time as your Mrs. Oklahoma International...

... Rachel Roberts

Well, we are less than a month away from the Mrs. Oklahoma 2010 pageant. It has been a busy few weeks helping with the preparations and making Go Red appearances. On Thursday, February 4 I was invited to attend the Go Red Day at the Oklahoma State Capital. I was fortunate to attend this event twice during my year. It was very sentimental because it happened to be my very first appearance as Mrs. OK and one of my very last. I enjoyed sharing the day with my sister Oklahoma state titleholders as well as many of the local titleholders that are preparing to compete this year. Not only did we have an opportunity to meet with our representatives, but we also had the chance to talk with Lt. Governor Jari Askins. At this event last May, the Lt. Governor was out of town. Me and the other OK state titleholders were able to take a picture in her office, which she later signed and mailed to us. We were fortunate during this visit to take a picture with her and even have a few minutes of her time to talk. The highlight of our capital visit was sitting in on the House of Representative's session while a proclamation was read for Go Red For Women. What was even more special was that MY representative (Pam Peterson) was the one read it. It was an amazing day that concluded with a wonderful lunch with the local titleholders, state titleholders, Go Red representative, OK Intl'l director Lauri Rottmayer and friends of the OK Intl pageant. After lunch, we snuck in a visit to Sara Sara Cupcakes. WOW!!! Probably the best cupcakes ever! Visit their web site for more information and to read about Sara who was the inspiration behind the bakery. www.sarasarabakery.com

On Saturday, February 6 I met up with Lauri Rottmayer and two local OK titleholders at Macy's Department Store. We were given the star while we tried on red outfits for the Fashionable Fundraiser to support Go Red For Women. This has become an annual event for us to participate in and I am so excited to do this for the second year in a row. The fundraiser is held in conjunction with the Tulsa Women's Expo. Oklahoma titleholders will be manning the Go Red Booth all weekend and will participate in the fundraiser on Sunday. We will be modeling the outfits chosen from Macy's, which will then be auctioned off with all proceeds going to Go Red. You can find out more by going to http://www.womenslivingexpo.com/Tulsa2010/index.php .

As I said earlier, my year is almost over. I can't believe how fast it went and how much I was able to do and learn! I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity. I am true testimony to When God Closed A Door He Opens A Window. He gave me the trials and experiences of my past for a reason. This year, I found what that reason is. I am excited for the amazing contestants that are competing this year. Each one of them is very deserving of this title and would do amazing things with it. The pageant will take place on March 5 and 6 in Stillwater, OK. Until then, I will be doing a few more appearances and finishing up last minute preparations for the pageant. This is a bittersweet time, but I keep telling myself, because of all the doors that have been opened for me this year, it is not the end... but only the beginning!

Until next time...

-Rachel

One of the amazing benefits of being Mrs. Oklahoma International is being invited to assist at local fundraisers for various charities. This month, I had the opportunity to assist at two fundraising events for two organizations that are close to my heart.

The first was Toyland Ball benefiting the Parent-Child Center of Tulsa. I have been working with this organization to develop programs to aid in the difficult transitions for new mothers. I am excited to share my story with new mothers and help others through a lifestyle change when a baby arrives. Toyland Ball was a beautiful event and I was proud to be a part of it. I helped raise over $2,000 by selling raffle chances. The lucky winner received a $1,000 Moody's gift certificate. I had a great time meeting some wonderful people while helping a great cause.

Last night I was honored to be invited to Taste of Tulsa, which benefits another organization that I love and have watched for many years. The event was to raise money for Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of Oklahoma. I volunteered to assist people who were checking in to the event. Then I was able to enjoy the event with the other guests. We were all given assigned tables to sit at and I was lucky enough to sit with a group of people who were so generous and fun! We had a blast eating wonderful food and sharing stories. My work for the evening was not done yet! The best part came when I got to model a beautiful set of pearl jewelry that was given by Moody's during the live auction. Soon after the jewelry sold, I had the honor of modeling a stunning, black fox fur coat. I normally do not go for fur and I have no idea where I would have even worn such a coat, but I have to say, it was one of the most beautiful pieces of clothing I have ever seen. Unfortunately, it sold and I had to take it off to give to its new owner. I do have some pictures to remember the evening by. (You can visit the January through March section of my photo page.)

Like I said, attending these events is a wonderful opportunity that is given to me during my year of service. I was completely inspired by the attendees at these events as well as all of the people that work behind the scenes to make it happen. I was honored to be a part of these events and I look forward to continuing my support of these organizations!

The Mrs. Oklahoma International pageant is a little over a month away. This time of year is very bittersweet. I am excited for the new titleholder and for the state pageant, but I am sad my time as Mrs. OK is almost done. Have a few more exciting events in the upcoming weeks and I will continue to keep you posted. Thanks for your support! I am so blessed!

Love,

Rachel

So I have been a fan of Valerie Hayes for MANY years and naturally I was SO excited when she came on board as a sponsor to the Mrs. Oklahoma International pageant. Too bad my year is almost over! But, whoever becomes Mrs. OK Intl 2010 will have the AMAZING opportunity to work with and learn from Valerie. Here is a recent article from her new blog called Everyday Beauty Queen. You can visit www.everydaybeautyqueen.com for more great articles! I highly recommend it! And thank you so much Valerie for becoming part of the Mrs. OK Intl family!

What Exactly is an Overachiever?

January 27th, 2010

Okay, so I know you’ve heard this phrase over and over again, “She’s such an overachiever”. You’ve probably said it about a friend or co-worker, or maybe you’ve even said it about yourself. But what exactly IS an overachiever?

Naturally I would never do anything as predictably mundane as quote the Merriam-Webster dictionary by telling you that the definition of an overachiever is “one who achieves success over and above the standard or expected level especially at a young age”. Okay, so this definition means someone who has pleasantly surprised us with their accomplishments – I get it.

But is that how we actually use the word “overachiever” in everyday conversion? No it really isn’t. We hear: “I don’t know why she studies so hard; she’s such an overachiever.” “She gets up super early to get her workout in; she’s such an overachiever.” “I want to make sure everything’s perfect – you know how I am – I’m such an overachiever”. Somewhere along the way the word “overachiever” has come to have negative connotations. Its word cousins in everyday conversation are “perfectionist” and “obsessive”. Now is that really what you’re trying to say about yourself when you say you’re an overachiever?

Or do you really mean that you’re a True Potential Achiever? Do you mean that you ENJOY stretching yourself and your capabilities? Do you mean that you’re a life-long learner and love learning new skills and developing your current skills to their highest level? Say the phrase “I’m a True Potential Achiever” to yourself right now and ask yourself, “How does that make me feel?” I’m gonna’ bet that it feels a whole lot better than calling yourself an “overachiever”. Just think of all the things you could accomplish if you gave yourself permission to see yourself as a True Potential Achiever and started using words and phrases that reflect your interest in expanding your possibilities as well as your realities. (I can see the difference in you from here!)

EBQs know that to create the person they want to become, they’ve got to SEE it, HEAR it, and FEEL it. EBQs know that personal development is a never ending game of challenging themselves to achieve the next level of mastery – and that there’s no possible way anyone can achieve their true potential if they are thinking negative thoughts about themselves. It just can’t be done. So stop referring to yourself as an “overachiever” – that phrase is just soooo last season. Start using a label that more accurately tells your story: you’re a True Potential Achiever!

I cannot believe we are just over a month away from the 2010 Mrs. Oklahoma International pageant!! Unfortunately this means my time as Mrs. OK is almost up. What an amazing year I have had!

These past few weeks have been great! I was able to volunteer at Toyland Ball to benefit the Parent Child Center of Tulsa. What a fun and BEAUTIFUL event! I met so many wonderful people and had an amazing time! This weekend I am looking forward to volunteering at Taste of Tulsa!

This week my story is featured on the Chic Galleria web site. This site is a wonderful and fun resource for women and I appreciate their help in getting my message out! You can click HERE to read the story.

I still have many events planned before I give up my title. February is full of Go Red events, TV and radio appearances in Stillwater, meetings with health care professionals and organizations about my platform and of course getting ready for the 2010 Mrs. OK INTL pageant! All of the contestants are amazing women and I know they all have something special to offer!

I will update more soon!!

-Rachel

This is another wonderful article by Rhonda Shappert at www.thepageantexpert.com. This is whi I love the International Pageant System!!! I LOVE working on my platform and having a purpose!

Pageant Platform: What’s Your Purpose?

by RhondaShappert

What are three things that make you special? Last week I spoke about the importance of recognizing your gifts and choosing how to use them. When you have a clear picture of your talents and discover which activities make you feel completely alive, you can easily figure out where to spend your time.

As a titleholder, you will have less than 365 days to make the most of your experience. Having a plan ahead of time will greatly increase the FUN FACTOR of your year, and potentially open the door to future opportunities. The strength of your “why”, “purpose” or “platform” is the key to unlocking the door.

There are 3 keys to forming a solid platform in pageantry.

Key 1: BELIEVE: It must be something that you emotionally believe in.

No matter how impressive a platform may sound, if a contestant’s heart is not there, it will come across flat to the judges. This is one time when I say take it personally and make it personal. Find something that has emotionally moved you to take action in some way. A platform doesn’t need to come from some devastating event that happened to you. It’s about making connections. First it must connect with you, then with the judges.

Key 2: INVOLVEMENT: You need to be actively involved in your service.

A strong platform is one where a contestant can demonstrate to the judges a history of devoting time to her cause prior to the pageant. For example, a girl who has had an eating disorder as a middle school student overcomes her challenges as a teenager. As a result, in the past 3 years she has spoken to over 50 girls’ organizations about the importance of self-respect, health, and wellness. She volunteers one day a week at the local teenage health clinic and plans to become a nutritionist after high school. This platform clearly demonstrates active involvement and gives great insight to the judges about the character and goals of this young lady. The judges also get an idea of what she would do as a titleholder.

Compare this to the contestant who says her platform is for cancer awareness. On her bio she states that her cheerleading squad put together a Relay For Life team last month and raised $500. This was her first activity with this organization and was so inspired by the people, she says, she decided to become more involved with cancer awareness.

OK, I’m putting on my judge’s hat for a moment. First, I would acknowledge the second contestant’s efforts in raising money with her team. However, I would view this as a one-shot event and wonder how long her interest would last for this cause. The first contestant would get my vote in the interview round because of the depth of her experience, knowledge and personal conviction for her platform.

Key 3: INTEREST: Your topic needs to have a narrow focus but be broad enough for public appeal.

At first glance this statement may seem to contradict itself so let me go into some detail. Let’s start with the “narrow focus” part of the sentence. Would you agree that it is hard to hit a target when you don’t know where to aim? If the pageant’s focus is on a strong platform, a contestant needs to aim for the bull’s-eye and not let her attention get pulled by multiple distractions.

There is more strength in choosing one topic and totally exploring all facets of it than bouncing from one activity to another. Organizations, businesses, and people are more willing to support a cause when the message is clear and the benefits are obvious. It is your job to make your message as clear as possible, which means focus. The message will be diluted and vague if a contestant is all over the map with her activities.

However, your platform needs to have broad enough appeal so that many people are interested in having you make an appearance or speaking to their organization. Pageant systems want their titleholders out there making appearances and being in the public eye. Not only does this increase the awareness of your cause; but also it helps the pageant system continue to thrive from a business standpoint. So the judges are looking for the platform that will serve both purposes, advance the message of the titleholder and promote the pageant.

Even if your pageant system doesn’t require a platform, spending time developing your purpose and focus will benefit you and the pageant system.

Here is a wonderful article I found from Rhonda Shappert at www.thepageantexpert.com. It is all about gifts and how each one of us has different gifts to offer. I love this article! Enjoy!!

I love a brand new year. For the past three days, new hopes, dreams and goals have been flooding my mind. I have also become aware of a reoccurring theme I’ve heard from Veggie Tales, Epiphany and Desperate Housewives; and I feel compelled to share it with you. The message is about your gifts and what you choose to do with them.

Yes, we’ve just come off the Christmas season, and many of us received lovely gifts that came in shiny paper. However, the message that keeps presenting itself to me is not about material gifts. Let me explain.

Earlier in the week, we picked up a number of videos from Blockbuster. On Saturday morning, we popped in the animated Veggie Tales Lord of the Beans DVD. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was delightfully entertained by the wholesome parody of Lord of the Rings and struck by its simple and truthful message.

In the movie, Jr. Asparagus (aka Toto instead of Frodo) receives the gift of a bean. He doesn’t know what it is, why he has it, and what he’s supposed to do with it. Through his very entertaining journey he discovers the answers to these three questions. The story’s message is that we are all given gifts that belong only to us. We can’t return them but we can choose what we do with them. We can ignore them, use them in a selfish way, or share them to make a difference.

Afterwards, I sat there thinking, this is just like some pageant contestants when they’re choosing a platform. Some contestants look outside of themselves to find a cause that sounds impressive. Some haven’t yet become aware of what makes them special. Still others choose to ignore their strengths because they feel that the judges will never see the value in what they offer. And let’s not leave out those who know what they’re good at, but just don’t know how to package it in a marketable way.

Veggie Tales Lesson: Identify YOUR gifts and make a choice of what to do with them.

So a couple hours later, I was singing at a Life Teen mass, and guess what the homily was about?

Yes, you guessed it-gifts. However, this message had a little different twist to it. Since the Church was celebrating the Epiphany, the presentation of the Magi’s gifts to our Lord, the priest shared that every person is a gift. He proceeded to read a wonderful passage about how different “gifts” arrive.

Some are perfectly wrapped. Some are loosely tossed together. Some arrive via special delivery. Some are fragile. Some are so tightly wrapped, they’re hard to open. Some have been mishandled by the delivery system. But no matter how they’re packaged, every gift is a treasure to the person receiving it. Every time we interact with others, we are sharing the contents of our gifts.

Again, I felt myself saying, that’s just like pageant contestants. Every single contestant is different. The one’s that sparkle brightest and stand out are the ladies that recognize their own uniqueness. Think of how boring a Christmas tree would look if every gift were wrapped in the same size box and wrapping paper, or, if every ornament on the tree were identical.

Epiphany Lesson: Gifts come in all shapes, sizes, styles, and types. Each serves a specific purpose and is beautiful.

Ok, so it’s Sunday night, and I took a break from writing about the inspiring events of the day before to watch one of my favorite shows, Desperate Housewives. There was a scene where Gabby’s youngest daughter, Celia, survives a brush with death. Gabby tells her husband Carlos that Celia was saved by God because their daughter was destined for greatness. Cuddling her daughter, Gabby falls asleep and begins to dream about what great things her daughter will do.

In her dream, Gabby is determined that her daughter is going to be a great actress and she sacrifices everything in pursuit of this idea. Her daughter, however, has no desire to become an actress.

Suddenly, Gabby wakes up from her dream as Carlos is walking back into the room. When he asks Gabby if she’s figured what their four-year-old daughter is going to be great at, Gabby replies that she doesn’t have to figure anything out, because Celia is great at being Celia. Gabby accepts her daughter for who she is and wants her to grow and discover her own path.

Desperate Housewives Lesson: Self acceptance is a key to inner peace and finding your purpose.

What are your gifts? Take out a piece of paper and write down three things that are special about you. If you feel a little stuck, focus on times and events in which you felt completely alive and comfortable while you were doing it. What comes easily for you? Ask those people closest to you what they think your strengths and gifts are.

Next week I’m going to talk more about platform and purpose, but the foundation of a dynamic platform or cause is in knowing your gifts and what you choose to do with them.

I cannot believe it is 2010!! Happy New Year!!! As I look back on 2009, I am so grateful for all of the amazing opportunities I had and all of the wonderful people I met. Now we are getting closer to crowning Mrs. Oklahoma International 2010 and I have so many mixed feelings. I am excited for all of this years' contestants because I truly feel each of them are wonderful women with so much to offer this program. I am so proud of each and every one of them! Of course I am also sad that my year is coming to an end. It has been such a dream come true and I am so thankful that I had this opportunity.

I still have some exciting things planned for the next two months! I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity that is given to me... I will only be Mrs. OK Intl once and I want to look back with no regrets!

I wish everyone the best for a wonderful 2010!!!

Love,

Rachel

A friend of my sent this in an email to me and I love it! I wanted to share it with all of you. It is SO true!!!

May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.