If anyone needs a place to stay during the fire....

If you have to evacuate your house and don't have anywhere to go please let me know. My mom is opening up our house in Bakersfield to anyone that would like to stay there until they can move back home. If there isn't enough room in our house we have numerous friends in Bakersfield that would love to help out and extend their homes as well. Please don't be shy! If you would like to stay in Bakersfield for a few nights message me or call me ASAP! Good Luck to everyone and thank you to all the courageous firefighters spending countless hours protecting the lives of others. My thoughts and prayers are with anyone and everyone having to deal with this fire.

Riding High Equestrian Program

Sue, Me, and Linda - 2 of the lovely and hilarious friends of Riding High


Last night I had the joy of attending the Blue Jeans Ball, a fundraising event for the Riding High Equestrian Program which is a NARHA center in Auburn, CA. Riding High Equestrian is a non-profit therapeutic program using the horse as a therapeutic mirror. Riding High is dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals with emotional disabilities through Equine Assisted Therapy. The mission is to offer the benefits of equestrian facilitated therapy to clients in a manner that emphasizes the special needs and dignity of each individual. Riding High provides a safe and secure environment which challenges individuals to learn and grow.


When I arrived at their beautiful 10+ acre ranch I was greeted by Honey Cowan, the program director. I have never met anyone that is so passionate about what they do and so willing to give everything they have to see the success and improvement of those around them. She was so energetic about her event and so appreciative of my presence. After she got the attention of everyone in attendance and gave a lovely introduction about the evening's activities, she handed me the microphone to talk about my title, my involvement with NARHA, and then sent me into the crowd with the microphone to get everyone chatting and pumped up about the evening. Upon entry into the event, each person was given a name, stuck to their back, of a famous person. Throughout the evening you had to ask yes or no questions to guess who the person was on your back. As I travelled around the facility greeting all of the wonderful coordinators, volunteers, and sponsors, all of which make it possible for Riding High to exist, I met so many lovely people and had a blast guessing who I was and helping other people guess their identity.


After mingling for awhile it was time to head down to the arena and meet Evan. Evan is a 9 year old boy who, as of two years ago, was curled up in a ball and would not leave his house. However, with the help of Riding High, the lovely instructors, and amazing horses, Evan is now able to stand and walk, enjoys leaving his house and meeting new people, and is able to perform many tricks and abilities on horses. I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Evan. He is such an intelligent and bright-eyed young boy that I'm sure will go sooooo far in life.



These are pictures of Evan demonstrating his strength and abilities on horseback as well as showing the bond and trust he has developed with the horse.





Evan gave us a lovely and entertaining exhibition on one of Riding High's Icelandic ponies, and then we all headed into the indoor arena which had been transformed into a lovely barbecue and live auction. While standing in line for food, Honey gave a heartfelt speech about how Riding High is a group effort and there are so many people that give so much for the program. She introduced and gave roses to everyone that has helped make Riding High what it is today. To my surprise, before her speech was finished, Honey called me up to thank me for supporting NARHA and Riding High and gave me 2 gorgeous red roses. Honey's appreciation of my attendance meant so much to me and made me feel like I was already a Riding High family member.

This is the amazing HONEY!!
A list of all the sponsors that help make this program possible!

The night continued with an exciting live auction including a horse trailer and a truck, a silent auction with a plethora of items, a live band with dancing, and so many other fun activities.


I enjoyed the evening soo much, had such a great time with everyone that came to support the center, and last but certainly not least, after a whole night of guessing, figured out I was MARYLIN MONROE!


For more information on Riding High Equestrian or for donation information, please visit their website at http://www.ridinghighequestrian.org/ or contact Honey Cowan directly at ridingHieq@aol.com


- Jerry(above) and Bob(below) are 2 of the wonderful guests in attendance -


Aiden - a future riding high volunteer

The amazing band!

Riding with Breia...

I have possibly one of the BEST Teen queens ever!! There is never a second that goes by that this girl does not keep me in absolute tears from laughing so hard. So of course, teaching her how to ride English was no exception to this rule! Luckily, Breia had ridden a horse before so she knew how to keep one leg on each side but other than that, when it comes to English, her experience is somewhat limited to say the least. After the Miss Auburn pageant, Breia came home with me and spent the night. The next morning... or early afternoon, when we woke up, we threw on our jeans and headed down to the barn. I got on my horse, Carthageno, and I helped Breia get on Evita. I have never laughed so hard in my life. She definitely has a natural talent to ride, accompanied by an "I can do anything I set my mind to and won't give up until I do it" attitude. An hour later, she had learned how to not only trot, but POST at the trot as well... YEAY BREIA!! I will never forget the random and hilarious statements that came out of her mouth while on Evita.

Miss and Teen Auburn Pageant

Tonight I was able to attend the 72nd annual Miss Auburn Pageant. The pageant, directed by Toni Fossum was very nicely produced and ran so smoothly and elegantly. The two young women who won will serve as the new ambassadors of Auburn over the next year. Breia and I were able to help the ladies a bit backstage as well as speak onstage about our platforms and our titles.

Alyssa Anderson, 22, of Loomis earned the title of Miss Auburn 2007-2008. Alyssa is a registered dental assistant who plans to promote "Smiles for Kids," a program which provides free dental services to underprivileged children in the local community.

Ashley Hayes, 16, of Auburn earned the title of Miss Teen Auburn. She will promote H.E.A.R.T. (Health Education Africa Resource Team) and is currently preparing to go on a mission trip to Africa. Both young women also won the interview and speech areas of the competition, and earned $1,000 scholarship bonds to help them continue their education.

Both of these ladies were so poised and well spoken on stage. They both truly shined on and off the stage.

Thank you Toni for allowing me to be a part of your wonderful pageant.

Congratulations Alyssa and Ashley!! You are both such beautiful women. Make the most out of your year and I can't wait to see you at Miss California International next year!

SCHOOL!

Starting college at the University of California, Davis at the age of 16 was a bit stressful and challenging but it is finally paying off. I turned 19 in August and just met with a counselor to figure out my final year of college! After this quarter I will have 45 units left which means that at the end of next summer I will have my B.S. in Anthropology with an emphasis on Biochemistry and Molecular Biology!!! I am sooo excited about all the possible opportunities I have after college. I am in the process of deciding whether to apply for medical school and go that direction or take a bit of time off to try my cards at riding and training professionally! Either way, I will have a degree under my belt that is ever so important to be able to fall back on.

My Platform!

I am so pleased to be able to support and help a charity that is so dear to my heart throughout my year of reign. The platform I chose to represent this year is the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA).

NARHA Mission Statement:

“NARHA is a membership organization that fosters safe, professional, ethical and therapeutic equine activities through education, communication, standards and research for people with and without disabilities.”

The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) promotes equine facilitated therapy and activity programs in the United States and Canada. Currently, more than 650 NARHA program centers serve some 30,000 individuals with disabilities. Each year, dozens of new centers initiate new programs and thousands of individuals profit from these beneficial activities.

Since 1969, NARHA has ensured that therapeutic riding is both safe for, and accessible to, those in need. In that time the field of therapeutic riding has expanded along with the numbers of individuals profiting from involvement with horses. Today NARHA represents a growing number of equine assisted therapies and activities, including recreational riding for individuals with disabilities, hippotherapy, equine assisted psychotherapy, driving, vaulting, competition and other therapeutic and educational interactions with horses.

NARHA is proud to provide opportunities for people with varying ability levels to challenge themselves physically and emotionally and to set goals to improve their quality of life via the horse. Training professionals to support and facilitate this process, educating the public about the positive impact of the human/animal bond and setting national standards for safe and effective equine facilitated therapy/ activities will continue to dictate our growth.

More than 30,000 individuals with disabilities are served each year through NARHA programs. The American Occupational Therapy Association and the American Physical Therapy Association as a valuable adjunct to traditional forms of therapy recognize equine Facilitated Therapy and Activities. NARHA is also the accrediting organization for Easter Seals' camps with equine activities. Other organizations participating in NARHA programs include the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Special Olympics, Spina Bifida Association and United Cerebral Palsy.

The riders, clients, therapists, instructors and volunteers involved in NARHA recognize the profound significance of equine facilitated therapy and activities. Over 670 NARHA centers around the nation and in Canada facilitate the personal growth and newfound wellness offered through the various interactions with horses in the equestrian environment.

To learn more about my platform or for donation information please visit

http://www.narha.org/

Showjumping Unplugged! TV

For everyone that has not come into my life yet or is reading this and does not know me I would like to fill you in on my passion, my love, and the one thing in life that keeps me ticking... HORSES. I have one sister, Jill, who is six years older than I am. Jill began riding when she was 7 and I followed in her footsteps very closely behind! I have ridden and competed in English Show Jumping my whole life and am now sooo blessed to be able to live on a 100 acre ranch with Jill, her boyfriend and trainer, Rudy, and 80+ gorgeous horses. Although there is nothing I could ever ask for above and beyond being able to ride at home, I do have the opportunity to travel all around California showing and competing. The horse shows are so incredible because I not only get to be around thousands of equine athletes, but I also get to interact with the top professional ridersand trainers in the world, and when 2 or more weeks of every month are spent with these trainers and riders they become family to me. There is one couple in particular that gives so much to the riding circuit, they are Dr. Tamara and Paul Peterson. Tamara is a wonderful chiropractor that comes to the shows and saves all of our battered bodies, but they are better known for their production of Showjumping Unplugged! TV. The mission of Showjumping Unplugged! TV is to bring you the best in sport! They take you around the world and through the west covering all the action; international and national rider interviews and behind the scenes events. And of course- all the horses! Their program reaches over 28.7 million homes per airing across the USA! After Tamara and Paul found out about my new title they were so kind and invited me on the air to do an interview about my title, the International pageant system, and my platform. I was also able to shoot footage for commercials to help promote Showjumping Unplugged! TV. THANK YOU Tamara and Paul for all of your help and support!

For more information on my horses and the ranch where I live please visit http://www.leoneequestrians.com/

For more information on Showjumping Unplugged! TV and for all the recent news on what is happening in the world of horses you can visit http://www.showjumpingunplugged.tv/

The end of August...

The pageant was over. I was the new Miss California International 2008. As much as I wanted to just curl up in bed and sleep for weeks there was no time to waste! On Monday morning after the pageant, Stevi - Mrs. CA Int'l, her wonderful husband Michael, and I hopped in our cars and headed to the happiest place on Earth! You guessed it, we went to Disneyland for 2 days of fun and excitement with Mickey and the gang! Monday and Tuesday were spent pigging out on cotton candy, ice cream, and riding all the fabulous rides. On Wednesday Stevi and I headed to my dream spot, another BEAUTIFUL horse show in the sunny San Diego. I got to relax and ride my horses all weekend. On Friday evening I had the honor of attending Miss Teen USA in Pasadena and watching all of the lovely ladies compete for the title. Everyone on stage was so glamorous and poised. They all did an incredible job of representing their states. After the pageant I attended the Coronation Banquet with Stevi McShane, Rebekah Negrete, Gaspar Cruz, and many other friends where I was able to meet so many beautiful and influential individuals including Miss Teen USA 2006 - Katie Blair, Miss USA 2007 - Rachel Smith, and Miss Universe 2007 - Riyo Mori. When the evening was finished it was time to drive back to San Diego and become an Equestrian once again.

Is this all a dream?

The last 6 months have the most exciting and action packed months of my life! In June, my sister, Jill, qualified for the Pan American games in Equestrian Show Jumping which meant I got the joy of spending 2 weeks of July in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil supporting her. After spending an amazing time in Brazil with my family and all the great natives that so graciously welcomed us into their country, it was time to fly home and prepare for the Miss California International 2008 pageant. After a very interesting 9 hour car ride from Sacramento to Palm Springs I arrived at the pageant and had a relaxing evening with my 2 road trip partners, Stevi McShane and Breia Boswell. Thursday afternoon we had orientation where I had the pleasure of meeting the AMAZING director and producer of the pageant, Eddie Peterson and Dennis Cooke. Thursday night we were whisked away in sponsored limousines to a lovely dinner and street fair in downtown Palm Springs. Friday was action packed with interviews all morning, a talent show in the early evening, and an aeriel tram ride up to a restaurant overlooking all of Palm Desert. Saturday morning was full of nonstop rehearsals brought to a closure with the preliminary phase of competition. On stage, the Miss contestants were escorted by a wonderful group of Marines who donated their time and did an amazing job helping each young lady feel comfortable and perform her best. Sunday afternoon was the final pageant when the new Miss, Teen, and Mrs. California for 2008 were crowned. As they called the new Miss Teen California, Breia Boswell, I was ecstatic and SO proud of my local sister-titleholder. When the time came for the new Miss California to be crowned I found myself standing onstage with a court named and 7 girls left wondering if that crown would be theirs. ......And the new Miss California is... Jan Humphrey. I did not know what to say. I was so excited for my year with Breia along with my new mentors and sources of inspiration, Eddie and Dennis. But wait, my local director, not to mention new best friend was still on stage waiting to hear how she would end up in the grand scheme of the weekend. When Stevi McShane won the title of Mrs. California International 2008 I was in disbelief that all three of us were going to be able to share our year together.

To my family and friends, Thank you for being such wonderful troopers and supporters. I LOVE you all!!

Tiffany Tollett, Thank you for helping me find just the right evening gown, fun fashion and opening number outfit. Your goosebumps haven't failed us yet!

Gaspar Cruz. O Gaspar. What would I do without you? You kept me relaxed and laughing ALL weekend not to mention did a GORGEOUS job with my hair and make-up! I love you!

Carolee Munger and Susana May, you are two women that I look up to with such respect and cannot wait to get to know better throughout our year together.

Dennis Cooke. Dennis Dennis Dennis! You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into asking me to recruit girls for the pageant! Be ready for next year! You are soo energetic and whenever I am down you are the first person to call because you are always so positive about life!

Eddie Peterson, well it is no secret that from the minute I met you you became an instant role model and mentor. In case it isn't obvious though, just look for the tears streaming down my cheek when someone asks me about you and I get extremely choked up! You are the best! EDIIIIEEEEEEEEE!

Breia and Stevi, you girls are crazy, fun, wild, and sooooooo entertaining. You guys keep me in stitches and I can't wait to spend a whole year with you!