Allyce King Model Search & Fashion Show

I'm back at work again after traveling to St. Louis then welcoming my family to Kansas for the Fourth of July - and I must say I enjoyed my long weekend despite my constantly busy schedule! Hope you all had an excellent holiday, too, and you're ready to hear all about my trip to attend the Allyce King Model Search and Bridal Elegance Fashion Show on June 29!

I was excited to go to St. Louis not only to meet Allyce King, who custom-designed my competition suit for nationals in a few weeks, but to check out the latest fashions from Bridal Elegance and also visit my in-laws. All great reasons for a short trip to Missouri!

The full weekend of events, which included the nationwide model search, a Pageantology workshop with Shandi Finnessey and Susie Castillo, a pageant panel, trunk shows from Allyce King Swim and Bridal Elegance, and of course the fashion show I participated in with a handful of other current and former titleholders, was held at the lovely Chase Park Plaza Hotel. It was an amazing backdrop - a truly beautiful hotel!

We arrived Saturday morning for fittings and got to peruse the racks of clothing that the ladies of Bridal Elegance had brought along from their shop outside Chicago. It was tough picking out just two dresses to wear in the fashion show! I spent the rest of the morning getting ready and catching up with current Mrs. United States, Aquillia Vang, Miss Kansas Teen USA Aly Klinzing and Mrs. Missouri United States, Kristy Kelley. Then it was time for the fashion show! Scroll down for a few pictures from the event.

A few familiar faces were there modeling with me - a few former Miss Kansas USAs, Miss Kansas Teen USAs, Miss Missouri Teen USAs and the current Miss Missouri USA, Ellie Holtman, among many other beautiful ladies. We each modeled two Allyce King Swim bathing suits and two dresses from Bridal Elegance. I wore a lovely, brand-new MacDuggal pageant gown and a cute pink cocktail dress in addition to my two suits by Allyce. It was great! Can't wait to get my competition suit in the coming days. If you missed this audition, don't worry because Allyce is heading to a handful of other cities throughout the U.S. this summer and fall. This weekend she's in Nashville, but make sure to click here to stay on top of future model search dates.

Then it was back to Lawrence for a very short work week before welcoming my family to town for the Fourth of July! It was a much needed, and much appreciated, long weekend.

This weekend we have our last Vanbros boot camp in Kansas City before nationals! I'm looking forward to meeting Mrs. Texas United States, Janet Randolph, for the first time and seeing the other Miss Teen USA titleholders and my Mrs. United States sister queens from Tennessee and Missouri as well. I can't even believe how quickly nationals are approaching. My wardrobe is set, I'm hitting the gym more than ever, I'm preparing my state gifts and the signs for my family to hold up in the crowd at the Stratosphere, and I had my last great session with Valerie Hayes to prepare for interview ... I simply can't wait to head to Las Vegas to compete!

Have a wonderful Thursday and Friday, and also a wonderful weekend!

All the best,

RYK

My husband, Alex, and I after the show. He's great!

Me with Allyce King and Mrs. Missouri United States, Kristy Kelley.

Me with Mrs. United States Aquillia Vang and Kristy. 

Boot Camp and (Many) Other Happenings!

I can't even believe it is almost July! This month has been so incredibly busy, I sincerely apologize for not having written a blog since the first week of June! Hope everyone's summers are going well and if you are experiencing weather like we are here in Kansas, you are surviving the crazy, humid heat! I thought today I would update you with what I've been up to since my last post.

I recently spent a busy weekend in Kansas City at pageant boot camp with two of my three Mrs. sister queens and four of the five Teen USA titleholders. I got to meet Amanda Uggla, Mrs. Tennessee United States, for the first time and was reunited with Kristy Kelley, Mrs. Missouri United States, for the first time in a few months. Nearly all the Teen USA girls were there, including Jasmine Fuelberth (Nebraska), Graham Turner (Oklahoma), Aly Klinzing (Kansas) and Brenda Smith-Lezama (Missouri), most of whom I hadn't had a chance to speak with much when we first met at the CureSearch Walk in April. I really enjoyed getting to know them better, and am looking forward to following their journey to Miss Teen USA in the Bahamas this August!

Over the weekend we practiced walking, posing and stage presence with one of our sponsors, former Miss Arkansas USA and Mrs. Arkansas United States, the fabulous Kim Forsythe. We also had two intense but extremely helpful mock interviews, as well as a crash course in hair styling and hair care from Nashville stylist extraordinaire (seriously he is amazing), Bryan Wood of Salon Capelli. It was exhausting but absolutely wonderful! It left me with a renewed excitement about nationals, feeling so fortunate to have this time to not only prepare as best I can, but to have a chance to get to know the six other Vanbros girls who were there so much better!

While in Kansas City, I received some new goodies from the team at Vanbros which I absolutely love! My director, John, gave me my custom-designed car magnets, business cards, stationery and an engraved business card holder, as well as a custom Warriors for Ross sash which I can wear to raise awareness of Vanbros' official charity and one of the two non-profit organizations (in addition to CureSearch) that I support to fight children's cancer! There are pictures below if you'd like to check them out. Everything is lovely. Thank you, Jason Vannatta, for designing not only these items but also my program book ad for nationals. You are so talented!

John also booked my flights a few weeks ago so I am off to Las Vegas for nationals exactly a month from today! Registration will be Saturday, July 27, kicking off what is sure to be a busy and exhilarating five days of competition to see who the current titleholder, Aquillia "Q" Vang, crowns Mrs. United States 2013! I am so excited, and so thankful I have a supportive director and three sister queens to share in the experience with. I would love for you to come out to Las Vegas to support me and the great state of Kansas! The pageant will be at the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower and finals are Wednesday, July 31.

On another note, I also met Elizabeth Stephens a few weeks ago during our photo shoot for Kansas Alumni magazine. Elizabeth is the reigning Mrs. Kansas America, who is also a resident of lovely little Lawrence, Kansas and a fellow University of Kansas alumna! Rock Chalk! I'm looking forward to our article in an upcoming issue of the magazine. In my interview, I discussed my preparation for nationals, my connection with the University of Kansas, the causes I support and so much more. So if you're a KU alum, make sure you get your copy of Kansas Alumni in the coming months! Really excited about that. Really, really excited.

I'm heading to St. Louis this weekend to not only visit my in-laws, but also walk in a fashion show showcasing designs by my amazing swimwear sponsor, Allyce King Swim (AKS), as well as pageant dresses from Bridal Elegance and Mac Duggal at the Chase Park Plaza. Can't wait to see the custom suit Allyce made for me to wear at nationals! The fashion show is in conjunction with the Allyce King Swim Model Search, where six lucky ladies will win a $30,000 prize package and become the next faces of AKS, and a fabulous Pageantology Workshop by two former Miss USAs, Shandi Finnessey and Susie Castillo.

Auditions for the model search are taking place all weekend, so make sure you click here to register and select a call time! Interested in attending the Pageantology Workshop? Click here to see if there are spots left. Hope to see you all in St. Louis!

I know that was a very, very long post; I promise not to go for so many weeks without writing again! Have a wonderful Fourth of July holiday and I look forward to letting you know how the trip to St. Louis went!

All the best,

RYK

The goodies Vanbros gifted me with at pageant boot camp last weekend.
Thanks, Jason & John!

My beautiful blue and orange Warrior for Ross sash!

Summertime Pageant Preparations

Summer is in full swing here in Lawrence! Most students have gone home and those who are still around for summer school at KU started their classes yesterday. Such a wonderful time of the year! Warmer weather and longer days, which means more time for me to try to do everything I can to stay involved in the fight against childhood cancer while preparing for nationals at the end of July!

I can finally announce that Mrs. United States 2013 is scheduled for Saturday, July 27 to Thursday, August 1 at the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower in Las Vegas! They haven't released the official schedule yet, but from what I've heard from the reigning Mrs. United States 2012 (and fellow Vanbros lady) Aquillia "Q" Vang, it is shaping up to be a great five days! I do know that registration and state gift exchange is Saturday, July 27; interviews are Monday, July 29; preliminaries are Tuesday, July 30; coronation is Wednesday, July 31; and checkout is Thursday, August 1 with plenty of appearances around Las Vegas, as well as rehearsals, in between. I know it will be a very busy five days, but I can't wait to meet the other ladies competing for the title and take in every minute of what is sure to be an unforgettable experience. I also hope as many of my friends and family can make it as possible so we can all see who the next Mrs. United States will be!

As nationals fast approach, I'm working with Vanbros' talented Jason Vannatta to design my ad for the national program book, while building my competition wardrobe, hitting the gym as often as possible to stay in swimsuit-ready shape, making appearances, and working with the fabulous Valerie Hayes on my interview preparation. So busy, and so thankful for such a wonderful and supportive director, John Vannatta, and such generous and knowledgable sponsors! Check out the photo below to see the lovely autograph cards I received to take to appearances with me. Vanbros is truly the best!

This summer I'm also continuing to learn more about childhood cancer in an effort to get more involved in raising awareness and funds to both find a cure and support the children fighting cancer and their families. Did you know that every day, 36 children are diagnosed with cancer and the average age of diagnosis is six? Through Vanbros' involvement with Ross' Foundation and Warriors for Ross, as I've mentioned before, I was privileged to walk on the Warriors for Ross team at the CureSearch Walk in April. That experience taught me not to take my health, or the health of the children around me, for granted. It also inspired me to use my title to spread the word about ways people all over Kansas and the country can help in this fight.

To that end, I recently signed up for the Ultimate Hike, where I'll hike 15 to 35 miles on the Ozark Highlands Trail while I help raise money towards finding a cure for children's cancer this winter. I'll keep you posted as I start training. Are you looking for ways to get involved, or do you want to learn more? Check out CureSearch's website or follow their blog. It's really such a worthy cause - think about all the children you could help!

In other news, Sunday marked my one year wedding anniversary, which was so very exciting! How time flies! And I am looking forward to visiting my parents in Dallas next week while I'm there on a business trip. June will be gone before I know it ... then onto July and onto nationals! Hope you are all having a lovely summer, too, and that time is flying just fast enough!

All the best,

RYK

The autograph cards the Vanbros team made me!

Summer Work? And Summer Fun!

It is nearly the end of the spring semester here at the University of Kansas where I work so that means everyone is looking to summer ... and I am no exception! But while for most people (especially the college students here in Lawrence) summer means lazy days and late nights, for me it means being busier than ever preparing for nationals, working and making appearances! I'm happy to be so busy, and even happier that I'm busy doing things like this ...

I had an interview with the local Lawrence paper, the Lawrence Journal-World, last week and the article came out this Monday! I had the opportunity to speak about my work with Warriors for Ross, how I'm preparing for nationals, my pageant experience, and many other things. The article also compares my journey to the crown with another local titleholder, Mrs. Kansas America 2013 Elizabeth Stephens', journey. Two titleholders in one year in Lawrence is exciting in itself! So make sure you check out the article here. And also check out the picture below, which was taken before my interview at the Kansas Union on campus.

We recently received all of our official paperwork for the national Mrs. United States Pageant this summer, which is so exciting! Going through the packet, I can't help but be thrilled and honored to represent the great state of Kansas in Las Vegas, and so fortunate for the wonderful opportunities that have come my way. From judging pageants to attending events in support of the battle against childhood cancer - I've even recently signed with the modeling agency Voicesand in Kansas City, too! Keeping busy this summer ... very, very busy!

Speaking of keeping busy, I have another VIP coaching session with the wonderful Valerie Hayes tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait! She's such a great pageant coach and sponsor, especially when it comes to interview preparation. And as I prepare for our two summer bootcamps where I'll join my Vanbros sister queens in Kansas City to work over three days to prepare for nationals by practicing walking, interviewing, makeup, etc., I'm continuing to hit the gym to stay in competition-ready shape and am putting together my wardrobe for nationals as well.

Don't forget to vote for one of my sister queens, Miss Kansas USA Staci Klinginsmith, to send her to the finals at Miss USA in June! Go Vanbros! Finally, as I wrap up my latest blog, I want to encourage you to have a great summer - whether it be busy or lazy or anything in between!

All the best,

RYK

Before my interview with the Lawrence Journal-World!
Photo courtesy of Nick Krug.

Well, it's May! Time to Look Back + Forward

Hope everyone is well on the first Sunday of May, the day after the Kentucky Derby, which happens to be Cinco de Mayo! As I watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs and listen to a few new jazz records, I thought today I'd write briefly today about the last month and a half since I was crowned, and then what I'm looking forward to between now and nationals. Enjoy!

I can't even believe that it's been a month and a half since I was crowned your new Mrs. Kansas United States! It feels like it was just yesterday, and I have been so fortunate to be so busy in that short amount of time. Between appearances, work, photo shoots and preparation for nationals, it seems like it will be June ... or even July ... before I know it! I love making appearances, so if you'd like me to stop by an event in your city, feel free to email me at mrsksus2013@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

John Vannatta, my director, sent along the dates for our summer "boot camps," which I am really looking forward to! Boot camps are three days in Kansas City packed with walking and modeling practice and interview preparation, among many other things, with all the Vanbros titleholders and our world-class sponsors (see the list to the right) to prepare us for nationals. I can't wait to see Mrs. Missouri United States Kristy Kelley again, and meet my newest sister queens, Mrs. Tennessee United States Amanda Uggla and the new Mrs. Texas United States, who will be crowned yet tonight!

Also, as promised, I wanted to share a few additional photos from my first official photo shoot with Rachel Imdieke of Rachel Imdieke Photography/Simply Joyful Photography. If you scroll down to the bottom of this post, you can check them out. I had such a great time shooting with her, and I thought the pictures really came out great!

I submitted my official biography a few weeks ago for John to include with a headshot from this photo shoot, so hopefully the Mrs. United States website will be updated with everything very soon. I know the reigning Mrs. United States Aquillia "Q" Vang, who also happens to be one of my wonderful sponsors, has been busy working with the national directors to come up with the itinerary for nationals week in Las Vegas this July! I can only imagine all of the fun activities and appearances we have planned in between rehearsals and the competition.

I know I've said this many times before, and I'm sure I'll say it many more times, but I am so lucky to have such supportive people around me! A wonderful director (with quite an eye for style), a loving husband, fabulous sponsors, exceptional sister queens and a family who has always, and will always, stand by me through thick and thin. I can't even tell you how excited I am to represent the great state of Kansas at nationals this summer with all of these people behind me!

Have you ever thought about competing in a pageant in Kansas or any other state? If so, I would urge you to check out my website, follow me on Facebook and Twitter or email me at mrsksus2013@gmail.com with any questions you may have. Pageants in general, but especially Mrs. United States state pageants, are great experiences that you can learn so much about yourself from, while meeting wonderful people and having the chance to give back to your communities in a truly meaningful way. In Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas they're always accepting applications and it's never too late, I promise! Join the Vanbros family!

Even though the weather has been absolutely crazy here in Lawrence (crazy even for Kansas), at least we are nearing summer! Well, that's about all for today - have a wonderful week!

All the best,

RYK

Rachel Imdieke is truly talented!

Adventures in Pageant Judging

Hello everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful Friday. It's a bit rainy here in Lawrence, but otherwise a little warm ... almost like spring weather. Almost.

I have been so busy lately and am so grateful for that! Last Saturday I had the privilege of judging the Miss Kansas, Miss Missouri, Miss Nebraska and Miss Oklahoma United States Pageants in Kansas City and I had an absolute blast. There were so many lovely, poised ladies competing ... which obviously made it really hard to pick the winners, too!

I was one of five judges, and we got started early on Saturday at the Overland Park Convention Center with private interviews. There were over 30 ladies competing in all age groups for each state - Junior Teen, Teen, Miss and Ms. I have to say private interview is my favorite part! I really love getting to know all the competitors by talking with them one-on-one.

Then, Saturday night was the live stage show. After the opening number, there was a fun fashion show then swimsuit, evening gown and onstage question. Everyone had to answer a randomly-selected onstage interview question, which I know gives contestants (including myself) a lot of anxiety! But everyone handled it so well. Then, finally, awards were handed out and the winners in each category and each state were crowned!

It was very interesting to judge a pageant as a contestant; a great learning experience! I got to catch up with Miss Kansas Teen USA Aly Klinzing, Mrs. North America Galaxy Kristi Nichols and see a few other old friends at the show as well. Thank you to the directors Lisa Forbes and Celine Ziller for having me as a judge - I really had a great time! The photo below is of me with the Kansas winners; Alexis Rewalt (Miss), Tobie Roberts (Teen), Kahley Schiller (Ms.) and Kiahna Beard (Junior Teen).

Also, check out a sneak peak from my first official photo shoot with one of my talented sponsors, Rachel Imdieke of Rachel Imdieke Photography/Simply Joyful Photography by clicking here! I love the photos so much; Rachel is so good at what she does, and the makeup and hair by the current Mrs. United States, Aquillia "Q" Vang, was flawless. Again, Vanbros has such a great team! So lucky.

Stay tuned for more pictures from, and details on, the photo shoot, and have a wonderful weekend! I'm off to St. Louis with my husband to see the St. Louis Blues' final game of the regular season tomorrow. Let's go Blues! After a crazy few weeks at work and making appearances, a weekend away is just what I need!

All the best,

RYK

Me in the center with all of the Kansas winners!

Appearances, Appearances ... and TGIF again!

Last Sunday I was in Kansas City as a guest judge for the Little Miss/Little Mister Imagination Pageant and it was so much fun! The little competitors were just adorable and I really enjoyed watching them!

It was hard to judge children - I didn't want to be too hard on them - but luckily they were all eager to compete and were so much fun to watch that it ended up being a great experience! They should all be so proud of themselves for what they did. Check out the picture I posted below of me with a little pageant girl and another one of the guest judges, Jennifer Barrios!

Would you like me to make an appearance at your event in Kansas? I'd love to - just email me at mrsksus2013@gmail.com or comment below!

Also, I had my first VIP coaching session with The Pageant Coach Valerie Hayes this week and had a great time talking with her! She is so good at what she does and gave me some great advice. I am getting even more excited for nationals everyday!

Speaking of nationals, I am still not sure of the dates in July or the venue in Las Vegas quite yet, but as soon as I know I will make sure to pass along the information to everyone. I would love to have as many friends and family there to support me as possible - we must represent the Sunflower State!

I also keep forgetting to pass along the link to the photos from the state pageant in St. Joseph about a month ago. Oops! Click here to view contestant headshots from registration as well as all the photos from the live stage production at the lovely Missouri Theatre. Thank you again Rachel Imdieke of Rachel Imdieke Photography/Simply Joyful Photography! Great memories for all the ladies involved.

Another busy weekend is ahead of me as I hit the gym to stay in great shape as the countdown to July continues, and also perfect my wardrobe as well. So hard to do, right?! I have a busy week at work with multiple events going on with May (and the end of KU's semester) just around the corner, too. So fortunate to be so busy, though!

Keep checking back here for all the latest on what I'm up to, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @RealMrsKSUS and on Facebook.

Hope everyone has a great weekend, and that all those affected by the tragedies in Boston and in West, Texas find healing and peace soon. My heart goes out to those communities ... so sad.

All the best,

RYK

Here I am with one of the other judges and a little pageant girl!