Miss Meridian 2011 :)

This weekend was the much anticipated, Miss Meridian Pageant at the Limelight Theater in Meridian. It was especially exciting because SIX out of eight of the contestants were former Outstanding Teen contestants! It ended up being probably the best local pageant I had been to this year because I have grown so close to most all the girls competing and am so proud of them for howremarkable they all are. It was honestly a very tough competition and the two title holders both ended up being MIOT alumni AND older sisters in pageants!! Miss Idaho's own little sister, Shalese Kofoed, became the new Miss Meridian and Shannon Rowe, Miss Boise's little sister, became the new Miss Ada County!!!!!! I am SO beyond thrilled for those girls. They are so lovely and I know they will be fantastic contenders at Miss Idaho.

Your Friend,

Katy Lootens

MIOT 2010

Miss Nampa / Tri-Counties Pageant

Last night was the Miss Tri-Counties/Nampa Pageant held at the Nampa Civic Center. This pageant was very significant because it was where, a year ago, our own Miss Idaho, Kylie Kofoed, was crowned Miss Nampa and given the opportunity to compete at Miss Idaho! Little did Kylie know she would be the one chosen to represent Idaho at the Miss America Pageant only ten months after the Miss Tri-Counties/ Nampa Pageant in 2010. I am so glad she was crowned Miss Nampa that night because I wouldn't have gotten to know and become as close to her as I am now. Last night I was honored to take the opportunity to perform one of my all-time favorite songs, "Lullaby" by Billy Joel for my MIOT director, Jaylee and her new beautiful baby girl, Tinley. During the evening, I was asked to be interviewed up on stage by Miss Idaho, where I talked about my year as Miss Idaho Outstanding Teen and my future plans. The pageant was VERY entertaining that the talent performed was fantastic! All seven of the girls competing looked absolutely gorgeous.

It had to have been extremely difficult for the judges to choose only two new titleholders. Laura Hampikian was crowned our new Miss Nampa 2011, and one of my very close friends and former MIOT, Genevieve Nutting, was crowned Miss Tri-Counties 2011!!!!! It was truly a wonderful evening and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it!

Your Friend,

Katy

MIOT 2010

Miss Capitol City Pageant

This Saturday I went to the Miss Capitol City/ Miss Central Idaho Pageant at the Red Lion Hotel in downtown Boise. I was extremely excited to find out that two contestants were in my MIOT Class of 2010, Whitney Wood and Shannon Rowe!!!! Both of them did AMAZING!!! Whitney ended up winning Miss Central Idaho and Shannon got First Runner Up!! I am so proud of you girls! I can't believe that Whitney will be a Miss Idaho contestant this year :) In the end, the big title of Miss Capitol City went to the beautiful Deidre Edmunds!!! The pageant was very fun. I was able to help the contestants backstage and crown the new titleholders!

I greatly look forward to The Miss Nampa / Tri-Counties Pageant coming up in two weeks at the Nampa Civic Center!!

Talk to you soon!

Your friend,

Katy

MIOT 2010

Miss America 2011!!!!

One January 11^th, I headed to Las Vegas Nevada for what would be one of the highlights of my year as MIOT. I was going to attend and perform at the Miss America Pageant!! I was bursting with excitement when my family and I were driving to our hotel from the airport and saw the massive billboard with the picture of Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron on it! The first night we were there was the first night of the preliminary competition. To actually see the Miss America stage for the first time in person was a feeling I cannot begin to express! Forty-three of the Outstanding Teen titleholders came to Vegas for the pageant. It was so wonderful to see them all again! Unfortunately my roommate Maggie, Miss Tennessee Outstanding Teen, could not make it; so that was a bummer. The national directors and our host, Miss Nevada Outstanding Teen, had some very fun events planned for the Teen contestants while we were in Vegas.

On the second day of the prelim competition, we rehearsed all day in preparation to perform the fitness routine that we were taught at nationals in Florida! I will never forget the first time we all set foot to rehearse on the Miss America stage that was sparking with glitter. That night we performed “Our Time to Shine” for thousands of people and the energy that we got from that performance was incredible!

The next day was our fun day that Miss Nevada OT, Angela Foremaster, planned for us. We first went to the dolphin exhibit at the Mirage Hotel where we got to take pictures in the water with the dolphins! Afterwards, we toured the Siegfried and Roy Secret Garden that was full of different wild cats like lions, tigers, and cheetahs.

My favorite part of the day is when we went to the St. Rose San Martin Hospital. There we were given a presentation on the Children’s Miracle Network and their partnership with the Miss America Organization. We listened to the stories of local people who have been impacted by the efforts of CMN and Jeanette Morelan, MAOT 2010, gave a speech on how CMN has helped her little brother with crones disease as well as how it has impacted her whole family. Hearing these testimonials made me realize that the work all of us Outstanding Teens do and the money we raise for CMN is truly making a big difference in others lives. These accounts reminded me that you never know what curve balls life may throw your way, and thank the Lord for an amazing program like the Children’s Miracle Network to help us through those times. After visiting the hospital we made our way to the fabulous Las Vegas sign where we took tons of pictures and concluded our eventful day in time for the last night of prelims.

The following day was the reopening of the DSW Shoe Parade, which hadn’t been a part of the pageant since it was based in Atlantic City. We were able to spend time with the Miss America contestants who dressed up as a representation of their states! Miss Idaho dressed as the “Gems of Idaho”. Each Teen contestant was paired up with a former Miss America for the parade and got to walk with them. My former Miss America was none other than Heather French, Miss America 2000! She was such a joy to get to know and is now one of my favorite Miss Americas. The parade took place at the Arc of Triumph at the Paris Hotel and was a definite hit! It was so cool to be a part of the comeback of the parade!

Saturday, the day we had all been waiting for had finally come. It was finals night at Miss America and the crowd was PACKED! The energy in the auditorium went to a whole new level as the contestants were broadcast live on ABC.

Kylie Kofoed, our beautiful Miss Idaho 2010, did splendidly in every event of the competition! She is a genuine gem of Idaho and I am so proud of her for everything she has accomplished!

In the end, Miss Nebraska, Teresa Scanlan was crowned Miss America 2011!!!! At only 17 years of age, Teresa has wisdom, talent, and grace well beyond her age. I couldn’t be happier for this incredible young woman. She was the first Miss America I saw crowned in person, and I am certain she won’t be the last!

The entire trip was so much fun and I probably won’t believe that I was actually a part of it for a long while.

Thank you to my family who took the time to come and enjoy this amazing opportunity with me, to Miss Nevada Outstanding Teen for arranging a fun-filled day for me and all the teen contestants, and to all the Miss America Organization and sponsors for making dreams come true every year.

Your Friend,

Katy

Winter Gardens Aglow

Last weekend, Miss Idaho and I went caroling at the Idaho Botanical Gardens in Boise during Winter Gardens Aglow! I had never been to the Botanical Gardens but have always wanted to go, so it was very special to go for the first time as an appearance. It ended up being the only day of the week that it snowed, which added an even more special touch to the evening:) Kylie and I sang several Christmas carols requested by our audience and even sang a few with the children in the crowd!

Seeing the happiness of the kids that sang with us is what made the night the most special. Even though Kylie and I couldn't remember the words of Frosty The Snowman to save our lives (ha!), we had lots of fun!

I can't wait to go and enjoy Winter Gardens Aglow next year!

Merry Christmas

Your Friend,

Katy

MIOT 2010

The Christmas Parade: Marsing Style ;)

On Saturday the 11th, I was given the honor of being in my home town of Marsing's Annual Christmas Parade!! I was put in the cutest sleigh with two little girls who were so much fun! the sleigh was put together for me by City Hall and Mayor Keith Green.

There was a fantastic showing for the parade. We were lucky to have extra candy to throw out to the crowd!

The parade was definitely one of the highlights of my year thus far. It is always so exciting for me to make an appearance in my home town and it means a lot to me to represent the people of Marsing:)

Thank you to everyone who made our Christmas Parade possible this year!

Your Friend,

Katy Lootens

The 2010 Boise Holiday Parade

This last Saturday, I got to be in the Boise Holiday Parade! The parade went right through the heart of downtown Boise and was televised by News Channel 7. The snow was really coming down the entire time the parade was happening, which added to the Christmas spirit! Although I was not able to use the convertible top of the gorgeous red car that was rented to me by Image Auto Rent and Sales, I still got to wave out of the front seat of the car window.

The parade was all great fun and really got me into the Christmas spirit! I enjoyed being a part of this beautiful Idaho tradition and meeting new people.

Thank you to those who worked so hard for months to make this parade a success!

Your friend,

Katy Lootens

MIOT 2010

The Boise Festival of Trees

Tuesday, I spent the evening at the Festival of Trees Gala at the Center on the Grove in Boise. Seven titleholders and myself went around selling raffle tickets for the event to benefit the mental health department of Saint Alphonsus Medical Center. At this event were the leaders of our state, including Governor Butch Otter. They came for a fantastic meal, entertainment, and auction of the beautiful Christmas Trees, decorated and donated by several organizations, businesses, and schools. This was a lovely benefit auction for a great cause. It was the kick-off of the annual Festival of Trees!

Come out and support saint Alphonsus and the Boise Festival of Trees this Wednesday through Sunday!

The Miss Boise Pageant

This last week I was a guest at the Miss Boise Pageant at BSU. A year before this, I came to the Miss Boise Pageant to support my friend Amanda Richey who happened to win the title of Miss Boise 2010 that evening. Last year I came as an audience member who was in awe of the courage of the Miss Boise contestants and the performers, MIOT 2009, Carley Campbell and Miss Idaho 2009, Kara Jackson. This year I came as a performer and the new MIOT 2010, so this event was very special to me! Unfortunately, Amanda was not able to be there this year to give up her crown because she had duties at law school; she was very missed. However, three titles were given out that evening: Miss Boise, Miss Treasure Valley, and Miss Southern Idaho because there were so much interest in the program! After intermission, Miss Idaho and I performed. Since it was the holiday season, I sang Ave Maria and my wonderful voice teacher Margie Koenig accompanied me on the piano. I was so glad to have her there with me. My favorite part of the pageant was that I got to crown the new Miss Boise Princess!

The pageant was great fun and in the end, the title of Miss Southern Idaho went to Tabatha Damill (I used to dance with her!), Miss Treasure Valley went to Kristen Titillian, and the title of Miss Boise 2011 went to Meg Rowe.

Congratulations to all of the winners and participants, I am positive you will all do fabulously at Miss Idaho in the Summer :)

Your Friend,

Katy Lootens

Kids' Fitness Expo

The Kids' Fitness Expo took place at Expo Idaho on October 10th.

It showcased a variety of healthy activities and medical care for kids and their parents. I was very excited to be there supporting healthy living in our youth and greeting the public at this event!

Presentation for Girls on the Run

Working with my platform has been a ton of fun, especially when working with the Girls on the Run program at my school! I am the junior coach at the Idaho Arts Charter School and have been using my platform to teach girls the importance of healthy eating for a positive self-image. Girls on the Run is a group of elementary-aged girls that are taught how to live healthy and feel good about themselves by treating themselves and others with respect.

I taught the girls how to read food labels so they can choose foods that are best for their bodies. I came up with a grocery shopping activity that split the girls into groups and had them compare two of the same types of foods from different brand names and choose which one to potentially “buy”.

Those girls were so sharp and I could tell they really enjoyed the activity! I based my research and presentation board off of one of my favorite books, Eat This, Not That for Kids.

Later on in the GOTR season, I ran the girls and I ran at the 5k Barber to Barbra Race and my group finished in 30 minutes! Way to go girls!

Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2011 :)

My goodness, I don’t even know where to begin! After talking to previous title holders about what nationals is like, they all told me the same: “it’s an incredible experience that can only be explained by actually living it yourself”, they were very right. Going to Orlando, Florida and being a part of the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Scholarship Pageant was a dream to say the least. When I arrived there I knew it would be intense hard work but I still wasn’t completely sure what it would be like. At my arrival, I was filmed for introductions and fitted for a fabulous custom-made Tony Bowls dress for opening number! Another very fun part of arrival was the Tony Bowls Photo shoot, where the theme this year was Lady Gaga.

After getting all registered, I was able to meet my roommate for the very first time! Miss Tennessee Outstanding Teen, Maggie Belew, was my roommate, and it was so meant to be! We had such a blast together over that week and she became one of my best friends! The first three days we had intense rehearsals all day with our instructor Pam and her two assistants that were so much fun and loved to goof off and show us their dance skills and lifts! Haha! In rehearsals we learned everything we needed to know before going on stage the next week. In the evenings we were able to go on outings in Orlando. The first night we went to Medieval Times, where we walked out with our state flags, watched jousting, and ate great food. MAOT 2010, Janette Morelan, was the honored princess of the nightJ Jeanette is truly the most inspiring young woman I have ever met in my life and I feel so honored to know her and have her as a friend. She was a fantastic Miss America Outstanding Teen. I look forward to having her as my nation’s President in 2040!

The next outing we had was to Planet Hollywood at Disney World, where we took pictures on the Red Carpet, received many gifts, and ate a good meal. During these outings is when the contestants would get to know one another better. I made so many amazing friends who I could really relate with. I was in awe of how outstanding these young women were and I had to keep reminding myself that I was one of them! I would have never guessed the bond that we would share by the end of those two weeks, and I am so grateful for it. Now, wherever I travel in the U.S., I will know at least one person from every state!

During our stay we received so many gifts from our sponsors that I had to dedicate my largest suitcase to gifts for the travel home!After all of our preparation, the competition began on Monday with personal interviews. They did not turn out nearly as scary as I thought and ended up being very fun because my directors had prepared me so well. On Tuesday, I competed in Talent and was so happy with my performance. Every contestant’s talent was seriously phenomenal! The next night was evening gown, where I got to wear my beautiful white gown sponsored by Regalia in Florida! Love that dress:) The next night was fitness, my favorite portion of the competition. It was so fun! Backstage I had the best hostess in the world helping me, her name was Barbara and I do not know what I would have done without her. During the week I was only able to see the people who came to support me during visitation after each night’s competition; it was certainly wonderful to see them! I was so happy to have Miss Idaho, Kylie Koefed there as well to cheer me on. I can’t wait to go cheer her on at Miss America in January and see all of the Outstanding Teens again!

Finals night was Saturday, where the new

Miss America Outstanding Teen 2011, Lacey Russ of Oklahoma was crowned!!!! I was so incredibly happy for her and I know she will represent America’s teens very well this year with her platform P.U.R.E, promoting teen abstinence. Congratulations Lacey!

Following the final competition was the awards ceremony where six college scholarships were awarded to certain contestants and I received one of them! I was awarded the Nova Southeastern University Razor’s Edge Leadership Scholarship because of my phone interview, essay, and leadership application! It was so exciting! Other awards like Miss Congeniality, and Most Photogenic were awarded and during those awards, I received the Scholastic Achievementin Academic Life Award, which I am extremely proud of! This award was based on highest GPA and best scored resume. Taylor Fitch, MAOT 2009 was given this award the year that she won, so she presented the award to me! At the end of the night, I officially gained over $42,000 in college scholarships from the Miss America Scholarship Organization. I was so shocked but so grateful.

The entire experience was without a doubt the biggest and most challenging adventure I had ever gone on. I still can’t believe that I got to hang out with Miss America and actually be a part of what I had been dreaming about for years. I loved every minute of representing Idaho in this extraordinary event.

Thank you so much to everyone who prepared me and made it possible for all of us Outstanding Teens to live our dreams.

Your friend,

Katy Lootens - MIOT 2010

Katy's Send-Off Party

On Tuesday, August 17th, my directors hosted a send-off party for me before I left for nationals in Florida on Friday! Some of my closest family and friends came to wish me farewell, along with the Miss Idaho Board of Directors. During the party, I tried on my nationals wardrobe for the guests to preview! I was so thankful to be in such wonderful company, supporting me and wishing me luck for the coming adventure :)

Thank you to all who came. I love you!

Your Friend,

Katy

This was also a very special day because my CD was released nation-wide :)

You can purchase this album at amazon.com or iTunes!

Run for Your Life

New York Life in downtown Boise put on a very special event for Idaho's Wednesday's Child Program called Run for your Life. This was a run/walk for adults and children, all proceeds going towards Wednesday's Child. This was a very special event to me because of my platform that promotes healthy living.

In the race I handed out water at a station in the park with a lovely family I had met that morning! They had a daughter named Audrey, which is my very favorite name on Earth!

I was also asked to sing the National Anthem at the conclusion of the race. My favorite part of all though, was handing out the awards to the winners of the

races and taking pictures with the kids that were there.

After the event, there was a carnival set up in the parking lot of New York Life, where I played games and made crafts with people from around the valley.

This was a fantastic function and I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of it!

Thank you to New York Life for making Run for Your Life possible and helping out disadvantaged children in Idaho.

Your Friend,

Katy Lootens

The Children's Miracle Network!

The Miss America and Miss America Outstanding Teen national platform is the Children's Miracle Network aka CMN!

CMN is a foundation started by Marie Osmond and her family and has spread nation-wide making tremendous donations to children's hospitals all around America. The proceeds that go to CMN directly impact your local children's hospital to help pay for medical research, equipment, healthcare costs, medications, and so much more! I am raising money for our local St. Lukes children's hospital.

I have been at Snake River Mart in Marsing, the Idaho Falls Dairy Queen, and also online on the MAOT website!

Please log onto: www.maoteen4kids.org and search for Katy Lootens to donate!

Miss Idaho and I at Dairy Queen for Miracle Treat Day!!

Miss Idaho Falls

This weekend Jaylee and I went to the Miss Idaho Falls pageant. It was a lot of fun to watch and perform in the pageant. As you may know, Miss Idaho Falls 2009 was Ali Christiansen and also a contestant on the hit television competition America's Got Talent! Ali and her younger sister Christina have performed twice on the show so far and are headed back to Hollywood shortly to continue their journey. Both of them also happen to have been former MIOT contestants and I am hoping that Christina will continue in the program! They both have tremendous talent and well as an inspiring story to share about their struggles with Cystic Fibrosis. These are two girls who I strongly admire for their incredible character and will to just keep following their dreams no matter what. There were many happy and special moments reflecting on Ali's journey through the year as Miss Idaho Falls. She truly made the most out of her year and was thankful for every moment. She and her sister represent Idaho very well on national television:) Good luck to the both of them!

There were seven contestants in the pageant and one of them happened to be Cassidy Bronson, a former MIOT!

All of the contestants were AMAZING

and I thoroughly enjoyed watching and performing in this great production. My friend from the MIOT pageant, Miss Rexburg's Outstanding Teen, Bailey Barton got to perform a country song as well as Rigby's Jr.Miss, Cree Philips, who rocked it out w/ Aretha Franklin's "Respect!" In the end, Kelsie Roper was crowned Miss Idaho Falls 2010 with her platform of Childhood Obesity- Weigh the Consequences and her piano talent!

Congratulations Kelsie!!

On the way home, Jaylee and I took the more scenic route, where we took a small tour of the Craters of the Moon! It is extremely interesting that cool that Idaho has such a historic landmark! The craters are made out of the dried lava flow that happened hundreds, if not thousands of years ago and is able to be seen from outer space! Well that's just one of the awesome and unique things that Idaho has to offer, but there are sooo many more!

Your Friend,

Katy Lootens

MIOT 2010

P.S. Look online at maoteen.org to see all of the new MAOT contestant photos!!!!! Only 2 weeks from today until competition!!!!!!!!!!!

A Weekend at Fred Meyers!

This weekend, Kylie and I got to promote the Fred Meyers' Sidewalk Sale and raffle in Garden City. We also promoted the Miss Idaho Organization while greeting people and signing autographs. It was very enjoyable to talk to the public in a very informal and everyday setting. I believe that you can learn something from every person you meet. This is the perfect year to take advantage of the surplus amounts of different people with much wisdom that God is putting before me to learn from.

There were many activities going on at Fred Meyers this weekend. We had the fun opportunity to be interviewed on live radio on 94.9 The River!

There was a small Corvette happening in the parking lot with some absolutely gorgeous cars!!

I am definitely a Fred Meyers fan, so spending two days at one was no hardship for me! Being gluten-free, they have a large health foods selection loaded with all sorts gluten-free goodies!

Miss Western Idaho

On the 15th of July, the Miss Western Idaho and Miss West River Valley Pageant took place in Weiser. I was really looking forward to coming to this pageant becausethis would be my first performance at a local pageant. I was very pleased with how accommodating and friendly the people were who ran the Western Idaho program. Whenever I see these volunteer board members for Miss Idaho, I am just in awe of their unending work and how much they sacrifice for the young women in the program. They put in their time and efforts because they genuinely care about us and believe in everything that the Miss America Organization does, as do those of us who participate and support it. These are remarkable people that we can trust to help guide and encourage us, not only throughout our year of service, but also throughout the rest of our lives. My year is still only in its beginning stages and I can already tell you that I am and always will be grateful for my directors and the warm and welcoming hearts on the Miss Idaho Board of Directors.

Miss Western Idaho 2010, Carley Campo crowned

Elizabeth Richins

of Weiser with the new 2011 title. She performed a fantastic piano piece and her platform is "Music Matters." Chelacie Fife of Fruitland was crowned Miss West River Valley by Jessica Richardson. Chelacie did an amazing contemporary dance that she choreographed herself! She happens to be one of my friends that I used to dance with, so when she won I was extremely excited! Both of the girls who won are very talented and deserving of their titles. It is espeacially neat to me that when two titles are given at a pageant, the bond that the two

titleholders have becomes a very strong friendship and makes the whole experience even more special. I can't wait to see the growth of their friendship by the time for Miss Idaho next year!

I also got to see one of my friends from the 2010 Miss Idaho Outstanding Teen Pageant! Ashley Shultz is one of the most humble and kind spirited girls I know. Honestly, if there was a definition for "beautiful inside and out" in the dictionary,

I'm pretty sure Ashley's picture would be right beside it. She is now the very first Miss Western Idaho Outstanding Teen!

Your Friend,

Katy Lootens

MIOT 2010

If you or someone you know is between the ages of 13-17 and is interested in being an outstanding teen for your area, log onto www.idahooutstandingteen.com for more information!

The Miss America Outstanding Teen Lottery!!

On Tuesday, July 13th, at three o'clock PM mountain time, it was time for one of the most exciting, yet somewhat stressful parts of pageantry to begin.....choosing my contestant number! Tami, Jaylee, my mom, my cousin Terry, and I met up at the Moxie Java in Boise and got ready for the games to begin. Creating the contestant order for nationals is a whole lot different than it is at state! We sat with my laptop on the Miss America OT website and waited patiently for the screen to change into a chart. After that, certain state names would pop up and that sate's representative/contestant would have 5 minutes to call and say what spot they would like to be in. There is 3 groups to choose from, the red, white, and blue groups, and each has a different schedule of competition during pageant week in Orlando. Before the lottery, I had been thinking for several weeks about what spot would be my ideal position. I preferred the competition order of the white group, and also really like the color white. As the lottery began, we expected to be called pretty early, but as time rolled on, we started to get a little antsy. An hour passed...then two....and finally, at around 5:30 my mom's cell phone rang. Only a few spots remained, but one of them was surprisingly close to my ideal number in the white group. I answered it and was asked my name. After I answered my name, I was stunned out of my mind to hear "Hi Katy, this is Caressa Cameron, MISS AMERICA "!!!!! I was so excited and did't quite know what to say at the time, but I managed to pull myself together and say what spot I would like. Then I got to talk to Miss America's Outstanding Teen, Jeanette Morelan!!! Idaho ended up being one of the last ten to pop up on the screen, which was very different than prior years, where it was one of the first ten! The wait and anticipation was all worth it and I got the spot of

White #6!!!! It was one of the very last spots in the white group, so it was very exciting to get it! We all had a blast and it made me look forward to nationals even more!

Your Friend,

Katy Lootens

MIOT 2010

On the phone with Miss America!!!

Seattle Visit and The Pageant

Last week I took a trip up to Seattle to initially record the rest of my album that will be coming out this fall!!! The week was completely full and I spent it with my Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Joe. The first few days we spent at their cabin on the beach, which was very relaxing. When we got back to their house, it was time to hit the city and start recording hardcore at Diskeyes Productions and Clatter Studios! The music that is on my album is a mixture of Celtic and Classical selections and I am so excited to see and hear the complete product! My aunt Cheryl runs the Mercer Island Children's Choir and has worked in the recording industry for many years as well as been a performer in the Seattle Opera Company! When her and I get together we have a blast working on music, shopping, and going on long refreshing walks, talking about everything.

The timing of the Miss Washington pageant happened to work out perfectly and correspond well with the schedule for the week and I was able to make an appearance there! The day of the pageant, I met a new friend, whose name was also Katy! But it got stranger.... she also goes to an arts school, like me, has one sibling, a brother who is 22, like my brother, and she is 17 years old....like me!! It was quite a coincidence; but the largest difference between us was that she actually lives in London. She was just in Seattle visiting her aunt, who happened to play the violin on my album! That afternoon, Katy, Aunt Cheryl, and myself, went shopping downtown. We went to Bebe, Nordstom, and my ultimate favorite of all time, Betsey Johnson!!! I was first introduced to Betsey by my aunt when I was in the 7th grade and have been addicted to her fun and feminine fashions ever since. I have even gone as far as applying to the actual university that she attended, so maybe her brilliance will rub off on me.

That evening, we went to the pageant and it was quite an exciting event! The crowd was very into what they were spectating. It was, by far, the loudest and most energized audience I had ever been a part of at a pageant! I was also able to meet the contestants of Miss Washington's Outstanding Teen and MWOT herself, Victoria Renard. She was such a sweet girl whom I can't wait to get to know more at nationals! Miss Idaho, Kylie Kofed, did a phenomenal performance that night, as well as the hysterical act of Miss Washington 2009, Devanni Partridge. In the end, The Miss Washington 2010 title went to Miss Greater Vancouver, Jacquie Brown. Congratulations Jacquie!!

I had such a lovely time at the pageant, thank you to the Miss Washington Organization for welcoming Miss Idaho and I to the event.

Your Friend,

Katy Lootens

MIOT 2010