As My Year Comes To An End....

One year ago, my life changed more than I ever thought possible when I was crowned Mrs. Arizona America. Although this journey came to an end last night, my heart is filled with gratitude for the amazing year that I have been blessed with and for the many people that have come into my life. Thank you to all of my family, friends and sponsors for all of your support this past year, I couldn't have done it without you!  I am so proud of every single lady that competed for the title of Mrs. Arizona America 2012. They are smart, versatile, accomplished women who are passionate about making a difference in this state. For me, the 27 different charities that I was given the opportunity to work with this past year will forever hold a special place in my heart.  Special thanks goes to my March of Dimes family!
 
From the bottom of my heart....THANK YOU for giving me the opportunity to represent you this past year, it has truly been an honor!

Lori Skutnik
Mrs. Arizona America 2011
 

Judge-National Miss High School & Miss Collegiate America Pageant

March 9-11th:  Here's a picture of me and my fellow judges along with the newly crowned Miss Collegiate America (left) & Miss High School America (right).  We had a great time judging this prestigious national pageant and I was so blessed to meet so many amazing people.  WOW!!  Best of luck to the newly crowned ladies.  I can't wait to see the impact that they make across the United States this year!

Upon returning home from Texas yesterday I was super busy with my family and then I attended the Arizona United States Pageant last night to cheer on several of my friends who were competing.  After being awake for 21 hours straight, exhausted was an understatement!

Tomorrow I have a very important meeting at the March of Dimes state office.  I'm hoping that the partnership that I am helping them with will come to fruition.  This organization holds a very special place in my heart and I always want to do all that I can to assist them with their mission.

Just 11 days left until I crown my successor.  If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, please be sure to do so soon!  The pageant will be held on Friday, March 23rd at the Tempe Performing Arts Center.  See you there!

Lori Skutnik
Mrs. Arizona America 2011

March

I feel like it has been a long time since I posted on my blog.  Life has been chaotic and time has definitely gotten away from me as I begin to wrap up my year.  While most may think that things are starting to slow down, it's actually the exact opposite!  Traveling, deadline dates, meetings, appearances, etc continue to be part of my life right up until the day that I crown the new Mrs. Arizona 2012.  I am so blessed for the opportunities that I have been given this past year, but more importantly, for the lives that I have been able to reach out to and positively impact. 

I just returned from Utah where I had the honor to spend time with the amazing women who competed for the title of Mrs. Utah America 2012. Each one of them made a lasting imprint on my heart with their passion for their families, communities and their platforms. I am so proud of each of them! 

This week I will travel to Texas for "pageant work."  I'm so excited for this opportunity and I'm looking forward to reconnecting with so many of the women that I competed with at Mrs. America.  I have found true friendship in so many of these amazing women!  After I return home I will have more appearances and a big meeting at the March of Dimes state office in hopes of connecting them with a very large company that will help them raise money that they can put towards research.  This is big, and I can only hope that it will prove to be successful.

Warmly,
Lori Skutnik
Mrs. Arizona America 2011

Arizona Centennial

Happy 100th Birthday, Arizona!  What an honor it is to be Mrs. Arizona during such an incredible year!  I had the opportunity to be at the State Capitol for "Best Fest" and on stage with John Bouma, Chairman of Snell & Wilmer and the presenting sponsor for Salute to Arizona.  I am so thankful to the producers and the event staff for taking such good care of me.  I was able to spend some time with Governor Brewer before the show, which was truly and honor.  Each time that I have have been in her presence she has displayed her energetic, down to earth personality and has been such a pleasure to talk with.

                                    Hanging out with Tim & Willy from KMLE Country.

                                                           Me & Governor Jan Brewer



"Fandango! Arizona" was the black tie birthday party dinner to celebrate Arizona's 100th Birthday. It was an honor for my husband and I to be invited as special guests to this event. We met so many amazing people and the food was incredible!  I laughed a lot that night, meeting people from all around the state, people that were here from out of state for the event, and of course, many prominent individuals with ties to our state.

VIP Coctail Party prior to the event.

With my husband, Derek.

Phoenix Children's Hospital

Today proved to be an emotional day as I visited Phoenix Children's Hospital. With each visit, I continue to be amazed by the strength of the families that I have the opportunity to visit with. Their willingness to share their personal stories with me and allow me to be bedside with their children means more to me that they will ever know. Each one of the parents and children will always hold a special place in my heart. Some of the kids have been at PCH for a couple of weeks, others, a couple of months. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers, not only today, but everyday.

It was a blessing to spend time with this beautiful young lady before she went into surgery today. She is so beautiful with a heart all for Jesus. She truly amazed me in more ways than one....we could all learn some valuable lessons from this amazing teen.

Amber was so full of energy and a joy to visit today! The sparkle in her eyes shined brighter than the crown on her head.

Barrett Jackson

This is a week that I've been looking forward to for the past couple of months.  Although I participated in Barrett Jackson last year as Mrs. Gilbert, it was honor to come back this year as Mrs. Arizona America and be involved in so much more. 

My first event of the week was the ChildHelp Drive the Dream Gala.  Childhelp is the largest non-profit, non-governmental organization in the nation dealing with the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect.  At the beginning of the evening, myself along with some of the contestants who will compete for my title in March were able to spend a few minutes watching Michael Bolton practice some of his songs.  He was the entertainment for the evening and his voice, after all of these years, is still amazing!  The 2012 contestants and I sold tickets for the raffles that were occurring later in the evening.  At $1,000 a ticket to attend the event and dinner, I have to say that the prizes that they were raffling and those that were in the live auction were incredible!  I never know what's going to happen at the events that I attend, but one thing that comes with the job is that I always have to be on my toes and ready for anything...such as the two on the spot interviews and many photos with local magazines that I had tonight.

My next event for the week was all about my kids.  My three little ones were on the Barrett Jackson stage where they modeled for the first time.  They had a wonderful first experience and it was nice for me to out in the audience watching and enjoying the show.  After the show I was interviewed by Cox Communications TV (as a mom and Mrs. AZ).  Watch for my interview with them which will be running for three weeks beginning February 10th!

My final event for the week was modeling on the Barrett Jackson runway.  Thank you to MomBomb for the outfits that you dressed me in!  If you haven't been to their boutique, be sure to visit them in Phoenix! 

It has been a great month and a busy one!  I try to post as much as I can on my blog, but I honestly don't have time to blog about every single event that I do. :0)  This weekend I'll have my final photo shoot as Mrs. Arizona America with the incredible Vanessa Menendez!  One of the photos from the shoot will go on the cover of the 2012 Mrs. Arizona America Pageant Program. 

If you're still thinking about competing for the title of Mrs. Arizona America 2012, there will be a "Meet & Greet" on Friday night.  Message me for details!  On Saturday, I'll be at an all-day workshop for the 2012 contestants.  I can still remember this time last year as I was anxiously preparing to compete for the title.  Working hard, staying focused and counting down the days!  Two months from tomorrow (March 23rd) I will crown my successor.  However, you should see my calendar until then...it's jammed packed!  Loving every moment!

Lori Skutnik
Mrs. Arizona America

January 2012

Happy New Year!  Wow, just like that 2011 came to a close and here we are in 2012.  This also means that I am 2 1/2 months away from crowning my successor.  I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with so many charities and organizations in 2011, and I have so much more that I want to accomplish before I move on to the next chapter in my life.

Today, I had a wonderful time at Tempe Town Lake Beach Park supporting Mesa Assoc. of Sports for the Disabled.  MASD is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing sports and recreation opportunities year round to individuals with all types of disability.  Having grown up with a paraplegic father from the time that I was four years old, this was something that I was truly honored to be a part of.  These individuals are amazing and I admire each of them for their perseverence, courage and determination.  They are strong, positive examples to everyone that they meet. 













While I was at the event I also had the priviledge to spend time with John Rhode, the Season 12 winner of BIGGEST LOSER!  What a remarkable, humble man he is.  He lost 225 pounds and is such an inspiration to so many people.

January is filled with a lot of wonderful events for me, so stay tuned!  And, although I initially thought that the 2012 pageant would be in February, one year from the time that I won, it will actually be held in March.  Yes, that means that I get a 13 month reign, and that much more time to make a difference!

Happy New Year!

Lori Skutnik
Mrs. Arizona America