Back to the "Real World"

Wow.
That pretty much sums up the past week and a half of my life at MAOT. I had such a wonderful week filled with life changing experiences that I will never be able to duplicate.

After arriving in Orlando, I checked in, met the other contestants, and was a part of a Tony Bowls Photo shoot! ^ That's a sample :)

All 53 of us attended a Medieval Times dinner, a dinner at Planet Hollywood, and the Evening of Stars. We even got a break from rehearsals to enjoy the pool!!

I was blessed to have tied for the On-stage question/evening gown prelim award, but I was even more blessed to have added 52 sisters to my family. They mean the world to me and I miss them terribly.

I feel horrible because I'm at a loss for describing my week! It was such a whirlwind of awesome-ness. I've learned so much from this experience and have absolutely no regrets. I've never been so pleased and content in my life.

This experience has really taught me a lot about myself. I have reconnected with God in a way that I never thought was possible. I honestly have not prayed that much in my life! At the end of the week, I watched a plane write "Love God" in the sky. It was like the signature at the end of a letter. The best way to describe my experience at MAOT is a message from God, I am truly blessed to have had this opportunity to learn about myself, my life, my journey, and what He has intended me to do. I cannot wait to see what plan he has for me in the near future :)

To the MAOT Class of 2012- I miss you like crazy, thank you for making this journey an absolute blast. Can't wait for Vegas
To my friends, family, and support group here in NP & Nebraska- I couldn't have done this without you. I am eternally grateful for you love and support, it got me through the week!

Here's a service blurb! I am taking part in the Run for Breast Cancer here in North Platte on Sept. 5th. I highly suggest being a part of this great cause! Visit the groups facebook page or contact me and I would be glad to get you more information!

IT'S GO TIME!

Alright, so my intentions of blogging every day up until MAOT didn't exactly work out. Ha, funny how packing seems to consume your life when you are leaving for a week and a half.

Anyways, the past few days have been filled with the Ludeman Family Reunion, packing, eating some chicken, working out, running to Gothenburg to get dresses altered, practicing my talent, my birthday, and my very favorite event, my send off. :)

Thank you to everyone who attended the send off. It was a complete success. I got more stage time in my competition outfits for practice, Darrell tricked me with a few onstage questions, and I was able to practice my talent! The silent auction went over great and so did the birthday cake! It was a great celebration, and I could really feel the support from the state. :)

As for now, I am completely packed and am getting ready to head out to Grand Island to fly out in the morning! I am so ready and cannot wait for the week to begin.

Again, another thank you to everyone for all of your support and well wishes. It means so much to me and I wouldn't be here without your help.

Mother will be keeping things updated on her Facebook, as well as mine and the Nebraska Outstanding Teen page. I won't have my phone or access to the Internet after Friday night. You can write me letters though! Letters, care packages, cards, ...chocolate :) anything except flowers due to allergies.

Please send to:
Miss Nebraska's Outstanding Teen Brooke Ludemann
c/o Rosen Centre Hotel
9840 International Dr.
Orlando, FL 32819-8122

Thanks again! I will be back up on August 22nd :)

Count down to MAOT - day 7

On top of my updates and service project ideas, I'm going to start telling you about my final week getting ready for Miss America's Outstanding Teen!

First off, here's what I've been doing:

Tuesday: I visited the Lincoln Children's Museum to promote The Center for People in Need's backpack program! I was part of a large effort to spread the word about this project across Lincoln and also get some donations. This was also a great chance to reach out to young kids about volunteering! We traced our hands and talked about "Helping Hands are Big and Small," which was my message about age not mattering in the ability to do volunteer work. The kids decorated their hands, wrote their names on them, and then hung them on the wall to be displayed. They had fun, AND they learned about volunteering. Win/win situation! Here is the story from 10/11 news! http://www.1011now.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6113994&flvUri&partnerclipid

Also, in North Platte, a story was run in the North Platte Telegraph about my send of party and my year so far. It was a great story written by Diane Wentzle, a big thank you to her, and it really showcased the volunteer aspect of my reign. Here's a link to read the story! http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/08/02/news/70001097.txt

Wednesday I was back in North Platte for a mock interview practice. Thank you so much to the awesome judges! It was a great last minute prep and reassurance that I am ready!

Today: Here starts my count down!... Ahhhh! Today was my "vocal rest day". I've been doing so many appearances, interviews, and just talking in general, that my singing voice is really taking a hit. So, I have been sent to rest and relax (whats that?!?!) for the day. At least I have plenty to get done without talking!

Here are some volunteer ideas for the week! I visited http://www.serve.gov/ for my ideas this week. I've found this really cool resource and have been referring back to if very often. There are some neat personal stories from celebrities too. Here's my favorite from Usher, who is also my favorite! :)
http://www.tvaccessreports.com/myamericanstory/supporting/Power-of-Change_Usher-60.mp3
This is another great resource for finding volunteer opportunities! www.allforgood.org. This link connects you directly to a link that has volunteer opportunities in North Platte. If you aren't from North Platte, simply change the zip code to yours and there will be a list provided!
http://www.allforgood.org/search#num=10&start=1&vol_loc=69101&distance=25&type=all&timeperiodstart=everything&timeperiodend=everything&cache=1

Also a reminder that my send off is THIS Sunday, August 7th at the Quality Inn & Suites from 3:00-6:00pm with the "show" at 4pm. Don't miss it!