A Quick Little Post...

Time for a quick little post...Good luck to all the NH girls competing in upcoming MAO state pageants: Adria Farr (TN), Whitney V (RI), Lacey Jane (MA), and Tara F (AZ).

Congrats on a talent win in TN last night Adria...you go girl!

Peace, Love, and NH-pride,

Erika Lehman, Miss NH ANTSO National Miss

The Week of the Fundraisers

For the rest of my life I will be referring to last week as "The Week of the Fundraisers". No joke...I went to four fundraisers in eight days and traveled over 400 miles to volunteer/help out/be fabulous at several events.

The "Week of the Fundraisers" kicked off with a pancake breakfast hosted by Lexa Donnelly (Miss NH National Teenager). I, along with several other titleholders and volunteers, acted as servers, bringing piping hot and delicious pancakes to all who came to support Lexa. At one point, I asked the cook if he could make anything different (as in a little pancake, or a butter-less one) and he made me "special pancakes" with an assortment of berries baked in :) Some of the girls thought I might have had a secret admirer...I just think of it as yummy pancakes.

All in all, the breakfast was a success and Lexa raised over $500.

Next on the agenda for "The Week of the Fundraisers" was my dinner fundraiser at Brothers North, a Greek Restaurant in Hampton, NH (that I just so happen to work at). Before I go any further...big shout out to those who donated after finding themselves unable to attend. Thank you Uncle Don and Aunt Ann for donating $100 and Chris Munton and Amanda for donating $25...okay, shout out complete.

The Fundraiser went well, with the help of Amanda Erhart, her mother, Lexa,Brothers North Staff, and Sarajayne Howland, the event went very well! Although there was not a huge turnout, I fundraised over $550 (after paying the restaurant!!). A significant portion came from the pockets of Debbie Barker and Jim and Ruth Hepp (shout out 2) and the majority of the funds came from the raffle. I had some great prizes including lovely gift baskets from Angela McKinnon, my Mary Kay Lady (shout out 3). Phillippe, a twenty-something ladies-man of a cook was fortunate to win one of these baskets :) way to go Phillippe! And one more shout out (4)...Jenn Saucier...thanks for bringing tubs of clothes for Mandi and I (and Paula) to play dress up in until late at night!

Onto fundraiser three... a dinner and silent auction in Henniker, NH hosted by Mandi Erhart, the Miss NH Senior Sweetheart. It was very well planned and wonderfully entertaining. I left with a happy belly and in a peaceful state of mind after listening to the talents of several poets and storytellers (not to mention a post-shopping euphoria thanks to the new set of earrings in my purse...I love silent auctions). Mandi is such a sweetheart (shout out 5 and good pun, thanks) and I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know her better.

And now, the "Week of the Fundraisers" comes to a close the following Sunday with the NSTAR's Boston Childrens Hospital Walk, an 8-mile walk in the heart of Boston to raise money for child medical care. I awoke at 5:30, made myself look as glorious as possible for the early morning, and hopped on the C&J bus to South Station. I then took the T to Cambridge, and walked to the registration area...to find out I beat the volunteers and had to chill in the rain for a bit until they arrived.

Aside from some mud and matted hair, I had a wonderful time and chatted the day away with Sasha, Barbara, Jen, Lexa, Mandi,and many more. We capped off the evening with a visit to the Cheesecake Factory (no cheesecake, just salad...musn't forget there is a pageant coming up) and some shopping. Men, beware, Mandi Erhart can shop! I thought I was a pro, but she has got me beat!

Lastly, in fear that I might not get on a bus and be stranded in Boston (this could be bad, given I stink at riding the T), Mandi's mother drove me all the way back to Dover (bless her heart)! Thanks so much for the ride (shout out 7,981)!

So, all in all, the "Week of the Fundraisers" went well for all parties involved...but wait, there's more!

And now for the reason for which I am up at a ridiculous hour when I have to be at work at 8 am...I was just donated $400 by Blinks in Hampton, courtesy of Brian from the gym (sorry Brian, I don't know your last name)! Good thing I peeled myself off the couch at 8:45 this evening for an intense late night cardio session!!!! I believe I am too stoked to sleep!

Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post regarding the success of all my fundraising endeavors...one involves a 10 year-old dead wasp...so really, this is one you don't want to miss!

Peace, Love, and Fabulous Fundraisers

Erika Lehman, Miss NH ANTSO National Miss

Presenting Trophies at Lee USA Speedway

On Friday, May 29, I had the opportunity to serve as a trophy presenter at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire.

After locking my car keys in my house and waiting for my landlord to save the day, my plans of arriving very early were foiled! Fearful that I would be late for such an important appearance I abandoned my Grandma-ish means of driving and booked it to the speedway as fast as I could. I flew through the traffic circle as if I was in Spain (each round-a-bout was an adrenaline rush), parked on the Lawn next to the big trucks, and booked it to the announcers box taking the treacherous flight of stairs two at a time….only to find out that I was still early and the preliminary races were only half-done! So I settled in with a slice of pizza and a diet Pepsi (compliments of the camera boys) to familiarize myself a little more with the rules of racing.

For those of you who know the ropes, this paragraph is not for you…but for those who always wondered what all the colored flags and flag waving antics mean…here’s a few answer (compliments of the camera boys once again).

Green: The go flag-when it flies, the race is on.

Black Flag: This is no good, nobody wants to see it! The black flag is terminal, and the racer who receives this signal must exit the track and stop racing.

Red Flag: This flag stops the race and applies to all the cars on the track. Like a traffic light…red means STOP.

Yellow Flag: Slow down, just like a traffic light…it doesn’t mean speed up and try to make it through the intersection before the light turns red!

Single Cross Flag: This flag is rarely used and is similar to a traffic congestion relief signal…aka…racers move over and let this other car pass!

Double Cross: The double cross (or X) flag means the race has reached the half-way point.

White Flag: This flag means there is one lap remaining in the race.

Checkered Flag: This flag means the race is over and you have crossed the finish line.

And, when the man twirls two wound up flags over his head like batons there are two laps to go. This is my favorite part because it is an exciting gesture and makes the flag-man look as though he is having a great time!

Once preliminaries were complete it was race time, and I presented six trophies to the winners of the final heats in each category. I was amazed to see how young some of these drivers were! One driver nearly missed a race after coming from his high school graduation party, and one of the winners ( a front runner from last year) was most definitely younger than me!

I had a great time, met some wonderful fans and talented drivers and managed to escape the looming thunderheads that had been threatening a downpour all night! Thanks Lee Speedway for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your festivities, I look forward to volunteering again this upcoming July.

Peace, Love, and checkered flags,

Erika Lehman, Miss NH ANTSO National Miss 2009