Fall, Candy, Treats and Sweets!

There's no question that Halloween and Fall Harvest parties are just right around the corner. As I walked through the grocery store I couldn't help but notice the candy laden and sugary treat saturated grocery isles. On average 41 million Americans will go trick-or-treating  will eat 1.2 pounds of candy a piece! This is a tremendous amount of candy!

With all of this information many parents are wary of letting their children even go trick-or-treating because of the immense amount of sugar they bring home. Instead of completely banning candy we should use this season as an opportunity to teach kids about eating everything in moderation.

I used to love filling my pumpkin bag to the top with goodies at my church's harvest party! My parents taught me that it is ok to have a few pieces of candy, but not the whole bag at one time.

One of my really good family friends would have her children make individualized "Treat Bags" and place all of their candy inside of them. If her children asked to have a treat they could pick a few pieces from the bag and save the rest for later! This way the candy would be spread out over 4-6months and the kids looked forward to having a small dessert when they wanted it.

Love,
Victoria

P.S.

How do you fix a broken Jack-O'-Lantern?

Take it to the pumpkin patch!!

Creative Cleaning

Do you ever dread deep cleaning your dorm room, room or house? Well dusting and vacuuming certainly did not used to be one of my favorite chores, but now I love it! I think of it as a time to relax, get some physical activity and refresh my room!

Some fun things I like to do to expedite the cleaning process are...

• Allot a specific time each week to clean
• Listen to music with a good dancing beat! 
• Use Swiffer pads as shoe covers and skate across hardwood and tile floors (Very carefully of course!) 
• Sing a song 
• Make the bed first (It makes the room look cleaner! )

"Whatever you do, work heartily as for the LORD, and not for men." 

Colossians 3:23

Love,

Victoria

Fit for Life

Hi everyone! This summer has been flying by! I've had the opportunity to do a lot of traveling, visiting with friends, attend the Miss Washington pageant and relax a little bit.

My dad is such a fitness inspiration! He has always been an avid runner and started competing in triathlons in his twenties. In the midst of running his own business, and keeping up with his busy wife and daughters he has continued to live a healthy and fit lifestyle running, biking and swimming all through out his life. In fact he says that he feels better and is making faster times now than he ever did when he was younger. Tomorrow he will be competing in a half IronMan Triathlon and this August he will be in the Canadian IronMan!

Although most of us will never attempt to enter an IronMan Triatholon it is encouraging to know that exercising can be a part of our lives forever!

Hanging Loose at the Cour de A'lane Iron Man 2010

Love,
Victoria

Miss Oklahoma

What an incredible week! It was such an honor to take part in the 40th anniversary of Miss Oklahoma with the Tulsa Kiwanis Club. Kent Parham did an incredible job with the production. Rehearsals were a blast and I met some of the most talented, beautiful and accomplished young ladies in the nation. I was also blessed to be the Omega Rookie Talent Award winner.

Photo by LEIGH THOMSON

Miss Edmond LibertyFest Alicia Clifton was crowned the new Miss Oklahoma. She will represent our state well and has an exciting year ahead of her!

Thank you to all of the volunteers and redcoats who make Miss Oklahoma possible. I also can't express how much it meant to have the prayers support of all of my family and friends during the week! I love you all so much! I can't wait to compete again next year!

God Bless,
Victoria Renard

My family came to support me including Grandpa Dan, Aunt Debbie, Cousin Megan and Cousin Kathy and her husband Michael! 

My beautiful Stars! :)

Miss Oklahoma Here I come!

I can't believe Miss Oklahoma is finally here! This is the 40th anniversary of Miss Oklahoma with the Kiwanis Club of Tulsa. What an exciting year! Tomorrow morning I check in and the fun begins!

My competition schedule for the week is...

Monday PM- Interview
Tuesday-Talent
Wednesday-Evening Wear and OnStage Question
Thursday-Swimsuit
Saturday-Finale!

If you want to keep up-to-date with the competition "Like" the Miss Oklahoma Facebook page, or follow my mom and sister on Facebook and Twitter #misssoonerstate. I am choosing to not take my computer with me, so will not be updating Facebook, Twitter or my blog during the week.

 My mom and I met with my beautiful stars and their mother at at the Waterfront Grill! 

They even made me dorm room decorations! 

To God Be the glory!

Love,
Victoria

As for God His way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in Him. 

Psalm 18:30

Nicole Renard Photography

Thank you Nicole Renard for the wonderful pictures! They look fabulous! 

Take a look at her headshots, senior, family and wedding photos on Nicole Renard Photography Facebook Page!

Girls On the Run

This fine Saturday morning I helped out at the Bridge to Bridge 5K with Girls on the Run. These pre-teens learn how to be healthy and confident through the running program!

Check out their website for a Girls on the Run council near you! http://www.girlsontherun.org/map.html

I helped spray paint hair and cheer the girls on close to the finish line :)

We Love Healthy Eating!

Girl Scouts Troop 3515 is super excited to make good eating choices and have fun being physically active! Playing games, bike riding, running, jump roping and hula hooping are all ways they love to get exercise.

Playing Ships and Sailors :)

Brainstorming fun ways to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day

Explaining the new MyPlate

Love,
Victoria 

Healthy, Happy and Pageant Ready!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with the Miss Tri-Cities contestants about healthy living and why the fitness/swimsuit competition is incorporated into the Miss America Organization. Titleholders must be able handle stressful situations and maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle 365 days a year!

Queen of Healthy Foods

This evening I visited with Girl Scouts Troop 1124. The lively girls decided that I was the Queen of Healthy Foods! They had many fun ideas for being active including jumping on the trampoline, walking their dogs, and racing.

Love,

Victoria Renard

Girl Scouts

Today I visited the Girl Scouts. We had a lot of fun playing games, talking about the healthy foods they like and brainstorming nutritious meal plans for their upcoming camping adventure! As a former Girl Scout and Brownie it was great to see how hard these young ladies were working for their badges.

Having fun being active!


Love,
Victoria :)

Oklahoma Employee Health and Fitness Month

Governor Mary Fallin has declared May as Oklahoma's Employee Health and Fitness month. The Fallin Business Survey of Oklahoma Executives says that the "well being of employees is in the top 10 concerns for business leaders."

Next Monday she will be leading the  "Walk for Wellness." The walk will begin at the north plaza of the capital building at 11:15! 

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals

The Children's Miracle Network Hospital Foundation helps raise money for over 120 local hospitals. When you donate the funds go to a local hospital and help a child near you! Since adopting CMNH as the national platform of Miss America, contestants have collectively raised over 6 million dollars to help these children. If you are interested in donating click on the link below!
God Bless,
Victoria :)
http://www.missamericaforkids.org/Donate/26955435FB1DF71D2

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

Friday marked the last day of classes! I cannot believe that this year is almost over. My dad flew into town Friday afternoon to help me get a head start on packing and to run in the OKC Memorial Marathon!

 Yesterday we volunteered at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Expo held at the Cox Convention Center. Kids were already running around the arena excited for the race!

After helping at registration we went to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. What an incredible place full of western history. I absolutely loved the historical paintings, saddles, boots and artifacts. My favorite artifact was a feather Native American Headdress that was a good foot taller than me! I can't imagine how heavy it would have been while wearing it!

It was so exciting to see so many people at the Memorial Run this morning. Thousands of people of all ages came out to participate. As a safety net runner I ran alongside the kids and encouraged them to keep going. Its amazing how much a simple, "Look at you go! You are so fast!" will cheer a child up and make them want to accomplish even more. One little girl I saw was struggling to keep the motivation to finish even though she was only a block away from the finish. I came up beside her and told her how well she was doing. She looked up, smiled and began to run even faster and finished the race with a huge smile on her face! 

As the summer months approach and the weather becomes nicer I encourage you to find an exercising buddy. Find someone that you want to encourage, or be encouraged by to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day. Having someone to be active with is much more fun and also keeps you accountable! 

Love,

Victoria

Wellness Now Coalition Meeting

This afternoon Lorri Essary invited me to attend the Oklahoma City-County Wellness Now Coalition Meeting. Chaired by Mayor Mick Cornett and County Commission Chairman Ray Vaughn. Committee workgroups are focused on improving the health of Oklahomans through school health, obesity, tobacco use prevention, senior health, mental health and chronic disease. They have many wonderful projects that are helping improve the health of Oklahomans.

Their newest campaign "Are You Pouring on the Pounds?" raising awareness of the harmful effects of consuming sugar-sweetend beverages.

Some interesting facts can be found on their website Pouring on the Pounds. Here are a few reasons to avoid sugary.

1. They add calories to your diet with out even making you full! 
2. In order to burn off the calories from a 20oz soda you would have to walk 3 miles from Bricktown to the Oklahoma State Capitol building!
3. Excess calories can lead to excess weight gain, diabetes and chronic diseases.
4. Youth who drink sugary beverages get an average of 360 calories from them each day. This adds up to 130,000 calories per child over a span of a year. 
5. Obesity-related illness costs Oklahomans $5 billion in medical costs each year and Oklahoma Tax payers pick up much of the expense. 

Water, low-fat milk, and unsweetened teas and coffees are the best alternatives.

Take a look at this short commercial Man Eating Sugar. It provides a great visual as to how much sugar actually is in these beverages!

Love,

Victoria

Remembering the Oklahoma City Bombing

17 years ago today at 9:02am the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed. 168 innocent people were killed. This morning Governor Mary Fallin and Oklahoma City Mayor Mitch Cornett joined in on the Remembrance Ceremony.
Now a beautiful outdoor memorial on the site of the building, and a Memorial Museum help commemorate this tragic loss of the terrorist attack. My prayers go out to the friends and family of everyone who was effected. We will always remember.

"We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever.
May all who leave here know the impact of violence.
May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace and hope."
-Quote from the Memorial

Love,

Victoria Renard

Lunch with Oklahoma City University's President

Happy Tuesday! On this lovely sunny day Oklahoma City University's President Henry invited the ladies competing and involved in Miss Oklahoma to lunch today.  It was an honor to have President Henry show us many of his art pieces and paintings as well as tell us about his many foreign travels, and  passion for cooking. Maybe one day he will show me how to cook one of his favorite foreign dishes!  All of the food was absolutely wonderful, but I have to admit my favorite part were the fresh berries with mint grown in the President's garden! 

Love,

Victoria :)

P.S. Please keep Woodward, Oklahoma in your prayers. They were severely hit by a tornado this past Saturday.

Miss Oklahoma Contestant's Day

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to beat the storms out of Oklahoma City and headed to Tulsa University. Kristyn Baker Miss Route 66 let me spend the evening at her school. We had fun going to a Make a Wish Foundation event, a restaurant on campus, and just hanging out.

 The next morning we woke up bright and early and headed to Jenks High School for Contestant's day. Luckily we left early because a few roads were closed due to construction and I got really lost! My dad always has said I have a bad sense of direction :) My Stars also had some car trouble on the way to Jenks, but I am so glad they were able to make it to Contestant's day.

The day was full of watching talents of the incredible young women in Miss Oklahoma, working on parts of the production with Kent Parham, listening to the current Miss Oklahoma Betty speak, going over pageant week information and picking our placement! I am contestant 17 in the Omega Group. 

My competition pageant week schedule will look like this!

Monday-Interview PM

Tuesday-Talent

Wednesday-Evening Gown and On Stage Question

Thursday- Swimsuit 

Saturday-Final

I am so blessed to have the opportunity to compete in Miss Oklahoma. I can't wait to spend even more time with all of the other girls! 7 more weeks until the show!

I pray that everyone is staying safe in the midst of the high winds, tornadoes, hail and thunderstorms. Listen to the news and make sure to have a plan in case of an emergency.

Love,

Victoria Renard

"Be anxious in nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be known to man."

Philippians 4:6

Hanging out with my Stars at Contestants Day :)

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

Have you signed up for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon yet? There will be a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, Memorial 5k and a kid's marathon. My dad will be running in the half marathon and I will be running in with the adventurous youth in the kid's marathon. The last day to register is April 20th and you don't want to miss this!
www.okcmarathon.com

Running with friends is lots of fun :)

Love,
Victoria

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it."
1 Corinthians 9:24

I love Camp Dakani :)

The open house at Campfire USA was so much fun today! Almost 100 people showed up to take part in rock climbing, canoeing, fishing, hunting for easter eggs and basket ball. I was stationed at the canoes and was able to ride in one with my new friend Charlotte. We felt like Pocahontas gliding around in the canoe and couldn't help but sing "Just Around the River Bend!"

When we pulled into the dock and were getting out somehow I slipped and fell into the water! My dreams of becoming a canoe savvy Pocahontas were slightly crushed. :) I was a little soggy for the rest of the day, but it was well worth the memory.

If you are interested in Camp Dakani's summer programs check out www.campfireusa-ok.org/ 

Love,

Victoria 

Before the fall!

Campfire USA Easter Egg Hunt

This Saturday from 1-4pm Campfire USA Heart of Oklahoma Council is having an open house at their Camp DaKani location. Bring your family out for fishing, rock climbing and an Easter Egg Hunt! Come get a sneak peak of the upcoming summer camps for kids. I am very excited to spend the afternoon outdoors volunteering having fun outside getting physical activity!

Love,
Victoria :)

Catch up :)

Hello everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. These past few weeks have just been a whirlwind of activities! Two weekends ago The American Spirit Dance Company had their spring preformance. I was blessed to have my mom and dad come out to watch me dance in the final two shows!

The next week during my spring break my mom stayed in Oklahoma City with me and lived the college dorm life! We had a blast seeing the town, meeting with Brian Atteberry, going to Body Trends, finishing up Miss Oklahoma paperwork, volunteering at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and relaxing. It was wonderful to spend time with my mom.

I was also able to spend a day volunteering at Campfire USA's Camp Dakani. The weather was absolutely beautiful and all of the kids were full of energy! We canoed, went on the zip line, finished a ropes course, hula hooped and went on a scavenger hunt.

Oklahoma City has been having wonderful summer weather perfect for long walks and runs outside!

Today Oklahoma City University partnered with OKC Beautiful to clean up Oklahoma City. Students showed up early this morning, were split into groups and given various outdoor tasks. My group was asked to pick up trash on 23rd street. The majority of the trash we picked up was from fast food restaurants and remainders of cigarettes. After a few hours of fun in the wonderful sunshine we had cleaned up a majority of the trash. I was amazed at how much litter there was! Please take a few seconds to throw trash in a garbage can or recycle bin.

"The earth is filled with the Lord's glory."
Habakkuk 2:14

Love,
Victoria

Mason Harvey-A Truly Inspiring Oklahoman

I just saw an incredible news story on CNN about Mason Harvey a 6th grader from Guthrie Oklahoma.

One year ago he weighed 206 pounds and was bullied by other kids. The teasing led to more eating and weight gain. Finally Mason was tired of being ridiculed and decided to make a change. By eating healthier and getting physical activity Mason lost 85 pounds!

His success hasn't stopped there. He continues to inspire his parents and community members to lose weight by organizing fitness events to promote awareness of childhood obesity!

Mason Harvey's story is an quintessence of how making small changes in your lifestyle can increase your healthy living.

Take a look at the news clip by clicking on the link below.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57396745/bullied-boy-loses-85-lb-inspires-others-to-lose/?tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea

Brush Those Teeth!

I just read a shocking article in the New York Times today about a 2 1/2 year old boy who just had dental surgery. 11 of his 20 baby teeth had cavities. The procedure consisted of a root canal, extraction of two incisors and fillings and crown on the rest of his teeth. His mother said that they began to think about brushing when the boy's teeth became discolored.

Teeth are a vital part of our health.

WebMD.com says there are four important steps to keeping your smile healthy.

1. Brush your teeth at least twice a day for 2-3 minutes 
• I usually turn on music and brush until the song is over to make sure I brush for long enough.
2. Floss regularly
3. Eat healthily
4. Go to the dentist

Take a few extra seconds to brush those teeth every day to keep those pearly whites as healthy as possible!

Love,

Victoria

"Your never fully dressed without a smile!"

-Annie the Musical 

iStock_000011548588XSmall_brushing_teeth.jpg

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday everyone! Most people think I am absolutely crazy, but I love Monday's. They are a brand new beginning to a week full of endless possibilities. You also get to go back to school/work and see all of your friends again!

Try starting the morning with a smile and telling yourself why today is going to be a great day.Your attitude makes all of the difference. A positive outlook can make the world of a difference.

The radio station KLOVE did a campaign last year called Make a Difference Monday, encouraging others to do just one thing to make a difference. It can be as simple as smiling or saying hi to someone, holding open a door, or picking up a piece of trash. Seeing the joy you can bring to someone else is one of the most rewarding feelings.

Take the positive attitude you started the day with and let it have a contagious effect on those around you!

Love,
Victoria

“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”

Miss Oklahoma Winter Meeting

Saturday was the Miss Oklahoma Winter Meeting! Luckily I had a short 5 minute commute across campus to the Miender's School of Business for the meeting. I felt a little over dressed for school in my dress and heels!

It was very fun to get to meet the other contestants and see some old friends. The day consisted of going over Miss Oklahoma essentials and listening to guest speakers. Rick Brinkley the Miss America Judges Consultant talked about the judging process and we also had a modeling workshop from the famous model Lu Celania Sierra.

After the meeting it was so beautiful outside I went on a walk. This spring weather is perfect for getting physical activity, fresh air and vitamin D!


God Bless,
Victoria

"The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy."

Henry Beecher

National Pancake Day

Tomorrow Tuesday February 28 is IHop's National Pancake Day. Go to any IHop from 7am-10pm for a free-short stack of pancakes and donate to the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

The Miss America Organization's national platform is Children's Miracle Network. CMN is a charity that raises money for 170 children's hospitals across North America.

Go get some yummy pancakes and support a wonderful cause!

Heart Health Awareness Month

February is heart health awareness month.  According to The Center for Disease Control and prevention heart disease is the number one killer of Americans from all different backgrounds.

To keep your heart healthy...

• Eat healthily-include all of the food groups limiting saturated fat and cholesterol
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Get aerobic exercise to strengthen your heart-my favorite is jump roping!
• Reduce stress
• Don't use drugs or tobacco 

The American Heart Association and Smartbalance websites have great information and tips on how to keep your heart healthy!

God Bless,

Victoria

P.S. Good luck to all of the young ladies competing in the Triple Crown tonight! I can't wait to cheer you on!

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7

Oklahoma State of the State Address 2012

Happy Friday! I can't believe another great week is finished. I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!

A few weeks ago Mary Fallin, the Governor of Oklahoma delivered the State of the State Address. In her speech she stated that one of the goals for Oklahoma for for this upcoming year is to improve Oklahoma's health. Currently we are ranked 48th in the nation for health.

She said, "Healthy living is important, not just because we want Oklahomans to live full and happy lives, but because the effects of unhealthy life choices hurt our economy, drain taxpayer dollars and drive up the cost of health care for everyone."


By focusing on preventing obesity, tobacco use, poor nutrition, infant mortality, substance abuse and sedentary lifestyles we can drastically improve the state's health. 


Currently in Oklahoma....

• The Fit Kids Coalition and the American Heart Association are taking action to try to create increased access to safe exercise environments by opening school exercise facilities to the general public.
•  The HB 2267/Restore Local Rights is currently in committee in Oklahoma. It will allow local businesses to make decisions about smoke-free indoor work places.

Take a look at the Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition and Smoke Free Oklahoma Facebook pages and keep a look out for other health benefiting opportunities in your community!


Love,
Victoria 

IHOP

Today I fundraised for the Children's Miracle Network at IHop Pancake House on Meridian Ave in Oklahoma City. The Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization that seeks to raise money for Children's hospitals and to keep the money raised in the community it was raised. Money raised in Oklahoma City is given to OU's Children's Hospital which has served over 200,000 kids in the past year.

The cold weather didn't keep people away from IHop this morning. All day the restaurant was bustling with generous and friendly people wanting to help make a difference.

I want to thank the wonderful manager and staff at IHop for being so supportive of this great cause. In just a few hours we were able to raise $200 for CMN!

National Pancake Day is Tuesday February 28. Stop by an IHop anytime in the next few weeks to make a donation to the Children's Miracle Network.

God Bless,
Victoria

Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

This afternoon I volunteered at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The program Food for Kids provides more than 10,000 chronically hungry children with backpacks of food to feed them over the weekend. Pre-assembled food sacks are given to schools to distribute to these children at no cost. Currently the food bank serves 374 elementary schools in 49 counties across Central and Western Oklahoma.

I met some awesome volunteers and had a lot of fun filling these sacks today. We filled 3648 bags of food for these pre-assmbled sacks today. That means 13,938 meals were created today!

You can help out the Regional Food Bank by

• Volunteering
• Weekdays and Saturday 9am-12 and 1-4pm
• Thursday evenings 6pm-9pm
• If you are interested in volunteering in a group of 5 or more people, schedule an appointment by e-mailing backpackprogram@regionalfoodbank.org
• Donation
• A donation of $200 can give a child enough food for the weekend for a whole year.
• Donations can be made online  www.regionalfoodbank.org/

I look forward to my next visit to the food bank!

If a brother or sister lacks food and one of you says, "Go in peace," and yet do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? Faith if it has no works is dead.
James 2:15-17

God bless,

Victoria :)

Seeking Sponsors

Today I went on the look out for sponsors for Miss Oklahoma this summer. I visited many health-minded business in the Oklahoma City area including...

The Classen Curve

• Green Goodie's-vegan and gluten-free cupcakes 
• Barre III- a Pilates based workout studio emphasizing strength, flexibility and balance.
• Matthew Kenney- Raw food restaraunt. I have heard their smoothies are to die for.
• Red Coyote- Running and Fitness Supplier. They have some really awesome shoes!

And some other healthy places to shop and dine on May Avenue!

• Orange Leaf-frozen yogurt
• Akin's Natural Food Market
• Cool Greens-cafe and bistro with a wide variety of fresh options

If you ever happen to see one of these businesses stop by and see what they have to offer.
 I can not wait to to begin to partner with these health-concious businesses!

Love,
Victoria

Health Tip of the Week: Smile and share a laugh with those around you. :) http://women.webmd.com/guide/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter

Miss Sooner State 2012

Hello Everyone! I am very blessed to have been crowned Miss Sooner State 2012 yesterday. I can not wait to see what opportunities God has in store for me with this title. It is only by His grace that I was given this title and I am willing to go where ever he takes me!

I would like to thank Esther, Gentry, Ms. Johnson, Bob and all of the other volunteers for helping at the pageant. Rehearsals were fun and the show was absolutely seamless! Your hard work and dedication doesn't go unnoticed.

Through out the year I will be promoting my personal platform, Healthy Living-Make it a Lifestyle. Through this blog I will be posting fun physical activity ideas, nutritious and delicious recipes, and healthy living tips.

I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

"A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier."

Tom Stoppard

God Bless,

Victoria Renard

Miss Route 66 Kristyn Baker and I after the pageant. Isn't the Build-a-Bear Queen adorable?!

My mom and sister surprised me by coming to the pageant! I had no idea they were there until after the show!