The Road to the Crown; An Exercise in Community Building

As a consultant that traveled full-time (which was a job requirement when I was at the Big 4 firm), I learned a very independent lifestyle. I minimized responsibilities and commitments where I “lived” because I was gone most weekdays and always ready to get on a plane with very little notice. I enjoyed this lifestyle for many years and actually liked the travel and new opportunities it afforded me. However, managing the side affects of the medications I’m on and the unlikely, but realistic potential for a related serious complication make plane and international traveling much more difficult and stressful for me these days.

Therefore, I’ve accepted that a more stationary lifestyle is better suited for my current health and happiness. Although I’ve not been traveling full-time for about 2 years, I’ve never really re-calibrated my lifestyle. I’ve never finished decorating my home; I’ve not re-engaged in the activities I used to enjoy; I’ve continued to work long hours and not made time for my friends; etc., etc. I realize these are habits I need to break and making time for myself and my community is also important.

The Solano County Pageant greatly encourages community participation in terms of sponsorship. I know I have amazingly talented and successful friends, so I decided to take this opportunity to reconnect and remind myself of the truly wonderful community I have around me. I’d like to use the rest of this blog post to thank the people and companies that helped me get to the crown. This was not a one man show and I could not have done it alone.

• The Rhoads Family: My family, particularly my parents, have been my biggest cheerleaders since I was a child. They have always been there for me and encouraged me to dream big, work hard, and be myself.
• OnCore Consulting: This is my current employer. I am so grateful to have found a company that allows me to do the work I enjoy here in Sacramento without an expectation of travel and supports me as a whole person, not just my professional skills. It’s a truly wonderful company with wonderful, talented professionals.
• Lee and Shelbi Bennett: Lee, a founding owner of OnCore, and his wife Shelbi have personally supported me by welcoming me into their lives and philanthropic network. They are a great example of genuinely good people who have achieved success with their intelligence and hard work and now generously give of their time and resources to support others less fortunate.
• CornerStone Assisted Living/Jason & Chantel Reyes: Jason has been a good friend since high school and has built a successful assisted living business in Vacaville. Their pageant attendance and financial support helped put together my wardrobe and earn my crown.
• Gina Liuzzi: This is one of my girlfriends that I met through Active 20-30 of Greater Sacramento #1032. She’s a Vice Principle and *amazing* make-up artist. She’s the reason my make-up looked fantastic on Pageant Day!
• Daisy Mak of Lux Salon – Folsom: This is one of my girlfriends that I met through dancing with the Sacramento Mountain Lions Football team. She’s a former Gold Rush Girl, Dance Teacher, and *amazing* hair stylist. Shes the reason my hair looked fantastic on Pageant Day!
• Brian Wallace: This is a friend that I met through Active 20-30 of Greater Sacramento #1032. He also happens to work in the public sector technology space so we often see each other at professional events. He’s also a talented designer and artist. He put together the advertisement for my blog and *may or may not* be working in a caricature for me, coming soon.
• Andrea B Photography/Andrea Brietzke: This is one of my girlfriends that I met through dancing with the Sacramento Mountain Lions Football team. She is also a talented photographer and the reason my head shot looked so great and I have professional quality images to start my blog.
• House of Fashion Bridal Salon – Sacramento: One of the judged competitions is the “fun fashion” competition which is meant to be more fashion forward than the evening gown competition. The coral dress I wore was a sample dress altered for me personally. House of Fashion generously donated much of the alterations so I was looking my best for Pageant Day!
• Caliber Home Loans/Ashley Miller: Ashley has been a friend since high school and is now part of the high performing Caliber Home Loans team. They generously purchased ad space in the Pageant Program to support my road to the crown!
• Brandon Cherry – Realtor/McGuire Capital Group Realty: Brandon has been a friend since high school and is now part of the high performing McGuire Capital Group Realty. They generously purchased ad space in the Pageant Program to support my road to the crown!
• Oh Snap! Productions/Kevin & Lauren Goff: Lauren is a friend that I met through Active 20-30 of Greater Sacramento #1032 and Kevin is the owner of Oh Snap! Productions. They generously purchased ad space in the Pageant Program to support my road to the crown!
• Carol Olmsted: This is one of my former coaches from the  Sacramento Mountain Lions Football team. She is a former Raiderette, Pageant title holder, and fitness competitor. She assisted with moral support and tips so I was looking fantastic on Pageant Day!

Thank you again for everyone that helped me make Ms. Vacaville a reality. Please show these individuals and companies some love in the comments and by utilizing their services!