USO Salute our Heroes Gala

After a fun day of visiting Wildwood Middle School, it was time to get ready for the USO Salute our Heroes Gala at downtown's Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the arch. 

The Salute our Heroes Gala was a dinner to honor our local military heroes. The 13 honorees were selected by their peers for their extraordinary bravery, loyalty and heroism. 

We sat with chairman of the board, Al Kaste, his wife, and his two daughters, as well as St. Louis sculptor Don Wiegand and his wife. 

Thank you Kathy O'Connor, Chris Trotter, Sara Colvin, and everyone at USO Missouri for inviting me to this special event. It was truly an honor to be surrounded by so many incredible service men and women for the evening. I look forward to many more events in the future.
 

Wildwood Middle School

Thank you to Dr. Maxwell, Dr. Dickens, and Mrs. Hedrick for letting me visit your school!

I had a wonderful experience visiting the Timberwolves at Wildwood Middle School yesterday. This was my first time visiting middle school students and they sure were fun! First, I visited Mrs. Cain's class and discussed the importance of good communication skills, getting involved in extracurricular activities, and the the word "popularity".

Thank you Mrs. Cain!

Then I visited my friend Megan LaTempt's class. Megan is truly an amazing teacher and individual. Her class was such a great group a kids. One in particular, BJ, told me I looked like a ray of sunshine. Made my day. :)

Thank you Megan!!

Next, I visited Mrs. Vlasich's classroom. Another awesome group of kids. I just can't say enough good things about the students and teachers at Wildwood Middle School. They are an impressive bunch of friendly, smart, and kindhearted individuals!

 

Lastly, we headed over to the gym for a little physical education! I was able to answer any questions from the students then we played volleyball and basketball.

Bootcamp #1

Over the weekend, I was able to see all my beautiful Vanbros sisters because it was our very first bootcamp! We had a great weekend full of learning, bonding, and.. eating! Friday night, we went to a yummy dinner at Brio on the Plaza. The following evening we decided to mix it up and try Gordon Biersch at Town Center followed by delicious gelato! Luckily, this weekend's focus was not fitness and nutrion :)

Daryl Woods & Miss Missouri Teen USA

The weekend was led by Nashville's very own Daryl Woods from Fearlessly Me! Daryl really helped us understand how to become the best "us" that we can be and I have already began applying what he has taught me to my everyday life. Additionally, we were able to practice mock interviews with John and the rest of the team. Weekends like last remind me how fortunate I am to be apart of the Vanbros family. The weekend also put into perspective just how quickly Miss USA is approaching and I cannot wait! I am so excited to arrive in Vegas with my best heel forward! As Daryl (or Babe Ruth) would say, “You can’t beat the person that never gives up."

Cardinal Glennon's Homer's For Health

Cardinal's players Matt Holliday and David Freese teamed up with Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center to help make a difference in the lives of children. Fans can make a pledge for every home run hit in the 2012 regular season. Pledge's can be as small as twenty five cents all the way up to ten dollars. To make a pledge, visit glennon.org.

Last week, my friends over at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center put me to work on the phones for the Homer's for Health telethon. Fox 2's Tim Ezell, Matt Holiday, and even the Blues Towel Man came out to help! A HUGE thank you to everyone who called in to make a pledge. Now lets get a lot of home runs this season and maybe even another World Series win, if that's not too much to ask :)

It was wonderful being able help out at Cardinal Glennon's Homer's for Health telethon. I have worked with Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in the past and love everything they do for the kids. Thank you Rose Fogarty, Dan Buck, and everyone at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center for letting me be apart of your special event.