Photo shoot for a cause

In September last year I had the honor to participate in a swimsuit photo shoot, alone with other former and current Vanbros titleholders. Proceeds from the VANBROS Swimsuit Calendar will go to the Donald Ross Elliott III Foundation. Please check out some snapshots from the shoot and read on to find out more about little Ross.

Geneice Wilcher, Miss NE USA 2007

The fabulous photographer, Will Patterson!

Can you guess which month I was?

Having fun at the shoot.

With the swimsuit sponsor, Allyce King Swim.

 

Wrote from Ross’ grandma, Karen Elliott:

On December 25, 2010, Donald "Ross" Elliott III was a seemingly happy, HEALTHY 2 1/2 year old. He opened Christmas gifts, ate candy, terrorized the cousins, and had a terrific, NORMAL day, at least we thought. When we put him to bed that night, he began to cry and say that his leg hurt. He continued to toss and turn for the next several hours without sleeping, so Chris & Aixa made the decision to take him to the emergency room. At that time, they thought his bowels were bound, so doctors sent him home with stool softeners. For the next 8 hours or so, he continued to toss and turn and complain of hurting. When he started to run a high-grade fever, he was again taken back to the hospital. At roughly 1:00 a.m. on December 27th, my daughter-in-law called to relay the devastating news that the doctors were going to admit our precious Ross and would be testing him for Leukemia.

There are no words to explain what it's like to see your "best little friend" laying in a hospital bed and crying out in pain whenever someone tried to move him, or to see your son & daughter-in-law with tears running down their cheeks and quickly brushing them away so that they could be strong for Ross. Even so, he would turn to us, probably 100 times a day, and say, "I love you". It's almost like he knew we needed his words of encouragement. It was quickly determined that Ross had a fairly rare type of cancer known as AML-M7 and that in order to survive, he would need a bone
marrow transplant.

Over the next 8 months, Children's Mercy Hospital became Ross' home-away-from-home. He called it his apartment. There were some pretty scary times at first, but then the chemo began to kick in and he would run the halls wielding a sword & taking on anyone in sight, or giggle as he shot nerf bullets at the doctors & nurses. He never met a stranger and he quickly made a name for himself on 4 Henson.

A bone marrow donor was found and, in late May, Ross underwent a bone marrow transplant. We were told that he would be in the hospital for roughly 6 to 8 weeks, but being the little warrior that he was, he made it home in 4 weeks. His time at home was short lived though. Complications set in and he returned to

Children's Mercy where he earned his angel wings on September 1, 2011.

We still miss our amazing little guy each and every day but thank God that he was loaned to us for 3 1/2 short years. He was such a loving and caring child who, up to the last minute, continued to tell us "I love you from here to the moon & back, and that's a lot". He is no longer in pain and is spreading sunshine all over Heaven. We also realize how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends to lean on. We had people all over the world praying for Ross and our family. Because of him, a not-for-profit group was formed called Our Crowning Glory and they brought a wagon full of gifts to him each month in order to bring a smile to his face. This group is made up of present & former Vanbros titleholders, contestants & friends and will continue to help other children who are fighting their own battle. The Donald Ross Elliott the 3rd foundation has also been established in Ross' honor and proceeds will go to help put young people who have won their fight with cancer through college. We are so pleased that VANBROS will be adopting this new foundation, as it’s first official charity. 

We love you from here to Heaven & back, precious Ross, and that's a lot!

Chris, Aixa, Chris Jr., Gimmies, Andrea, Luke,
Keith, Brandy, Payton & Riley

Please click here if you'd like to order a calendar.  

xo,

Belinda

Vanbros 25 yr. Reunion

 

Back in November 2 former, current Miss Nebraska USA and I set sail, and by sail I mean drove, 8 hours to St. Louis! We were headed to the Vanbros 25 year reunion. This was a special weekend, because our directors were celebrating 25 years of success in the Miss USA system! Can you imagine all the work, dedication and lives they’ve changed in 25 years? It’s amazing.

During the weekend, we had a luncheon, attended the Miss Missouri USA pageant and did some sight seeing at the St. Louis Arch. I have to say; being a Vanbros girl definitely has its perks of great friends. Not only did Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas former and current titleholders come together, but it was also a great bonding trip for my Miss Nebraska sisters. Check out the photos below!

The current Miss Nebraska USA, Amy Spilker, and I

Nebraska USA girls who made the trip.

Nebraska girls at the luncheon

Vanbros' National titleholders

Shandi Finnessey, former Miss Missouri USA & Miss USA

Our amazing director- John!

Acting silly at the arch

All the best,

Belinda

Quiliting...An Age Old Craft

Quilting. It’s an old craft, enriched with history and a storybook that can be passed down throughout generations. Something a lot of people may not know about me, is my love for quilting. My grandma and mom taught me how to sew when I was very young, maybe around 5 years old. Since then, I’ve always had a passion for not only sewing and quilting, but also crafts and hand made goods at large.

These quilts are ones I produced in the spring of 2011. Since I haven’t had a lot of free time on my hands these last couple of years, the fact that my sister in law, best friend and boyfriend’s sister were all having babies around the same time gave me a good excuse to pull out my sewing machine and hit the fabric stores.

These are pretty basic quilts, but I chose to use lush fabrics and fun colors since they were going to be for little ones. Two blankets had to be universe because the parents chose not to find out the sex of the baby, but I got to make a very “boyish” one, that I just love.

Not only do these serve as great gifts, but they will become embedded with memories. I remember as a little girl, I loved my blanket my grandma made for me. I hadn’t seen a lot of people making quilts anymore, but I’d love to see them make a come back. With DIY being a trend right now, who knows!

Graduating with a clothing and textile design degree, I look at quilting as an art form. The colors, to the types of fabrics you use, create a wonderful work of art that can either hang on a wall or keep you nice and warm. After I graduate this summer, I plan to delve back in the fabric isles and continue to expand my quilting endeavors. I look forward to more time on my hands, and more complex quilts to come in the future.

Ta ta,

B

Harley and Me

Spring is finally here and I couldn't be happier! Anyone that's familiar with the Midwest, knows the the bi-polar weather is usually a tease. For example, one day I was bundled up with my hot coffee and puffer coat, and the next day I was wearing shorts and sandles! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! The nice weather has decided to stick around and that means more spring time fun is underway! 

 

My favorite part about spring is getting to spend more time outside with my little man. And by little man, I mean my puppy Haley. When it's nice out, we can't fit enough walks in. Dog parks are always a riot (See photo below). I'm excited to take him with me to Chicago this summer. I hear Chicago is dog frirendly, so we will be out exploring and running the paths by the lake.

 This was last May at the dog park. There was literally one mud hole in the entire place, and what do you know, Harley found it and decided to take a bath :-) 2 hours later, he was finally clean. Never a dull moment with this dog! 

 These two photos are from the days we got Harley. He was just 8 weeks and cute as can be! This was almost 3 years ago. I can't believe it! 

xo, 

Belinda 

Teen Choice Awards

My last day in California was spent at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards. I went with my close friends who are also 2 former Miss Arizona USAs and a former Miss Wyoming. We had a blast! It took place at Universal Studios, and I can't say I hated being in a room full of some of my favorite celebs. Below are some photos highlighting my experience.

Miss USA 2011

Miss USA 2011 took place once again in Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas. I was so excited to be able to attend and cheer on Haley Herold, Miss Nebraska USA 2011.

I was even more excited to meet up with some of my closest friends I made at Miss USA my year. I made the drive from sunny Cali to the strip in Las Vegas to meet up with Miss Alabama USA 2010, Miss Arkansas USA 2010, Miss Kansas USA 2010, among others from my year at Miss USA. It was a reunion like none other. It was so different watching Miss USA in the audience, because I know how each of those girls were feeling. The nerves filled the room.

In the end California took the crown. It was such a great weekend and I have to say, it was fun watching from the crowd (although I secretly wanted to be up on that stage again)!

Cheers,

Belinda