Mrs. Washington 2012 has a NEW blog!!!

Please visit www.jessicariggsmrswa.com for all of my new blog updates. Thank you for your support!

Thanksgiving Meal for the City!

At Journey Church we are in the heart of downtown Everett. We are so blessed with our location because we have an opportunity to reach out to the many homeless and less advantaged that walk right past our front door every day. Last year we were only in our location for 2 months before Thanksgiving and our Pastors decided we needed to provide a meal for the city. With very little time to prepare, our church body banned together and produced a meal that fed over 70 people. I was honored to help out with all the decorations, table settings, and center pieces. It was amazing to see the Lord work through our church and help others have a traditional Thanksgiving meal that would not have otherwise. This year, I did the decor again and was there tonight preparing the tables and dining area to make it feel like home for those that may not have a home. This was my first volunteer opportunity as the newly crowned Mrs. Washington. It was very special to me. My sweet daughter Avery came with me and was a tremendous help! She not only helped with the decorations but she helped entertain the little ones while the adults finished up getting things ready. I am so blessed by my church family! I am excited to see the turnout tomorrow night and hopefully speak to others about the Lord as well as enjoy fellowship with new folks. It's going to be a fantastic evening! For more information visit http://www.joininthejourney.com/event/2011-11-23-thanksgiving-meal-for-the-city/

Somebody pinch me!!!

WOW! I am still in shock. I am incredibly humbled and just as excited that I have achieved one of the most important goals I have ever set for myself....I am your Mrs. Washington America 2012!!! It took me 5 attempts at the crown, and I must say I am so thankful and proud of that. Not only did each attempt help me to mold myself into the kind of wife, mother and queen I would like to be, but I also NEVER gave up on myself! I am so grateful for this experience because this has taught my children to never give up on their dreams as well. Those kids are the lights of my life and I tell you what, there where times where I questioned if this was what God really wanted for me in my life. It was these precious children who would give me loves and tell me "Mom! You can't give up! You have to keep trying to be Mrs. Washington!" I must say, the thought of disappointing them one more time scared me. But I realized that they just wanted to see me live my dream because they love me so much. I am so thankful for that encouragement and this year kids, YES!!! Mommy brought home the crown! I have so many people to thank....and I need to do individual blog posts to truly share with you what these people have done for me in my life. I plan to post every week so please stay tuned.

I want to thank my husband, Mark. If not for him and his "holding down the fort" I could not have trained with my trainer, made as many appearances as I did promoting my platform, or have felt so secure about my goals this year. He has been a blessing to me and I so thankful to God for his divine choice of a husband for me.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my directors Dr. David and Pamela Curnel. These two have dedicated their lives to helping women empower themselves, be better, live better and are true examples of what a great marriage is and should be. Their love and support made me keep trying and I am forever grateful to them.

That is all for now and please know I truly appreciate ALL of you who have supported me and will continue to support me on my way to Mrs. America!!

EEEEH! Butterflies!!!

With Love,
Jessica Riggs,
Mrs. Washington 2012

Queens for a Cure

Queens for a cure was founded in 2009 by Victoria Knight and Kennedy Miller. Recently, a pageant friends mother had passed away from breast cancer and Kennedy and Victoria began discussing the impact of breast cancer on their families and loved ones. In 1995 Kennedy's cousin Kimberly died from breast cancer at the young age of 26 and was survived by her two daughters ages 1 and 4 years. Inspired by the love of their own mothers,... together they wondered if they could do something to help prevent more daughters from loosing their mothers. It is from this that Queens for a Cure was formed.

I was so excited to support Mrs. Washington 2009, Elizabeth Larsen as she competed for the Ms. title for 2012. She was first runner up, and absolutely stunning! Congratulations to Latasha Reines who won the title. Attending other pageants is always a fun way to support others and in this case Breast Cancer. I believe Queens for a Cure raised over $15,000 toward research for a cure. I was happy to support such a beneficial cause as well as see some fantastic people!

Congratulations to the NEW ROYALTY!!!

2012 Queens for a Cure Royalty
Cover Model - Destiny Atchison
Pink Model - Isabella Mills
... Baby - Olivia Owens
Princess - Brianna Whiteley
Jr PreTeen - Deja Fitzwater
PreTeen - Zoe Brown
Jr Teen - Macy Berg
Teen - Tara Uson-Fee
Miss - Megan Leibold
Ms - Latasha Raines
Talent Queen - Libby Myers
Queen of Queens - Sami Schubert
Supreme Sweetheart - Anna Wiley
Supreme Princess - Audrina Campos
Supreme Queen - Alexa McNaughton

                                                            

"Queen, It's a New Day"

For 105 homeless women Monday October 24, 2011 was indeed a NEW DAY! I was so excited to once again volunteer massage during the ladies makeovers. This year was extremely special because it marked the 1st annual Gala and Auction. Judy Hoff, the founder of Queen, really outdid herself this year. This amazing woman and pastor, has put alot of her time and effort into making this event a huge success. I have had the honor of volunteering for this organization for 4 years now, and I enjoy making it a part of my platform; "Massage on a Mission". This year, however, I was also able to wear my sash and crown as Mrs. Snohomish County and hand out roses and hugs to the Queens at the end of the evening. It was so touching for me to have worked on these women and then watch the transformation from earlier in the day to the evening events where the women were dressed in their fabulous new clothing and looked amazing with their new hair and makeup. I appreciated our current Mrs. Washington, Lisa Bluhm, Mrs. Washington 2009, Elizabeth Larsen and Mrs. Seattle, Tamara DePorter for also attending the event. I know it made the ladies feel special to have pageant queens remind them that they are the real queens that evening.

For more information please visit www.queenitsanewday.org

Mrs. Oregon America 2012!

Congratulations to Erin Piibor, Mrs. Oregon 2012! What a fantastic evening. I love attending pageants for many reasons, but one of the best reasons is to see friends! I ran into my friend Tia Hunsperger, who is one of the board members of The Ruby Room. Love her! We also saw our own Mrs. Walla Walla who was judging the pageant. It was a long drive, but well worth it!

For more information please visit www.mrsoregon.net

Boy Scouts of America annual auction

I had the privilege of attending the Boy Scouts of America annual auction on Saturday. My husband Mark is an Assistant Scout Master for Pack 90. We so enjoy going to these events and supporting our local Boy Scouts. My son, Teague is now is Weebelo 1! It is so hard for me to stop calling him a "Cub" Scout! He is always quick to remind me "MOM! I am a BOY Scout now!!" I am so very proud of him for continuing his journey with the Scouts to become an Eagle Scout. My father was an Eagle Scout so it is something that has been important to my family and I for decades. We are happy to support anyway we can, and tonight was extra special because one of the hosts for the evening was King 5's Jeff Renner. He is an Eagle Scout as well. It was a fantastic evening, and I even was able to purchase some amazing artwork! I can't wait to redecorate my house with it!!