Long Time no Post!

Wow I don't even know where to start....
It has been quite the journey since I went to miss utah this last june. I had a great time competing as I love being on stage, performing, and accomplishing something. I love the adrenaline rush that comes with performance!
I did well but unfortunately I was number one and felt that wasn't the best placement. The final night of Miss Utah as I walked the run way during the opening production number.... I saw my (boyfriend at the time) out in the crowd of a hundred people. I only saw his face and I knew in that instant that I was going to marry him. From that moment, I decided that it was ok If I didn't place or win Miss Utah because there was going to be something bigger and better for me out there. I remember one night at Charlene Wells house (former miss utah) She told all of us contestants that pageants are not life or death.... I didn't want to believe her because at the time I wanted so bad to be Miss Utah along with 54 other contestants.... So As I look back on that night I thank her for giving me that advice and wished I would've listened to her sooner....
My life since the Miss Utah pageant has completely changed... I am now Mrs Mount Olympus! Yes its true, I have not given away my crown or title to anyone else! I was lucky enough to be the one and only Miss Mount Olympus. To be completely honest It was my favorite year of reign. I truly grew as a person and individual. Maturing in every which way I didn't think possible. There were many ups and many downs to this year as Miss Mount Olympus that I am thankful for because I do believe that if you are not faced with challenges then you will not grow or learn anything in life. As Mount Olympus I was able to direct and continue with my program called Dance4Life. Helping to enrich the lives of at-risk youth through dance. Teaching life skills and foundations that will stick with them forever. It was so fun to watch these kids grow from having little experience in life to having many experiences being able to perform, be on the news, work as a team, growth in self-confidence, self-esteem, self-love and seeing the community members come together to support the kids. I worked with the Boys and Girls club of Midvale! This group is so amazing and the people there worked so hard to help me out and make everything run smoothly!!! I am so grateful for them and their kind hearts. Being Mount Olympus gave me the opportunity to develop communication skills and most of all confidence in my own skin that what I had to say and offer mattered. That people should listen to me! I gained many sponsorships, was able to travel to Costa Rica with a group called Promethean Spark in which have the same mentality of Dance4Life. Seeing dance and movement in another country opened my eyes. We can communicate to any one through movement. I thank Shaun Parry for letting be involved with his program and taking me to Costa Rica for 12 days. It was a tough week. I have to thank all those people who worked so hard to help me be my best self going into the pageant. Taking time out of their schedules to make sure I was looking my best, doing my best and acting my best. My family, Friends, Dance Girls, Elite Academy, Tewa, Raychellene, Camilla, My mom!, Sharon, Jaron, the mock judges I was able to meet with, all my trainers, Mt. olympus Waters, Method Studio,and most of all Garrett. For his endless love and support. To those of you whom I may have forgotten I apologize and do say that I appreciate all that you did for me and continue to do for me.
Anywho- I was engaged at the top of Mount Olympus on July 9th 2010. Hiking to the top with a full backpack and a head lamp was hard and fun! My (now) husband carried about 60 pounds up that mountain with a tent and food etc.... I was so nervous! I had no idea it was going to happen but hoped that it would and it did. Mount Olympus is my mountain! First Climbing it with my dad on thanksgiving morning. I love being outdoors and in nature so this was an adventure for me.
As I continue my journey with life- I will continue to devote some time to the Boys and Girls clubs, Volunteering to those who need it and most of all to the youth. I love being able to support and love others as they need it! Service is a true act of kindness and can make anyone's day a happy one. I am thankful for my time as a title holder and running in pageants. I hope to continue serving the Miss America System helping girls become their best self and encouraging them to serve others!

Promethean Spark Newsletter!

"I was thrilled to find out only 2 weeks before the trip that I would be joined by Arial Larsen, a professional dancer, dance instructor and the current Miss Olympus running for Miss Utah in the Miss America Pageant. She came for training purposes and ended up helping in ways unbeknownst to any of us beforehand. The boys were enraptured by her beauty and she commanded a certain respect by her presence. She was very instrumental in motivating the class to keep going when it was hard. At one point, I even had her teach (although she could only speak a smattering of words in Spanish). The boys were puddy in her hands. They gathered around her during every break and before and after class to attempt any bit of communication they could. The part I had her teach was a hip-hop step they were struggling with that I was about to bag and replace with something simpler. A new approach with a teacher they were dying to connect with in any way possible renewed their desire to learn and refreshed their ability to be in the moment. They got it and we used it in the show. Arial has a program for at-risk youth in the Boys and Girls Clubs in Utah called Dance4Life which is similar in purpose to Promethean Spark. With the in-the-field training she received in Costa Rica and training she received soon thereafter in Utah, she will be starting Promethean Spark programs in Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the Utah Valley and beyond. Thank you Arial. All the best in the pageant." Shaun Parry

2nd Annual Dance4Life concert at the Midvale club!

Today was an awesome day for some of our youth here in Utah. The Midvale Boys and Girls club were able to perform today for a huge audience. Spending countless hours working with the kids, teaching them dance and dance skills to prepare them for this day is unforgettable. The kids have worked really hard to get to where they are today and when I first started teaching at the club most of them didn't know anything about dance. And today they proved all of us what they are capable of. The teen group can now turn, leap, jump and choreograph their own routines. I have seen the progress and growth of the club kids and it amazes me how if you take time to get to know them, to teach them and help them to develop they will grow like flowers- they eat up everything that you give them and they will learn so fast. Through this program they have learned discipline, love , focus, competence, happiness, self- confidence and communication skills. They have also had the opportunity to perform and advocate for their program on t.v. with Big Buddha and as Miss Mount Olympus I came and spoke to a group of teens about my life experiences and was able to relate with so many of them on so many levels.
Today was a big day for the kids. Their emotions were running so high with nervousness, fear, and excitement as they performed in their big gym in front of family members, friends, community members and the rest of the club. I am so proud of what they accomplished today, the hard work they have done and how comitted they were. I am glad they stuck to the program and finished it out. Many of them don't have to finish something they start, people give up on them and or walk out so I feel this program has been really beneficial for them all.
I hope to continue this success in other clubs and get our community more involved in what is most important in this life: SERVICE!

Costa Rica

I have just returned from a fabulous trio to Costa Rica. This Trip was to implement Dance4Life for impoverished youth in the city.
I have merged with a non-profit organization called Promethean Spark. Promethean Spark is built to implement life skills through dance to impoverished youth world wide. I was fortunate enough to go to CR and see this program in action. I spent 10 days there and all of them but one was spent working with the youth, participating in dance class for hours a day, teaching them the life skills they need in order to turn their lives around. I have to say it was a true eye opening experience. One in which has changed my life and hopefully will help me to implement the things I learned in my own life. I can only say it humbled me and made me so greatful for the things we have here in our country and for the luxuries we have as individuals.
I was able to see first hand how Promethean Spark works- this organization does exactly what i have done as Miss Mount Olympus; implementing the arts for healing, change and insipiration. But PS does it at a much deeper level to teach life skills for the youth to change thier paths for the better. We worked with a group of boys from a drug and alcohol rehab center. Shaun- the founder of Promethean Spark was the teacher and I was there to get training and watch how it all works so I can then implement and set up a PS right here in Utah. But We pushed those kids for four to five hours a day, warming up, doing exercises across the floor and teaching them choreography. They learned so much in one week from Shaun. On Tues, it was the third graduation for PS in Costa Rica. This group of boys have been working in this program for three months and tues was thier final day to perform present the skills they have learned to a huge audience.
It was so fun to see the emotions of the boys on thier face and in the presence of their body. They were so proud to accomplish what they had accomplished, to recieve a certificate of completion. They new they worked hard for that day and they new what they had to do in order to get there. All of them had a light beaming from them on stage, it is hard to describe the feelings i had when i was able to watch them and see them on stage being honored for hard work, good choices and sticking to something that will change their lives. The group of boys and Promethean Spark have left an imprint on my heart and my life to be a better person, to serve others through love, support and appreciation. Words cannot describe the life lessons and experiences i had while in Costa Rica. The hard work and effort that was put into the program and teaching those boys will be unforgettable.
My vision is for this program to be apart of the Boys and Girls club here in Utah. To teach at-risk youth the same life lessons- perserverence, love of self, leadership, respect, and more... It is adiment that the world needs this program. There are so many kids out there searching for help, searching for a foundation to build off of and for a positive role model to show them they can do it. If we can do this our whole world can change with future generations and generations to come.

I did have one day to explore and sight see. The country is so beautiful, rich of green forests, and white sandy beaches with turquoise blue water... There were monkeys jumping from trees to trees, I saw a sloth and more beautiful beaches. I did get sun burned which was not planned. The city where we stayed was so much more different that what the country had to offer. But i got a true glimse of a third world country. It boggles my mind that there are so many places in this world that are all different, there are so many people, we all live differently and do things different ways. I couldnt beleive how things were set up, businesses run, or how they lock things down for security. I thought i knew alot about this world and I thought i had alot of life experiences until I went to CR and realized there is so much to see, research, and learn about.

 

thank you!

I wanted to take a moment to thank my new sponsors for Miss Mount Olympus! Mount Olympus WATERS!!! Our local water company that supplies Utah with the best bottled water! It comes naturally from our mountains here in the state, in a spring right up from my house. I have climbed Mount Olympus many times with my dad and know the true beauty that mountain gives. Along with that I drink Mount Olympus water on a regualar basis. THey are the healthiest and best water to drink- its whats not in the water that makes them the best! The company is a true supporter of the Mount Olympus Pageant and is proud to be a part of an organization so great. I thank them for their friendship, time and efforts in helping make this a great year!

check out the article on www.mowi.com/news.html

daybreak assembly!

Well we have just finished our Dance4Life program at Daybreak Elementary school! It was a huge success! I started off with a powerpoint and story of how I got involved with dance and why it means so much to me in my life! it truly has changed me and my foundation of living! I have learned to love myself and be who i am today because of dance!
The kids were able to perform in front of thier family, other class mates and school officials. It was so fun to see their progress and love for dance as they took the stage. Working with them has been so fun, because at first they are so nervous and wont come out of their shell and after a few times and weeks they learn that they can actually dance. I had so many comments from parents saying their kids didnt think they could do it, they didnt think they could perform, and that seeing them on stage being so excited and smiling brightly they were so proud of the nerves they overcame and how they handled the performance. I am so lucky to be working with such great kids! I hope i can continue to make a differerence in the lives of others and most of all the ones that need it the most!

These are pictures from the assembly!