Crowning achievements

Bigfork beauty queen seeks U.S. title to promote charity work

It was a dare that motivated Shelley Emslie, the reigning Mrs. Montana 2008, enter her first pageant when she was 18.

At the time, sequins and high heels were foreign to her fashion world of Wrangler jeans and boots.

"I was in 4-H, raising pigs, cows and sheep," she said. "Everyone was shocked when I entered."

Even more shocking, she took home the crown as Miss Encinitas and then another as Miss San Diego Grand Prix. Emslie said she had a blast and made friends for life with the other contestants and beauty queens.

"We didn't have any catty or petty shallow stuff," she said. "And the doors that open up to you are amazing."

Emslie crosses a new threshold in Las Vegas this week as she represents Montana in the Mrs. United States Pageant, her first national competition. The festivities kick off today as she and 52 other contestants tour the town.

"Tuesday we have interviews, Wednesday is the preliminaries and Thursday is the finals," she said.

Emslie has in tow a large contingent of 27 extended family members to cheer her to victory. They include her husband Todd, son Alex "Augie," 8, daughter Hattie, 6, and parents Ernest and Laura Peterson, all of Bigfork.

Her mother brought 27 Montana flags to wave from the audience as Emslie glides across the stage in a swimsuit, then in her black halter dress bedecked with rhinestones.

"It has a big train and the back criss-crosses," she said with a smile. "It's stunning."

Emslie, a fifth-grade teacher at Swan River School, aced the evening gown and interview portions of the Mrs. Montana pageant to win the crown on May 28 in Helena. Her good friend Kelly Rieke won the swimsuit and first runner-up honors.

"We did this together," she said.

Now 37, Emslie said she wanted to better her third-place finish in the Mrs. Montana, America contest last year so she decided to enter the Mrs. Montana, United States circuit to compete for the 2008 crown.

Her motivation to win the title went far beyond her competitive spirit.

"My problem is I have all these great ideas and I don't know how to get them out there," she said. "This [crown] gives me a larger audience."

Her ideas include two community organizations she hopes to promote - HOST (Honoring Our Seniors Today) and Hope Images. She also wants to promote the Lupus Foundation of America and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Emslie works actively on behalf of all these organizations. She's also a photographer for "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep," an organization that takes bereavement photos for parents of stillborn babies or babies expected to die shortly after birth.

She does it all while raising two children, working half time as a teacher and participating in pageants. Emslie said everyone asks her how she manages all these activities.

"I was always raised to 'just do it,'" she said.

EMSLIE grew up in Southern California where she graduated from college, then followed her parents to Bigfork. Almost immediately, she met her husband Todd at the Garden Bar.

"That was it," she said.

Todd, also a teacher at Swan River School, and Shelley recently celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary.

She finished up her teaching certification through the University of Montana by student teaching at Bigfork Elementary School, then began teaching first as a substitute in the fourth grade at Swan River School in 1998.

Emslie now co-teaches a fifth-grade class with Kate Butts at Swan River School.

"I wanted to be home with my kids as much as possible," she said. "This year, my youngest is in the first grade and my oldest is in the third. Eventually, I'll go back to full time."

Emslie works overtime at good works in the community, even though she suffers from the potentially debilitating effects of the autoimmune disease lupus as well as APS, antiphosphoid lipid syndrome.

"The bottom line with APS is you throw off clots," she said.

Lupus was a complete surprise, although Emslie had long suffered from joint pain and occasional numbness in a leg. She said she had attributed her joint pain to the gymnastics of her youth and the numbness to tight pants.

Then an annual doctor's examination led to further testing and the frightening diagnosis.

"I was 26 and healthy as a horse," she said.

But Emslie didn't let APS and lupus throw her for a loop. She said she uses prednisone sparingly for the worst lupus flare-ups, but controls it mainly by diet, exercise and an attitude of gratitude.

She said she's actually grateful for the lupus because it has taught her to not stress out about small things.

"Gratitude is huge in our family," she said. "You can't pick and choose what you're grateful for. You might not feel it at the time but later you can find a reason to be grateful for whatever happens."

EMSLIE acts on her gratitude for her personal gifts by using them to benefit other people. Her passion for photography led to the founding of both HOST and Hope Images.

The idea of HOST - photographing the elderly at nursing homes - came to her while she was becoming involved with the organization that provides baby bereavement photography.

"I thought 'What about the opposite end of the spectrum?'" she said.

In short order, Emslie jumped in with both feet. She called Karen Jones, activities director at Lake View Care Center in Bigfork, who loved the idea. Jones helps the residents look their best while Emslie takes portraits with professional lighting and studio backgrounds.

"My kids go with me," she said. "I want them to see there's a greater importance in life outside themselves."

Her camera also triggered the idea for Hope Images, a concept of taking pictures and putting publications together to inspire people who are battling cancer. She said her inspiration came from two friends afflicted by the disease.

Emslie was enduring an annual family hike to Many Glacier. This was a particularly long and arduous undertaking of 11 miles.

"I despise hiking," she admitted with a laugh.

She sat down and was refusing to continue when she looked down at a bracelet she brought in support of a friend who eventually died of breast cancer. It was enough to push her up to her feet and keep trying.

To get breaks, she feigned a desire to take many photos. Then the idea struck her to record the hike so cancer victims could share the experience during their exhausting treatments.

"I thought 'What if I took pictures, put them in an album and put them in cancer centers?'" Emslie said. "I didn't sleep - I was so excited."

Again, she jumped in and began making phone calls randomly to clinics and offices involved with cancer patients, getting a positive reception. Emslie hopes to find financial backing through her public appearances to finish this concept.

That idea led to another - a book of cancer survivor portraits and stories. Through her Lance Armstrong Foundation work, she used "Live Strong Day" in May to have children draw pictures, write poems and messages to bind into books to cheer on cancer patients.

"It's like I have ADD (attention deficit disorder) with all these ideas," she said.

WITH HER Mrs. Montana crown in hand and a shot at the national title, Emslie plans to keep talking up her ideas at appearances around Montana and maybe around the country.

"It's not about winning," she said. "It's what you do with the title."

Her dream is to have someone hear about HOST or Hope Images and get inspired to help her or to start one in their community. She feels the same about her work for lupus and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

"I hope to spark that fire and watch it go," she said.

She has a host of support from the local community, including New Image Concepts, Merry Gems and Montana Toms. Emslie still needs cash contributions to pay for about $5,000 in expenses incurred for the pageant.

People interested in helping may send a check to Glacier Bank, attention Shelley Emslie - Mrs. Montana United States 2008.

In her quest for the tiara, Emslie said she spent time at the gym, gave up her favorite Dr. Pepper soda and practiced walking along a 2-by-6 board to try to avoid the dreaded tripping in her evening gown.

She didn't go on a starvation diet.

"I've made healthier choices," she said. "I'm a healthy girl - I'm not a size 2 and I'll never be a size 2."

Emslie left town for the pageant determined to have a great time whatever the outcome. She said it's just a few peoples' judgment based on a few minutes exposure to each contestant.

"You have to be yourself. If they like you, they like you," she said. "I know in my heart what I do for people is good."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com