Taryn Schuyler (Mrs. Des Moines - IOWA)

The Wizard Of Oz is my all time favorite film. It's my signature movie you might say. I've always loved the story of a young girl traveling towards the unknown, risking it all for the chance to get home, the place where she felt most safe. I think of my own story as a journey towards Oz. My son Coleton was born as I attended college in Arkansas in 1996. It took a lot of courage and determination to succeed and grow as a single mother. I graduated and became a nurse in the summer of 2000. My husband Jayd and I married the next year and decided to move our family to South Dakota where Jayd had grown up and his family still lives. To cap off our already hectic first year of marriage, we welcomed our baby girl Sidda to our family one week shy of our first anniversary.

We now live in Johnston, IA, a suburb of Des Moines. We love raising our family here. My husband trains thoroughbred racehorses for owners from all over the country. Our business is called Schuyler Racing. Prairie Meadows, a race track near Des Moines, is one of the many reasons we moved here. I work as a nurse in a Family Practice/Urgent Care Clinic. I feel very blessed to work at something I am so passionate about. I enjoy shuttling Coleton and Sidda to and from their various activities. When I have the opportunity, you can find me out on a golf course. As a mother with a full time job and two children it doesn't happen as much as I would like. The horses also keep us very busy.

This will be my second pageant. I was second runner up in Mrs. South Dakota 2005. It was a very positive experience which is why I thought I'd try my pageant shoes on one more time. I would be honored to represent Iowa as a woman who embraces challenge and learns from my adventures. Becoming Mrs. Iowa would give me a greater opportunity to educate people on my platform issue which is prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

My own yellow brick road has held all kinds of twists and turns along the way. I've encountered some triumphs, some setbacks, some detours, just like any woman. I do believe, however, that the real gift you get from the Emerald City is the one you have inside you the whole time. I've always had strength and love, I just had to find my place in this world to let it shine, that place is in Iowa. I am not Iowan by blood, just by heart. I look forward to meeting you all soon.

Taryn Schuyler
Mrs. Des Moines - IOWA