All of 2010

Monday, January 3, 2011

The Miss Southern California Teen Achieve and Woman Of Achievement Pageant

This Sunday I was queen of the First annual Miss Southern California Teen Achieve Pageant. There were about 20 girls competing in all for both the teen title and the Woman of Achievement title. I had to give a speech in the beginning for the all the girls on how to get events, and also the proper etiquette of events and what to do and what not to do. It was such a great experience getting to know all of the girls, and being able to help them, teach them and help them realize that they have the courage to be the best they can be, just in themselves. There were 5 different areas of competition: Talent, GPA and Community Service, Sportswear, Evening Gown and Talent. We had such a wide variety of talents: from singing to playing piano, to amazing sketches, to dancing. The judges had their work cut out for them, and there was no way that I could have taken their job-or at least been one of them. All of the girls were so sweet and talented that I frankly wish I could have crowned all of them. I was also able to crown two queens because the judges asked if we could crown 2 queens based on the fact that all of the girls were way to talented and close to being crowned. It was so exciting because I ended up being able to crown a good friend of mine, Rebekah Burger. It was such an honor to be part of this moment in those girls’ lives, a moment that might change their lives forever.

Crowning the girls with their delegate crowns

This amazing woman gave me the perfect updo!

Beautiful contestants :)

Oh yea-im tough!

Congratulations to Rory Devalon-who won Best Interview

All of the winners :)

Encinitas Holiday Parade

Last Saturday, I participated in my very first night parade, the Encinitas Holiday Parade, with my parents, aunt, her boyfriend and my friend Rory. It was a really great experience except for the fact it was absolutely freezing! Considering I was in a elegant red evening gown, with elbow high satin gloves ( for “warmth”), I didn’t feel the cold at first, but after a while, when we were waiting for the parade to start, ( we waited for nearly 2 hours) that is when the cold began to get to me. So, I went and tried to make myself busy by meeting Girl Scout Troops, daddy and daughter clubs, and even men with nice cars and motorcycles. I introduced myself to several of the other queens (Miss Vista, Miss Teen Vista, Miss Harbor Day Queen and Little Miss Southern California). Little Miss Southern California had never done a parade with her, so I invited her to come to walk with me around the parade route, to meet the other people. I got to crown a few of the girl scouts and girls from the daddy and daughter “Indian” clubs, as well as ride a motorcycle, scooter and hold the cutest puppy in the world. When it was finally time for the parade to start, I was shocked at how good the turn out was. Both sides of the parade were solid packed with people and some were even standing outside their restaurants and stores to watch the parade go by. Little boys and girls smiled and cheered at me when I drove by and I called out “Merry Christmas” and “Thank you so much for coming” to all of the parade participants. It was a really rewarding experience, despite the cold, and I am really thankful I got to be a part of it.

It was COLD!!

Possibly THE coolest bike ever :)

A excited fan! :)

An adorable elf!

I miss riding scooters :) Who said queens cant have fun? :)

With a dog from the Humane Society

Silly faces!!!

Rory and Aunt Lotte!

Crowning another beautiful girl :)

With My dad and Robert-my Car driver :)

Miss Southern California Teen Achieve Orientation

With Marlene Martin, my AMAZING director :)

Yesterday, on the evening of November 27, 2010, was the Orientation for the preliminary pageant of Miss California Teen Achieve. It is the Miss California of Southern California Pageant. I arrived 10 minutes late, due to LA traffic, and was introduced by my director Marlene in front of the Teen and Miss Contestants. Then, I shared a short 3 minute impromptu speech with all the girls about my experience in the pageant. I told them how I hadn’t won my first pageant and that had really discouraged me but when I went and joined Marlene’s pageant it ended up making me more confident, and taught a lot about myself. It showed me my strengths and weaknesses’ and how much more confident I can become when I believe in myself. The girls and their moms seemed to really take my story to heart; I got them to nod their heads at my main points, to laugh at my jokes and to eagerly be listening to what I had to say. I felt like it was important for me to be a good leader for them all, and to just be the most helpful and caring person I could be. Especially since a lot of these girls had never done a pageant before, I let them ask me any question they wanted to about the pageant and certain concerns and questions they had about what they should wear, how they should act, what they should say on stage or to the judges, how they got sponsors, etc. They all seemed to genuinely be interested in what I had to say, and I told them all that I was there for them, if they had any questions on the day of the pageant or before, I was there for them. Seeing as the pageant is almost here, I cannot wait to see how it will turn out, and I hope to be a good example for the new queen.

With Miss Teen Garden Grove and Miss Alhambra: Two of our contestants !

Miss Teen Garden Grove, Miss Hollywood, and Miss Teen Alhambra

With Miss Teen North County and Miss Teen Hollywood

Explaining what all the pins mean on my sash

Working the room :)

Mother Goose Parade

The day after the Mr. Vista Pageant that Sunday, was the 64^th Annual Mother Goose Parade down in El Cajon. I had to get up early, around 5 am to get ready (paint my face as I call it) and drive down to El Cajon. This would have been superb and not a problem, if there wasn’t the weather report of possible rain storms! In the morning, it seemed as though the rain wouldn’t be coming. There was heavy overcast, but it mostly was fog and that would clear up in a couple hours. I was dressed in a elegant evening gown that showed a lot of skin and I was worried that I would be freezing because of the cold weather. Luckily I brought a coat so I stayed snuggled up in it until we arrived in El Cajon. Because I was a queen, I was also invited to the Delegate VIP Breakfast. I thought it was such an honor to be invited to the breakfast along with other queens and the Mother Goose Queen who is my good friend. Taylor, Miss Mother Goose 2010, is one of the sweetest girls I know and is also the one person who made me feel so at home at the parade. Because Taylor is the parade’s special queen, she was to be interviewed by Channel 6 along with the rest of her princesses to answer questions about the parade. I went with Taylor to support her but she was so sweet and asked me to come up with her so I ended up being on TV! I thought that it was so kind of her to allow me to share the spotlight with her and be on TV, and create a moment in my life that I will never forget. Then suddenly, it changed. I felt a drop of water on my hand, then another and another. Oh no! It was starting to rain! Quickly, some of the parade route coordinators offered me and the other queens a ride back to our cars so we wouldn’t get drenched. But it was starting to pour. My car, being a Mustang convertible already had no roof and my driver Buck had set up 4 umbrellas in his car to cover it from the rain, but it was still pouring. I was shivering underneath the umbrella (after I climbed into the backseat of the car) when the parade started. Because it was raining hard, we decided to put the roof onto the car, and go into the parade that way anyway. I was a little bummed having to wave and smile to people from the inside of a car, but they were still so happy that I was there and they cheered me on nevertheless. It was definitely a parade I will never forget. Thanks to the weather, deciding to rain on my parade.

A handsome veteran :)

With my dear friend Taylor Woolrich, Miss Mother Goose Parade 2010

All of us on TV!

With the Maid of Honor and High Point Princess, on the Mother Goose court. These girls were SO nice!

SO CUTE!!!

When it started to rain!

Still trying to look glamorous in the freezing rain...SMILE :)

Hooleys Pub and Grill Celebrity Night

As Miss California Teen Achieve, I am often invited to events to help raise money for charities, and organizations. And Last night was no different. I was asked to be a VIP waitress and to go around and sell raffle tickets and tickets to Viejas Casino Holiday party, and 100% of the proceedings would go to the Salvation Army’s Toys for Tots Drive. However when I was told that my job would be doing this, I got extremely nervous. I was kind of scared to walk up to people while they were enjoying their food and try to sell them some tickets. I had to close my eyes and talk myself into doing it. I simply reminded myself that a queen cannot be nervous or afraid to talk to people, because people are not the enemy. So I went right up to my first table and started talking, and then another and another! Before long, I realized that it was not that scary to talk to people and ask them to help support the Salvation Army. People want to help a good cause I realized and when a smiling pageant queen comes up, they are willing to give. I was also joined by Miss San Diego, Miss Rancho San Diego and Miss Rancho San Diego Teen. They were all very nice and talked to me about other pageants, and how they felt like I should do other pageants. I haven’t really given much thought to that but now that the thought is fresh in my mind, I just might. There were also many other celebrities there, that were doing the same thing as me. There were a few CNN broadcasters, the Charger Girls and also an ex Raiders quarterback, AM 600 radio station, and Stoney, (the man who started the Toys for Tots Drive himself)! All in all, I know we helped raise a lot of money for the Salvation Army, and I am so thankful that I could be a part of it.