These past couple of months have been busy with a capital "B"!  Since I got back from Las Vegas, I have made several appearances and done a lot of preparation for Miss Michigan.  It's a good thing that I work for people who are very supportive of my work with the Miss America Organization.  In the past month alone, I have been to the Court of St. Brigid pageant, a couple of Big Ten Shootout Challenges for 7up, the Strut Your Stuff pageant in Knoxville Tennessee, Michigan's Junior Miss, and Miss Michigan orientation.  I like to think of orientation as the pep rally before the big game.  On Friday night, my good friend Stephanie Frey was crowned Miss Lighthouse Coast.  I know how hard Steph has worked over the years, and I am so glad she has the opportunity to showcase her talents at Miss Michigan this year.  On Saturday, contestants turned in paperwork and were fitted for opening number costumes, but it was also a great opportunity to meet everyone.  The best part of orientation is karaoke after a long day of taking notes on the afternoon's speakers.  The highlight was doing the dance from Thriller which was led by my roommate for Miss Michigan week, Miss Jackson County - Cassandra Kramer!  I can't wait for the next time I get to be among the other 29 women in June!

It feels great to be back home from my recent trip to Las Vegas!  I am still in recovery from all of the shopping, but I must admit that a lot was accomplished.  Nicole did a spectacular job of representing Michigan, as well as taking home the preliminary talent and non-finalist talent awards!  I also had the pleasure of meeting our new Miss America, Caressa Cameron, the night before she was crowned.  She is even more beautiful in person, and she even shared a few hair styling tips with me.  If there is anything that can make a young woman feel like she is ready to compete, it's attending Miss America!  Being among the contestants and so many former Miss Americas was inspiring and also a reminder of how special the Miss America Organization truly is.

This past Saturday I woke up at 6:00 AM to travel to Muskegon.  I was feeling a little under the weather, but still excited to attend Nicole's (Miss Michigan) wardrobe showing and meet Katie Stam, our Miss America.  We arrived just in time to hear Katie's speech about her year of service.  She was wonderful!  So poised, down-to-earth, and a pleasure to listen to and learn from.  Later on for dinner, I had the honor of sitting with Nicole, Haley (Miss Michigan's Outstanding Teen), and Katie!  After dinner, Nicole modeled her wardrobe for her week at Miss America.  She looked stunning in everything, and I can't wait to see her in Vegas in January.

Hello!  I hope that everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather we are having.  Just when I thought it was time to pull out my winter coat, the sun decided to stay out a little longer.  This past weekend I attended the Miss Washtenaw County pageant.  I must say that although nothing compares to the excitment of competing, its always nice to be watching and cheering friends on from the audience.  The contestants looked beautiful, and it was a pleasure to see all of the new and familiar faces.  I want to give a huge congratulations to the new Miss Washtenaw, Rachel Sweet.  We have competed in pageants together over the past couple of years, and I am very happy to have been there as she accomplished what she has worked so hard for over the years.  It just goes to show the tremendous amount of growth that this organization brings out of each of us!

This past weekend was busy, busy, busy, but so much fun!  I had a great time in Mt. Pleasant helping promote the Miss Michigan Organization and Snapple, our awesome sponsor.  The first thing I did when I arrived Friday evening was start learning the dance that was performed at the opening and halftime of the U of M vs. MSU tailgait party on Saturday.  Nicole, did a great job choreographing, but I was so sore the next day!  It was also great to see old friends and do some catching up.  I got to meet several of this years Miss Michigan contestants and they were an absolute delight.  It is undeniable that this program is the best place to make new friends. 
    
This week is Fire Safety Week in Redford Township, and I had the opportunity to appear at the fire station on Sunday.  There was lots of important information for families to learn about fire safety, and I had my own booth to sign autographs.  I loved being in the community and seeing families out together having fun!

It's been a week now and I think things are finally starting to sink in.  On Saturday, September 12th I was crowned Miss Wayne County 2009, and I have to say that for at least the first 24 hours following, it felt like I was dreaming.  I have to give a huge thank you to my family and friends who attended.  Every one of you has been so supportive and many have traveled great distances to cheer me on.  I hope that you know how much it means to me.  I also want to thank everyone in my new MWC family.  Thank you for putting together such a great program that I am honored to be a part of.
    
I made my first appearance as MWC this past Friday at the Northville Victorian Parade.  Sooo much fun!   I just love to see everyones smiling faces as they wave from the crowd.  People came in some of the most beautiful costumes, and we got lots of great pictures.  It was  a great kickoff to this year, I can't wait to share so stay tuned for those pics!