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!

This was a great weekend for the Miss Wayne County program.  Friday night started off with a homecoming celebration for Miss Wayne County 2008 and Miss Michigan 2009, Nicole Blaszczyk, at Fuerst Park in Novi.  The city of Novi put on a great event!  The night not only honored Nicole, but served as the grand opening of Novi's newest park.  It was nice to be able to share our program with the residents of Novi.

Saturday was the official kick-off to Miss Wayne County 2009.  We have eight contestants this year from all around the southeastern Michigan area. 

The 2009 Miss Wayne County contestants are...
#1 - Jessica Wells
#2 - Danielle Williams
#3 - Elyse Losen
#4 - Lauren Allen
#5 - Anjel Fransicso
#6 - Paula Langley
#7 - Rachel Manna
#8 - Teresha Hendricks

Over the two days, our contestants learned the opening number, choreographed by Miss Michigan 2006, Angela Corsi.  Angela did an AMAZING job with the routine.  If you can make it to the pageant, you won't be disappointed with this opening number!  Thank you, thank you, Angela!!

- Miss Wayne County Committee

Rehearsals for the 2009 Miss Wayne County Scholarship Program begin this weekend!  We look forward to meeting this year's contestants and preparing for an awesome show.

Please find room in your schedule for our 2009 pageant, "Twilight Time," which takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at Churchill High School in Livonia.  Doors open at 4:00 pm and showtime is at 4:30pm!

- Miss Wayne County Committee

Preparations for Miss Wayne County 2009 are well underway!  Please check back after September 12, 2009 for the new Miss Wayne County's blog entries.

In the meantime, do you have what it takes to be Miss Wayne County 2009?  Click here to find out!

- Miss Wayne County Committee

What an honor this last month has been representing our state and the INCREDIBLE opportunities that I have already been blessed with.  I truly love waking up to the job of Miss Michigan everyday, and I can't wait for the journey that still lies ahead of me.  As I have been sharing several photos, I find it equally important to share some exciting news.  First, I wanted to let those of you know that may have not already heard, I will be flying out to L.A. on September 10th and staying through October 10th to tape a reality television show on TLC called "Miss America Reality Check."  All 52 of us contestants will live in the same house for a month!  The series will start airing in December on Fridays at 8pm (EST) and will consist of 8 episodes leading up to Miss America LIVE on Saturday, January 24th.  I urge all of you to tune into TLC this December to watch what I believe is an opportunity of a lifetime.
 
The second announcement I have is one that I am extremely excited about.  As Miss Michigan, I have become a spokesperson/endorser for the Dr. Pepper/7-up/ Snapple group.  I will be traveling the state this next year promoting many of their products including Fiji water and Diet Rite cola.  What is really neat, is that I get a free supply of their products for my year's reign!!!  However, that is not the most exciting of the news...  Yesterday, I met with representatives from their company in which they implemented a program to incorporate my personal platform of Breast Cancer Awareness with their product line to raise money for a charity of my choice from August 4, 2008 - April 30, 2009!  As a huge supporter and volunteer with the American Cancer Society, I picked ACS for my charity of choice in which $.25 per case for all Diet Rite 1.5-liter cases and Fiji water cases sold in ALL Spartan stores in the state of Michigan (350 stores) will be donated to Breast Cancer Research.  Who would have ever thought that 5-years ago when my mother was diagnosed with cancer that it would pave a pathway for me to make such a huge impact in our state and for those suffering from such a prevalent disease?  I thank God everyday for her survivorship and for the continued doors that open to me to help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.

On a personal note, I was in Blissfield this past weekend for the Miss River Raisin pageant and met the General Manager/President of FOX Toledo.  I am ecstatic to share that he offered a potential job/position with his station after my year as Miss Michigan is completed!!!  To think that all of this has happen in four short weeks!  The Miss America Organization truly does provide personal and professional opportunities for young women and gives them a voice in their community, state, and nation!
 
Thank you for all your support!
 
Ashlee Baracy    
Miss Michigan 2008

Miss Michigan Week Photo Album