Ms. America 2011

What a competition it was tonight in Anaheim, California.  Twenty-six women aged 26 years old and older from all around the country were vying for the title of Ms America 2011.  The ladies competed in evening gown, sportswear, interview and on stage question.  All of the lady's were beautiful, accomplished and very well spoken.  Having been a runner-up twice in this pageant I know first hand the caliber of ladies that compete for this title and they are definitely top notch all the way around.  This year the victory was claimed by pageant veteran Tracy Broughton.  Tracey has an incredible story to tell about how she has survived 2 horrific car accidents that left her confined to a wheelchair.  After being told she would never walk again, she beat the odds and is walking again for the first time in 11 years.  Like me she is also a single mother and she is also a business owner.  What an incredible inspirational woman.  Congratulations and my hat is off to you Tracey and all of the incredible contestants at the Ms America pageant!

Miss America 2011

Living only 3 hours from Vegas comes in pretty handy sometimes not just for the great shopping and incredible buffets but also for being able to attend some really awesome pageants.  I was able to attend the 2011 Miss America Pageant.  This was my first time attending the pageant live and in person.  My day started out attending the trade show and boy was I in heaven!  There were so many different vendors with gowns, jewelry, shoes, accessories, swimsuits and more.  I really had to restrain myself from going crazy and buying everything I really wanted.  In the end I did have good self control and only left with one pair of shoes, I was such a good girl.  Here I am at the trade show with Carl Dunn the editor of pageantry magazine.

Check out the View of the stage from my seat

I had so much fun hanging out with my pageant friends and seeing one of the youngest Miss America's ever to be crowned.  There was so much energy and excitement in the audience it was amazing.  When Miss America 1994 Kim Aiken came onstage when they were showing all of the past Miss America's, I lost it and the tears began to flow.  I remember watching her win back in the day and all I could think of was that I wanted to be just like her someday. Some people dream of going to the Super Bowl but for me I dreamed of going to Miss America and I finally had my chance and I didn't have to go all the way to Atlantic city to do it!

Govenor's Award

On 1/7/11 I had the honor of attending the Governor and First Lady's Service Awards Luncheon and being one of the recipients of this special Award.  There were over 300 Californians in attendance that were honored at this event for their volunteer work within their communities.  The award included a limited edition certificate signed by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver. The event was hosted by Susan Jeske and the Ms America pageant which recommended me for this award. 

I was unfortunately a little late to this event due to forgetting my crown and banner at home but nevertheless I put the pedal to the metal went home to grab it and made it just in time for the main course.  There was such a variety of organizations that had volunteers in attendance from earth day organizations to meals on wheels to doctors and chiropractors who have donated their services to the poor and 3rd world countries.  Jeff Timmons (of the group 98 Degrees) was the special guest speaker and performer whom gave us a little insight into his world of service while telling us that the little things we do can make an impact that will last a lifetime.  It was such a wonderful feeling to be in the presence of so many Californians who felt it was their duty, honor, and privilege to help others in need.

Now of course there were pageant queens in attendance from several different local and national pageant systems, because what better way to use your title than to give to back as so many of us do (with or with the crown).  All of the titleholders were being honored for completing at least 50 hours of service to an organization or 25 hours for ages 5 to 14.  One of the pageant systems in attendance was the Teen Achieve Pageant. The Miss Teen Achieve Pageant is an achievement based pageant that includes an art presentation or speech portion on what make a leader.  I had an opportunity to meet the director Marlena Martin (Ms California US Continental) and some of her queens pictured here below (Korinna Kaplanis-Miss Southern California Teen Achieve 2011, Mercedes Harvey-Miss California Teen Achieve 2010, Rebekah Burger-Miss Regional Teen Achieve).

It was just another busy day in the life of Ms Earth, not only was it a day where volunteerism was the focus but a day where service was the unifying factor for a large group of citizens who care.

Next stop Las Vegas and the Miss America Pageant ............

Toddlers To Tiara's

Did you catch the season 3 premiere episode of "Toddlers to Tiara's"?  If you missed it stayed tunned to TLC for re-runs and be sure to look for me as a featured judge!

Pageant Cast Interview

Go to http://www.pageantcast.com/ and check out my interview for January 4th!