On Wednesday afternoon, Debbie and I embarked on a mini roadtrip to Philadelphia..the "city of [sisterly] love." We were met at the Holiday Inn by Ashley and Sally; Miss New Jersey and her hilarious traveling companion. Well, Debbie and Sally go "way back" and are hysterical when they get together. They talked about Debbie learning how to be a traveling companion, dating older men, fitting two girls into one fur coat years ago, and other unpredictable stories! After meeting/reuniting in the hotel for about an hour, we freshened up and let the 'ol Garmin lead us to our next destination: Maggiano's. There, we were welcomed by Kendria, Miss Pennsylvania, and a few other Pennsylvanians. Minutes later, Brintha, Miss Philadelphia, and Kirsten, Miss America, arrived to join us for a large dinner! The titleholders were at one table while the traveling companions spoke at another. At our table we chatted about all sorts of things!!, what to expect at Miss America, what foods we liked, cooking and baking, and all kinds of other "table talk." I was sorry to see the dinner end, as we thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. In hindsight though, it was probably best that we got to bed as early as possible since we had an early morning ahead of us! That didn't stop Debbie, Sally, Ashley, and I from staying up late to chat in our hotel room! We did eventually get to bed though.
I woke up very early the next morning to get ready for the Philadelphia IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade! We were on the Candyland float and had a great time!! I even heard some people say that they were from good 'ol Delaware! In addition, we met people from all over the country including Connecticut and California (what a hike!)! Kirsten did a great job performing at the telecast! Immediately after the performance, we were whisked away (more like almost thrown off the float! hehe) by the float's truck-driver, loaded into a limo, and taken back to the Holiday Inn. From there, Debbie and I loaded up the car and made our way back to Delaware.
Upon returning to Newark, I changed and drove back to Pennsylvania to Avondale for Thanksgiving Dinner at my aunt and uncle's house. We had a great time, although many family members were MIA. Some in FL, MA, NC..you name it..we had family there! I had a nice dinner, caught up with family, watched my little cousins tap dancing recital dvd, had a few/a few zillion games of pingpong and fuseball with my Uncle Lou, then proceeded to take a load off in their hot tub!! What a night!! He ended up winning both tournaments in pingpong and fuseball, but I gave him a run for his money! He also put me in his inversion traction devise..I was hanging completely perpendicular to the ground!..talk about a headrush! I don't wait until Thanksgiving to reflect on all that I have to be thankful for, but it sure is nice to visit with family!! and to be reminded of all of our blessings.
I stayed the night at my aunt and uncle's the night of Thanksgiving. My mom and I rose early the next morning to make it to the Wilmington Christmas Parade! How did I go from a Thanksgiving parade one day, to a Christmast parade the next?!..busy, busy season I suppose! I was on the DuPont float with all of the Delaware titleholders; Vincenza, Bethany, Mandie, Lili, and Miss Hispanic DE 2008. The parade went down Market St. and we had a great time!! I was also happy to share Vincenza and Bethany's last appearance with them. They both did a wonderful job this year and gave up their titles on Sunday. I was able to attend the Miss Delaware USA/Miss Delaware Teen USA pageant on Sunday after my appearance at Dover Downs. They looked beautiful, and now we have two new titleholders representing Delaware: Kate and Kelsey!
Later Friday night, I attended the Dover Downs Chocolate Festival. My mom accompanied me and we spoke with many of the exhibitors, taste-tested all sorts of things, and purchased a few of our favorite items. We also admired the impeccable gingerbread houses and creations!! Toward the end of the evening, I performed a few pieces on the piano. The performances went very well and they were followed by a choral group. One of the members was a family friend so we stayed to watch. Because there were no seats left, I opted to sit on the floor rather than stand. Shortly after, I was joined by a four-year-old little boy named Richard who proceeded to tell me all about his favorite toys. He also came to me with a little snowman ornament and said "Here, I stole this from my mom for you." I laughed and quickly turned around to find his mom, but she laughed and told me to hang onto it. He sat with me for about 20minutes and was great company! He and I were later joined by another youngster, Andre, who worried me with that big cup of chocolate icecream right next to my white sash haha! He gave me the biggest hug when he left, and Richard told me, "Bye, Misses Dubawhere." How cute!!
I was back with my local pageant directors on Saturday afternoon and evening. They were holding their teen/young pageants for the New Castle County and Diamond State Organization. I was asked to perform, so while I was not on the piano, I helped out in the dressing room. Of course, when no help was needed, you could find me snoozing on the floor. The young girls and teens did a fabulous job! Congratulations to all of them. I also really appreciate them agreeing to take a "funny face picture" once the pageant ended. Funny faces pictures are my favorite pictures!! =D
Sunday, I woke up early to go to Church before going back to the Chocolate Festival. I met a few of the Cinderella Pageant titleholders and performed on the flute and piano after Mandie performed! It's always nice seeing her parents and grandparents, and Mandie too of course! Once I finished performing, I loaded up my things and quickly drove to the Miss Delaware USA pageant! I made it right before the event started!
To begin this new week, I went shopping for my opening number top for Miss America and then rode in the Rehoboth Christmas Parade! I was sandwiched between Cassidy, Delaware's Junior Miss, and Lili, Mrs. Delaware! I also saw Tiffany, our current Miss Brandywine, and Ashley, Miss Southern Delaware. The parade was beautiful; the Christmas lights were twinkling everywhere!!
That's all for now! I'll have another update soon!! Feel free to leave any comments!
xoxo Galen
No comments:
Post a Comment