FLORIDA-MAOT

Saturday-Final Night


Interview for Go Green Initiative


Siegel Estate Fundraiser


Thursday Night Visitation


TLC Interview


Miss America Goes Green


Supporters for Danielle-Wednesday Prelim

Last Wednesday began my 4 day journey in Florida and what a journey it was! It was my first time in Florida so I was even more excited. Kimberly Bailey-Thomas traveled with me and we had a blast. Wednesday morning we woke up bright and early and left at 4:30AM from Dover to catch a 7:30AM flight out of Philly. We arrived in Orlando and dropped our stuff off in our room then headed down to watch Danielle practice her talent. She was awesome! The talent those girls have is impressive! That night I saw Danielle perform her talent in her second night of Preliminary Competition. Then the Miss America contestants had a meeting right after the show to discuss the events for the week.

Thursday we had an early morning to take pictures for Miss America's Go Green initiative by partnering up with Nature's Bottles. They are the only ones that make a biodegradable water bottle made from a corn based substance. It was very impressive and exciting to be a part of this project. Then we had a meet and greet with Katie Stam and Sam Haskell where TLC taped some. Then we split up and those that had interviews scheduled for that day got ready for taping and the rest had the day free. My interview was shortly after the meet and greet. It was exciting to go into a room filled with cameras and know that at some point it's going to be on national television! After that I walked through the trade show and got ready for dinner. We had a sponsored dinner by Regalia and the Miss Florida Pageant at the best italian restaurant. The food was great and the company was wonderful. We were able to get to know each other more and have some casual down time. Then we went to watch the last night of Prelims where Danielle competed in evening wear and onstage question. She was absolutely stunning! Her onstage question was tough but she answered it with poise and grace while speaking her mind. I totally commend her for such an outstanding job!

Friday I had the day to myself so I slept in to catch up on some much needed rest then went and had breakfast with Dineen. After a little while we decided to walk through the trade show and try some things on. I tried on some cocktail pieces, gowns, and even costume ideas. It was very interesting to speak with the owners of the businesses at the trade show to get their perspective on how I should go about picking my competition wardrobe. Then I went and sat by the pool with some of the other contestants and enjoyed a tasty lunch at the cafe in the hotel. That night we went to the Siegel Estate, the residence of the owners of Westgate Timeshares, and enjoyed a fantastic fundraiser for the organization. The food was spectacular and the people there were very supportive. We mingled, ate, danced, took pictures, and looked around the beautiful house the event was held in. It was a long night but well worth it to receive a $25,000 check from the Siegel's at the end to go towards the organization!

Saturday morning was our contestant orientation. Miss America 2009 Katie Stam told us about the job of being Miss America and we discussed how the show would work this year and talked about future partnerships for Miss America 2010. It is exciting to see the organization continue to grow! Now don't lose focus just yet!!!
I need everyone to get your friends ready to vote on TLC.COM when the time comes. They will be doing online voting again this year to allow 4 ladies into the TOP 15 based upon America's vote! So any chance I get to try and be in the top 15 I am going to try. So get everyone ready so that when I get the go ahead we can all start voting! This means 11 will be picked by the judges and 4 by America. Either way it'd be awesome!!
I went shopping in the outlets with Melanie and Rich Hatter along with Kimberly for the afternoon to try and catch some sales. We found some great deals and I can't wait to show everyone what I bought there! I bought a cocktail dress and another more casual dress from BCBG for a really great price!
Finals night was exciting and nerve wrecking. I can only imagine how I will feel when my time comes. Danielle was beautiful throughout the entire night! Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen won the title of MAOT 2010. I was so fortunate to be there to support Danielle and witness a moment that changed a girl's life forever!
Thanks for everyone's love and support thus far. The first two months of my year have been memorable and I cannot wait for what is in store for me!