Welcome Home!!!

On Wednesday September 30th I was able to welcome home the 261st Delaware National Guard Brigade in Dover outside of the Capital. It was amazing to see so many friends, family members, supporters, and dignitaries there to witness such a beautiful ceremony. They were very proud to announce that every single member of that troop made it home alive! I thought that was something I needed to share with everyone to showcase the remarkable work and commitment this troop displayed. They were gone for nearly a year overseas in Iraq. Even the proud father, Vice President Joe Biden, was there to speak and welcome home his son and the rest of the troop.

I felt privileged to have a seat up front in the VIP section. The troop marched in playing bagpipes and drums as the crowd gave them a standing ovation. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I know that it is tremendously difficult to go without a loved one for such a long period of time. I have had a couple of my family members be deployed overseas to the Middle East. One is currently still there working very hard for our nation's Army.

Even though I was not welcoming home a family member at this event, it made me think of my family members that have gone or are still out there and everyone else who has ever had to deal with a loved one going off to fight for our country. It is important to never forget those that serve our country and keep us safe! They are doing a job that many of us are so grateful we do not have to do.

So again, Welcome Home 261st! You've done our nation proud!

Miss Diamond State and Miss New Castle County

I was privileged to help out with the Miss NCC and Miss Diamond State pageant this past Sunday where Steffi Holmes was crowned Miss Diamond State 2010 and Nicole Bosso was crowned Miss NCC 2010!

Every girl that evening did a fantastic job! I think it is important to know you should never give up! Who knows where the year can take you! Anything can happen at Miss Delaware and I am always here to help out too. The experience is well worth it and if that wasn't enough, the scholarships given are definitely worth it.

I was able to emcee with my fantastic former sister queen Chrisi and we couldn't have had a better time. It was a great show Dineen and Tom! Good luck to everyone!

The next local is Miss Milford and Coastal Bay this coming Saturday at the Riverfront! Check out the Miss DE website if you are interested!

Saturday of Race Weekend

Saturday of race weekend was a busy day. I started off going to the Dover Mall and signing autographs during their VIP Days. If you missed it, you missed some amazing deals! The store manager, Mr. Mares, and the manager, Mike, were incredibly helpful and accommodating. I started off in front of their shoe department and then part way through switched scenes and sat near the cosmetics department. I met several race fans and even a few employees of Boscov's. It was really nice to have my first official autograph signing at the Dover Mall Boscov's.

After that I met up with Lisa Courtney at Dover Speedway to prepare to sing the national anthem at the NASCAR race. It was my third year singing at Dover Speedway and my second year singing on Saturday....maybe next time I'll get to sing on Sunday. Each time is a wonderful experience. As I get more comfortable singing in front of such a large crowd I am able to enjoy it even more! What a great way to prepare for Miss America. I am so grateful to have the support of Dover Downs and the Dover Speedway. I was able to sit in a skybox during the race, and enjoy some amazing food! It was a bit chillier than I anticipated so I lucked out by being able to sit in an area that didn't have the wind constantly blowing.

Photos By: Dave Chambers

Thank you to everyone that watched me sing or saw me online and let me know that you heard! It is nice to see the great support I have, and that I am in your thoughts. If you managed to miss it you can listen to it on youtube:



We managed to leave just in enough time to miss the rain that day. Everyone was constantly nervous that the race would have to end early due to the rain that was quickly approaching the track, but they were able to get the entire race in and it was awesome to be there.