Happy Autumn!

Hello everyone! I hope you are all finding a way to enjoy the first day of fall. It's true, yesterday was the last official day of summer. It truly was a wonderful summer full of sunny weather and personally, I had many accomplishments including successfully re-launching the Lyme Community Theatre and playing Cinderella in the summer musical (a dream come true) and of course, being crowned Miss Thousand Islands 2011 (also a dream com true). I also had a really great job working with kids, instructing swim lessons, and spending the majority of my day in the sun, on the water, which contributed to a great tan...for the most part - one piece swimsuits don't make for the best pageant tans! Anyway, as I reflect on the summer of 2010, it really brings a smile to my face to think of all the wonderful, simple memories I made with my friends, family, and boyfriend. As you have probably gathered, I feel so very blessed to have had such amazing, life changing experiences, and a really fun summer overall. Thank you to all who were part of it!

So, we begin fall, on a rainy day here in Ithaca, which I like to call lazy days. Lazy days call for rain boots and warm, comfortable clothing. In the past couple of weeks I have been busy with schoolwork, of course, but also with planning some special things for Miss Thousand Islands - my photo shoot with my photo sponsor, April McClintock, and a mini-event with Miss Thousand Islands Outstanding Teen, Kaili Schindler! I am so excited for both and will tell you a little bit more below...

First of all, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to April McClintock for sponsoring my photos, which include state head shots and of course some really fun and creative shots in beautiful outfits. I am really looking forward to the shoot and seeing the ideas that April, Shelby, Sue, my mom, and I have come up with come to life! I think that it is going to be a really fun day and I can't wait! The shoot is scheduled for October 15, during my fall break. My hair and make up will be done by Rosie at the Ritz!

I will share photos when I have them!

Visit April's website:
http://www.aprilmacphoto.com/

Also coming to the Ritz Salon in October...

On October 16, Kaili and I will be having pink extensions put in our hair to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We are both extremely excited about this! This is a month long event that the Ritz is holding, so consider getting your pink streak. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. It's a great cause that is close to many people's hearts. I firmly believe in showing support for causes like this, especially in such a unique way! Plus, we love pink!

Check out the Ritz Day Spa and Salon's website for more information!
http://www.theritzdayspa.com/

Now, to back track a bit...my last post was all about my birthday plans and so I thought I should tell you about my birthday weekend! My 20th birthday weekend kicked off with a dinner at Chili's with my roommates and friends. I drove home on Friday and spent the afternoon with Tony (and opened my present!), and then we joined my family including my cousin, Kelly, for dinner at my house. Saturday started bright and early at the Clubhouse in Watertown where my mom and I met Shelby and Sue for my first breakfast meeting. We discussed all sorts of things including appearances, photos, and pageant prep over a delicious comfort food breakfast. Yum! After breakfast, my mom and I spent the morning and early afternoon after the Burrville Cider Mill, one of my favorite places in the world and Nothern New York's 'best kept secret', and birthday shopping! As much fun as it was, I was sick with a bad cold, so I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon on the couch, watching TV with Tony. I do have to mention that he made me a really great lunch and took extra special care of me! That night we celebrated with a birthday cake made by my mom - Lemon Raspberry Cake with homemade whipped cream frosting (the same birthday cake I had on my first birthday). Determined to overcome my illness, especially on my birthday weekend, I pushed myself to have a fun night - and even though I spent a lot of it on the couch (again), I did see some friends that night! Sunday was ZUMBA day! My mom woke me up that morning, very early, and brought me to the dining room that was decorated with balloons and I opened a present - ZUMBA gear! As you can imagine, I was super excited to ZUMBA my birthday away, but with the cold, I wasn't as chipper as I usually am. Nonetheless, my friend Ashley Lothrop (A-Lo) and I worked very hard that day and after almost 7 hours of ZUMBA, we left as licensed ZUMBA instructors! I have been doing lots of ZUMBA and will start to work on choreography soon - I hope to have my own classes over Winter Break, and I hope to see many of you there!!! After 7 hours of ZUMBA, I was ready to eat...so I enjoyed my mom's creamy shrimp pesto and two types of birthday cake - leftovers from the Lemon Raspberry cake and a colorful and delicious ice cream cake from Tony. Then, we of course, opened more presents, relaxed and talked the rest of the night. Overall, it was a fabulous 20th birthday, sick or not! Quick fun fact...did you know that Sue (my ED) and I share the same birthday? And that Shelby's is the 16th, just a few days after? :-)

Oh, and I can't forget to thank Lillian of Lillian's Alterations on Arsenal Street in Watertown for a special birthday present - a $300 gift certificate for alterations for my state wardrobe. This is so wonderful of her and I really appreciate it!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading.

Morgan