Back to School, Back to School

Today is officially a week and a day into classes for the spring semester, and for me, my last semester of undergraduate and Ithaca College! While exciting, it is also bittersweet to know that this is my last semester of undergrad, and my last semester at Ithaca. The next fourteen weeks will be full of first lasts, and I am really looking forward to living this semester to the very fullest! And although it has only been a week, the schoolwork is already beginning to pile up. Because I elected to graduate a year early, I am taking a full load this semester - 18 credits - plus taking 12 credits this summer at Jefferson Community College. I will be graduating in August 2011, but fortunately, I will be able to walk at graduation in May. My decision to graduate early came a little late because, shockingly, schools don't like to broadcast the opportunity to save a year's worth of tuition, especially to students like me who came in with credits from high school. So, as you can imagine, these past few months have been spent realizing the changes ahead for me. I will be attending graduate school, moving out of my parent's house, and finding a "real job"! I'm a little anxious to do all of these things, but at the same time, I am really excited and looking forward to the opportunities that the real world will have for me.

Now, for some updates on Miss TI!

I've started a new workout plan (Thanks Shelby!), in addition to my previous workout. It is imperative that I maintain my fitness and health, plus, the plan helps me to stay on track with my schedule that includes classes, work, homework, and meals. I have found that by staying busy after classes end, I have been much more productive with schoolwork and other things that need to get done! Remember to mix up your workout, fuel your body with wholesome and healthy foods, and find time every day for the gym or a home workout!

Over winter break, I also met with Corri Dartnell, Miss Thousand Islands 2008, who is a music teacher, to work on my song for talent! I'm keeping this a surprise, but I'm really excited about it!

Upcoming Pageants & Events:

February 5 - Miss Fulton County 2011 (Gloversville High School)

I would like to wish all of the girls competing in this pageant good luck! Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend, but I will be thinking of my pageant sisters as they compete! I encourage you all to venture out and support these amazing young women on their journey to the crown! Also, I would like to congratulate Heather Shaffer, Miss Fulton County 2010, on a fabulous year of service!

February 26 - Miss Finger Lakes 2011 (Corning, NY)

I will be attending the Miss Finger Lakes 2011 pageant, and am SO excited! I realized that I have never actually watched a local pageant in the Miss America Organization. Plus, last year I competed in Finger Lakes and met some wonderful new pageant sisters who I hope will be competing! I would like to wish all of these ladies good luck as they prepare for this competition, and encourage you all to join me for this event! Last, but certainly not least, I would like to give a shout out to my pageant sister, Amy Valenti, Miss Finger Lakes 2010, and congratulate her on her amazing year of service. I was there to witness Amy's crowning, and have to say, it was one of the best I've seen!

March 6 - Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Fashion Show sponsored by A Touch of Grace (Watertown, NY)

This is another exciting event that I will be hosting!!! This fashion show holds a special place in my heart, not only because it will raise money for CMNH in a really fun way, but also because I have been a model in this fashion show twice. You can call Kathy or Kristan Lettiere (Miss Thousand Islands 2009) at A Touch of Grace at 315-788-6164 for more information on attending or being a model. The event will be held at the Carriage House at the Best Western in Watertown and begins at 1pm. Tickets are $10, and you can call the above number to purchase. The fashion show will feature this season's hottest prom looks, so come out and support a great cause and find your dream dress for prom!

March 11 - North Country Goes Green Irish Festival - Miss Ireland Pageant

The Miss Ireland pageant is another event that I have looked forward to year after year, and I am excited once again to attend this pageant and festival. Two years ago, one of my closest high school friends won the crown of Miss Ireland, and last year, she was lucky enough to be able to crown her younger sister as Miss Ireland 2010. Must be the luck of the Irish! The phases of competition in this pageant include evening gown, on stage question, and expression of Irish Heritage. Girls express their heritage in many different ways, including storytelling, poetry, music, dance, and comedy. In this phase, the contestants are not judged on their talent, but on how well they are able to express their Irish Heritage and its importance to them. If you happen to be in Watertown or a surrounding area, be sure to stop by the Irish Fest, a tradition in the North Country and Thousand Islands region, and the pageant!


Lastly, I would like to encourage you all to follow the link below and make a donation to the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. In doing this, you will be helping me compete in Miss New York and reach my fundraising goal of $500 (required, $250).

In the works:

Keep your eyes open for news about my big CMNH fundraising event that will happen in mid-May!

Have a great week everyone!

Clayton, NY @ #3 for Top Ten Coolest Small Towns in USA!

Hey everyone!

I know it's been a long time since I've posted, and I'm just getting back to classes today, so I promise to post with updates and news about my life soon, but I wanted to quickly encourage you all to follow the link below and vote for Clayton, NY to be one of the Coolest Small Towns in America! Clayton is only one of the unique and picturesque towns within the Thousand Islands, but it certainly deserves this great honor!

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-srv/coolestsmalltowns/CST2011.html

GO CLAYTON! :-)

Miss America!

As I impatiently wait for Miss America to begin (tonight at 9pm on ABC), I thought I would update my blog, something I haven't done in quite a while. Before I start babbling, I want to wish Claire Buffie, our Miss New York 2010, luck at the pageant tonight. Claire has done an AWESOME job in preliminaries this week (view them on the Miss America Facebook or YouTube) and no matter what the results of tonight's pageant are, New York is very proud.

Now, I was supposed to be at a Miss America party with my pageant family, but because of the crazy winter weather, I had to stay home, snowed in. Even so, it will be fun to watch the pageant with my mom, something that I remember doing when I was really young. Anyway, I am beginning the last week of my winter break, and it is pretty bittersweet. It is exciting, and also a little scary, that after this semester and a few summer classes, I will have completed my degree and will be on to graduate school. Much of my vacation has been spent making a plan for the next year. Of course, I compete at Miss New York in June 2011, then will return to my summer job at the Crescent Yacht Club Jr. Division as a Swim Instructor and Head Lifeguard. As the summer comes to an end, I hope I will have found a "real job" and will start taking classes at Jefferson Community College through SUNY Potsdam to pursue a Master's in Childhood Education with a specialty in Special Education. Even though it sometimes seems really overwhelming, everything seems to be falling into place and I'm so lucky to have the support of my family and boyfriend, Tony.

Upcoming Miss NY prep: modeling/walk practice with former Miss NY, Jessica Renzi! I would like to thank her for her ongoing support! It means so much! Thanks, Jess!

That's all for now! Remember to tune into ABC at 9pm EST for the 90th Miss America pageant!!! And again, lots of luck to Claire! I'll be watching in my I <3 Miss NY shirt! (Thanks to Shelby & Sue for that :-))

Merry Christmas!

Well, it's almost that time again! Santa Claus is comin' to town! And before I go to sleep, to welcome visions of sugar plums to dance in my head, I thought I'd bring you all up to date of my Christmas season adventures, my latest appearance, and some exciting news!

As I look back upon the holiday season, I am glad to report that I finished my Christmas shopping early, well not early, but surely much sooner than some of the people whose gifts I wrapped at Borders today! I can't imagine the stress of waiting this long, but I suppose for some, the pressure is helpful! Just watching Jingle All the Way stresses me out! Anyway, as I was saying, today I had some holiday fun with Kaili, Shelby, Sue, and Gary, wrapping presents for last-minute gift-givers and Santas at Borders Bookstore at the Salmon Run Mall. The spirit of Christmas really shone through with each person who donated to our scholarship fund in exchange for a gift wrap! One little girl in particular really put us to work for a big hunk of change, literally, and really challenged our expert gift-wrapper Super Shelby with small items like packs of trading cards and even a rubber duck!

We even got to spend some quality time with Ann Walck Ianotta, Miss Thousand Islands 2005 & 2007 and her husband and Miss TI Pageant Stage Manager, Andrew. Oh, and we saw Leslie Stackel, my Zipper Master Hostess! We exchanged gifts with Sue and Shelby - I got an I <3 Miss NY t-shirt, and LOVE it. Actually, I'm going to go put that on with my new Christmas jammies! Thanks, ladies!

Now, for the exciting news! Drum roll please....I have chosen my song for talent, finally! I can't tell you what it is, of course, but I will tell you that it is going to be awesome!

And now, it's time to go watch some Friends and get to sleep early, because even though my brother and I are 16 and 20 years old, we somehow can't sleep much past 8 on Christmas! So, a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!!


Oh! And a very happy one year anniversary to my wonderful and supportive boyfriend, Tony! :-)

Footloose in Watertown!

Just saw this posted on 7News! If you're in the Watertown area this weekend, check it out!

http://www.wwnytv.com/news/local/Watertown-Gets-Footloose-111629004.html

Oh! The Places You'll Go

I'm sure many of you have read this poem before, but I wanted to share it anyway. While it is not between the whimsical, brightly colored cover of the Dr. Seuss book, the message in this children's poem, is profound to people of all ages. I am currently in a poetry course, and while browsing famous poems to read for a class assignment, I came across this piece, and although I had read it before, I really enjoyed and found meaning in it. So, here it is.



"Oh! The Places You'll Go!"
by Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction
you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know
what you know. And YOU are the
guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets.
Look’em over with care. About
some you will say, “I don’t choose to
go there.” With your head full of
brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down a not-
so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll
want to go down.In that case, of
course, you’ll head straight out of
town. It’s opener there in the wide
open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right
along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar
to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll
have the speed. You’ll pass the
whole gang and you’ll soon take the
lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be
best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s
true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly
perch. And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump. And the
chances are, then, that you’ll be in a
Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re
not in for much fun. Un-slumping
yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the
streets are not marked. Some
windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could
sprain both your elbow and chin! Do
you dare to stay out? Do you dare to
go in? How much can you lose? How
much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left
or right…or right-and-three-
quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or
go around back and sneak in from
behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid
you will find, for a mind-maker-
upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll
start in to race down long wiggled
roads at a break-necking pace and
grind on for miles across weirdish
wild space, headed, I fear, toward a
most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just
waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to
come, or a plane to go or the mail to
come, or the rain to go or the phone
to ring, or the snow to snow or
waiting around for a Yes or No or
waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or
waiting for wind to fly a kite or
waiting around for Friday night or
waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle
Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better
Break or a string of pearls, or a pair
of pants or a wig with curls, or
Another Chance. Everyone is just
waiting.

No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that
waiting and staying. You’ll find the
bright places where Boom Bands
are playing. With banner flip-
flapping, once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a
guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun
to be done! There are points to be s
cored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do
with that ball will make you the
winning-est winner of all. Fame!
You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world
watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because,
sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll
play lonely games too. Games you
can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone
will be something you’ll be quite a
lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a
very good chance you’ll meet things t
hat scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the
road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t
want to go on.

But on you will go though the
weather be foul. On you will go
though your enemies prowl. On you
will go though the Hakken-Kraks
howl. Onward up many a frightening
creek, though your arms may get
sore and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike. And I know
you’ll hike far and face up to your
problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as
you already know. You’ll get mixed
up with many strange birds as you
go. So be sure when you step. Step
with care and great tact and
remember that Life’s a Great
Balancing Act. Just never forget to
be dexterous and deft. And never
mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or
Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van
Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great
Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

On a cold December evening...

...Kaili & I rode in a convertible. It had to have been below 20 degrees in Clayton last night for the Clayton Christmas Parade but as we rode, #46, behind a trailered boat lit up with Christmas lights, "driven" by a large inflatable nutcracker, we sang with Shelby's Christmas mix, bundled up atop Gary & Sue's convertible, waving, throwing candy, and wishing the hundreds of people Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas. Now, I have been in the holiday spirit for a while now, turning on my Pandora Christmas station, full volume, as my roommates and I get ready in the morning and decorating our entire apartment, complete with a mini Christmas tree. Anyway, this parade was so exciting and if it is possible, made me even more excited to be celebrating the Christmas season! There were some awesome floats - from what I saw, I have to say I really liked the mini Thousand Islands Bridge, all lit up, and the Coyote Moon Winery float. Despite the cold air and long waits, I really enjoyed myself and now, even more than ever, I am ready for the holidays!

Here's a link to a video of the parade featuring my two favorite floats and Kaili & I!

http://vimeo.com/17484341