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June 7, 2008
I had the exciting opportunity to sing the National Anthem at the East Memphis Civitan's 5k Race for kids. The Memphis Civitan is supportive of several organizations that help children with special needs such has Harwood and Madonna Learning Center. With my platform as Autism Awareness, I had the opportunity to speak after the race about early intervention and thank those attending for supporting the Memphis Civitan's efforts.
April 28, 2008
This past Thursday I was given a wonderful opportunity by Ken Hall, a fellow Miss Memphis supporter. Ken is a member of Carnival Memphis, an organization that holds an annual Business & Industry Salute Recognition Luncheon honoring local Memphis businesses. This year the luncheon was honoring the music business, and I was honored to be part of the audience along with Isaac Hayes, Al Kapone, Ardent Studio's John Fry, representatives from Sun Studios, Stax Museum, and the Beale Street Caravan, just to name a few. Music from all over the world has been impacted by the Memphis sound, and it was truly an exciting moment when Isaac Hayes accepted the Cook Halle Award, honoring his enormous impact on the Mid-South through not only his business success, but also his charitable and community endeavors. Needless to say, I was "bright-eyed and bushy tailed" at the thought of being among so many well respected music icons all in one room! Thank you again Ken Hall for giving me this wonderful opportunity!
April 13, 2008
Wow, what a busy last few weeks it has been! I have just finished up the last final exam of my college career, and it is hard to believe that in just two weeks I will be graduating! It is nerve-racking but so exciting that possibilities for my future are endless- although I will be spending the next month and a half working towards the ultimate job interview for Miss Tennessee!
At the beginning of this month all 36 of the contestants met in Murfreesboro, TN for a Miss Tennessee workshop. I was so excited to have my mother, Cheri, in town for the weekend to help me get all of the paperwork finalized and turned in. Boy, what a crazy weekend it was! We left Memphis Friday evening and arrived at the hotel around midnight, just in time to catch a few hours of sleep before a 6AM wake-up call to get the day started. At workshop we established a line-up for all of the contestants-and lucky for me I got my lucky number 9!
After the Judges Workshop my mother and I left Murfreesboro only to head up to Union City, TN to do some dress shopping. Early Sunday morning we headed over to Joann's where I successfully walked out with both an evening gown and talent outfit! Needless to say, Paige is good at more than just wardrobe- she set me up with some great moves for my talent song (thanks Paige!). Finally, it was time to head back to Memphis where we set up a get-together with Shay and Ivy Depew, Miss Teen Memphis, to do a "fashion show" of my new gowns (we couldn't give the new dresses a seal of approval until Shay's little girl Rebekah gave us two thumbs up for each one).
After a long, exhausting weekend it was "back to the real world" on Monday with school work and spending time at The Blues Foundation, where I intern. Successful weekend!
March 16, 2008
Last night we packed up the caravan in Sayra's car and headed to the Miss Tennessee Outstanding Teen Pageant in Martin, TN. It was great to have the chance to meet almost 20 of the Miss contestants before the workshop in April. Special thanks to Jordan Cole, Miss UT Martin, for putting together the hospitality room! (Whoever made the corn-dip, kudos to you, can I get that recipe?)
I'd say the Memphis group definitely wins the "loudest cheering section" award (between Aubrey Depew and my excellent skills at whistling there was no competition). We are so proud of Ashely and Ivy, the girls were beautiful, poised, and simply stunning on stage. Congratulations to Ivy, winner of the Interview Award- what a huge accomplishment!
Once again we ended the night right with a food stop in Jackson at Don Pancho's... Mexican was Ivy's choice after being such a great representative of our city!! Yet another successful road trip for the Miss Memphis crew. Congrats again to Ashley and Ivy, two driven young women that we are so proud of!!
March 10, 2008
I spent the past week in Baltimore, Maryland for spring break, visiting friends and family and catching up on some Miss Tennessee paperwork. On Saturday, March 1st I had the exciting opportunity to spend the morning with Miss Maryland, Shana Powell, at Merrit Athletic club, talking to young girls ages 4 to 16 about getting involved with the Miss America Organization and the importance of community service. I was also excited to sing my talent for all of those attending the open house!
Later that day I showed "the experts" how to sport a pair of high-heels during a self-defense lesson in my crown and sash! Now I can add "cool karate moves" to my list of things to learn before Miss Tennessee!
This Saturday the whole Miss Memphis Crew will be carpooling to Martin, TN to cheer on our own Miss Teen Memphis, Ivy, and Miss Memphis Princess, Ashlee, as sthey compete for their respective state titles at Miss Tennessee's Outstanding Teen. Good luck Ivy & Ashlee, you are both such wonderful role models and there is no doubt you both will make us proud!!
February 26, 2008
Let me start by saying how thrilled I am about the year to come. There are so many things to look forward to, and I am so excited about my three new "sisters" I will be experiencing the next year with (Anne, Ivy, and Ashlee, that's you!). I am eager and nervous about all of the wonderful opportunities I will have as Miss Memphis, but I am most excited about representing a city and a program that has adamantly supported young women like myself for 60 years!
The reality of winning Miss Memphis did not sink in until the Monday after our show, when my email box was flooded with emails from our local directors and state representatives about the events of the upcoming months. I know I am officially adopted now that I call/email/text Shay and Jeni at least three times a day!
We got the year started off right with a fun-filled weekend of photo-shoots, wardrobe shopping, and paperwork. Anne Rene and I met at photographer Steve Austell's on Saturday for a day of costume changes and photo-opportunities. Despite our hair troubles, I'd say we really got a taste of what it's like to be true models in front of the camera!
The fun continued on Sunday with a group-caravan to Joann's in Union City. It took two car loads, but we were able to get the entire group there- Anne Rene, Ivy, Ashlee, and I along with the entire Miss Memphis crew had a blast trying on competition gowns. Although our huge crew can be overwhelming, Paige and Jerrod of Joann's made our wardrobe-shopping a breeze. The weekend ended with a trip to Applebee's and we were back in Memphis in no time.