State Fairs and Send Offs!

8:38 AM JilinTour.Com 0 Comments

This week has been one crazy week so far and it is only half way through!

It all started Thursday when I went to Lady's Image with Debi up in Wilmington to find some cocktail dresses to wear to Florida. We purchased two awesome dresses and the store was incredibly helpful in finding dresses for me in my size. They had an alterations lady right there to make them fit perfectly and I will be picking them up on the 7th! Right after that I drove down to Middletown to support Danielle Marshall (MDOT 09) at the North Star Grill for her fundraiser for CMN. After that I drove back up to Debi's and stayed there for the night because we had an early morning on Friday!

I woke up at 5am Friday morning to get ready and head off to NJ with Debi for a day filled with Miss America fun! Valerie Clemens, a supporter of the Miss Maine Organization and I believe former Miss Maine, put together a wonderful day for some of us local area contestants. We started off visiting Schoppy's which is a big supporter of Miss America and has beautiful jewelry showcasing the Miss America crown. Of course we all purchased a little jewelry while we were there! Then we went to the Miss America Headquarters to have lunch with the Board and learn some history about the program and the women involved. Every Miss America's portrait is hanging throughout the office. We then of course, purchased some Miss America souvenirs. After that we went to tour the Atlantic City Boardwalk Convention Center and walked on the stage where all of the Miss America's were crowned before the pageant moved to Vegas. Then we finished off the day taking pictures in the ocean, walking through the Sheraton to see some old Miss America memorabilia, and ate dinner at White Castle which is an awesome sub shop! It was great meeting Miss Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, D.C., Virgin Islands, and New Jersey!!

Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will be or were days that I was in the State Fair parade so there is still tonight and Friday night available for everyone to come see me in the parades! Thursday I will be with Governor Markell all day for Governor's Day and later that evening I will be entertaining during the Governor's dinner. Each night of the fair is a different decade theme to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the State Fair. So if some of my wardrobe looks a little dated thats why :) !

Sunday was a great day celebrating Danielle Marshall Miss Delaware's Outstanding Teen 2009! She is a beautiful and talented young lady and has grown tremendously just in these few months since she has been crowned and I have no doubt she will continue to grow! She is a great representative of the state and the teen organization and will certainly do us proud at the Miss America Outstanding Teen pageant in Florida. Go get 'em girl!!!

Busy Day

2:51 PM JilinTour.Com 0 Comments

Saturday was a day full of events. It started off with the Delaware Electric Cooperative's Open House down in Greenwood. It was a much bigger event than I anticipated. I started off with a radio interview by WGMD and then walked around the facility to meet people and talk with them as they were finishing up their tour of the place. We then went outside where they had a demonstration of the power going through the electric lines along our highways. At that time we also sat down and enjoyed some great hamburgers and pasta salad while live music was playing in the background. Before I left, a biker asked me to go take a picture on his bike that he brought for the motorcycle competition. It was beautiful...and custom made! I'm pretty sure I look very natural on a bike :)

Next, we were off to the Little Miss Harbeson pageant down in Laurel. I was the emcee there as well as the stage hand. I interviewed each contestant on stage after they competed in their evening gowns. Then they got dressed for their patriotic wear number to the song Celebration. In preparation for the number I was given two rolls of bubble wrap and asked to spread it across the stage for everyone to dance on. I was then told I would be dancing as well, and then asked to pick up the bubble wrap after the song was done...haha who would've thought I'd be rolling bubble wrap in a sundress across the floor. I guess that's one of those moments you look back and laugh at the end of the year. I wish someone would've taken a picture of it!

When my appearances were over I came home to get ready for a BBQ put on by my state senator, Senator Colin Bonini. I went with Jonathan, because I was his guest, and yet it somehow turned into a mini appearance. Once people got wind that I was Miss Delaware they were full of questions and advice for my year. So many people were excited to help me out and were willing to invite me to their classrooms to speak or to events put on by groups they are involved in. It was very flattering, but I think that was the first time I realized the large role I play within the state. It was amazing how the night transformed.

By Sunday I was completely drained. It was my first full day of events and believe me it was tiring! But I wouldn't change it for the world! I feel so blessed and everyday something exciting happens. Yesterday I was asked by the Kent County Tourism to take a picture with their Wacky Chair that the Milford Boys and Girls Club created for the State Fair for a competition put on for the Ellen DeGeneres for show. Online voting available on these chairs check out https://www.elleevance.com/beventLive.aspx to vote! It is amazing!!!

Other than that I have been working out at the gym and playing soccer during the day. Trying to get into the gym as much as I can while I still have the time! Not sure what next week holds yet, so I will let you know as soon as I do!

A CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK FUNDRAISER HOSTED BY MISS DELAWARE’S OUTSTANDING TEEN 2009, DANIELLE MARSHALL

8:57 AM JilinTour.Com 0 Comments

Middletown, DE – Danielle Marshall, Miss Delaware’s Outstanding Teen will be hosting a Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Fundraiser Dinner at the North Star Grill located on 380 E Main St, Middletown, DE 19709-1482. The dinner is scheduled on Thursday, July 23, 2009 from 5 PM – 10 PM. If you are planning on coming out to support Danielle’s efforts make sure you tell your server you are there to support Danielle and CMN. A percentage of the sales will be donated to CMN during this time frame. To see a sample of the North Star Grill’s menu visit www.mynorthstargrill.com


For the past two decades, the Children's Miracle Network has teamed up with Miss America to raise awareness and funds for children around the country suffering from life threatening diseases. We are incredibly excited to also be working closely with the Children's Miracle Network, the official national platform of Miss America's Outstanding Teen. In effort to support Danielle in raising funds for this great cause you can donate online https://www.maoteen4kids.org/m.aspx?i=11861+D1461AC86C

Fourth of July Weekend

3:00 PM JilinTour.Com 0 Comments

It was a great weekend this past weekend. The weather was BEAUTIFUL! I completely lucked out from what I have heard about years past. Friday I had the Bethany Beach parade which was wonderful. Susan's daughter Stacey graciously drove me in her blue BMW convertible. There were so many people out there it was unbelievable. An A Capella men's group sang to me before the parade which was a first for me. Then Jonathan and I met Susan and Gene at their river house to catch up on the events from the day thus far. After talking with Susan and Gene, we decided to all go eat at the Georgia House in Millsboro. They had a fantastic chicken salad sandwich if anyone is in the mood for one! Then I went home and waited for my brother Josh and his wife Carrie to come down to visit for the weekend.

On Saturday my brother and my dad worked on the yard while my sister Allison, Carrie, my mom, and I cooked dessert and made the salads for the BBQ. The food was delicious! After a nice day with my family I met my driver, Donald, in his red 1965 Corvette convertible to take me to the Dover parade that night. We had a great time talking with Danielle, MDOT 2009, before the parade and I mingled with the crowd afterwards signing autographs and taking pictures. It was nice seeing so many familiar faces in Dover. Later that night we enjoyed the fireworks and had a picnic dinner.

Sunday was a day of rest for me. After church I did some shopping with my mom up at the Christiana mall and then took a nice long nap to prepare me for this week. Monday was a day filled with finalizing paperwork to send off to Miss America and picking the official photos! It was a long night but everything was accomplished and sent off. I can't wait for you to see what pictures we chose. Barry, the photographer in NY, did a fantastic job! Tuesday I trained with Trainer Dan and played soccer with my gym. Today I had my nails done and my hair styled up at Michael Christopher's Salon in Wilmington. Then I met with my vocal coach Phil Doucette while I was in the area for a lesson.

Tomorrow is Jonathan's birthday so I will be relaxing down at the beach with him and his best friend Tim. Then we are going go-kart racing! We'll see how that goes... :)

Saturday will be a busy day with the Delaware Electric Co-Op Open House and the Little Miss Harbeson pageant. I will certainly keep you posted on how they go!