Miss Sexiest

These past few days have been filled with all sorts of appearances, workouts, and other preparation!..oh and a new puppy too!!!

This past weekend, my brother was honored as he was declared an Eagle Scout at his final Court of Honor. Our family and friends came to witness the event from all over DE, PA, and even Tennessee! It was so nice to see everyone and I'm so excited for Phillip. It is truly a great honor to have reached this rank in the Boy Scouts and I am so proud of him for all of the work that has gone into this since the time he began boy scouts years and years ago.

As soon as the Court of Honor concluded, I was whisked away back to my house to get my crown and sash and then headed down to Lewes for the Children's Beach House Fundraiser. My chaperone, Dolph, and I had a great time!! We chatted with many people, bumped into gals from the Miss Delaware Org., and ate great food and even more desserts!! He just kept handing them to me! I had never been to the Beach House before but it is an incredible building and every inch is made/decorated to be inviting for children.

The following day, I arrived at the Slaughter Beach Vol. Fire Co. for their Open House event. I saw a few familiar faces, since some of the volunteers had been at the Ellendale Fire Hall a few weeks ago when I made an appearance! I chatted with ladies from the Kennel Club, shared some laughs with the State Trooper, enjoyed hearing the Milford Community Band perform, and spent time with the kids that took part in the event..while they weren't playing in the fire safety "Smoke House."

I almost forgot; WE GOT A NEW PUPPY!!!! Her name is Lilly and she is the cutest little thing I've ever seen!! She goes from an energetic playful mood to being so sleepy she's just got to take a snooze; typical puppy right? I think the other dogs are warming up to her nicely :)

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Last week, Sue and I embarked on a trip to Orlando where we attended various meetings, enjoyed time at Sea World, but most of all, supported Mandie as she competed for the title of Miss America's Outstanding Teen.

When we arrived, Sue and I got a little bit of sleep, thankfully, since our flight arrangements got a little crazy. Not to worry though, Sue and I know just what to do when we get stuck in an airport for hours; sit in massage chairs at Brookstone, eat lunch, read, read, read.

The next day involved a lot of focus as I began the daunting, yet exciting, task of trying to remember the names and states of every Miss America contestant as I met them! I had the opportunity at least meet, if not get to know, 40 of the Miss America contestants which was so exciting! I had many great conversations and experiences with these beautiful and talented women. We appeared on the Daily Buzz show, spent a day in Magic Kingdon in Disney World, saw the Shamu show in Sea World, and watched the Teen pageant each night! The sock hop was one of my best memories of the trip. Once the auction was over and we got back out on the dance floor, we all had a BLAST! I was surrounded by teen contestants, miss contestants, the outstanding teen of 2008 and Miss America 2008! What a sight that must have been!! From Mickey Mouse to the enormouse convention center where the pageant was held, to VIP fast passes on the rides in Disney, I definitely saw a great deal of Orlando, and spent the week the best way possible!

Sue caught on to a few odd facts about me throughout the week, especially my inability to wake up to one single alarm. I usually set at least two alarms, but since I had to wake up before Sue most of the mornings, I only set one so that I wouldn't disturb her. Well, the result of that strategy was Sue having to wake me up after I subconsciously turned off my alarm and went back to bed...every..single..morning. Sorry Sue!!! I arrived early to every single meeting/trip/meal though!

Once I realized that nothing was going to change the fact that I had permanent goosebumps in FL, I began really being able to focus on the activities and events we were participating in. See, in Florida, there is no happy medium when it comes to temperature; it's either dreadfully hot and humid outside or incredibly cold inside. I must say, I was thankful to step outside whenever we had the opportunity to do so; it gave me a chance to thaw!

Sarah was one little Delawarean that was able to come to Orlando. She did such a great job on the stage as one of the princesses!! I always enjoy watching her have a ball in front of an audience! ..and she always manages to end up right on my lap =P

Of course the main reason we were all there was to support Mandie! She looked beautiful and poised on the stage and did a great job when performing her talent! I was so proud of her and certainly did my fair share of cheering when she was in the spotlight!

I had a great time on the trip and cannot wait until I get to reunite with the Miss America contestants when we arrive in L.A. for the reality show filming.

Since then, I have been pretty busy. I got my hair cut, and it turned out shorter than I anticipated, but I love it!! My hair feels so much more healthy now; it was just getting to long. On Tuesday, I attended a Dentistry for Disabilities meeting and gave a small speech to the audience. I learned quite a bit, and have a new branch of dentistry to add to my Dental Outreach focus! This morning, Carol and I went to a Making Strides for Breast Cancer Breakfast. We ate great food and listened to a handful of wonderful speakers who shared not only what the organization does, but also the milestones that the survivors have overcome. It was very inspiring to hear the survivors speak. I'm sure I will be attending more of their events in the future.

Having a blast in Orlando for Miss America's Outstanding Teen. Go Delaware!

This has been the most hectic week since I won my title almost two months ago.

On Monday Sue and I embarked on a little trip to Milsboro and Milford to scope out the wardrobes of two other ladies. Melanie and Rich Hatter's son's girlfriend let me try on some of her dresses; three of them worked so that was a success!! In Milford, we went to Bliss' house to try on some of the clothes/dresses that she no longer wanted/needed. Apparently, Bliss and I look good in the same clothes because EVERYTHING fit and just about EVERYTHING looked great! We were all amazed at how well everything seemed to work! Sue and I went home with garment bags and garment bags FULL of dresses, shirts, and suits. I am so extremely appreciative of all that these ladies provided me with! It was so kind and thoughtful of them to do that, and it is more of a help than they think!!! THANK YOU!!

The Delaware Electric Coop event was held on Tuesday at the Harrington Fair grounds. Susan and I attended this together. We looked at all of the exhibits and ate a delicious dinner! I met many people, signed many autographs, and took a lot of pictures! I also happened to bump into my first piano teacher from years and years ago; what a reunion!! Ms. Fennel hasn't changed a bit!!

Last night was my appearance at the Blue Rocks game in Wilmington. I was able to throw out the first pitch with a few other fans. Throughout the game, I had a dental exhibit displayed for the Blue Rocks fans to take advantage of. From a sandbag toss game in the shape of a tooth, to prizes for kids, to free toothbrushes, floss, dental educational cd's, and dental-related activity worksheets, we had "the bases covered!" My dad and Bob kept me company and helped me with the dental table. The homemade sandbag toss was a hit!! All of the kids loved it and I will be able to use this throughout the year. I gave out over 100 toothbrushes, an entired big box of mini floss containers, and all of the worksheets! I came home empty-handed, which is exactly what I wanted. These items were donated by Dr. Kidd in Dover and Dr. Pilsbury in Dover. One girl (she couldn't have been more than 14 years old) told me, after asking me a few questions, "It's nice to know that there are really people out there who care." It made me realize that to some, that dental table may have been just a handful of free items, or a game to play, but it impacted others in a positive way. As Miss Delaware, I represent not only our state, but everything that I'm involved in, including the Miss Delaware Organization. To show someone, like this young lady, that our organization is here to impact our community is exactly what I set out to do each time I step outside. I really appreciate her comment because it lets me know that we're on the right track!!

A radio interview is how I began my day this morning! I drove to New Castle and was interviewed by Mark Fowser. The interview will be on the air this weekend on 92.9 if you'd like to find out what we talked about!

Now I'm just getting ready for my trip to Orlando for the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Pageant and the Miss America Workshop. GOOD LUCK AMANDA!!!!

It has surely been too long since my last update! I've had a lot of new experiences and am now anticipating Mandie's send-off part tonight, for the Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant!

I'll give you a brief update about how July went for me!

It started out with the Town of Wyoming meeting. I saw many familiar faces since many of the Wyoming residents are members at my church. They all so thoughtfully honored me at this meeting, and even bumbed me to the beginning of the meeting so that I didn't have to stay for hours!

I had a blast travelling to Pennsylvania with George and Sue to watch the Miss PA pageant! There were many wonderful and talented contestants, and it was nice to take a look at what other state pageants do during their Miss pageant. I even bumbed into two of my judges from Miss Delaware. Needless to say, I gave them both BIG hugs!!Congratulations to Kendria! She played the piano beautifully and I'm excited to meet her again in Orlando!

I had one of my favorite appearances just a couple weeks ago! The Best of Delaware event! I had a great time last year, and knew I'd have a good time again. I was showcasing clothing from Lady's Image, so I was changing outfits every 30-40minutes. This may sound like a lot of wardrobe changes, but I'll tell you what; it was nice to be able to switch shoes that often! My feet never hurt because I was always changing shoes!!

I went to the fair with Linda for Governor's Day and had such a great time! We started the day off on the right foot after I won the annual Egg Tossing Contest! We were all over the fair grounds; from watching my first horse races, to laughing uncontrolably during the Pig Kissing Contest, to riding the Ferris Wheel with Lt. Governor Carney, holding baby chicks, and even seeing a real "Fightin' Blue Hen!" I met a lot of people and had to opportunity to visit many exhibits and tents that I had never seen. We were also very fortunate in the weather that day; it was beautiful outside, sunny, and breezey. We couldn't have asked for more! I was also asked to perform at the Governor's Dinner, so I played on my new electric keyboard! It worked out so well! We finally got to kick back and relax as we watched the Martina McBride concert from the air conditioning. The golf cart ride back to the car was a little challenging since my piano comes with many other "accessories (stand, pedal, bench, etc.)," but luckily, we had a nice group of gentleman that helped us!

I've also discovered a new workout that I love! Brittany and I went through a Crossfit routine a few days ago, and boy was I sore the next day! It gets tough to push through the last couple loops, but we knew we were working very hard, and it was quite obvious when I could barely get out of bed the next day!

Tonight is Mandie's Send-off party and I am so excited for her! She is going to represent Delaware so well in Orlando and I know she's going to have a blast!!! She will come home with 49 new friends! I wish her the best at Nationals, and will definitely be there cheering her on!!! GOODLUCK MANDIE!!!! We are so proud of you!!!

The past few days have been jam-packed with exciting shopping trips, parades, and family-time!

The shopping this past week wasn't for me!, but for my sister, Windsor. She's getting married so we were wedding gown shopping! For once, I was able to go into a gown shop and just kick back and relax; Windsor got to do the "fashion show" this time. Truthfully, I have never in my life seen somebody try on so many gowns with each one looking absolutely stunning!..this is saying something because I used to work in a gown shop so I've seen many, many ladies try on many, many gowns. Needless to say, narrowing down our options was difficult since each entrance was breathtaking. We did however, choose the gown we think is "the one!" I'm so excited for her!!

The Fourth of July proved to be a fun filled day! I met Donald, my driver, at his house and we made our way to the Milford Diner to meet some of his friends! Then we were on to Bethany for their Independence Day Parade. It was a scorcher!! but luckily I was the one riding on top of the convertible, so I was getting a nice breeze. After a few hours there, I headed home to rest up for the next parade in Dover. I met and chatted with many people! and by the time the parade started, the temperature had drop tremendously, so it wasn't quite as hot. After reflecting back on the day, I realized that Donald's car (a 1965 convertible, red corvette) had gotten as many comments/compliments as I had! The quote of the day: "Nice car!!" I guess that's what happens when you have such an eye-catching ride!

On Saturday afternoon, we drove to my Uncle's house to have a barbeque with the whole family! It was so nice to see everyone, including my little cousin, Bianca. As you can see, she was quite comfortable.

I've come to realize that it's extremely important for me to take advantage of all of the downtime I have with my family this year. Because of the demanding schedule of being Miss Delaware, my quality time with family will most likely be few and far between.

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July!!

Well I have officially made it past the two-week mark of being Miss Delaware! From daily interviews the first week, to my first appearance at the Blue-Gold Game, to the unfailing load of paperwork, I have gotten many "firsts" out of the way! I now have oodles of newspaper articles and pictures from pageant week and beyond, and many new additions to my ever-growing wardrobe! I'm thinking that I'm do for a new and bigger closet!

The most common question in the past 2 1/2 weeks has been, "Has it sunk in yet?" I think that I can officially say, now that my first few appearances have occured, that YES, I DO feel like Miss Delaware now! A few other questions that I have found very funny over the past couple weeks have been: "So, how do you feel about boyfriends? (asked by a 12 year old girl)," "How do you keep that thing on your head? (referring to my crown)," and one that was more touching than funny, "Can you teach me how to be Miss Delaware?"

Last week, I travelled to New York City (for the second time in my life!) to get my headshots done! The trip was so much fun! Allison (Miss Delaware 1997) gave us (my mom, Sue, Mrs. Kemmerlin, and I) a tour of Madison Square Garden, where we got to see the set of the NBA draft, the Knick's locker room, and the basketball court! After getting my hair and make-up done, I got my photos taken and met Allison for dinner before heading home on the train! I had a blast! I could certainly get used to having my hair and make-up done everyday =P

This past saturday, I travelled to Georgetown for two appearances: the Ellendale Fire Company and the Little Miss Harbeson Pageant. At the fire hall, I went for a ride in a 1950 fire truck, and got the chance to use the "jaws of life" to cut off part of the roof of a car!! At the Little Miss Harbeson Pageant, I was the emcee of the event, and was asked to perform as well. Because there was no piano, I dusted off the 'ol flute!

Needless to say, it has been an eventful and rewarding two weeks! I can't wait to see what the rest of this year has to bring! Thank you to everyone for all of the congratulations and support!