A Productive Weekend in Music City!

First off I would like to give MAJOR Kuddo's to Kristy Belcher for her amazing photography skills and to Joel Green for being one of the most talented hair and makeup artists I've ever had the privilege to know! The photo shoot was one of the best experiences I've ever had with photography. Kristy and Joel made me feel so warm and comfortable and I couldn't have asked for it to go any better! Then we were off to watch Stefanie Wittler perform on the Miss America stage with all of our guests! Thanks to everyone who fought the horrible weather to come cheer Stefanie on! Congratulations on your INCREDIBLE job and we are so proud of you for placing 2nd runner-up! We all thought you had it, but we are so proud! You have truly represented Tennessee well.

Everyone have a great week and be safe on these icy roads. Check back next week for more updates!

My First Week Returning to School!

I returned this past week to the University of Tennessee at Martin to complete the second semester of my Junior year of college! It started off somewhat rocky because I woke up on Tuesday morning with flu-like symptoms so to the doctor I went! I can proudly say I am "over the weather" and feeling much better! I am fortunate enough to be able to take my second public speaking course this year and to my surprise today I had to give my first speech! It was my first class for public speaking that I attended, so I had absolutely no idea that I would be having to deliver a speech that I had not prepared for. I think this was the professors idea of "welcoming" us to the world of speech. I happened to have my MAO local titleholder crown close-by so I talked about how courses on speech are vital and instrumental to young ladies that are interested in the job of Miss Tennessee and Miss America. I stressed the importance of being able to relate to your audience whether it be young or old. You have to be able to stoop down and get in the "adult" mind-set of a child to be able to present your point in a way that they will understand the information they were just presented with. That being said I would like to extend a good luck and well wishes to Stefanie Wittler, Miss Tennessee, while she is in Las Vegas working hard to bring home Tennessee a Miss America Crown. Congratulations on being named a Quality of Life finalist! I will be headed to Nashville this weekend for our Miss America viewing party and an event that Johnny D. and I will be attending afterward raising money for a Children's Miracle Network hospital. It will be a weekend filled with pageants, working out, and more preparations! June isn't very far away and I cannot wait to compete for the Miss Tennessee crown!

Fun weekend continues!!!

The busy weekend continued on Friday when I took a trip to the Tennessee State Capitol. It was so exciting to see where Tennessee law is made! Immediately following that visit, Johnny D. and I attended a send-off for some of our service men from Fort Campbell. We wish them safety overseas and send our blessings and prayers! Thank you to Sergeant Chris Lang for sharing one of his few nights left with us! Saturday started with a quick workout followed by a fun road-trip to Bristol to check out the Miss Bristol/Mountain Lakes/Tri-Cities Pageants! Along the way we had a blast and ended up doing a little shopping. Since it was "cheat day" on my Johnny D. Fitness Swimsuit Action Plan, we popped by Five Guys for a delicious cheeseburger and fries before the show! What an amazing pageant! So many great girls competed and we honestly had no idea who would win. I was proud of my fellow Miss Rhythm of Nashville sisters, Britany Boatwright and Kendall Schulz. They did great. Major congratulations to all of the new winners. I can't wait to get to know you better at state! Well it's been an amazing weekend so now it's off to bed, then back to Nashville and eventually Martin tomorrow to begin my next semester of school!!!

I drove into Nashville yesterday for some pageant prep with Johnny D. and my very first appearance! The day was packed with appointments and ended at the historic Ryman Auditorium for the 28th Annual Colgate Country Showdown National Finals! It was amazing for me to attend the national finals since I had been fortunate enough to represent the state of Tennessee at the 2007 regional competition. I never quite made it to the national level, but it was exciting to see everyday people making their dreams become a reality on such a legendary stage. I also had the opportunity to stop by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and the CMT Studios. There's never a dull moment in Nashville - I now understand why they call it "The Athens of the South!" Today is another jam packed day! I start the Johnny D. Fitness Swimsuit Action Plan and will also devote some more time to shopping and practicing my talent. Tomorrow, we are making the five-hour trek to Bristol to support the girls competing for the opportunity to hit the Miss Tennessee Stage in June! I hope to run into some of my fellow sisters from the Miss Tennessee Class of 2010!!!