New Year...Fun Events!

I know I'm late...but HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I am so excited to witness all the wonderful things this year will bring!

This past Saturday, January 9th, my mom, sister, and I attended the Miss Orlando and Miss Orlando's Outstanding Teen Pageant. I was able to reunite with many of last year's Miss Florida contestants. It was so nice to see all of them. I was especially happy to reunite with Jenise! She looked absolutely beautiful and fabulous as always. The pageant was very entertaining! Congratulations to the runners up and winners!

Yesterday, I attended Rachael's send off party along with my mom and sister. The members of the Miss Florida Board, Rachael, and Rachael's family members put together a program. It was very touching and also very motivational! Witnessing how much Rachael has grown as a person over the past few months was amazing. She is truly a remarkable young women. I wish her the best of luck at Miss America!

Miss Apopka and other adventures!

Dear Friends,

I'm sorry that it has been a long time since I have posted any blogs! The end of the school semester definitely took it's toll on me but I will do my best to update you on what has been happening.

The biggest news is that on November 7th, I was crowned the new Miss Apopka! I was crowned by the former Miss Apopka and my good friend, Rikki Klaus. It felt so good to be competing once again! My mom, sister, brother, princesses, and their families were all there! Seeing them in the audience gave me an extra boost of energy!

I sang "Home" from Broadway musical The Wiz, which was the very first song I had ever sang for a Miss Florida preliminary pageant, four years ago! Time really does fly!

Third runner up was Dasha Gonzalez, Second Runner up was Victoria Williams, and First Runner up was Brittany Fornof. Congratulations to all of the girls!

The very next week on the 14th, my sister and I performed at the St. Thomas Aquinas Church's Christmas Bazaar. For the first time, my sister played her guitar while she sang. She has been learning how to play the guitar for some time and I must say, she does a fabulous job! Performing at the bazaar was a lot of fun. I always have a blast when I perform with my sister.

Before you knew it, it was Thanksgiving and I was so happy to be reunited with my entire family!

On December 4th, I made my first official appearance as Miss Apopka! I was a part of the annual Apopka Christmas Parade. I got to ride in a Corvette. I always love participating in parades. It warms my heart when I look out into the crowd and see many smiling faces. My sister got to ride along in the Corvette too! I also got the chance to kiss a camel...who would've thought that you would be able to do that anywhere other than the zoo! Haha

Talbot House Gala

On October 22nd, I attended the Annual Talbot House Gala. Many of the sponsors and clients of the Talbot House attended the event. There were about 900 people in attendance. I was given the opportunity to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" during the program. What an honor it was!

Delivering C.A.R.E. Cozies

On October 14th, a few members of my youth group and I delivered C.A.R.E. Cozies to the residents of Plantation Bay. Plantation Bay is a nursing home in St. Cloud, Florida. This was the first time we had delivered the cozies and the reaction that we received from the residents was unlike anything I imagined.

The moment we stepped into each resident's room their faces lit up. Most of the residents that we visited did not have any family and they were so glad to have visitors. Just when I thought that they couldn't get any happier, one of my youth group members would give them a blanket and their faces would illuminate even more! Many of the residents even shed tears of joy and gratitude. Also seeing the reaction of my youth group members was truly heart warming. They had fun delivering the blankets and they learned a lot from the experience. They never knew how much a simple visit and gift could affect these individuals.

While walking through the nursing home I realized how much blankets are truly needed in these facilities. I was so excited to know that the collection of C.A.R.E. cozies would help these facilities in a great way!

What a great start to my new project!

Talbot House

Hello Friends!

Oh my goodness! It has been so long since I have posted any blogs! I have been so busy! I will do my best to catch you up.

A few weekends ago, I served lunch at the Talbot House. I had a blast interacting with the clients there! Arthur shared a few songs with me on his flute. He is such a talented man.

Towards the end of my visit, Arthur and a friend of his played "Amazing Grace" for me with the flute and piano. I was able to sing along and it was so much fun!

PARC Red Ruby Ball

Saturday, October 3rd, my executive director, Angela and I attended the PARC Red Ruby Ball in St. Petersburg, Florida.

"PARC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to exercise their independence, enjoy an enhanced quality of life and experience life to

the fullest."

Please visit: http://www.parc-fl.org/Default.aspx for more information about this wonderful cause!

In the ballroom they had a play casino set up. All of the money raised in the casino was to be donated to PARC. Angela's daughter, Holli, and I helped sell chips to the attendees. It was such a fun experience!

Music Hour at the Talbot House!

Right after my class this afternoon, I drove to Lakeland for the music hour at the Talbot House. I had visited the Talbot House several weeks ago to serve lunch to the homeless. If you scroll down through my previous posts you can read more about that wonderful experience.

Every friday, the Talbot House has a music hour which gives the homeless a chance to share their talents and to just have fun!

I was so pleasantly surprised by the amount of talent I witnessed today. There were guitar players, piano players, and singers. I was particularly taken away by a gentleman named Arthur who wrote a song about the importance of faith and trust in God. The lyrics to the song were so beautiful! He also had a beautiful voice! What a talented man! Below is a picture of Arthur.

After listening to everyone sing or play their instrument, I was given the opportunity to sing a few songs. Everyone was so attentive and they gave me the greatest applause! I had so much fun!