Arrival in Fresno!

          Two suitcases and four garment bags later, I am packed and ready to go for Fresno! Stephanie and Connie weren't able to drive up with us today, both had work, but Stephanie was arriving later today (she's here now!). So Katie and I traveled with the Miss Tustin crew including the Miss Garden Grove Outstanding Teen! We packed up our luggage and were on our way! Well, maybe not exactly on our way, we did make a quick detour to Rite Aid and El Pollo Loco to get some essentials that we quickly realized we had forgotten. And THEN we were on our way! Katie and I wasted no time entertaining the entire car with funny voices and interesting makeup choices. Let's just say those pictures will never be revealed. However, we definitely had probably the most fun car ride up to Fresno, including our rest at a little old town outside of Fresno. We explored the new old western inspired shops and had fun playing on the sets and tree houses until we picked back up again and continued to Fresno!

       I am very grateful I brought my extra big clothing rack because it came in handy when we were unloading the van. Cramming four girls into one room is intense, there is barely any room to walk in here so I'm not sure we will be practicing the opening number routines tonight. So instead we did some  facial masks we picked up from Rite Aid, which actually made us slightly resemble smurfs ;) Well that's it for tonight, more to come soon!!!!!

Pixies in the Park!

         The craziness of getting ready for Miss California has kept me away from updating my blog consistently, my apologies! I will however be updating every evening while I am in Fresno!

          First and foremost, I would like to share my experience last weekend with the Pixies in the Park event here in Orange! I decided to wear the most pixie-like dress I had in my closet so I could join in the fun with all of the little girls. The coordinators of the event transformed the beautiful Pitcher Park into a magical pixie land with Renaissance inspired decorations. There were sparkly wings, tutus, and glitter everywhere! If I was a little girl I would have absolutely loved attending this event, and actually the little girl inside of me did enjoy it! I met the Fairy Queen who greeted every guest with fairy dust and a fairy name. In addition, I met the Queen Bee who informed me many new things about honey! Let me just say I have a new respect for bee keepers and honey farmers. I also fell in love with a honey blend called strawberry lemonade, delicious!!! I was also fortunate enough to sing a little song for the girls and decided upon "I Could Have Danced All Night" and encouraged the fairies to dance along, which they did! It was a wonderful event and I would love to go back again and enjoy being a little girl with fairy wings :)

      I am currently sitting on my bed finishing up my packing for Miss CA as I leave tomorrow morning! Despite my little foot set back I am looking forward to 10 days of heels and hairspray. So much excitement and I can't wait to be reunited with all of my friends and just have a blast up in Fresno! I feel extremely prepared for Miss California and also completely relaxed. Whatever happens happens and I am going up there with a positive perspective and to enjoy the company of my friends while I do something I love. Look out for the updates here and also on my Facebook and Twitter!!!!!

Countdown to Miss California!

            Miss California is fast approaching! I can't believe it is almost here! I'm so excited! In preparation I have had mock interviews, shopping adventures, more voice lessons, and of course becoming best friends with the trainers at the gym. And to think I'm doing all of this on top of a new job! So many great adventures coming into my life and I feel like I'm just getting started, who knows what the future holds ;)

           I must say I have had the time of my life being Miss City of Orange and meeting new friends throughout my community. Everyone is so pleasant to speak with and they truly are interested in what I am doing for their community. It's great knowing I make a difference and can influence someone's day, in a positive way of course! I have a few events this coming weekend so expect more posts soon!!!!

GRADUATION!

                So a pretty amazing thing just happened this past weekend... I GRADUATED FROM CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY!!!!! That's right, I am now officially an adult with a degree. It is amazing how time can fly by so quickly, I still cannot believe those four years of my life are already done. I remember when I was a Freshman and trying to find my classes, but now I know campus like the back of my hand! I am very grateful for the friends I have made and the professors who's classes have taught me valuable lessons in life and in knowledge. My sorority sisters have always been there for me and I know they will continue to do so in the future. It was hard work to reach the end but I have come to realize this is not the end of the book but the closing to a chapter in my life. The friendships I have made will carry on into the next chapters and will remain vital to my past and future. Lessons will hopefully have been engrained into my brain as I apply them to the "real world" endeavors. I will always love Chapman University for time spent in the libraries, piazza, cafe's, and the new student union. I know there is a plan for everything, so who knows maybe I will attend grad school at Chapman? I'm sure my Dad wouldn't like new tuition, but hey isn't that what the Miss America Organization is for? :)

A few graduating Alpha Phi's <3 

JUST GRADUATED!!!!!!

My room mate and myself 

Head of the Dept. of Communications Chair, roomie, me, and Professor Kee

My brother Brandon flew all the way out from Ohio!

Not a care in the world... until full time prep for Miss CA the next day

Orange Relay for Life ! ! !

Sorry for the delay in postings... I'm finishing up my last week of school before graduation! Hooray!!! I can't wait to move onto the next chapter in life, whatever that may be?

         Anyway, Saturday I had the privilege of attending the Orange Relay for Life event at Orange High School. I had to be there bright and early to kick off the event with the National Anthem! The opening ceremony was very beautiful and I had the opportunity to learn more about Proposition 29 in addition to hearing the testimony of my dear friend Angie Ambriz. She is a breast cancer survivor and gave a very heartwarming and inspiring reason for everyone to be relaying that day.

       Later that afternoon myself and Katie Wayland (Miss Orange County) assisted in the crowning ceremony for the "Miss Relay" event. Let's just say this wasn't your typical "pageant". A few of the teams nominated a male member to participate in this relay pageant, but here was the twist. The men had to be dressed up as women! It was a very entertaining afternoon seeing the "contestants" present themselves in their costumes. We had everything from mermaids to grandmas representing! Once all of the contestants had gathered in their outfits they had 5 minutes to collect as much money as possible. Of course it was only suitable for the speakers to play Chariots of Fire and the theme music from Rocky as the contestants chased down people. After the 5 minutes Katie and I had to count and recount all of the money collected, and man am I glad I have good math skills! Our winner raised approximately $150 and took the crown as our new "Miss Relay"!!! It was a fun event for everyone to watch and participate in and I'm sure will be a conversation topic for quite a while.

       At the end of my time there I made sure to donate to the Relay in honor of my cousin Abi who is still battling cancer. Relay for Life is an amazing event and raises money for cancer research and cancer patients and I was glad I could participate in my local Relay!!!

Vicki, one of the Relay leaders

The beautiful Angie Ambriz!!!

All of the Miss Relay contestants!!!

Miss Relay 2012!

Steve Ambriz park opening!

               Yesterday I had the privilege of joining members of the Orange community as we officially opened the Steve Ambriz memorial park. I did not personally know Steve Ambriz but after hearing the amazing words of his family and friends I believe our community lost a great man far too soon. He was a dedicated family man and an honorable Councilman who loved Orange. I was proud to represent my beautiful city and participate in the introduction ceremonies for our new park dedicated to this wonderful man. I was asked to perform the National Anthem shortly after Kaitlyn Ambriz raised the park's American flag in honor of her father. I couldn't have been more proud! And the day could not have been more perfect with the warm weather! To honor Steve's memory everyone wore something Hawaiian inspired, aka a lot of Hawaiian t-shirts and lei's, and the 80+ degrees made it feel like we were in a tropical place.

            This park is beautiful and I encourage anyone who wants to enjoy a day with family and friends to drive down Glassell, turn Left on Riverbend and there you will find this beautiful green park with baseball fields and playgrounds. Thank you to the Ambriz family for inviting me and I can't wait to enjoy the lovely new addition to our Orange community!

Kaitlyn Ambriz! 

With Kaitlyn and one of her friends!                             Angie Ambriz! Such a wonderful lady!

Flowers and VSA!

           This morning I had the pleasure of being the official City of Orange representative at the Grand Opening of the Dizzy Daisy flower shop! After officially cutting the ribbon, we welcomed Dizzy Daisy into the Orange community and proceeded to a beautiful display of flowers, "shabby chic" inspired furniture, artwork, jewelry, and even candy! I will admit I had a little bite, it was too tempting to resist! I was so amazed by the beauty of the store, I am insisting the interior decorator visit my apartment! The place was gorgeous and the new owners could not have been more proud. I could tell they were feeling emotional with the grand opening and seeing their dreams become a reality. It was such a beautiful thing to witness and I felt very happy for them and I wish them the best in their endeavors. I will certainly be back there to order my own flowers, they are stunning! And who knows, maybe I will have a beautiful Dizzy Daisy centerpiece at Miss California? :)

          Immediately following, I headed over to Main Place Mall in Orange to attend one of my platform's biggest Festivals they host. VSA has been working extremely hard on marketing in Orange County and I believe they did a fantastic job today! I loved watching the groups perform and it touched my heart to witness how much they enjoyed what they were doing. It's something I think we all take for granted sometimes, but they never stopped smiling or performing at 100%. VSA was also kind enough to introduce me to the crowd and I had a nice interaction with the woman who was signing for the speaker. I know a little bit of sign language but what I "said" to her was good enough. That is definitely something I would like to enhance so I can better interact with different disabilities. Sign me up for a class!
          I also had one of my sorority sisters volunteering with me, Claire Cupples, she and I were stationed over at the Abalone necklace making craft table where we helped anyone who wanted to make necklaces. Did you know that abalone shells were once used as currency for Native Americans? Cool right? That was one of the many things I learned today and I will appreciate my new abalone necklace.
     VSA has a huge upcoming fundraiser in June that I am excited to be a part of and I will definitely keep everyone posted on the event's information! Hope you are enjoying the sunshine today!!!!

Claire and I

Ability First performers!