My Send Off Party!

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This weekend my parents hosted a party in my honor so that my friends, family, and sponsors could wish me luck before I head to Chicago for the Miss International pageant! The party was at River Ridge Golf Club, and was decorated in shades of purple. About 70 people came to share in this wonderful evening with me. There was a really neat slide show presentation on all of the events I have taken part in since winning Miss California International, as well as some surprise certificates of accolades including my hometown mayor, and Congressman Elton Gallegly. I also previewed pieces of my wardrobe for the Miss International pageant since I knew all of my girlfriends would love a fashion show!

I felt so lucky to have won Miss California International...and becoming a part of the California International sisterhood has definitely surpassed my expectations. I've had a wonderful time sharing my year with Sheryl, Elise, and Jayne. Eddie and Dennis have been integral in my year, and have truly become a part of my family. Thank you so much to my parents and sister for throwing me such an amazing bash, and for your continual support, strength, and love. You're the best!

Be The Match Marrowthon

On behalf of Be The Match marrow registry, I am posting this in the hopes that if you are not already on the registry, that you do so in the next two weeks! You can SAVE A LIFE!!!

Every day we are faced with decisions. Some decisions we make are life-changing. Other decisions we make touch someone else's life. I am pleased to offer you an opportunity to make a decision that can do both-change your life and touch some else's life.

Every day, thousands of patients, are searching for a life-saving donor - someone just like you. BE THE MATCH Registry helps people who need a life-saving marrow or blood cell transplant. The registry connects patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives.

Join Be The Match Registry:

From June 8th through June 22nd, The Be The Match marrowthon seeks to add 46, 000 new members to the registry and raise funds for the Be The Match Foundation. While it does cost $100.00 to add a new member to the registry, during the marrowthon campaign the fee is waived for the first 46, 000 registered.

Joining is easy. Patients need donors who are between the ages of 18 and 60, in good general health, and are willing to donate to any patient in need. Click on the link below to begin your registration and remember to add the promo code Hopemarrowthon09.

http://www.marrow.org/JOIN/Join_Now_Special/Marrowthon09/join_now_mt09.html When asked to provide a "Promo Code", please enter Hopemarrowthon09.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Moorpark Morning Rotary

After a lengthy drive home from Palm Springs (due to traffic of course!), I was up early this morning for the Moorpark Morning Rotary meeting. I was invited to be the guest speaker, which I was thrilled to do. The current president and soon-to-be president are dear friends that I've known for quite some time; so I was happy to see them this morning! I really enjoyed talking about Heart2Heart, and the successes we've seen in the past 10 years. And the really cool thing about this meeting was that it was right across the street from where I held my first marrow donor drive so many years ago. It really felt like I'd come full circle! Thanks to Doug and Brian for having me as your honored guest this morning.

Talk of the Desert

After a few months, I finally returned to the city where I was crowned to be a guest on "Talk of the Desert", which is a 30 minute television program hosted by former Mrs. California International Melinda Read. I was so excited to accept this tv interview, and spend time with such a wonderful woman. She told me all about her experiences at the Mrs. International pageant, and that hosting "Talk of the Desert" was a direct result from her being Mrs. California International.

During the 30 program, we discussed Heart2Heart, Go Red For Women, what my year as Miss California International has been like so far, and what my plans for the future are. We actually ran out of time to talk.....it flew by!!!! I want to thank Melinda so much for inviting me as a guest on her talk show, it was truly an honor to have spent my morning with her. For more information you can visit her website: http://talkofthedesert.tv/

Operation USO Care Package

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All I can say is wow! Today was such a fun event. I was invited to help put together 20,000 care packages to send to our troops overseas. I was joined by many Northrop Grumman volunteers, and celebrities such as Nancy Sinatra, Gary Sinise, and Erik Estrada. Nancy Sinatra kicked off the afternoon event by singing her famous hit, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" which she dedicated to the troops. We spent hours in assembly lines making sure we hit our goal of 20,000 care packages. Thank you so much to Northrop Grumman and the USO for asking me to help out with Operation USO Care Package. It was truly inspirational to take part in something that can bring a smile to the faces of the men and women who defend our country.

Learn and Live Luncheon

Today was the Learn and Live Luncheon for the American Heart Association. This wonderful lunch was held at the Wilshire Grand, which is a gorgeous hotel downtown Los Angeles. The Learn and Live Luncheon is an opportunity to show potential volunteers and donors what the AHA is all about and the amazing work they do in life saving research and awareness. It's a great chance for anyone who is interested in becoming involved with the AHA to see a mini-presentation on their charitable works! I was asked to attend as a table hostess and heart survivor. I really enjoyed hearing about new developments in research, and seeing so many people who were willing to give of their time. Thank you so much for asking me to be a part of this luncheon!

Reach for the Stars

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This weekend I traveled to Fresno, CA to be a part of the Reach for the Stars program. This was such an inspirational event that every year the California International girls have gone to, and I was so thrilled that I finally got to go myself!!

I was joined by my sister queens Sheryl and Elise, and it was so much fun to have an event where we got to spend so much time together! We were invited to a sponsored dinner Sunday night, where we were dazzled with local food and entertainment and really got a chance to unwind after the long drive. Then we woke up bright and early Monday morning for a Fox TV interview, where we talked about our platforms and how our year as the California International queens has been so far. We spent the rest of the early morning visiting the program sponsors, which was a lot of fun. Just before lunch we finally arrived at the middle school. Reach for the Stars is a program at Tahipiti Middle School that encourages the children to pursue their dreams, education, and follow in the footsteps of their favorite stars. Sheryl, Elise, and I had a wonderful time talking about community service and spending time with the kids. Thank you so much to Ron for inviting me to such a unique event!

Ventura County Go Red Luncheon

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Today was the Ventura County Go Red For Women Luncheon, held at the Westlake Village Inn. Although I had school today and couldn't attend the actual luncheon, I arrived eaerly in the morning to help with set up. What a beautiful venue! The luncheon overlooked the gorgeous golf course greens, complete with a huge fountain and lush gardens. Today was also special to me because I was asked to be a part of the Ventura County Heart Gallery. My photo and heart survivor story were put on a poster and was put up for display along with 9 others at the luncheon. Not only that, by it will be traveling throughout Ventura County at health fairs, luncheons, and walks for the year. I thought it was so exciting to be asked to be a part of this, and truly an honor. Thank you so much to Go Red for asking me to be a "heart survivor", and for inviting me to the luncheon today!

2009 Los Angeles Heart Ball

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It was such an honor to be invited to the Los Angeles Heart Ball, which is an amazing event put on by the American Heart Association. I was joined by Shawn, Mrs. California International 2009 Sheryl Ellison, and her husband Ryan.

I'd like to start by saying that it was so cool to be at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel...where "Pretty Woman" was filmed!! The food was INCREDIBLE....Chilean sea bass, mushroom raviolis, citrus salad, and YUMMY chocolate dipped treats!! I really do love chocolate! We also watched a wonderful show by the one and only Toni Braxton....WOW I wish I could sing like her!! The AHA was able to raise a substantial amount of money tonight, and I found that very exciting!

It was a magical night, and thank you so much the the American Heart Association for inviting me!!

Greater LA Woman of the Year Finale

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Tonight was the culmination of my 9 weeks of fundraising for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The Finale was held at the California Science Center- Annenberg Building. It was such a gorgeous venue, and really cool to know that it was built out of completely recycled materials!

During the past nine weeks I collected both live and silent auction items to be auctioned off at the Finale, had an email campaign, and then the Miss California International 2009 Golf Ball Drop. All of these contributed to me surpassing my goal!! Thank you to everyone who donated money, their time, or an item. I honestly can't thank you enough!!

My family, Eddie, Dennis, and Shauna joined me in celebrating not only my fundraising efforts, but the work of the other 14 candidates. Together the 15 of us raised over $173,000 during the past 9 weeks. Congratulations to the 2009 Greater LA Man and Woman of the Year winners.....you are both truly an inspiration!