Moorpark Rotary

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Today I was invited to be the program speaker at the Moorpark Rotary Club. Moorpark is actually where I grew up, and they have been instrumental in my success over the years. I am actually an Honorary Rotarian in Moorpark!

It was wonderful to catch up with the Rotarians, and fill them in on what an exciting year I've been having as Miss California International. Thank you so much for having me as the speaker!!

Go Red For Women Luncheon

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Today was the Los Angeles Go Red For Women Luncheon held at the downtown LA Marriott. I arrived well before the lunch to help in any way I could, and was able to take advantage of the workshops prior to the lunch! I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting the National Director of Go Red For Women, Stephanie Wilson. I also enjoyed seeing some friendly faces. Today was truly inspiring to hear so many women's stories of heart disease, struggle, and how that shaped their lives today. Thank you to Go Red For Women for having me!
http://www.goredforwomen.org/

Spaghetti Dinner

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First I'd like to thank Du-Pars of Thousand Oaks for allowing us to have this event at their restaurant.

Yesterday was the Miss California International 2009 Spaghetti Dinner Extravaganza! It was not only a dinner, but an opportunity for contestants throughout Southern California to shop for wardrobe (trunk show by Crowns & Gowns) as well as check out an amazing skin care company (Become). Not only did future contestants attend, but I also shared my day with my family, Eddie, Dennis, Scott, Mrs. California International, and Miss Teen California International.

Thank you to all who attended...and a HUGE thank you to Crowns & Gowns, Become, and Cookie Lee for making this a truly unique Extravaganza.

Go Red For Women Healthy Heart Workshop

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Happy Heart Awareness Month!!! I hope everyone plans to wear red on Friday Feb. 6, 2009 in support of the American Heart Association.

Today was the Go Red For Women Casting Call and Healthy Heart Workshop, held in Los Angeles. Go Red For Women is searching for stories and the face of GRFW for 2010. During the Casting Call, was the Healthy Heart Workshop. I was asked to tell my story as a HEART SURVIVOR, in hopes that it would inspire women in attendance to know their numbers!

My sister queen, Mrs. California International 2009 Sheryl Ellison, was at this event as well conducting the interview portion of the casting call. It was so wonderful to spend some time together since we live far away from each other.

January 31st!!

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My last day of January was certainly a busy one! I started off my day with a bone marrow donor drive at Whole Foods Market Health Fair in Thousand Oaks, CA. It was so cool to be a part of their Health Fair, and thanfully it was really nice weather since it was outdoors!

Then it was a quick change of clothes, and off to Beverly Hills for a party. I am a candidate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Greater LA Woman of the Year, which is essentially a FUNDRAISING COMPETTION for nine weeks! We kicked-off the competition with a party at Beverly Hills Classic Cars. It was wonderful to get to know the other candidates, meet the Boy and Girl of the Year, and hear so many wonderful stories of triumph over blood cancers.

I hope you enjoy the pictures, and I encourage you to make a donation to my campaign by visiting:
http://los.llsevent.org/pledge/index.cfm?mid=HGUSHWA

Remember this is a fundraising competition, and the winner is named Woman of the Year! Help me to meet my goals and make a donation!

Miss Ventura County International Pageant!!

It's finally time for the Miss Ventura County International 2010 pageant (an official preliminary to the California International Pageants). Crowning Glory Productions will be awarding 5 titles:

Miss Teen and Miss Gold Coast International 2010
Jr. Miss, Miss Teen, and Miss Ventura County International 2010


If you are between the ages of 11 and 29, and live/work/attend school in Ventura County; you are eligible!!! This is an AMAZING program to compete in, so please attend the orientation to be held:

January 24, 2009
Courtyard Marriott
1710 Newbury Rd. in Thousand Oaks, CA
10:00 am

This preliminary pageant has had multiple Top 10 Placements, Top 5 Placements, and 2 States winners in the past three years. YOU COULD BE NEXT!!!! For more information please visit the website:

http://www.crowninggloryproductions.com

Bone Marrow Donor Drive

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Today was Heart2Heart's December Bone Marrow Donor Drive held at Food Share, Inc. I had a wonderful time catching up with old friends, and I truly felt that having people sign up to be a potential donor was a great way to give back during the holiday season.

Thank you so much to Jeanne for seeing my passion for Be The Match and making your facility available, and Vivian for helping me make this drive a success. Happy Holidays from Heart2Heart!

Camarillo Christmas Parade!

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I had so much fun today in the Camarillo Christmas Parade. My dad borrowed a 1930's Model A convertible, a historical vehicle owned by See's Candies! It was so neat to see a car that had been kept up all of these years, and even more exciting that my dad drove me in it in the parade today! I am such a lucky girl that I was allowed to use it....thanks See's Candies!!

I was joined by Crowning Glory Productions, my parent's local preliminary to the California International Pageants. Appearing in the parade on their behalf was Jr. Miss Ventura County INTL- Julia Valenzuela, Miss Teen Gold Coast INTL-Dedria Brunett, Miss Teen Ventura County INTL- Katie Karp, Miss Gold Coast INTL- Allison Bowman, and Miss Ventura County INTL- Meghan Lopez.

Palm Springs Festival of Lights

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I was so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today was the first time that my sister queens and I have gotten together since we won! We started our day off with a tasty catered dinner at our sponsor, Harriet's, house. It was so much fun to relax, catch up on the past couple of months, and of course enjoy some good food!

We had a quick change into our crowns and gowns for the "Festival of Lights" parade. It was so different to do a parade in the dark! Of course, all of the cars were lit up in Christmas lights. We had a blast!!

We finished up the evening with a small Christmas party with our families, Eddie, and Dennis. It truly was a perfect start to the holiday season!

Bubbling Wells Elementary School

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Let me start off by saying what a WONDERFUL school Bubbling Wells is! The campus is gorgeous, the staff and teachers welcomed me with open arms, and the kids were some of the most inquisitive and well behaved children that I've met in a long time

I had the rare opportunity to visit with around 250 kids. I had 30 minutes in every classroom to discuss my road to winning Miss California International, as well as the importance of community service. After every speech we did a question/answer segment....and I had some of the coolest questions from various students!! Two of my favorites were, "Are you proud of yourself?" and "Do you have a professional makeup artist?" I can absolutely say that 30 minutes in each class was nowhere near enough time!!!

I also was invited to attend their monthly assembly to hand out various certificates, including honor roll, attendance, and student of the month. I would like to say a special thank you to Mr. Davis for accompanying me from class to class. Also, thank you so much to the students, faculty, staff, and Principal of Bubbling Wells for making this such a special day for me!