Anna's Adventures

Coming Soon....

2011-08-28T11:25:00.000-04:00

So I have come to the conclusion that I desperately need to update my blog. The lack of posting has been atrocious to say the least. With that being said, I have literally no free time this summer- which I was hoping/ you might think would be the exact opposite. Stay tuned for a new entry at the end of September when we start school and maybe, hopefully my crazy busy wonderful life will let me take a breather for a minute.

Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.
Robert C. Gallagher

Anna

Miss America

2010-12-30T20:53:00.002-05:00

Miss America is just around the corner!! All of the AMAZING young women competing are putting the finishing touches on there wardrobes, cramming in some time at the gym pumping iron, and ultimately relishing in the fact that they could very well be the next MISS AMERICA!!!

In reflecting back on my preparation for Miss Ohio I think I really lacked something. Satisfaction. Every day we push ourselves to do bigger and better things. But, do we really ever reflect back and think "Wow I have accomplished so much and I am only ___ years old?" Well folks I don't think I have yet. So this post is dedicated to all of the women who truly need to reflect back on how far that they have come. For me, its inspiring to do things that I would have never dreamed about in my entire life. Running a marathon for instance. Well the full marathon may just have to wait.... I am running the Flying Pig Half Marathon this May!! Right now I'm excited but I still now that it will be months of waking up early, pushing through the pain, and possibly a few tears along the way. But I would not be the person that I am today if I failed to push myself. So here goes....

Please bear with me as I have a little ADD so to speak. Many times pageant contestants are portrayed to be "perfect." Well I am far from perfect but would not have it any other way. G-d created me this way for a reason. My flaws add character and who really wants to be the same as everyone else? When ever I would get frustrated with myself and wish that I could be something else, my mother would say to me if you were like _____, then the world would be a pretty boring place. It's about looking at the world and simply marveling at it. This is why I love Miss Vermont, Caroline Bright. She, to me, is the perfect titleholder because she is REAL. People can relate to her and in speaking with her, they figure out that beauty queens are real people too. To me, the perfect titleholder is someone who you can sit down with and have brunch with totally relate to them. This is why I always try to embody the title holder I want to be and if I don't win the crown- so what life goes on. I'm sure that some in pageant world would argue that what I am writing is absurd and that you should always be the "yes" girl who agrees with everything someone says. To an extent, thats true, but I want to be the girl that can have an insightful conversation with you; listen to your opinion and tell you mine so that we can both grow and learn about something. At the end of the day we may not see eye to eye on the issue but yet we both have learned a little something about each other in the process.

So heres to the REAL girl inside of us all,

Anna

PS. Take a moment to be in awe of yourself- because you've earned it:)

My favorite Miss America and my inspiration- Heather French.

It's been a little while....

2010-10-03T10:25:00.000-04:00

Greetings cyber space!!

It's me- Anna. My apologizes for not communicating to you sooner. School started on September 22 and I have been super duper busy since then. I am currently enrolled at the University of Cincinnati in the college of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning. DAAP is a very prestigious design school and a very time consuming one too I might add. The interior design program is even the number 1 program in the country!! My program, Graphic Design, I believe is in the top 50 in the country. For design school, we have many assignments each week including drawings, Adobe homework, and even color/ painting homework. Sounds easy right? Think again.....

On a more worldly note, it my preparations for upcoming pageants I continue to stay up to date on current events and world happenings. There surely have been some interesting things going on in the world lately. Although this blog is not mean to be purely political by any means necessary, I just have to say that I am EXTREMELY appreciative that I live in a country that is free from intense political turmoil. Now granted we do have our disagreements but none to the extreme of kidnapping. After reading about how several leaders in Latin American countries were kidnapped despite the fact that they were democratically elected, it makes me very happy for our current sense of calm in the US. On a final note, please pray for those in Europe- the terror level is extremely high right now and it distresses me to think that our allies could be affected by terrorists in the near future.

I am really excited for our bid day coming up in just a few short weeks. Being in a sorority there is this unexplainable sense of both joy and excitement that just seems to fill you up when you see all of the new members running down the hill to greet there fellow sisters after receiving a bid to the sorority of there choice. If I had to describe it, I would have to say it's similar to joining one big happy family that will always love you. In reflecting back on when I pledged Kappa Delta, I remember it as a day full of smiles and joy. This chapter and the girls in it have helped me to become a confident, mature and courageous young woman that I am today. In all honesty, if you compared to the woman that I was when I started college to where I am now, you would be astonished by the shy, insecure person that I once was. Although I know that there is ALWAYS room for improvement I have the confidence to stand tall and be proud of who I am today and who I am becoming tomorrow.

As the summer weather is fast escaping and the fall leaves are undoubtedly falling off the trees, here is a quote about change: "Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.

XOXO,
Anna

Miss Miami Valley

2010-09-06T21:53:00.000-04:00

Greetings Cyber Space,

First, big congrats to the new winner Alissa. She is an amazing girl who will do wonders for the program. I first met her at Ohio American Coed and she is a total sweetie. I wish her best of luck as she embarks on an amazing journey as Miss Miami Valley 2011!! Second, what a crazy, fun filled, fast paced, and crazy weekend!! This weekend I competed for the chance to become Miss Miami Valley 2011. Although I was not successful I learned a lot and had a blast meeting some new girls and catching up with several of the contestants from Miss Ohio 2010. It seems to me that a lot of times when you go to a pageant and don't place you tend to suffer from the "I failed"syndrome. Quite honestly I use to think this way. But now to me, it's an opportunity to look at things from the glass is half full perspective. Not winning Miss Miami Valley means several things, a) I was not ready to be a local title holder again, b) I need to just keep trying and c) more practice and improvement to better myself.

Everyone has there weaknesses and flaws. Pageants have truly taught me about how to target those flaws and make them into perks about yourself. For instance, I am by no means the worlds greatest dancer. But I will work my hardest to look at ease on that stage and to look as though I am having the time of my life. In all reality, when a little girl sees Miss Ohio performing she is much more likely to remember her smile and charisma as appose to if she sang every note right or danced perfectly on pointe. I would much rather have an expression of joyfulness that of looking lack luster and being the worlds greatest dancer- plain and simple. Talent it is totally all about the entertainment and charisma you display on stage.

Look for me at another Miss Ohio preliminary- exact pageant to be determined. I have made it my goal of improving new things at each pageant. This time it was my talent and weight next time who knows.... Stay tuned to see how I can truly evolve into a dynamic and changing young women- which is truly what the program is all about:)

On a more cheerful note after much reflection.... Thank you soooo much to all of the people who came out and supported me at the pageant. Having a little cheering squad in the audience makes me feel at ease on stage and thankful. The pageant world is one that is truly interconnected and it's one of the main reasons why I love it! I have even been able to witness it first hand in job interviews. Thank you again to all of the people who supplied me with endless words of encouragement on my journey- it truly has made all the difference.

Anna

Answering on-stage question at Miss Miami Valley.

Miss America's Outstanding Teen!!

2010-08-29T19:08:00.000-04:00

This past week Cecili Weber, former Miss Portsmouth's Outstanding Teen and current Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen, competed for the chance to be the next Miss America's Outstanding Teen. She was lucky enough to capture the judges heart with a preliminary evening gown and on-stage question award and placed in the top 10. She did an absolutely amazing job and looking gorgeous from all of the pictures that I have seen. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the festivities due to work but I know that the Portsmouth family cheered her on to victory in Orlando. I can not wait to see how Becky will fair this year in Vegas as the Miss America Organization celebrates its 90th year of changing and empowering young women's lives!!

That's all for now folks!! Enjoy your end of August and have a superb September!!

Anna

Cecili and I at our sendoff party for Miss Ohio and Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen.

I'm Back, I'm Back!!

2010-08-22T12:02:00.000-04:00

Greetings cyber space,

      This week I have taken a small break from you due to my hectic work schedule and all of the fun pageant things that I have been doing.

      This summer I have had the opportunity to work a summer internship at Hometown Thread's as there Business Development and Marketing intern. I have learned a lot about the various of aspects of the business world. Some of the things I have done included coordinating sign displays, writing marketing plans, improving my customer service, and even working on a little personal selling. It has been an amazing experience and it has truly taught me about what aspect of marketing and design I would like to pursue in the future. Next, I have returned to my prior job at the law office. This job is filled with interesting moments that truly make my day and I work with some very friendly people also. In November of this year I will have worked at the law office for nearly four years!! Boy time sure has flown. This job has truly taught me about punctuality, organization, multi tasking, and how lucky I am to be able to just read and write. Working for a social security lawyer, some of our clients are in poor health and some are not even able to read or write. This job has truly been a humbling experience and made me feel lucky for life's little joys.

       Pageantry. This past weekend I had the opportunity to journey to the Ohio American Coed pageant and to watch my friend and fellow Portsmouth girl, Emilee Lowe compete in the teen division. Coed will always have a special place in my heart as it gave me my pageant beginning. Emilee placed 2nd runner up in the teen division and she looked stunning onstage in her purple dress. Here is a picture of Emilee and I after the pageant festivities for the night came to a close:

The next picture is Amber Miller who is the reining Ohio Cinderella Woman. She is one of Greg's girls and his former Miss Portsmouth Outstanding teen. She is former Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen. She is an incredibly sweet girl who looked stunning on pageant night. I hope to see her in October at the Miss Portsmouth Pageant!!

This past week I had the opportunity to stop by Kenzie's closet located in the downtown Cincinnati area. Just like any pageant girl, I have oodles of dresses that I can no longer wear and felt it fitting to donate them to such a worth while cause! I can not wait to get more involved in this organization once it comes Prom time.

Posing in front of the hundreds of dresses.

An overhead view of some of the dress racks.

Some of the dresses up close and personal!

Posing on the classy pink couch that greets each visitor as they enter Kenzie's!!!

Well folks, that's all for now. Please check back soon as I update you on my next fun filled adventure!

Anna

Ps. On a small side note, my former littler sister queen, Cecili Weber Miss Portsmouth's Outstanding Teen and now Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen, is competing in Florida this week in the hopes of becoming the next Miss America's Outstanding Teen! She is an incredibly sweet girl and it was a complete blast having her as one of my little sister queens!! Below is a picture of Cecili and I at our send off party for Miss Ohio/ Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen:

Miss North Coast

2010-08-09T22:34:00.000-04:00

This weekend has truly been an amazing and whirl wind experience. I had the opportunity to spend the entire weekend with two of my favorite Miss Ohio people, Nanci and Liz. Nanci was my chaperone at Miss Ohio this past year and she is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. I never went on stage with out looking my absolute best thanks to Nanci;) Liz and I shared a make-up table during Miss Ohio week and we bonded during the down time before the show, various appearances, and production numbers. She truly embodies the spirit of a Miss Ohio and has a heart of gold. I had a blast spending time with them and also watching Liz compete at the Miss North Coast Pageant. One of the best aspects of pageantry is meeting new faces and reconnecting with old ones. I had a chance to meet several of the competitors at the Miss North Coast pageant and they truly are amazing young women. Before the pageant, I had the pleasure of sharing a meal with a Miss Ohio chaperone, Amber. Her insight into pageantry was amazing and I loved getting to know her even more.

Below are some the pictures from the amazing evening at the North Coast pageant. Enjoy!!

Myself with Sylvia (Director for Miss Greater Cleveland and Miss Cuyahoga County) and Marisa, Miss Greater Cleveland

Myself with the queens and court from the Brunswick festival. I had the wonderful opportunity to tell them about Portsmouth's festival River Days during Labor Day weekend.

With the lovely queens again!!

Enjoy those hot summer days while they last! Winter will be here before we know it....

Anna

Adventures of a pageant judge

2010-08-02T22:07:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to judge the Ohio National American Miss Pre-Teen division pageant! The young lady who won was absolutely stunning and has the most gorgeous dress ever. It was a pretty solid pink color with flowers on it and then the flowers were outlined with rhinestones. The dress may sound a little weird as I am describing it but boy was it eve-catching on stage. I always enjoy judging other pageants because you get the opportunity to learn about pageants from a judges perspective. After watching this weekend, I have learned about self-presentation and how it really does not matter the number of times a girl competes at any particular pageant, it all has to do with CONFIDENCE.

Another benefit of the pageant was not only getting to bond with my Portsmouth ED Greg and Portsmouth committee member Julie. Both of these people has been instrumental in helping me get ready for Miss Ohio this past June and it was nice to see them when we weren't prepping for a pageant. Cecili, former Miss Portsmouth's Outstanding Teen and now Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen, was in attendance with her mother Lara. Both Cecili and Lara are two of the sweetest people you will ever meet and I am extremely excited for Cecili to take the national stage this coming August. She leaves for the pageant on August 20th and she looks simply stunning:)

On a side note, this Thursday August 5th, Dairy Queen will give all of the proceeds from Blizzard sales to the Children's Miracle Network! You can be sure to catch me in attendance;) The CMN is Miss America's official platform and each contestant is asked to raise a small donation for each level of competition. Miss America also serves as the organization's goodwill ambassador during her year of service. This organization helps to bring smiles to sick children all across the country. Help keep this wonderful organization on it's mission by visiting your local DQ on Thursday or help me raise money for my next Miss Ohio preliminary, either way you will be helping bring smiles to sick children.

https://www.missamerica4kids.org/m.aspx?i=132465AA1F0162E10 this is the link for my personal CMN page

Thanks for reading and unfortunately I do not have any pictures of my judging adventures this weekend:( Look for my next blog post about CMN Blizzard day at DQ on THURSDAY!! Maybe the next one will have pictures;)

Hope everyone is enjoying the lovely August weather,
Anna

Updates, Updates, Updates,

2010-07-25T12:47:00.001-04:00

World Wide Web,

While I didn't have the chance to travel the great state of Ohio and embark on a new found adventure I got the chance to attend my cousins wedding. It was a wonderful time and I loved seeing all of my family. My mother's side of the family consists of dozens of cousins from one of her eight brothers and sisters. Needless to say Christmas is a little crazy at our house;)

One of the best parts of the weekend was getting the chance to talk about my adventures at Miss Ohio. Not too many people have been able to compete on that stage and being able to tell my family and friends about it has simply been marvelous. I always close my tales about how I loved getting the chance to make friends for life and even a future bridesmaid or two;)

Platform, as some of you may have heard on the radio this past weekend two US soliders were taken from s. One of them is believed to be dead and the other is hostage. This is something extremely important that must be addressed- we current three soldiers that are missing in action. One of which is Bowe Bergdahl which is the solider that is on my POW bracelet. The odd thing about Bowe's story is that the news reports that he simply walked off base but in my synopsis of him, the army states that he was kidnapped by the Taliban. Since these are such conflicting stories I am hoping to one day receive the real answer of where Bowe is. Please see below for pictures of my POW bracelet. If your interested in obtaining one please drop me an email at dance71690@yahoo.com .
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07/25/taliban-offers-swap-body-slain-navy-member-allegedly-killed-ambush-prisoners/ for more information in the story

Congratulations are also in order to our newest titleholders!! I hope to see you all this coming June on the Miss Ohio stage:)

One thing you may not know about me is that I am simply obsessed with quotes. If you ever venture to my Facebook page you will surely know what I mean. In leaving you today, I have found a quote about summer because we are emerging into the true, dog days of summer.

Anna

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~Sam Keen

Wellington Cheese Festival

2010-07-19T11:59:00.000-04:00

While this blog is primarily dedicated to my Miss Ohio adventures, I also wanted to showcase some adventures that I have encountered throughout the great state of Ohio! This past weekend my friends and I were able to visit Wellington, Ohio and tasted some yummy cheese and were able to see the historic farming town. Below are just a few pictures of the experience, including the cheese parade! Yum!

Kaydee and Val chowing down on some yummy fried cheese on a stick! By far the best food choice at the fair.

Kaydee and I before the parade started.

The Lorain county festival queens. The place an emphasis on there international heritage at this pageant- hence the ethnic clothing.

More Festival queens!!

Wow! Tractors sure have changed!!

Miss Ohio 2010 Pictures

2010-07-08T23:33:00.000-04:00

Cecili and I in front of the yummy cake at our send off party.

Simply stunning in evening gown.

Interview suit.

Cecili and I with all of the River Days girls.

Cecili are I with the fellow Portsmouth girls!

Parade outfit preview!

Miss Ohio Parade.

Talent at Miss Ohio.

Evening gown at Miss Ohio.

After answering my onstage question.

Miss Ohio 2010

2010-07-08T22:10:00.001-04:00

Greetings cyber space,
As I am sitting in front of the computer writing to you, I am completing my daily quotient of multi-tasking. (ie. Miss Mississippi Webcast, Liz Facebook chat, and you!) But, in all honesty, to me the best life is a one because I am able to fill it with so many memories and experiences that help to add to the richness of life.

Now, onto Miss Ohio. Miss Ohio week was truly a life changing experience. First, a huge congrats goes out to Becky Minger. She has worked effortlessly for the past several years to become Miss Ohio and she finally accomplished her goal!! Best of luck to her at Miss America. Second, I am so proud of my sister queens for placing 3rd runner up and winning Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen. Both Emily and Cecili have made humongous strides this past year and after watching them transform into even more outstanding teens, I am glad to have met such wonderful and caring young women. The girls I met, the people I encountered, and ultimately my lovely host home family and chaperon made the experience so much more meaningful than I ever could have imagined. I wasn't fortunate enough to make the top 10 but to me the experience of just being on that stage made it simply awesome. I do have to admit that I was a little bummed to not make the top 10 but I will NEVER forget what my chaperon Nanci told me. She told me to think about all of the girls who had competed in locals over the year and did not have the chance to grace the judges with there presence on that stage. At that moment it hit me. I had made it- Miss Ohio crown or not.

For a little while my decision to compete in the program further was on edge. But after talking to some VERY supporting and encouraging people I knew that if truly in my heart of hearts that I wanted to be Miss Ohio someday, then I would need to figure out the reason why I was competing. So much of the time we compete to please our parents or our friends. But the true of it reality is that in order to be a successful in this system you have to do it for yourself. Thus this statement will remain with me from now on: "I am competing in the Miss America scholarship organization as a way to promote my platform, earn scholarship money for my education, and to shape myself into the best Anna that I can be." Although this statement may need to be revisited quite a few times during the upcoming year, I know that I will be a much better person if I have a goal and reason of why I truly want to be Miss Ohio.

The final thing that I want to announce on cyber space is that I will be undertaking a new platform. One that I feel adds excitement, joy, and a splash of passion to my life. It's the POW/ MIA cause. For those of you who are not familiar with this cause, it's all about honoring and remembering our soldiers who are Prisoners of War or who are Missing In Action. Some people may remember or have even seen POW/ MIA bracelets. They emerged in the 1970s as a way to remember those who had fallen in the Vietnam war. This cause is still going strong today and I encourage each and every person to purchase a POW/ MIA bracelet from this website: www.aiipowmia.com/bracelets2006.html. Bracelets bought on this website are only $10, all of the proceeds go to helping further the POW/ MIA cause, and it helps to bring this cause into greater light. Buyer beware: if you see these bracelets sold at a retail store the owner may not be donating all of the proceeds to charity. It's truly best if you buy them from this website.

Well I have rambled on long enough. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and a blessed day. In the words of Mickey Mouse "All our dreams come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

Anna

Ps.If you have ANY questions please feel free to drop me an email at: dance71690@yahoo.com.

Post One

2010-02-20T23:25:00.000-05:00

Greetings!!

I hope to use this blog spot as an opportunity to update everyone on my adventures.

School- This year has been filed with both excitement and yuckyness . I'm really excited to finally start taking business classes. I took an information systems class this year and I have decided my next mission will be to design websites. IS is such a great major because it has to deal with technology. As far as the luckiness goes, I have found that accounting and I aren't that great of friends. Don't get me wrong I understand the importance of balancing your books, but I don't necessarily want to be the person to do it.

Pageants- This year I was lucky enough to win the second local that I entered, Miss Portsmouth. I am extremely excited to getting ready for Miss Ohio this June in Mansfield, Ohio. The best part of being a title holder in my opinion is working on my platform. I will never forget the excitement in this one little girls eyes when I visited a Girl Scout conference during Presidents Day Weekend. She was so in awe of my crown and how I was a real life princess. I know that moment will be something that she will Cherish for the rest of her life and maybe will help fuel her passion to compete in the MAO later in life. To me, I just love seeing little girls and how they are filled with such happiness in seeing a princess:)