Miss Twirl/Carousel Museum

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of attending the Miss Twirl pageant. I loved watching the Little Miss and Miss contestants perform their routines! Thank you for having me sing at the begining of the pageant. Little did I know that "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" would be a theme song during the pageant. It was a lot of fun handing out the awards with Miss Mum, Miss CT Outstanding Pre-Teen, Meredith, Trinette, and our new little friend, Emma. Congrats to the new Little Miss Twirl and Miss Twirl...I look forward to spending time with you both this year!

On Sunday I went to the Carousel Museum for Santa Sunday. After helping out with the drawing contest, Santa came to visit with the kids. It was so much fun to see them visit with him and tell him what they want for Christmas. I helped out by taking down e-mail addresses of the parents who were going to get pictures with Santa e-mailed to them. Unfortunately, I had to leave early to go back to school. BUT it turns out that I was appointed the new Philanthropy Chair of my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. I'm so excited because this is going to be a big step in furthering my involvement with the Ronald McDonald House.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I came home from school Tuesday night and dropped off the collection non-perishable goods at the Ronald McDonald House in New Haven. Thank you to the many many people who brought the goods at the Preteen/Little Miss Bristol Pageant! The pantry at the house is stocked, and I'm so glad we could help out families in need during the holiday season.

Bright and early Wednesday morning I went to the Breakfast of Champions at the Bristol Clarion Hotel. It was a wonderful celebration breakfast for the Bristol athelets, acknowledging the coaches, team captains, and senior athletes at St. Paul's High School, Bristol Central High School, and Bristol Eastern High School. After singing the National Anthem, Linda and I enjoyed a nice breakfast. Congratulations to Joann Galati who recieved the 2009 Ralph Papazian Leadership Award! Andy Baylock, the UCONN coach for football and baseball, was the Key Note Speaker, inspiring the crowd with his knowledge and experience in the world of sports. Thank you to Michael Nicastro and Linda DiMatteo for having me!

Thanksgiving morning Sarah, Brianna, Meredith, and I went to the Bristol Central vs. Bristol Eastern Thanksgiving football game. We were in the parade with the marching bands from both schools, and all the titleholders in Bristol. It was great to see the community gather at such an event to celebrate family. Happy Thanksgiving!

Imagine Nation Museum, Miss Hartford County/Rocky Hill, Miss Mum's Turkey Drive

Saturday started off bright and early (8:30!!!) at Imagine Nation Museum. The Miss Bristol titleholders helped make placemats which are going to be sent to local places which help those in need. We had fun coloring scarecrows, glueing feathers, and being creative. Thank you to the families who came and helped with this project...after two hours we made over 150! I'm sure that those who recieve our placemats will be very appreciative and filled with the spirit of Thanksgiving.

That night, we all attended the Miss Hartford County/Rocky Hill pageant. Alex Puglisi, Ashley Reid, Allison Boilard, and Marisa Barnard gave beautiful farewells and definitly represented their titles with grace! The pageant was Micheal Jackson themed, and emceed by Nakiya Troth, Ashley Abate, and Stacy Potter. The competition was great...I was impressed with the talents of all the contestants. I especially enjoyed cheering on the girls who competed in Miss Bristol with me. They all did a great job and i wholeheartedly encourage them to keep competing. At the end of the night, everyone deserved a crown for a job well done! Congratulations to Kate Ottavio, Miss Rocky Hill 2010, and Brittany Decker, Miss Hartford County 2010! I'm so excited that we'll be going to Miss Connecticut together...I can't wait to get to know you both better during the year! Also, congratulations to Andreanna Buccheri, Rocky Hill's Outstanding Teen 2010, and Haylee Rochler, Miss Hartford County's Oustanding Teen 2010!

Sunday morning, I joined Miss Mum at Stop and Shop on Pine Street to help with her Turkey Drive. People were so generous and readily offered their support to this activity. After two hours, there were two shopping carts full of turkeys, and serveral more carts filled with other Thanksgiving foods! These donations will certainly brighten the Thanksgiving of Bristol citizens in need...a job well done, Jessica! Thank you to all the Bristol titleholders for coming out and helping our community!

Rising Star Pageant

On this rainy day, four new titleholders were crowned! Congratulations to CT's Princess Aubrey Szostek, CT's Outstanding Petit Sophia Modica, CT's Outstanding Junior Ariana Puglisi, and CT's Outstanding Pre-teen Haleigh Costello!!! All the contestants were great...I was so impressed with the grace and talent displayed by all. I especially enjoyed cheering on my diamond, Trinette. It was great to see her smiling and performing onstage...keep competing, girl!!

I wasn't able to attend the Miss Southington pageant, but congratulations to Miss Southington 2010 Ashley Hayden, Miss Southington's Outstanding Teen 2010 Logan West, and Miss Plantsville's Outstanding Teen Caitlyn Flynn. I can't wait to get to know you all during the year!

Wild About Animals, Pre-Teen/Little Miss Bristol, Miss Wolcott

This weekend kicked off with an appearance at Imagine Nation Museum, where they had all kinds of animals, including goats, bunnies, birds, horses, and reptiles! Trinette I visited with all the animals and learned a lot about them. One of the rooms had an adult boa constricter...which I was conviced to take a picture with around my shoulders! It was so creepy! We spend the remaining time handing out pizza and drinks to the attendees. This was definitly a fun event to help out with and be a part of!

The next day was the Little Miss and Pre-Teen Miss Bristol pageant! Sarah and I emceed for the afternoon, which was definitly a fun experience (eventhough we were nervous!). Not to mention, Sarah and I coordinated our dresses perfectly by accident. The pageant was fantastic. All the girls did great and looked beautiful. I had so much fun asking the Little Miss Contestants their on-stage fishbowl questions, and it was great getting to know the Pre-Teen contestants back stage. At the end of the afternoon, Meredith Valley was crowned Little Miss Bristol 2010 and Brianna Beyers was crowned Pre-Teen Miss Bristol 2010. I can't wait to spend the year with them!

After a quick bite for dinner, we all went to the Miss Wolcott 2010 pageant. What a show--the contestants were very impressive and the performances by Studio 1 were great. Congratulations to Becky Albini, Miss Wolcott 2010, and Erin Ward, Miss Wolcott's Outstanding Teen 2010!

Halloween Appearances: Ingraham Manor and New England Carousel Museum

The first appearance on Halloween was at Ingraham Manor for a costume parade organized by Sarah Decker, Miss Bristol's Outstanding Teen. There was a great turnout, and everyone's costumes looked great! We walked door to door, visiting the residents. Each senior citizen recieved either a pin or a bookmark from one of the children. It was great to see their faces light up with delight when we visited them. Sarah did an impressive job of putting this event together...she definitly brightened up this Halloween for the residents that we visited.

Next we went to the New England Carousel Museum's annual Halloween Party. I stood by the front enterance, greeting the guests and handing out bags for their prizes, as well as their contestant numbers for the costume contest. Inside, there were tons of games, activities, and of course food for the kids. I got to be one of the three judges for the costume contest...it was extremely difficult! I was very impressed with the creativity of all the costumes. Though we gave out awards for the top costumes, every child went home with a prize. I had a lot of fun spending time with the kids. I'd like to extend a special thanks to Brittany Decker for letting me borrow her pink gown for my costume, everyone loved it!

On Sunday, we had the rehersal for the Little Miss/Preteen Miss Bristol Pageant (which is going to be next Saturday at 1 pm and Bristol Central High School). All of the girls were charming and adorable. So many of them gave me baggies with pop tabs in them...one girl even gave me a container with over 3,500 tabs in it! I'm so thankful to the people who are helping me out with this project...I can't wait to deliver the collection in December. One tab may be small, but they definitly add up!