Introducing the beautiful new Miss Michigan Teen USA 2009 . . .Kristen Danyal!!! :)

I am very pleased to introduce our new Miss Michigan Teen USA 2009! Kristen Danyal is 18 years old, a college freshman, and is from Sterling Heights! Kristen is in a five year program to become a Physician's assistant! This was her very first pageant and she rocked the house! I am so proud of her! She was not afraid to ask questions and really took an interest in the USA system! She will do an amazing job at Nationals ~ I have no doubt! She is gorgeous and is a real sweetheart! I love her personality ~ so much fun and an easy smile!

The new Miss Michigan USA is Lindsey Tycholiz (we have known each other for years from the MAO system) and she is terrific too! These two new queens will do a fantastic job and will make all of Michigan proud!! :)

As for me, I cried during my farewell and I tried so hard not to, but sometimes there are things that just can't be helped! This has been the most incredible year of my life and I hated to see it end!! The standing ovation was a complete surprise to me and that made me cry even more!!!!! I was happy that I got the crown on Kristen without a problem (the last time I crowned my successor it immediately got knocked off when I gave the new queen a congratulatory hug!!!) at least this one stayed on for Kristen's "walk"!!!! :) I encourage everyone to embrace Kristen . . . she is very special and to give her all of your love and support!!!

Well, this is my last blog and I need to start getting ready for my last Homecoming dance tonight. . . so I send a very sincere thank you to all my family, friends, and loved ones for your continued love and encouragement all year! May the Lord bless and keep you until we meet again!

For the last time and with much love,

Elizabeth Anne Hawthorne

Miss Michigan Teen USA 2008

Who will be the next Miss Michigan Teen USA????!!!!

I am so excited to meet all the girls tomorrow night competing for the title of Miss Michigan Teen USA 2009!! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will change one of these young ladies life forever and I can't wait to see who it is!

Every contestant submitted a beautiful photo and I know several of the girls personally! While it will be hard for me to close this chapter of my life, I am honored to crown a new girl and very excited for her!

I am a Christian so I don't believe in luck (good or bad) so let me wish to each of you that you do your best by being yourself! Relax, smile, have fun and remember that "everything happens for a reason!!!"

God bless you!!!!

Much love,

Elizabeth : )

Arts & Apples Festival!! :)

I have to be quick with this entry as my dad is leaving for France in about an hour for 10 days and there goes my laptop! I won't be able to enter anything until the 16th of Sept!

Yesterday, September 6th, I went to the Arts and Apples Festival in Rochester Hills to judge a pie eating contest!! This was my first attempt at judging pies, but I loved it!! Of course every pie was . . . apple! There were 8 entries and each pie tasted delicious! Thankfully, I was not the only judge!! The Mayor of Rochester and a Channel 7 news anchor also helped me with the final decision! We decided the best of the best had a hint of chocolate in it and it was unanimously the favorite for all three of us!

The top three bakers got a beautiful hand painted pie plate for their future creations! I just have to say I got the biggest laugh out of the two ladies hiding behind their plates (see picture)!! They looked like they were saying something about the winner and I couldn't help but giggle! Truly they were great sports and we all had a wonderful time! I am so glad I was invited to judge this event! I am super happy it was after the National competition so I could really enjoy the pies! And I did!! :)

I wish I could have gone through all of the booths at the festival, but I had to rush off to a wedding in Grand Rapids by early afternoon and had hours of travel ahead of me! Now that I know about the Arts & Apples Festival I hope to return next year and take it all in!

Clarkston's Labor Day Parade!! :)

What a glorious day for a parade!!!!!!!!!

Today was my last parade as Miss Michigan Teen USA 2008. It was bittersweet as I have enjoyed participating in so many different events and to think I have only a few more weeks left before crowning my successor was a bit sad, but I managed to smile as big as I could and wave to the many who came out to enjoy the day's festivities.

I love Clarkston and even though I only moved here exactly three years ago today (yes, on Labor Day!!) I have come to sincerely enjoy the community and the people! Today's parade only had 53 entries. I was #16. It is the first time I have ever been in a parade at the front of the line and not at the end! I liked that alot! :)

Shelia Klien, Miss Oakland County, MAO, Miss America Organization, was also in the parade, but quite a ways behind me. We had met before so it was really nice to catch up with one another and reconnect before the parade began! She is as beautiful as ever and I sure wish I could dance like her! She is amazing and shared with me she just spent one and a half months in New York City for even more dancing! I can't wait to see her dance in her next competition if not before!

This year's parade theme was "Working Together To Keep Our Community Green." I chose to wear a green gown (for kicks and giggles) although I do understand what the real message is about!! In fact it was the same gown I won this title in and I must say that while I love it as much as ever it is really too big for me now as I worked especially hard to get into shape for Nationals so I had to keep hiking it up over my bustline (I am sure that was attractive!!) but it all went fine!

I hope that you have/had a great Labor Day holiday! And tomorrow . . . reality hits . . . back to school! But I am officially a Senior now! And you know what they say . . . Seniors rock!!!!!!!!!! :)

The National Pageant in the Bahamas!! :)

I apologize for the delay in posting my adventures in the Bahamas . . . but the "adventure" is why I haven't written in a while! More on that to follow!

I arrived in the Bahamas on Aug 12th and after a very long delay at the airport I finally arrived at the beautiful Atlantis Resort! It is breathtakingly beautiful! And I had a wonderful time on the island for the competition! I checked-in and went up to my room to find that my roommate Miss Ohio Teen USA Chelsie Folden had already arrived. We both share the same director, Melissa Pitchford, so we already knew each other pretty well!

We all registered on August 13th and it was great to meet all the girls and become reacquainted with a few I had already met during the year through Eagle University, National training, and various photoshoots together! Everyone looked great!

We spent the whole day in high heeled shoes learning all of the walk rountines as well as the dance ones. My feet were killing me even though I spend more time in high heels compared to most girls! But it was all worth it and Kent Parham our choreographer made it all so much fun while we worked hard to learn everything!

Usually the Miss Teen USA pageant has been most recently held in Pascedena, Claifornia for about 3 weeks so our five days was relatively short. We had to work overtime to have everything not just ready, but perfect.

We had a lovely Welcome party where we were all dressed up and got to solcialize a bit. Then off to bed for some sleep. That night I had the opportunity to meet Chad Michael Murray!!

We had an early rise time and got right back to work. I had a blast during the preliminary competition. I followed the rules and wore the required "wedge" shoes, but most of the others switched into their silver strappy shoes. By this time my spray-on tan had faded a bit and even the reapplication wasn't helping because we swam that morning and the clorine deactivated the color. What can I say??? I don't tan because I am a natural red head with white skin. But it's okay because I am completely comfortable just being me and that includes my white skin : ) I don't regret anything because I did my best and no matter what I had a blast and learned a lot!

After the prelim we had a reception where I got to see my parents for the first time. They stopped to see my grandma in Florida first because she had a stroke one week before I left for Nationals. At the reception . . . I fainted. They fed us before the competition, but I am kind of a picky eater so I didn't eat as much as I thought so that explained it. My dad caught me in his arms as I went down, but I was totally out. I fainted once before, but this time I lost my hearing. I sure was embarrassed, but what could I do? At least I did it gracefully according to my Director and just made fun about it after! :)

The finals night was fun too, but I was hoping to make the Top 15 and didn't. I believe that "everything happens for a reason" and while I am not sure why, I am sure the Lord has His reasons! Stevi Perry, a real sweetheart, from Arkansas is our new Miss Teen USA and she will be a terrific representative! I wish her all the best! I actually met her at Eagle U and she was in the same small group as I was. So it was really cool being able to know her before the competition even started!

I have no regrets about how things went. I had a terrific interview, modeled the swimwear and evening gown as best as I could and I truly enjoyed the opening dance routine! The time in the Bahamas was magical and a once in a life-time opprtunity that I will cherish forever!! I am still Miss Michigan Teen USA 2008 and I am still so very humbled to hold this title! I have loved every minute of this very special year!

But there is more to the story of the Bahamas trip: on the morning after the pageant we (mom, dad, and I) were getting up to start the day and get me to the shuttle for the airport. When my dad woke up he was very ill. He said the room was spinning and when he tried to get to the bathroom he walked into the wall and promptly threw-up. He was sooooooooooo sick. He got back in bed so mom and I finished packing and she took me to the shuttle downstairs. Mom told me to stay at the Fort Lauderdale airport util they arrrived (no matter how long it took) so I sat there for six hours waiting. The plan was for us to drive to see my grandma again so I could see her too and see if she was getting better from her stroke. Little did I know that my dad was getting worse by the minute while I waited.

Hurricane Fay was coming down on us and my folks were sitting on the tarmack in the Bahamas waiting for the rain to stop so they could join me. I was getting very worried as the hours passed by. When I saw my dad he was in a wheelchiar with his head down and his eyes closed. He actually had the color green imbedded into his skin...they always say "wow you look green" but I never thought that was possible until that day. He was sicker that I had ever seen him .

We got our lugguage into our car, hailed a cab, and took my dad to the nearest hospital. He was then admitted for the next three days. He was tested for stroke, tumors, aneuryisms, heart problems, etc. The Dr. called it "violent vertigo" which is severe dizziness. He couldn't keep his eyes open because they were jumping around everywhere and he couldn't keep food down. They gave him medication to help with the nasuea, but when he was discharged he really wasn't better. In fact, he still has not gone back to work full time yet. He gets too dizzy and has to come home.

Now things got weird. My parents drove a stick shift to Florida. Mom and I do not know how to drive it ~ just automatics. We decided that my dad should rest a few more days at his sister's house so I got a very fast lesson in how to drive a stick shift (a double-H) and in Hurricane Fay!!! I only really knew how to get into 1st and 2nd gear because my brother (Seth) taught me last Spring, but that was in my school parking lot, not on the actual road. But on the way to my Aunts house, I controlled the foot pedals and steering, while my dad (with his eyes closed) listened to the engine and shifted for me giving me "foot" directions all the way! My mom was in the backseat white knuckled and praying all the time! We did this for three hours in the dark in the middle of a hurricane until we reached my Aunt's house. It was the craziest thing I have ever done.

We stayed for a few days longer in Florida so my dad could rest and hopefully get better. I got to see my grandma. She is not doing very well so I am glad I got to see her just in case it was the last time although I hope not.

My dad (believe it or not) drove us home to Michigan. By this time I was completely run down and very sick with a flu bug and unable to drive even an automatic nevermind a stick-shift and mom didn't want to try it. I can't blame her though. But we made it home safely.

I have had some time to think about the whole trip. What do I know??? I know that God loves me and has a sense of humor that I saw up close and personal on this "adventure" and that most of all He wants the best for me!!! I can't wait to see what He has in store for me. It wasn't Miss Teen USA 2008, but maybe it will be another title somewhere in my future. Maybe even Miss USA someday? You never know : )

Again, I have no regrets and I wouldn't have done anything differently. Different day, different judges maybe I would have won. No matter what, I am very proud of all that I did and accomplished this year with my reign. I am very proud of every bit of it! And I did it all by just being myself and that was the best gift God has given me. To embrace that and be happy with just being me.

Miss Teen USA or bust!! :)

Hi Everyone!

This will be my last posting before leaving for Miss Teen USA 2008 on Tuesday Aug 12th! The National pageant will be held in the Bahamas at the Atlantis Resort Aug 12-16th and I can hardly wait!!

This has been the most incredible year of my life and I am hoping that this will be a truly positive experience for me at the National pageant!! I have been preparing for this pageant all year and feel that I could not be any more ready than I am right now!

My heart is running over with so much love and appreciation for all of you my dear friends and family! The love and encouragement you each have shown to me during this year has been a huge blessing in my life and has left me with so much hope, joy, and fullfillment like nothing else.

I do not know what the future holds, but I do trust the One who does and can make all things possible for me! My motto has always been "everything happens for a reason" and I believe this is true. So whatever happens at Nationals will be well with my soul. I promise to go and do my very best and represent Michigan in a very positive and refreshing way!

I would like to thank each of you for allowing me to share with you the exciting adventures I have had during this reign as your Miss Michigan Teen USA 2008 . . . it has been my priviledge to represent our beautiful state with integrity, style, class, and a heart of gratitude!

I will write a report of my travels and pageant experience when I return from the Bahamas!

Until then . . . .

Thank you for your support! May the Lord bless and keep you!

Much love,

Elizabeth Anne Hawthorne

Miss Michigan Teen USA 2008

Saluting the Coast Guard!! :)

Three-quarters of a MILLION people were expected to visit Grand Haven, MI for the conclusion of the week long Coast Guard Grand Parade and Festival on Saturday, August 2nd! I don't know what the final count was, but it sure was crowded and absolutely wonderful!!! Grand Haven is known as Coast Guard City USA and every year it honors the Coast Guard with a week long festival and activities.

I lived in Grand Haven for 10 years and attended school there from K-8th grades before moving to the Clarkston area! It was so wonderful to be back home again! The pier was even more beautiful than I remembered! And the Lord blessed us with perfect weather for a parade and the firework display later in the evening! Celebrating the Coast Guard has always been fun as I had returned every year while we lived there, but to attend this year as Miss Michigan Teen USA 2008 was truly an honor for me! I have made the most of every opportunity during this reign and this Festival parade was no exception!

The parade was televised on both TV 4 and Wood TV-8 News and I hope to get a copy othe Grand parade soon!! To see several of my former teachers and classmates, in the crowd yelling out my name and waving to me was an incredible feeling!! I felt like a real celebrity and I loved every minute of it!!

The pararde lasted for a few hours, but it went by so fast and I want to do it all over again! :)