Young Person of The Year Award !! :)

On Thursday morning, May 22nd, I attended a lovely breakfast held at the Deer Lake Athletic Club in Clarkston to recieve the "Young Person Of The Year" award!! This award is from the Clarkston Chamber of Commerce and the Community Awards are given during Michigan Week! I recieved a letter in early May that I had been nominated for this award by people in the community that knew of my volunteer work here in Clarkston and other Oakland county communities as well. It was truly an honor to recieve this award and one that I will always treasure.

In my thank you there was soooooooooooooooooo much I wanted to say but didn't. I wanted everyone to know that when I began volunteering when I was 12 years old and even now I never thought about winning awards for volunteering because it is something I am passionate about. I simply volunteer to help others and it comes straight from my heart. I always try to be a blessing to others, but I am the one who walks away blessed with more blessings than my heart can hold!!

If you are not volunteering I hope that you will at some point in time. It does take time and I know how busy life can get. But I can't think of anything that is more fulfilling.

There were several other award winners as well and I enjoyed hearing how they volunteer in our beautiful community too. Congratulations to all of them! :)

After the breakfast we watched a video of all the winners and heard their stories of volunteering including mine. We were each given beautiful framed certificates signed by various city and state leaders, , plaques, and a copy of the video which I think is a really nice momento for each winner. It was a very special morning for me and my parents! I hope that I am a positive role model to others, of all ages, and that others will begin volunteering too!

Todd Killen's photoshoot! :)

I just wanted to share with everyone a few photos from a photoshoot that was done back in January with Todd Killen (former Waterford, MI resident!!) when I was in Nashville, TN for training! I LOVE all of these pictures and I hope that you will enjoy them too!

New York City's NOF Silhoutte Gala Ball !! :)

Back in January I was told I was invited to attend the National Osteoporosis Foundation's Silhoutte Gala Ball Event held each year in New York City!! I was so excited and I could hardly wait!!

Finally, on Friday morning, May 16th I boarded a plane and flew to JFK airport, with my parents, to attend the presitgious award dinner! We were picked up by a private car company and were driven in a town car to the Waldorf Astoria! I could live like this everyday!! :)

We arrived in NYC in the afternoon and we were driven to the beautiful Waldorf Astoria Hotel!! It was beyond any words I could find to describe it!! The history of this hotel is unbelieveable! Did you know that the Dutch & and Dutchess of Windsor lived there for two years? The lobby had elaborate paintings, architecture, and marble floors just to mention a few features! The center clock stands on a pedestal and is over nine feet tall. It is supposed to chime every half hour, but chimed whenever it felt like it!! I couldn't help but laugh!

We had left so early to catch the plane that we didn't eat breakfast so we ventured out into downtown NYC to find a bite to eat. We got caught in a downpour of rain. Our umbrella was still packed in our lugguage and we couldn't get to it until we were allowed in our room at 3pm. People were everywhere in the streets of NYC. The billboards were awesome and the taxi's were constantly honking . . . and I LOVED everything about it! The "city that never sleeps" did not disappoint me whatsoever!! :)

After we got into the room we started getting ready for the Ball. My dad wore a tux and mom wore a long navy blue gown with lots of beadwork on it (I picked it out for her) and I wore my turquoise teared gown with lots of Swarvorski crystals, my crown, and sash! We headed downstairs and I was so happy to see all my new friends from NOF that I had met face to face in February when I visited their headquarters!! We had VIP pictures taken and I met some absolutely incredible people!! One guest that I met was one of the first astronauts to ever walk on the moon and his name is Buzz Aldron! I met Lesley Stahl a correspondent from the 60 Minutes TV show who was the Mistress of Ceremonies for the Ball this year although I was not able to have a photo taken with her at her request. I also met Rep Rogers a retired Senator and this year's "Strong Women Stand Tall Award" winner Grace Palmer. Mrs. Palmer is 81 years young and she volunteers M-F at various places while living with osteoporosis!! Her nickname is "Amazing Grace" and I can see why! She was very sweet and I hope that I will be as active as she is when I am 81!! :) I had heard that Mr. Donald Trump was also invited to the event (he just lives up the street a few blocks) but he did not attend. He is a very busy man. But maybe next year!?

The dinner was very good although I cannot pronounce half of the food that was served! While we ate we were entertained by three young guys called "The Three Waiters." They were extremely talented singers and hysterically funny. I just about spit my food out because I was laughing so hard!! They sang opera as soloists, duets, and a trio and they recieved a standing ovation! I could have listened to them all night.

After dinner the presentations began and I was introduced as the official Teen Ambassador for the National Osteoporosis Foundation! I am the only teen in the country working with this organization (or this platform that I know of). It is difficult to describe the wave of emotions that came over me. What an honor to stand up and be recognized, but more than that just knowing that I am involved with a national organization that is helping others felt extremely gratifying. I am very honored and humbled to be working with such an awesome group of people!!

After dinner, the dancing began, but we went up to our rooms as we had been up very early and we needed to rest and gear up for Saturday and Sunday to see as much of NYC as possible!

Saturday we went to Rockafellar Plaza, Times Square, Central Park, and even saw Trump Towers (at least the outside)!! We shopped everywhere and even went to Macy's (9 floors of shopping ~ pure Heaven) where the Macy's New Years Parade is held every year. On Sunday we took the subway (very interesting and I did see a rat) to Battery Park so we could see the Statue of Liberty. We did not go to Ellis Island this trip because we didn't have the whole day to spend as we had to fly back to Michigan. We walked out on the Brooklyn Bridge and took in as many things as we could. There was one part of the trip that I will never forget. We went to Ground Zero where the two Towers were hit by the terrorists on Sept 11, 2001. The emotions that I felt were quite surprising to me as this event happened so long ago. I felt very angry and profoundly sad. Every tear that fell to the ground was in honor of our lost ones on that fateful day. I also felt very proud to be an American too. I could see that the work continues at Ground Zero. I understand that construction has started to make some kind of memorial. I plan to see the finished work one day when it is completed.

I am planning to return to NYC to take in a Broadway play! I felt right at home in NYC walking on Park Ave, and Broadway, and all over the place!! I can very easily see myself living there without any problems! New York City is definitely "my kind of town!!" I even bought a sweatshirt that says I (heart) NY!

To attend the 13th Annual Gala Awards Dinner Dance in NYC at the Waldorf Astoria this year during my reign as Miss Michigan Teen USA is a night I will forever cherish and one of the biggest highlights of this special year! I was once told that being 17 is not a special year like "sweet sixteen" or turning 18 or 21 . . . but I beg to differ! I have the best life of any 17 year old that I know! I am truly blessed!! :)

True Beauty!

On April 18 & 19th I was asked to be the guest speaker at a Christian Retreat for Jr and Sr. high school girls. My mom and I traveled about 5 hours to Indiana to spend some quality time with a group of amazing young girls! There were about 40 girls in attendance. They were so much fun and to think they are all my sister-in-Christ is mind blowing!

The weekend was spent learning about True Beauty and what it really is. What is true beauty???? I think that true beauty comes from within. It is how you feel about yourself and present that to the world!! How you give of your heart and volunteer service to others, your integrity, and pure heart. It is not about hair or eye color, or height, or weight, or fancy clothes, or perfect make-up. It is all about knowing who you are in Christ!!! It is that simple! He sees us so differently than how we see ourselves!

Friday night we heard a sermon by Pastor Billy Holden about how we treat others. And how we respond to others who are different than we are. He literally duct taped a man to a chair. His ankles and hands were bound. His ears, eyes, and mouth too. He was like that for almost 50 minutes, but the hardest part was watching him be "tortured" by Pastor Billy. The taped man was slapped, hit, and had a chair smahed over him. It was very upsetting to watch and it was getting hotter by the minute in the "sanctuary" area. Everyone was getting nervous, but it turned out fine and the duct taped man was not injured. It was definitely a sermon I will never forget. It made me think how we torture ourselves at times too.

On Saturday, the guys and girls had seperate agendas. The guys played sports and talked about guy issues. We girls had 3 different speakers on different subjects: inner beauty, purity, modesty. Then we were pampered with hair, make-up, and spa stations to visit. It was fun and I enjoyed sharing with the girls hair and make-up tips. After we were pampered, I was the final speaker of the weekend. I was asked to tie it all together. I was also asked to share with the girls how I deal with peer pressure on a daily basis. How do I view myself? How do I handle the pressure of always having to be "beautiful" when I may not feel like it? And boyfriend issues too.

I spoke to the girls honestly and shared with them that I waited until my 16th birthday for my first kiss. I think they were kind of floored!! : ) But it's true! I wanted to be able to say "Sweet Sixteen and Never Been Kissed" and I am glad I waited!!! : ) I shared how when I am dating someone I let them know right away that I will only hold hands, hug, and kiss. Anything further than that will not happen with me. If they are looking for sex they have the wrong girl. I want to be able to wait for my wedding night.

I shared with the girls that EVERY girl has to deal with self image problems. Even pageant girls including me. When I was 12 years old, I was already 5'8" tall with long red hair and very white skin. My nickname was "Clifford the Big Red Dog" and it really hurt. I thought I was ugly and too different. I had very few friends, didn't fit in, and didn't like myself at all. When I really stopped to learn that it is not the outside that makes us who we are, but the inside, I started to like myself. I began to develop a positive attitude about being unique and different. For me, it has made all the difference! When I truly embraced who I am my life got better and better!! My confidence in myself grew and I realized that I have alot to offer others, and the world, by just being myself! I think once you accept yourself your true beauty will really shine through!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I am sure you have heard this before. We girls were divided into groups and were told to cut out physical features from magazine models to "perfect" a true beauty and glue them on a sheet of paper!! No one could agree on what beauty was and the pictures were hilarious because nothing was symmetrical and the "models" couldn't have been uglier. All we could do was laugh, but it was a great lesson to see that beauty to one person is different for another.

I would like to thank Pastor Mandy Holden for inviting me to speak to these girls. It was such a blessing and honor to be a part of something that was so special!! I think the girls appreciated all the hard work and effort that went into making this weekend all about them! The make-overs were amazing and Pastor Mandy put her whole heart into doing something extra nice for the youth group and speaking so eloquently herself about waiting until marriage for sex!

Many of these girls still write to me through myspace and facebook and text me too! I am so blessed to have all these new friends!

At the conclusion of of one session, each of us recieved a piece of paper marking our promise to wait until we are married to become sexually involved. It was a commitment card and I have it taped inside my Bible! It was a great weekend and I hope that lives have been changed forever and that these amazing girls will know that their true beauty comes from within!

Women helping Women !! :)

On Saturday, May 3, 2008 I attended the Women Helping Women Luncheon & Fashion Show to help benefit the homeless women and their children at Grace Centers of Hope, a shelter for the homeless, which is located in Pontiac, MI. For one and a half years I volunteered at Grace in the Soup Kitchen and it was such a blessing to see a few residents of the shelter that I had worked with!

Many supporters came out to attend this wonderful event! It was such a blessing to be invited! I greeted the guests at the door and distributed program books. The event was hosted by three lovely women: Ruth Spencer an anchor from Local 4 News and known as "Ruth To The Rescue" because she does a special segment where she helps consumers find solutions tot heir complaints about businesses, products, or services. Doris Briscoe also hosted. She was a former anchor for WXYZ-TV/ Channel 7 News, but now owns her own Communications company. The last host was Teresa Tomeo who is an author and Syndicated Catholic talk show host. The three of them worked very well together and were very humorous! They kept things light and funny!

The first part of the event was a silent auction and the gifts were amazing!! I wish I could have bid on several of the prizes! But my favorite part of the event was seeing the women and their children from the shelter actually model in the Fashion Show!! The clothes were from the Somerset Collection from the Somerset Mall in Troy, MI.

Over seven hundred people attended this event and raised over $45,000 in a few short hours through all of the donations! It was a huge success and the women and children will benefit greatly from everyone's generosity! :)