Whirlwind of a Week!

Hey Folks!

I have had such an amazing and stressful and crazy week! I hope this post isn’t too long and filled with tangents, but I have had a blast!

On a personal health level, my week has been hectic. Sunday night I had a dental emergency which led to me having to take the day off work Monday, have an emergency dental appointment, see a specialist, and schedule periodontal surgery. Not fun. Not fun at all.

Luckily, everything else this week has been great! I have been working toward my physical fitness goals thanks to Christina Phillips, my Beachbody Coach. I have had a few volunteer appearances, been finalizing plans for platform appearances, as well as setting up new events. I have been contacted by and have reached out to numerous news outlets about interviews. My Miss New York preparation has been underway, including talent rehearsals, headshots, gown fittings, shopping for other wardrobe pieces and more! I have also made a conscious effort to educate myself further on my personal platform, developing new workshops, gathering new materials, and compiling resources for others. More on all of this in a bit, but first, I wanted to highlight some other things that have been happening:

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There’s a new Outstanding Teen in town!

What a fun and busy day!
I had such a splendid time emceeing the Little Miss Mohawk Valley Pageant this morning and the Mohawk Valley Talent Showcase and Miss Mohawk Valley’s Outstanding Teen Competition this afternoon!

For those of you who couldn’t make it, the Little Miss Mohawk Valley Fundraiser Pageant was held in Gloversville at the Kingsborough Elementary School. Although there were a few bumps in the technology (darn you cassette player!!), the pageant ended up a great success. The Miss Mohawk Valley Organization awarded four titles to area youth!

Congratulations to the wonderful additions to the Miss Mohawk Valley Family:

  • Miss Mohawk Valley’s Sweetheart (ages 3-5): Azaria Hayes
  • Little Miss Mohawk Valley (ages 6-9): Emma Maret
  • Junior Miss Mohawk Valley (ages 10-13): Lillian Lighthall
  • Teen Miss Mohawk Valley (ages 14-17): Kathleen Martin
Miss Mohawk Valley 2015 Court

Miss Mohawk Valley 2015 Court

These young ladies are encouraged to assist and appear in the Miss Mohawk Valley 2015 Pageant in one month, work alongside the new Miss Mohawk Valley and Miss Mohawk Valley’s Outstanding Teen, and serve their communities!

1540409_639715944054_6206028186428306021_oAfter a lunch break, we returned for the Mohawk Valley Youth Talent Showcase. We had over 17 acts take the stage at Kingsborough and it was a TOUGH competition! There were many dancers, from several different dance studios including Sue Sanford’s School of Dance. I want to give a special shoutout to Sue, or Miss Suzy as her girls call her, for not only encouraging her students to come compete, but also offering her dance studio to be used for the Miss Mohawk Valley contestant workshop next month. The Sanford School of Dance will also be providing entertainment between phases of competition at the Miss pageant!

The Talent Showcase had three different categories: Group, 12 and Under Solo, and 13 and Over.

Sanford’s School of Dance took both Runner up and First Place for the Group category. The winners were an adorable hip hop group who brought SO much sass to the show!

For the 12 and Under category, Hailee Waddle placed as second, with Jilllian Botch coming in First place!

Our 13 and Over category placed Tazdyn Francisco as second place and Willow Johnson took home First place!

The Miss Mohawk Valley’s Outstanding Teen Competition is judged solely on a talent performance by young ladies ages 13-17 who choose to enter. This year, five contestants from around the Mohawk Valley competed for this coveted title and the chance to compete at Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen this April.

Our five contestants were:

  • Savannah Koval
  • Christina McLaughlin
  • Alexis Conti
  • Kimberly Sargalis
  • Kathleen Martin

Christina earned 2nd runner up and Lexy earned 1st runner up.

Congratulations to Savannah Koval, Miss Mohawk Valley’s Outstanding Teen 2015!

Me, Christina, Savannah, Lexy, and Olivia

Me, Christina, Savannah, Lexy, and Olivia

Savannah will be officially crowned at the Miss Mohawk Valley 2015 Pageant by Olivia Rose Smith, Miss Mohawk Valley’s Outstanding Teen 2014. On April 10-12, she will also be competing in Saratoga Springs for the title of Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen. I wish her the best of luck!

In total, these two competitions raised $750 for the Miss Mohawk Valley Scholarship Fund! Furthermore, one of the judges, Julie, has also started a Thirty-One fundraiser for the scholarship fund. 20-25% of all proceeds from sales until March 13 will be donated! Please check it out! All you have to do it shop like you normally would, then select the Miss Mohawk Valley Scholarship Fundraiser for the party! For more pictures from the events today, please check out the Miss Mohawk Valley Facebook Album.

After the show, I drove through a wonderful northeast snow storm back to Queensbury where I did an awesome workout, “Dirty 30.” Christina Phillips is my BeachBody Coach- and I am so happy she is sponsoring me on my lifestyle and fitness journey. I have been following a strict nutritional regime and intense workouts for 7 days thus far. I am down 2.5 pounds and am feeling stronger and healthier already! The program I am doing is called 21 Day Fix Extreme Countdown to Competition, but there are SO many different BeachBody options! P90X, T25, 21 Day Fix, Insanity, and more! No matter how long you have or what your fitness goals are, BeachBody has something for you. Definitely like Christina’s page and get in contact with her about starting down your path to a healthier, happier you! 🙂

That’s all for now folks!

Warm Regards,

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Story Hour & The Ilion Days Pageant

Hey Folks,

I’ve been up to a few events I wanted to let you all know about. 🙂

On July 10 I helped out at the Frankfort Free Library Story Hour and on July 12 I emceed the Ilion Days Pageant. Take a look for more information, pictures, and what’s coming up in my life as Miss Mohawk Valley!

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Paint it Forward

Hi Folks,

This post is going to be a quick recap of an event that I attended on Tuesday. I was asked to come to a “Paint it Forward” night at a local VFW and I happily obliged. All proceeds from this event went to help homeless veterans in our community.

Getting ready to paint!

Getting ready to paint!

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Diamonds!

Hey All!

Once again I’ve had a fantastically busy weekend! Thursday through Sunday I had a packed schedule full of fundraisers, community parties, a musical, a parade and festival, and a celebration! It was a great, long, weekend but I am so happy to be able to represent the Mohawk Valley as a public servant! First, I want to tell you all about the Diamonds in the Rough event held at the 205 Lounge in Albany on Thursday, June 19. Continue reading

Events Galore!

Hi folks!

I’m so sorry for not keeping you up to date with my slew of events, appearances, and fundraising ventures. I’ve been extra busy working full time, all these Pride (and other) events, and being without a car, so blogging has taken the back burner a bit! Fear not my dearest Mohawk Valley-ans, I shall recap the last few weeks. 🙂

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