Busy as a Bee!

And as I promised...this would be a very busy October. I have been out and about busy between school and being Miss NJ Teen, but it has been a blast thus far!

Since my last outing at Miss New Jersey Teen USA, I was given the opportunity to meet the mayor of my hometown of Cranford, Mr. Mark Smith. What an honor and a privilege to meet and speak with such a dignified individual. We were able to have a short meeting, and boy was it fun! We talked about everything from CHS football to winning that Ford Mustang at Nationals in California! The Deputy Mayor, Mrs. Martha Garcia was able to join us as well. She even gave me some inside tips about PR, my academic major. This was such a wonderful opportunity that my title had opened up for me!

Mayor Mark Smith, me, and Deputy Mayor Martha Garcia

In front of the Municipal Building :)

The next day, I went to the Special Olympic's Wellness Carnival! It wasn't my first time volunteering for this organization and it definitely will not be my last. If never fails to amaze me how talented and truly special each person is that is involved with this organization. The event was held at their headquarters in Lawrenceville. I was in charge of the "Crazy Hat", which proved to be very challenging, but fun nonetheless.

Working the Crazy Hat!

I even ran into fellow Cranford residents, the Curci's (I graduated high school with his older sister, Nicole!).

Brian Curci and I!

Also a big shout out to my new friends Allyson and Cami! I had a great time volunteering with you ladies. Welcome to the SONJ volunteering team :)

Me, Allyson, and Cami

After that I hopped right back into the car and was off to my fitting for the Cohen's Fashion Optical Colored Contact event! I never had contacts before, so the visit was quite interesting to say the least! I am so happy to be a model at the event! Stay tuned to find out what color I will be wearing modeling :)

The next weekend I was booked to model for New York International Bridal Week by Interlude Couture. What a thrill! Thank you to PV Solutions and Kimberly Triani for presenting me with the opportunity! Who knew that standing in 5 inch heels for 9 hours could be so hard? HAHA! I had a great time and was able to network unbelievably! Check out a few pictures from the event...

With the Interlude Rep, Adam

After a long day on my feet. Still smiling!!!

Nationals will be here before I know it! I have officially started the countdown...33 DAYS! I can't wait.

Stay tuned! There are more exciting things happening this weekend!

I will leave you with one of my favorites by Audrey Hepburn:

"The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul."

All My Love,
Melissa

Octoberfest!

No, no...not that Octoberfest. In my house we call it Octoberfest because it gets crazy busy around here! Not only is NAM Nationals a little over a month away, but my calendar is filled to the brim with community service, fashion shows, meeting government officials, and most importantly school work! I wish I could get paid to be a juggler, because I have got this whole juggling thing down to a "T". 

Yesterday, my sister queens and I had the opportunity to help out at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's "Light the Night" Walk in Princeton. Not only was it a beautiful fall evening, but they also had a beautiful ceremony dedicated to those living with blood cancers. Did you know that approximately 21,840 deaths in the United States will be attributed to leukemia in 2010 (12,660 males and 9,180 females)? Thank you to the wonderful LLS that helps to raise money towards research and an eventual cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma. 


I just want to send out a big thank you to Evelyn McCleod (America's Mrs. 2010) for helping to coordinate this event. We even ran into Mrs. New Jersey United States, Claire Pavlinec.

NAM Girls with Claire Pavlinec, Mrs. NJ United States

I walk to find a cure!

All of the girls and I with our lighted balloons! 

Next up was Miss New Jersey Teen USA! I think as titleholders it is our responsibility to visit other pageants and cheer on our fellow pageant girls, some of whom I have been competing along side of since I was 12 years old! The Miss USA Pageant never fails to put on an awesome show and the New Jersey State Pageant was no exception.

The lights were glowing, the heels were high, and the energy was through the roof! Only one lucky lady got to walk away with the title and it went to Savannah Schechter, our new Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2011! 

Savannah Schechter, Miss NJ Teen USA 2011, and I!

It would be very inane of me if I did not mention some of my favorite pageant buddies who also competed this weekend: Congrats to Christina Monello (my predecessor), Emily Shah, and Katarina Kneer (who also won the Photogenic Award) for making top 15! I'm so proud of you ladies! I had an awesome time and even got to catch up with my beautiful Jr. Teen Sister Queen, Jeanine. Love ya girl!

Sister Queens <3

Emily Shah (Top 15 Finalist) and I.
(I actually sold Emily her beautiful Sherri Hill Pageant
gown from my place of employment, Ultimate Fashions!
Check us out on www.ultfash.com)

Before I sign off I want to leave you all with a quote. I will continue to do this after every blog. I hope you read them and enjoy them, but most importantly I hope you can take a small tidbit of it to get you through the week:

This quote is also to pay tribute to five young men who took their lives in the past month due to anti-gay bullying...RIP.

"Never be bullied into silence.  Never allow yourself to be made a victim.  Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself."  ~Harvey Fierstein

All My Love,

Melissa

Hello World!

Hey everyone! Well after successfully learning how to create, design, and post, I have now established my new blog! I cannot wait for you to join me on my adventures as your newly crowned Miss New Jersey Teen 2010-2011 for the National American Miss Pageant System!

It has been exactly 30 days since I have been crowned, and I must say it has been a whirlwind! From setting up appearances, to going back to school, to working on my latest service project with Habitat for Humanity, I have had such great experiences and its only my first month.

Just six days after being crowned I was able to set-up an appearance for me and my sister queens to participate in: the South Plainfield Labor Day Parade! It was a beautiful day to kick off the school year and say our last goodbyes to the summer season. It was great to see everyone's reaction when me, Cielo (Miss NJ Jr. Preteen) and Kayla (Miss NJ Preteen) drove throughout the town on a beautiful Mustang Convertible (thanks Mr. Camacho!).  Check out some photos from the event!

Charlie's Angels Pose

Then nearly days after that Team New Jersey was back at it again! This time Kayla (Miss NJ Preteen) and Shereen (Miss NJ Preteen Covergirl), and I walked a 2K for the Love Hope Strength Foundation in their Rock and Run Walkathon. It was a pristine day and it was very rewarding to walk for this special cause that supports children with cancer. We had a great time walking and we looked awesome in our matching National American Miss t-shirts!  

It was the Preteen's idea to steal the police cart!

We ran into two Union County Freeholders who were there at the event!

Later that evening I participated in a fashion show for Mandee's at the Mandee's store in Ramsey. I had a great time getting dolled up and walking down the runway in the newest fall fashions! I even got a chance to catch up with my favorite pageant family...the Kneers! I have known them since my very first pageant ever back in 2003! Hanging out with Katarina while we got our hair and makeup done was a blast. Its great to get some chit-chat in there when we get a chance...we are always busy! I just want to thank a few people who made this event possible: Thank you to Mandee's of Ramsey for an evening of fun and fashion; thank you to Straight A Head Salon of Ramsey for providing the models with hair and makeup; and thank you to Tami from Elite Rhythms Entertainment for setting up the event and for the rockin' DJ!

Katarina and I!

Me and some of the other models

Workin' the runway!

I ended up buying the entire outfit! Thanks Mandee's!

Stay tuned for more blog entries and events to be posted! There are many exciting events left to share!

Crowns and Kisses,

Melissa