A Year In The Life Of Miss Ohio USA 2010

This Is It.........No Turning Back Now

2010-04-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

There were a lot of final preparations this week I had leading up to my departure. On Wednesday was my final track practice with St. Clement. I was sad to be leaving and to be missing their championship meet but they all worked very hard and knew they would be fine without me. I also had a Saks 5th runway show with a bunch of my New View friends. I was so happy to see them before I left and to hear them all wish me good luck.

That leaves me to today. I now have 2 days till I leave and I had much going on. I woke up this morning to head up to Catan's in northern Ohio to pick up my finished Miss USA gown! I was so happy to finally have it! It was that moment I truly realized this was all really happening; I was competing for Miss USA!!!!!!! I had to hurry back home to meet Deb, Melissa, Chester, and others at Deb's studio for a final farewell and to go through Deb's clothes and accessoriesto take with me to Vegas! Deb gave me so much cool stuff (about 5 different outfits) and a ton of jewelry. But my favorite were these multi colored boots! I also modeled both my evening gowns for everyone and they just took everyone's breath away!

Finally Melissa had a pretty cool surprise for me. I came out after changing and there on the table was a Barbie made to look like me with a crown on her head (her hair was pulled back in a ponytail too!) Found out the crown was actually a ring each of us-Bridget, Rima, and Catherine- were given. Also the Rima, Bridget, and Catherine barbies were there also! I absolutley loved it! It was so nice seeing my training team one last time! Melissa, Chester, and Deb- I love you so much, you've really transformed me! I can't wait to go and compete for all of us!!!!

Things Are Falling In Place

2010-04-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

I saw my director Melissa for the final time today before leaving for nationals. We met up at the Cheesecake Factory in Kenwood for a nice lunch. While eating Melissa had a surprise for me. My Stefanie Somers earrings had come in! But Stefanie didn't just make me one pair- but 2! (One for Evening gown and the other for interview) They are just breathtaking! After lunch it was time to do some final shopping for Vegas inside the mall. Melissa took me to several of her favorite shops. I was most disappointed with Lucky Brand Jeans because they didn't even have jeans long enough for me! (a pair of awesome jeans were one of the things Melissa really wanted me to get) We then went to J. Crew but weren't really successful. After that we went to the Limited where we did find quite a few things! I got my Miss USA registration outfit there (a teal romper and white blazer jacket). I also got a nice rehearsal outfit too! I was having so much fun shopping with Melissa! We quickly stopped at Aldo to pick up my Miss USA gown competition shoes and buy a nice high heel strappy sandal for all my new outfits.

When I finally said goodbye to Melissa (I'd see her in Vegas soon enough!), it was time to pick up my alternate Miss USA gown from the alterations shop. Everything is starting to come together!

The Women's Luncheon

2010-04-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

I was honored with being the special guest at the St. Bernard Women's Club luncheon and fashion show. My great aunt Gertie is a member and I brought along with me my Mom, Grandma, Adria, great aunt Rose, great aunt Kitty, and many other relatives. I arrived to sign a bunch of autographs and take many pictures. I quickly had to eat lunch and then change for the show. There were also a bunch of other ladies in the show- some member, others were daughters and granddaughters of members. While getting ready a lady came and stopped by to accessorise us with some jewelry that she sold. She found out that I was Miss Ohio USA and immediately told me she would love for me to pick out one of her pieces to take and wear at Miss USA. I was so shocked and excited! I picked out a beautiful long necklace.

I was the final lady to hit the runway (the finale) and when my name was called all the ladies stood up and clapped for me! I truly felt like a star! At the end of my walk I was given a gorgeous bouquet! It was my final appearance as Miss Ohio USA before Miss USA. And also one of my favorites!

Final Touch Ups

2010-04-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

This is now day 2 of my final training weekend with Melissa and my sisters. We woke up bright and early to meet at New View to work with Chester, Joe, and Deb on final touch ups on walking and a practice run through with interviews. Walking went very good (Thanks Kent!) and now it was time for interview. We actually had a real panel of 5 judges (Deb and Joe being 2 of them) and we did two 4 minute interviews, just like how it would be at Miss USA. I must say I was a bit nervous and I was the 1st one to go. All in all it went rather well and I was happy my turn was over and I could just sit back and relax with Rima, Bridget, and Catherine took their turn.
Afterwards Rima and I had a last minute refresher on American history and law. It felt like we were being asked questions from the show "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" I must say we did a pretty good job answering the questions!

It was now 3pm and I had to hurry up and leave to get back home and get ready for my Miss USA send off party at St. Bernard City Hall. St. Bernard businesses sponsored the event and put the word out to the whole city to be invited to come down and wish me luck. I arrived at the Municipal Building that was decorated with flowers and right away noticed my very own lifelike cardboard cut out of myself after winning the Miss Ohio crown. I must say it is the coolest thing ever! There was also a buffet of food and 2 different cakes- 1 Vegas themed with a tiara on top and the other a St. Bernard colored cake. I was so excited to see my friends amd family come down and support me! I was given countless cards wishing me luck and my track team even put a shirt together saying "Amanda RUNS for the crown!" Several politicians came to- Steve Driehaus, Steve Chabot, and Alicia Reese. They each gave me Proclamations congradulating me on my success thus far.

We ended the night of course none other than watching my state pageant video. Right before it was time to go Channel 5 stopped by and even interviewed me! After that night I truly felt like going and capturing that crown for my beautiful state and my wonderful city of St. Bernard!

PAR-TAY!

2010-04-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to have my hair trimmed one last time before Miss USA. I went to go see Michael at Salon Bastille and he did a wonderful job as always! Later on I had to go get ready for my sponsor going away party at Hugo's. Rima, Bridget, and Catherine had come down for our final training week with Melissa. Lots of people came to our little party including Kim, Chester, Joe, Rob Williams, Judge Mallory, and several former Miss Ohio judges. We had a great time mingling with all the guests but the queens started to feel just a little hungry...

Once the party was over we headed back to Melissa's to go over some videos and eat! We watched a couple behind the scenes at Miss USA videos and Miss Teen USA 2008. But by far the coolest thing we saw was Melissa's office with all the former Miss Ohio and Michigan pictures and trophies. It was pretty crazy seeing our pictures hanging up!!!!!!! It was now 1am and time to head home to get some rest for tomorrow's long training day!

Work That Hair!

2010-04-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Dancing with Bootsy!

Judging!

I took my Mom with me tonight to the Paul Mitchell Academy Fashion Show and benefit where I had been asked to judge. I arrived at the the Oakley Theatre and met my fellow judges. Also saw Deb and did a couple photo ops with her. The place was becoming packed and soon thw show was about to start. The emcee was Bootsy Collins and his wife and they did a fantastic job! The actually competition was fierce as well and it was so hard to pick a favorite hairstyle and performance. The theme was around the world and there were about 50 different models. The hair literally looked like pieces of art (one was Austraila's Opera House!) But the 3 winners were 3 of my favorites- 1st place was an Amazon flower, 2nd was an American Flag, and 3rd was an Army soldier. I had an absolute blast- especially getting up and dancing with Bootsy!!! "FUNK YEAH!"

A Day With My Mommy!

2010-04-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today I had a full schedule with an early workout with Adam and then I went to Kenzie's Closet to volunteer once again. We met up with Deb who took a few photos of me helping the girls. My mom and I were set up at the jewelry station to help accessorize the girls for their prom. It was a blast and my mom had a great time!

Right after that I had to go straight to TJ Maxx to be fitted and pick out my outfit for the St. Bernard Women's Club Luncheon and Fashion Show. It was a lot of fun picking out what I wanted to wear and it was so inexpensive, I decided to buy it! Finally mu mom and I were so hungry we stopped at Ruby Tuesday's for a quick meal before heading home from a very long day!!

Billy Jean

2010-04-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

I modeled early this morning with Smartbargains.com for their website. I shot in several different suits, dresses, and even a cute Juicy Couture nightie. Its funny because the pictures will only be from my chin down, so you won't see my face. It was a fun shoot- the photographer and stylist were awesome! We listened to Michael Jackson hits and I was only there for 2 hours. Not to bad!

We are RB!

2010-04-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

I had a fun day today with my Mom and Adria because we went to Florence Mall and did a little bit of shopping! I got several things at JC Penny, I saved over $150! We then got some lunch and went to the Donkey T's t-shirt shop that sells really funny T's. I got 3 for Vegas (One saying "Free Pete", the other "Looking like a fool with your pants on the ground!", and the other of a St. Bernard dog that says "Never Forget")

We had to head back home early because I had an event tonight. It was for Roger Bacon's Evening for Excellence and I was asked to greet people and mingle with the guests. The theme was the Kentucky Derby and I wore one of the outfits I bought today with a big black sun hat. I thought I looked perfect for the part and ready to go to the Derby! It was a fun night and great seeing all my fellow alumni's!

Shoot with Robin!

2010-04-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today I got to test shoot with my friend Robin Mckerrell! She is an amazing photographer and has been working with New View for a little while as a teacher. I have modeled with her several times also! New View is coming out with their summer promotions and wanted me to be in the ads. Robin shoots very natural and so I wore little to no makeup with my hair pulled back. We shot 3 different looks: one being a black oversized sweatshirt (unzipped to show my 6 pack haha) and black leggings, then a leopard bathing suit with oversized gray knit, and finally a black beater with jean shorts. It was an interesting shoot and hope the pics turn out amazing! I honestly can't wait to see them and hope I can add them to my book!

A Cincinnati Tradition

2010-04-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today MLB officially begins! It's the Cincinnati Red's Opening Day! I actually have the honor of walking out the game ball to the pitching mound and I can't believe this is really happening. Today was suppose to be a long, stressful day a lot of rushing around. I woke up at 6am to put on my Miss Ohio Red's jersey and get ready for my first interview at 8am at Gameworks for ESPN 1530. It was a 14 minute interview and a lot of fun! We had to rush out of there to get to the ballpark for another interview with FOX19.

I then had to hurry up to get ready for the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. I met up with George Grande and Bronson Arroyo and we took a limo to the starting line of the parade. As soon as we stepped out, masses of people were around us and all of them wanted Bronson's autograph. It was pretty funny! They took us into the market, inside a shop where security surrounded us and people weren't allowed in. It was nice to get to know George and Bronson, and both of them were really great guys! We then were told we needed to get to our cars and line up for the parade. I had a pretty red Ford convertible and was right behind Bronson in the lineup. A lot of kids came up to me before we started and had me sign baseballs and take pictures. Darla (a fellow Cracker Barrel employee) and her 2 granddaughters were waiting for me by my car. It was so great to see her! The parade soon began and I had a ton of fun!

Mu family then met me at Gate 3 and it was time to head up and get our seats. I was given 4 tickets by the 3rd baseline and 4 rows away from the field. My mom, Bubba, and John sat with me and my Dad and Uncle Eddie sat in the season ticket seats. It soon was time to go onto the field for the opening ceremonies and I was allowed to take 3 other people, so I took my Mom, Bubba, and John with me (They had been with me all day through this stress). I met several people down on the field: Bill Ultect, Ted Strickland, and Bob Castellini. All of them were great!

When it was my turn to deliver the ball I stood with Gapper, Mr. Redlegs, and Rosie Red and then it was my turn to strut my stuff to the mound! The rush was amazing! My heart was beating fast and the stands were packed! It was pretty cool to be that close to the players and seeing my face on the scoreboard! Now I had time to enjoy myself and watch the game! People right away recognized me in the stands and would talk to me automatically. I had such a great time! Even though my Red's lost... The day was beautiful and very relaxing. I must say I needed that!

Easter- Spring Has Sprung!

2010-04-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone!!!!!! I can't believe spring is already here and Miss USA is right around the corner. I celebrated this morning by helping my niece Adria find Easter eggs in the backyard hidden by the Easter Bunny. Later on my Mom made a delicious early dinner of ham, pork loin, corn, green beans, pasta, and toast. The day seemed to just to go by, as do most days on my Road to Vegas!

Lady in Red

2010-04-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

I met Melissa early at New View on Friday to check up on my progress with my body. We also went over so many things pretaining to Miss USA. She could definitly see a change in my body but there are always things that could still need to be worked on. :) Melissa also gave me the most beautiful red Jovani gown from David Lang from Regalia (one of my judges from Miss Ohio). When I put on the dress, it felt like it was meant for me! We then went over my interview outfit, which Melissa picked out and she loved it! She really has an eye for this!

It was a really productive morning and I was so happy with the suggestions and comments. Later that night I went to the Cincinnati Cyclones game with my Dad, Bubba, and John. It was my 1st game this season (I've been so busy and haven't had time to see any others) and they won!!

Today was another hockey day and the guys (Dad, Bubba, and John) and I headed up to Columbus early in the morning to meet a couple players. We had the priviledge to go back to the locker room to meet Mike Commodore and Steve Mason. My brother actually plays goalie and was so excited to meet Mason! Mason even gave him on of his sticks! Commodore came out later. My family has been following his career for about 8 years when he use to play for the AHL as a Cincinnati Mighty Duck. It was great to talk to him for awhile and he gave us not one, but 3 of his sticks! While we were there we even got to watch the Capitals and Oveckin's private practice. It was pretty awesome!!

My family then headed to Polaris to do a bit of shopping and soon it was time to leave for the Bluejacket's game! I wore my Miss Ohio jersey and during a period intermission I went to the Blueline Shop and picked out a Commodore hat for Vegas. The game was intense and we ended up losing. But the Bluejackets had a great season and I can't wait to watch and root them on next year! Thanks again Mason and Commodore!

Extra Practice in Interview

2010-03-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

Early this morning I left with my mom on our way to Detroit. It was for interview training and I was meeting with Lowell from Rubicon Management. I passed out on our drive up but soon woke up to find myself at Birch Run Outlet Stores. We had to go into BCBG and see if there was anything on sale- guess what, it was my lucky day! It seemed like hundreds of dresses were marked down from $400 to just $60! I probably tried on about 30 different things when I settled with 3 cocktail dresses and a bracelet. I wanted to take the whole store with me though! :(

We then hurried on over to Rue21 and I quickly bought a chain necklace and flower braclet. It was time now to head over to work with Lowell. When we got there we found Catherine's mom and I finally met Lowell. He told me that he was going to right away throw me in with a panel of judges and critique me after every question. Boy was it hard! Interview has always been something I knew I could use a little work on. But I learned a lot from Lowell and know now what I must found out before I am to to be ready to become Miss USA.

After the long and hard interview sessions, we were on our way back home. Not before stopping to eat though! At that point my mom and I were starving! All day we had been snacking on turkey lunch meat, banana, trail mix, and pickles. It was now time to eat some real food. Bring it on!!

God, Flag, and Country

2010-03-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

I was asked today to help judge the District God, Flag, and Country Speech competition in my very own city of St. Bernard. I myself competed in this competition years ago at the school level and was so excited to be able to judge it! There were 3 different age groups: 10-11, 12-13, and 14-15. We were judging on originality, presentation, memorization, poise, knowledge, etc. It was a tough competition needless to say. All the kids did a great job and I was truly impressed. I couldn't help but smile during all the speeches! It is great to see the youth of today with such brillant minds. Congradulations to everyone and best of luck to the ones who move onto Regionals- Savannah, Amber, and Jacob. You all are winners in my book!

Doing What It Takes To Be Miss USA

2010-03-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

My weekend of training has finally come to an end. Saturday I met with Aisha Berry, Miss Ohio USA 2005, and worked on walking with her for 3 hours. It went pretty good, but it's hard to get out of walking like a model to walking like a pageant queen. I then left Sunday morning to head up to Pittsburgh to meet with Don Baker and work on interview. I met up there with Rima and Bridget arrived alittle bit later. We first went into a group discussion with Don and then had individual 1 hour sessions. I would be staying the night at the Hyatt at the Pittsburgh Airport, but Rima and Bridget were not. I said my goodbyes to the girls and quickly had to get to bed.

I woke up early this morning to get my workout in and then had to travel to West Virginia to go to Oliverio's. Olivero's is another sponsor for the Miss Ohio USA pageant and they sponsored the winners this year with a choice of a cocktail dress. I met Angela there and we immediately pulled a bunch of dresses to try on. It was so hard picking one because I absolutely loved them all! When I finally settled on one, it was time to hit the road! I had an extremely long drive home but this weekend was a very productive one to say the least!

Divine Chic, SO CHIC!

2010-03-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

This coming weekend will be a crazy one for me with a lot of appearances and training. Yesterday I had to go down to the WCPO Studio at 10am to shoot my West Chester Dental Associates commercial. They just had me on a green screen and there was no written out script. I was just asked questions about my experience at the dentist office and with Dr. Goel. It seemed so long ago! I was also under the weather with a runny nose and felt stuffed up. That didn't help at all. We went through the questions a couple times- there were a ton of them! But soon it was all over and I was finished.

Then today my mom and I drove over to Indianapolis to meet Janit from Divine Chic. Divine Chic is an official sponsor of the Miss Ohio USA pageant and the winners get a shopping spree there (Top 5- 20% off and Top 15-10% off). Right away when met Janit, I loved her! She was absolutely a blast to work with and was such a sweet lady! Ahe had some beautiful gowns- but I feel in love with this Jovani cocktail that I'm taking with me to Vegas. But the one thing that I loved was all the jewelry she had! Man oh man did she have some gorgeous jewelry! It was so hard to choose from her awesome selection. We even thought that maybe next year at Miss Ohio USA 2011, we will have Janit bring her jewelry and sell it to the contestants who may need something last minute. I ended up picking a pair of sunglasses, a ring, necklace, and earrings. My mom was so excited she got to do this with me! I was happy too! Thank you Janit once again for everything! I will look fab in Vegas!

A Day at Kenzie's Closet

2010-03-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

It was yet again another early morning as I made my way to the FOX19 studio. I had to be there by 7am and went straight into hair and makeup. This morning I would be modeling Macy's spring fashions, styled by UC DAAP students. My outfit was a black military style romper with gold earrings, necklace, and ring. I had on these cute nude shoes with a nude clutch. I loved, loved the outfit! (Maybe for Vegas?)

After I was off the air, I went straight home to pass out! Then I woke up to get ready to volunteer at Kenzie's Closet. I was so excited to get to do this and had been looking forward to it all day! My job today was to watch and observe the other volunteers and how they worked with the girls. It would be hopefully one of my many visits there. I was even able to donate my sophomore year Homecoming dress. I hope it becomes some girls dream gown!

Seiler's and the Home and Garden Show

2010-03-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

I had an early fitting this morning at Macy's for a FOX19 morning show segment that will air later this week. I can't say what I'll be wearing! :) Don't want to spoil the fun! After that I had to get home to leave for the Cincinnati Home and Garden Show at Duke Convention Center. Seiler's Landscaping had asked me if I would make a small appearance there and of course I said yes!

When I arrived to the Convention Center, it was like I had never seen it before! There were gardens, water fountains, and even a water mill. It was truly beautiful! I found Seiler's and was stopped by a sign welcoming me to the show and wishing me the best of luck at Miss USA (I got to keep the sign!) It was the sweetest thing! I greeted people while I hung out at the Seiler's booth. I took many pictures with all the kids and signed lots of autographs. I had lots of fun of course and it was nice to see flowers for a change too. :)

Another Show for David's

2010-03-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today is another exciting day of David's Bridal runway shows. They were held at the Manor House in Mason, where it was an absolute gorgeous set up! I hahd to model 2 bridal gowns and several bridesmaids. It was a blast, like always! But I hated seeing all the wedding cake samples! Thats the last thing I need to see on my road to the crown! :)

The True Test

2010-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

Right after work I had my official first workout with my trainer Adam Rankin! I must say it was not an easy one! I spent all day at work and was ready to pass out. But that wasn't going to stop me! Adam never let me quit when I felt like giving up! This session made me realize that my body wasn't 100% ready for Miss USA. Now its time to kick it into overdrive and worker harder than I've ever before! "Success only comes before work in the dictionary"

Here comes the Bride!

2010-02-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

It is finally Bridalrama weekend! I always look forward to working with Bridal and Formal and doing these fashion shows. Every summer and winter they have these Bridal Expos at the Duke Energy Center in Downtown Cincinnati. John and I are always in the show together which makes it so much fun! We had rehearsals on Friday night and then Saturday I had to be there at the crack of dawn to get my hair and makeup done. I love hanging out with my fellow lady models- Robin and Kara I love you girls so much! The shows went by so fast!

It was soon Sunday and time seemed to be flying by. I love all my dresses- they were gorgeous! I was the finale girl for each song and at the end of the Cheetah Girls song "Cinderella", they wanted me to wear a huge tiara, so they had me wear my Miss Ohio crown! At the end of the shows they introduced me to the audience as Miss Ohio USA 2010 and I received so many congradulations. Deb Knoske was even there taking photos, so Robin, Kara, and myself had to do a mini photo shoot in our beautiful gowns! I had an absolute blast this weekend and can't wait till the summer shows!

Kenzie's Closet and The Purse Vault

2010-02-24T12:14:00.000-08:00

I was invited this Wednesday to the Kenzie's Closet "In the Bag" fundraiser. I brought along my mom for a much needed girls night out. We arrived at the Hyde Park Country Club and didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into. I was sort of familiar with the charity and didn't realize how involved it was. I always believed that Kenzie's Closet was a place fr high school girls to pick up a prom dress if you couldn't afford one. Boy was I wrong! Kenzie's Closet helps these girls out be putting their whole look together. From shoes to jewelry, from gloves to purses, from shaws to alterations! This charity is a great one to get involved with! Brynne, the founder, asked if I would like to come help out the girls get ready for prom. I thought it was an excellent idea and an offer I must take her up on!

The building for the party was decorated in hot pink and black and they had candy layouts with tiara shaped cookies! I soon met Deb Knoske there, who was the photographer for the evening. LOVE HER!!! :) One of the big fundraisers that night was called The Purse Vault. You could buy a ticket for $25 and go in the "vault" and pick out a gently used designer handbag. You could even buy a $100 ticket and pick up a highend designer purse (I saw a Louis Vuitton and so wanted it!!) I decided there was no way I could pass that up and ended up picking out a dark brown leather Furla satchel with a $10 Starbucks gift card, jewelry cleaner, and a $100 off coupn for plastic surgery (which I will not be using).

The night was very eventful and I got to meet some awesome women! At the end of the night I drew the winners name for the Grand Prize-A Naples Trip. Congrats Sandra!!!!

More Traveling and Training...And My Photo Shoot With Carter Studios!

2010-02-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

It was another fun weekend on the road and in a new city. Friday afternoon I left for Pittsburgh for some more training with my little sis, Miss Michigan, and the West Virginia ladies. I arrived later that night at the Hyatt in the Pittsburgh airport and immediately Rima and I got situated in our room. We then met with Melissa and Randy (director of PA, WV, and IN) and went over the weekend and everything that would be happening. We then watched a fun film with the behind the scenes of Miss USA 2006. It was soon time to go to bed (Bridget finally arrived later).

I woke up Saturday to help Bridget get her things together for her Carter Studios shoot and we had a quick breakfast at the hotel restaurant. It was YUMMY! After helping Bridget carry her things, it was time to get my workout in. I now had to get ready for the day, eat lunch while watching Miss USA 2009, and then at noon it was my turn to shoot with Carter Studios. Heather did an amazing job on my hair and makeup. Jonathan was a ton of fun to work with too! (Pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground!)

It then was time to meet with Melissa on a one on one session. She was able to give me that extra boost of confidence and really helped me put things into perspective. Now it was time for the most memorable part of the weekend- walking the airport lobby with our swimsuits on! I really didn't feel uncomfortableat 1st until several older men started taking pictures on their phone! But it was a funny experience.

We then walked back to Randy's room, watched Susie Castillo's year at Miss USA and then we were dismissed for the night. We were all starving so Bridget and I decided to go ahead and order Italian, since nothing else was open. (Kim caught us though lol) It had been a long day and I was so happy to hit the sack, even though I had to share my bed with a certain little sister. haha

We woke up pretty late Sunday morning and scrambled to get ready to meet Melissa for breakfast and say our goodbyes. I stayed behind a little while longer to get my workout in and when I was done it was back off to Cincinnati. Home Sweet Home!!!

My Dream Gown

2010-02-16T10:53:00.000-08:00

My one day dress shopping trip turned into a 3 day adventure! I was suppose to go up to Catan's in Strongsville with Melissa on Monday the 15th early in the morning and come back home later that night. But the weather report was saying that there would be a very bad snow storm on Monday (the day we needed to come up there on). We had no choice because time was running out to pick out my gown. Melissa then called me up to ask if it would be alright to leave on Sunday night and spend the night up close to Catan's. (I got to spend Valentine's Day night with my Director :) I agreed and once I got done with work, I went back home packed and was ready for our little trip.

On our way up there, Melissa and I were talking about literally everything! But mostly about the pageant. She and I both had so many questions for each other! When we finally arrived up at Strongsville we found the hotel and crashed for the night. I woke up early in the morning to work out and then met Melissa at the hotel's restaurant for a quick breakfast. It was now time to go dress exploring! (But not before Melissa got her Starbucks!)

We arrived at this huge dress store , I mean HUGE!! We immediately met Patrice, who was phenomenal! Everyone pulled lots of dresses to try on but there was this one that kept catching my eye. I would go through looking at the dresses and keep coming back to this one, there was just something about it. For me I loved all the dresses but Melissa knew what she liked and what she thought I should wear. One of the last dresses was this Tony Bowls and Melissa loved it! It was very sparkly and had chiffon. It was the perfect pageant dress! But for me I knew it just wasn't the one... There was just a voice inside my head that said "NO. NO. NO." That same voice that told me once before when I was looking for my gown for Miss Ohio that told me not to wear the gold dress.

I still had one dress left to try on, the one that I kept going back to. When I put it on and looked in the mirror I just knew it was the one! (I didn't even care what Melissa would say at the moment) I came out though and she was blown away! She looked at me up and down and said "That's your dress!" I was in LOVE with it! It was totally me and fit my style and personality. I literally felt this dress was made for me. After only 2 hours of looking through dresses, I was all set. Patrice then would order it in my size and length (I'm a tall girl so I would need it a bit longer). She then would add her own personal touches and alterations. I'm so excited and can't wait to see the finished product!

Bridget later came and met up with us after her classes. We wanted her to try on a few dresses and get ideas for Miss Teen USA. Of course she looked beautiful in anything she tried on but her last dress was drop dead gorgeous! She loved it to, which is all that really matters. We then all had a quick lunch and soon it was time for Melissa and I to head back home. But first we had to stop at Starbucks one last time.

As we drove back south, the snow was getting heavier and heavier. After only an hour and half of driving we came to a complete stop on 71 south. There had been a 4o car pile up just North of Columbus and the roads were absolutely terrible! We were stuck in that same spot for 6 hours (I'm not lying either!). We weren't moving and there were no exits for miles. It was funny though because all the Starbucks Melissa drank went right through her and she was dying for a bathroom! I couldn't help but laugh! We were starving also! We had nothing to eat for dinner and all we had was water on us. But at the same time it was fun and that moment really bonded Melissa and I.

It was now midnight when we finally arrived at Polaris just North of Columbus and we decided to get Arby's and stay at a hotel. We both were just dying to get home! Melissa had a presentation the next day and I had work. The roads were just way to bad for anybody to be driving on. We woke up the next day to the roads completely cleared and salted. We made a quick stop to Tim Horton's for breakfast and were back on the road. We soon arrived back home in Cincinnati. It was a fun trip and a memory I will never forget!

Deb Knoske ROCKS!

2010-02-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

It is the day I have been looking forward to for awhile!! The day I shoot with Deb Knoske!!!!!!!!! I was so excited when I woke up this morning. Bridget was coming down to Cincinnati to shoot with me and I was so happy to see her! We met at the Hyatt in Blue Ash at 10:30am to find Melissa and Deb going through wardrobe and pulling together different looks. Salon Bastille even showed up to do our hair and makeup! They did a wonderful job and I looked amazing. Our 1st look we shot in was winter white where Bridget and I shot together in the snow (it was about 30 degrees out, no big deal!). Then we posed together lying down on a couch and finally seperately.
I my seperate shot would be for the Miss USA website.

I then changed into a red/burgundy outfit and after that shot into a brown dress that I wore with my crown. Finally it was time for the fun shot! Bridal and Formal let us borrow these insanely beautiful gowns for us to shoot in! Bridget's was red and mine green. We went outside once again and had to hold up the dresses to avoid getting anything on them. It was a blast!

When we finally wrapped up and finished I went back to New View to look at some of the pictures (we even ended up taking several more!). Thank you Deb for everything! I'm sure the pictures will turn out amazing! You are truly gifted!

My Beautiful New Smile :)

2010-02-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

It was my final day of dental work from the wonderful West Chester Dental Group. I have gone there several times now and my smile keeps looking better and better. Today they wanted to check up on a few things and see how everything is going. My smile transformation is now complete and I'm so happy about it! Later on today I had to meet with Melissa and my personal trainer Adam Rankin with Top Tier Training, at New View Agency to check on how my body is looking. Rima even showed up later for them to check on her too. So far I'm looking alright but now it is time to kick it up a notch. I need a national winner body. I'm going to keep working hard and I will get there!!

First Day of Gown Shopping

2010-01-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

At the Jeff Dunham Show

With the LaRichi designers!!!!

One of my favorite dresses I tried one- but not the one I chose :)

This morning I headed up to Bridal and Formal to meet with LaRichi Couture to talk and look at gowns. I tried on some beautiful dresses of theirs and loved where they were going with the idea of my gown for Miss USA! We shall see how it turns out!

Later that night I was able to go to the Jeff Dunham Show with my sis Kynna at Northern Kentucky University. We had an absolute blast and it was nice to relax and have someone really make me laugh! It was a great girl's night out!

Standout Productions Retreat with Chelsea Cooley!!!

2010-01-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a long one for sure! On Thursday I left early in the morning for Lynchburg, VA. I was on my way to the Standout Productions Retreat with Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005, and AT Dunn. I had a very long 8 hour drive and I couldn't wait to finally arrive and meet all the girls. I was told to meet at the airport and someone would be there waiting. When I got there though it was a complete ghost town. I called Rima to see where she was and she had told me that she was being driven with a whole bunch of the other girls to the campsite. I was then given directions to the Master's Inn (my GPS didn't pick up the address) and I was ready to just pass out! When I finally arrived to the site, I got out of my car and was approached by none other than Chelsea Cooley herself. She gave me a great big hug and shortly after AT Dunn was there asking about my trip. They both were very worried about me and if I would be able to find the campground. I immediately threw my bags in my room, made my name tag, and walked to the dinner hall which was filled with about 50 girls from all over the country. I saw Bridget and Rima and ran to them to give them all hugs! I have not seen Bridget since our crowning.!! Right after dinner all the girls went to a roller rink to skate and then play a game of in line hockey. The Misses kicked the Teen's butt! I even scored a goal! I love hockey but I am absolutely terrible with skating (I fell several times, but had a blast doing it!). When the long day was finally over we went back to the lodge to talk about what would be happening the next couple of days and then we were off to bed. I roomed with Miss Arizona (my bunk buddy), Wyoming, and Rhode Island. They were some amazing ladies! Our heater was on the fritz the 1st couple of nights and we all kept waking up because it was literally about 100 degrees in our room (I was right next to the heater of course).

The next day was a lot of fun! The Miss and Teen did a little paintball competition in the morning (once again the Miss slaughtered the Teens). Then we had to separate into our groups. Rima, Bridget, and Catherine were in a group together and I was left on my lonesome. But I got to make friends with a bunch of the girls in my group! :)We 1st went horseback riding (of course I had the crazy one who just wanted to do his own thing). We then got to do some lassoing and bull riding. No not a real bull! Once that was done we switched activities with the other group and went and did some rope courses. We did a rock climbing wall and once you hit the top, you had to stand up and zip line down. We made it into a competition with a Miss vs. a Teen. Who do you think won again?? :) When it was my turn, I went head to head with Miss Wisconsin (all the teens were done). Let's just say your Miss Ohio kicked some butt!!! It was such an awesome feeling zip lining down. It really was a rush! After everyone was done, we went to do what is called "The Leap of Faith". The name of it says a lot about what we had to do! We had to climb up a telephone poll, stand at the top, turn around, and then jump to catch on to the hanging bar. The entire time the poll was shaking, probably because my legs were shaking! I was able to do it and it felt amazing holding onto the bar and then letting go.

Later that evening it was time to get down to business! We had a walking class with Chelsea, a nutrition and exercise class with AT, and then a mock interview. We later ended the night with a bonfire with all the Misses. "What happens at the bonfire, stays at the bonfire." Finally after a very long day, it was time to go to bed. Sunday many girls were getting ready to leave, even Rima :(. But Bridget and I stayed behind till Monday. Sunday was a really relaxing day where we did some interviewing with Standout Productions. Later at night we went to Church with AT and Chelsea. I loved the message that AT left us with! When Church was let out, we went to a Skiing Lodge where we could do tubing, snowboarding, or skiing. Not to many of us did it because it was raining. So we stayed in the lodge watching football playoffs. Bridget, Arizona, Utah, and I had the great idea of ordering pizza! We ran it by Chelsea, who was fine with it (she even had a couple slices herself) and Bridget called in the order. We had so much fun just sitting on the couch with all of us eating pizza and laughing. AT finally came in and was shocked with what we were doing, he even blamed it on Chelsea. We had so much fun that night though!

I woke up that next morning, getting ready to make my 8 hour drive home. I said goodbye to everyone (can't wait to see them again in Vegas!). I gave Bridget a BIG hug and thanked Chelsea and AT for this awesome weekend. I will never forget it!!! This weekend we also had a surprise baby shower for Chelsea. I bought her all Ohio State stuff (a onesie, dress, pacifier, booties, and sippie cup). She loved it!!

Driving Miss Rima :)

2010-01-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

Rima and I getting ready to leave for Nashville! Adria loved Rima!!!!

Behind the Scenes! :)

We'll make 2 beautiful brides one day!

This past weekend was so much fun! Rima and I had to travel to Nashville to see Kent and work on our walk. Rima drove to my house on Friday afternoon and I drove both of us down to Nashville in my little PT Cruiser, Delilah. :) We had an absolute blast on the way down there, talking and catching up. We even sang "Barbie Girl" a few times. (Rima is an amazing singer! We're going to enter a Karaoke contest one day) We stopped for dinner at none other than Cracker Barrel, where it was Rima's first time there. While there we signed a couple autographs and Rima played dress up with this beautiful wrap that she later bought for her grandma.

When we finally arrived at our hotel, the Hyatt, we unpacked and quickly got ready for our 1st lesson with Kent (Little did we know that we were 1 hour behind down there). That lesson was pretty rough and our minds were starting to spin with learning and processing all this new information. After the 3 hours of walking training, Rima and I decided to go to Kroger to pick up some healthy food for the weekend. When we finally got back to our room, we both passed out! It was one long and tiring day.

We woke up the next morning to eat a delicious and healthy breakfast and then worked out in the hotel's gym. I of course didn't think to bring my gym shoes, and decided to bike in my clogs. After the workout we had plenty of time until our next walking lesson (which was at 6pm) and we decided it was time to do some shopping! We ended up going to the Opry Mills and it was every shopper's dream! It was a huge and beautiful mall with outlet stores in it. It even had a Rainforest Cafe and an AMC Theatre. Rima and I found tons of bargains that we truly could not pass up! We took a break at Barnes and Noble, where we were looking through workout books while sipping Starbuck's coffee. We then had to leave to get ready to see Kent, but not before stopping in a few shops while heading out. :)

We finally arrived at the studio and met Miss Tennessee, Miss Teen Tennessee, Miss Georgia, Miss Teen Georgia, and our very own Catherine, Miss Teen Michigan. All the ladies were so lovely and sweet. That session was a refresher course on everything we had learned last night, and it seemed everything was starting to click together for me. We left after only a 1 and half hours of training because we had to go to bed super early because we needed to wake up at 5:30 in the morning the following day!

Sunday was the day that we had to put everything we learned form Kent into action on the stage. We had 3 different bridal shows to do and we had to do our own hair and makeup. It was going to be a long day! Kent taught us the different stage patterns and before we would walk the catwalk, he shouted out the name of the one we were suppose to do. I had a lot of fun working the stage and hanging out with the other girls. But soon it was time to go home.

We said our goodbyes and headed out on the road. For dinner Rima and I stopped at Subway (still trying to eat as healthy as possible) and we were soon back home in no time or at least I was. I then had to say goodbye to Rima; I would get to see her in 5 days, so it wouldn't be a long goodbye. When I walked through my garage door, my whole family was watching the Miss Ohio USA pageant. The DVD had finally arrived and I couldn't wait to watch it!

She's My Miss USA

2010-01-10T20:48:00.000-08:00

The Group

I love Rihanna and Mandy! (take a look closer at the picture)

Why so serious?

One of the flower girls. So cute!

The lady that keeps me in line...literally!

Bryttany and I

This Saturday and Sunday, I was up at the Dayton Convention Center to model in several bridal shows. All the models met early in the morning at New View Agency at 7am and we all carpooled up there. When we arrived we had to do a quick fitting and then a rehearsal. All the female models then had to go into hair and makeup. Soon the show was about to begin!

It went rather smoothly with a few bumps here and there. In the final scene a couple models and I were suppose to pull off another model's train to switch the gown into a short cocktail dress. We of course didn't practice this beforehand and were onstage tugging on it for almost a whole minute. We learned from that mistake though!

After the first show we got to have a quick lunch and then get ready for the second one. Let's just say the 2nd show went a lot better than the first. The next day we didn't have to meet at NV till 10am and it was so nice to get to sleep in! All the shows went really great that day. The music was even timed out for me to walk out to the Jay Sean song "Down", when Lil Wayne says, "She's my Miss America." It was so funny!

After the show Rihanna, Mandy, Bryttany, and I went around and looked at all the different booths. We found one that was a photo booth and decided that we had to get pictures done! They turned out so cute! We had a blast and even got to take home the bouquets we carried in the shows. I seriously can't wait till the next bridal shows!

Hockey- The Greatest Sport Ever!

2009-12-31T19:48:00.000-08:00

The Beautiful Nationwide Arena

Only one more day till my reign officially begins!!! 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here we come! I celebrated New Year's Eve in Columbus, Ohio. I spent all afternoon shopping at Polaris Mall with John and then that night I made an appearance at the Bluejacket's game. (For those that don't know, they are a NHL hockey team) I absolutely LOVE hockey, so for me this was a dream come true! My Dad got me a Jacket's jersey for Christmas with the name Miss Ohio on the back and the #10 for 2010. I guess you could say I was well dressed for the occasion.

I had 3 different interviews to do that night. The 1st one was for the Bluejackets website. Brittany interviewed me for that and she was awesome! She made the interview fun and it felt like there was no pressure. The next interview was with the FSN Ohio channel for the pregame show. That went really well too. Lastly I had an interview with the Jacket's announcer for the big screen inside the arena. I was pretty thrilled to hear there were a bunch of UC fans in the audience. Here's the link to watch my interview with Brittany:

http://bluejackets.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=-7&id=55906&cmpid=rss-whatshot

After walking around the arena and getting a tour of the "behind the scene's" areas (weight room, locker room, etc.), I was taken up to the suite boxes to meet a few people with the Bluejackets. Soon the game started and I was ready to go down to my seats to watch it! The seats were awesome and we were about 7 rows from the ice. The camera crew even followed me around to my seat to get some footage of me watching the game. (Which felt just a little weird) The game was awesome.....until we lost in overtime. :( Still I had the best New Year's ever! And now it's time for my greatest year ever! 2010!!!!

Merry Christmas!! :)

2009-12-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day- creating my Wii character :)

Opening up gifts

Christmas is finally here! I can't believe how fast time is flying by! I spent Christmas Eve at my house with my mom's side of the family in the afternoon. There were so many family members that stopped by that I haven't seen in a very long time. My cousin Mendee came with her twins! They were so cute!

For dinner I went to John's mom's house. She made a huge Honeybaked ham and I tried pecan pie for the very first time. We played a little bit of Wii and then it was time to open presents. I had gotten John's mom a Thomas Kinkade prayer book and his family gave me this super soft chocolate brown blanket.

That night we went back to my house for our family tradition of the kids giving out their presents to the family. I'm always excited to watch my family open their gifts that I got them. It was a great day, but now I was ready to pass out!

At 7 in the morning, I was woken up by my 13 year old brother and 4 year old niece begging me to come downstairs and open presents. I had gotten several great gifts that I absolutely needed; a luggage set, a digital camera (I usually use disposable ones or my mom's), and a Blue Ray DVD player for my TV that I got for my birthday. My family also got a Wii system! But the biggest surprise was that I would get a puppy after Miss USA!!!! (Unless I win of course) I have been begging for a puppy forever and am so excited that my parents finally said yes!

We then spent all morning hooking up new electronics and cleaning up the house. For dinner we went to my grandma's, to visit my dad's side of the family. My grandma had a huge dinner with turkey, ham, and her homemade mashed potatoes! They are amazing I must say! I had a wonderful Christmas and was so glad I got to spend it with all my family.

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

2009-12-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

With my great aunt, Marie

My grandma picked me up tonight for the Cottingham Retirement Home tree lighting ceremony. My great-aunt Marie is a resident there and it was nice to get to visit her. Residents and their families were all sitting around the ballroom while the choir sang several Christmas carols. Several individuals sang solos and during the song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," a couple literally danced around the Christmas tree! It was so sweet.

After the singing, ornaments were put on the tree to represent the residents and their families. The tree was then lit and boy was it beautiful! There was a reception after where I got to meet and take a few pictures with all the residents. They wished me good luck and promised they would definitely root for me come May 16. They all were so kind and sweet. I had an absolute great time visiting them!

A Room Full Of Amazing Women

2009-12-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

I was invited this evening to the St. Bernard Women's Club Christmas Dinner Party. I arrived to a room full of women in the City Municipal Building and was quickly talked to and congratulated by all these women. They sat me at the head of the table with their President and we were served dinner right away. When we were through with eating there was a special surprise from the barbershop quartet, Smooth Transition, who sang the song "I've Got a Crush on You", while holding my hand. You could say I turned a little bit red. I was then asked to give a speech about my win and everything leading up to that moment. As I began I talked about wanting to do the pageant for some time and my journey to become ready for it. I became just a tad emotional at one point where I talked about wanting to make everyone proud: my family, my city, my work, and all the kids I coach. I felt that I just couldn't let anyone of them down. I had gotten so many people involved with this experience and I didn't want to come back home feeling like I had failed them. I felt my eyes start to water as I said these things and that's when all the ladies stood up and started clapping. It was another great moment where I felt that my city of St. Bernard was behind me 100%. After my little speech, Smooth Transitions then sang several more songs. (They were absolutely amazing!) At the end of this wonderful dinner I was given a pink poinsettia and a beautiful fiber optic angel ornament. I had an absolute great time and love all the support that these great women have given me!

The Little Engine That Could

2009-12-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

I was requested to come make an appearance at the Barnes and Noble in Fields Ertel for the Mason Community Players today. The Mason Community Players are a group of talented individuals (young and old) who put on plays every year in the Mason area. Today 10% of sales at the Barnes and Noble went to that organization to help pay for costumes, equipment, scenery, etc. They had a booth set up at the entrance where I had mostly stayed and greeted customers and talked about the different raffles and prizes to help support the group. The prizes were tickets to different shows coming up in 2010.

There also was a little set up by the children's section of the store. They had coloring contests, face painting, and snowflake making there! Cinderella and Santa Claus even stopped by to visit all the kids. I had a lot of fun with the children, even though they seemed more excited to see Cinderella than Miss Ohio!

Another event that they had going on at the Barnes and Noble was a book drive for all the kids at the Children's Hospital during Christmas time. People were allowed to buy books and donate them. I bought, "The Little Engine That Could" and signed it for that special girl or boy. I wish I could have given it to them personally and got to meet whoever ended up with the book. I guess it's just one of those things I'll never know. But whoever they are, I hope it may have brightened their day.

The Barrel

2009-12-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

Posing with Pam and Scott

"Thanks for calling Cracker Barrel Sharonville. This is Amanda. How may I help you?"

CINCINNATI :)

Cracker Barrel closed early tonight for our yearly Christmas party! Almost all the employees came and brought a dessert with them to be judged by our GM, Scott, in the dessert contest. I was unable to make or bring one because I worked all day. We had this great buffet of Cracker Barrel food (roast beef, chicken tenders, skillet potatoes, you name it, we had it!). Santa was even there for all the children.

Earlier in the week a woman from Home Office came to interview me and take some pictures of me at work. Everything was later posted on the Cracker Barrel website and published in the Cracker Barrel Newsletter. Here's the link: http://www.crackerbarrel.com/mediaroom.cfm?doc_id=1348

It was so awesome to get my work involved with this year. I have been working at Cracker Barrel since I was 17 and it has become a second family for me. I love all my fellow employees, managers, and regular guests. I really feel that I have shown that a small town girl that works at Cracker Barrel can to make her dreams come true! I hope I can be an inspiration for other people (girls, boys, women, and men), that they too should always believe in their dreams and never give up on what they truly want in life.

The Holidays Always Seem To Bring People Together

2009-12-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

Inside St. Bernard City Hall

At the tree lighting

Miss Black Ohio 2010 and I

I can't believe it's already December and Christmas is right around the corner! St. Bernard's Xmas Celebration was today and most of my family went. We had an absolute blast! The St. Clement Choir sang a few carols and Mayor Burkhardt lit the tree. The Coca Cola polar bear was there and so were Santa and Mrs. Claus. In the Municipal building, they had this great train display and the Eagles had coco and cookies for everyone young and old. Kids could sit on Santa's lap and have their picture taken. Mrs. Claus would then give them a bag full of goodies afterwards.

Later on in the night they had horse drawn carriages take residents around St. Bernard. I was unable to get a ride because I had to leave early for a Miss Ohio appearance. The appearance was for a Stop Aids Benefit in downtown Cincinnati. I went for a little while and mingled with all the guests. I even got to meet Miss Black Ohio 2010 there. I had an absolute great night. There was a silent auction there and many different people from all over the city dropped by. It always feels so good to see so many people gather for such a great cause!

Turkey Time :)

2009-11-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Today was a very crazy day for me. It was one that was nonstop and pretty hectic. I woke up this morning to a nice big breakfast made by my very loving mommy (my sister and I had to go to work, so she decided to make breakfast instead of dinner). We had bacon, sausage, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls- my favorite, oranges, potatoes, toast, ham, and all that other good stuff!

From there I had to rush and get ready to go to lunch with John's family. We met everyone at the Manchester Inn in downtown Middletown, where we had a huge buffet laid out with prime rib, corn, mashed potatoes, pasta salad, rolls, and of course turkey and dressing. It all was so good but then I had to rush out of there because I had work from 3:45-8pm. When I arrived at Cracker Barrel in was pretty crazy. All night it was packed but afterwards I got to go home and pass out for about 3 hours.

When I woke up about 11:30 at night, it was time to get ready to go out. I am a huge bargain shopper (when I mean huge, I mean HUGE!) and cannot miss a great sale on Black Friday. At midnight the Monroe Outlet Mall was open and I had to be there! After getting a couple things, I then went to Waffle House for a quick breakfast before I got started at the other places. I headed off next to Target and then from there to Wal-Mart. I was starting to get exhausted from all this running around and waiting in these very long lines. I then went home to have another quick meal and headed off to the Kenwood area where I stopped at Barnes and Noble, Toys R'us, and the mall.

After that I was finally finished for the day. I must say though that it was a lot of fun and very rewarding with all the gifts I purchased at extremely low prices. So in the end my crazy shopping trip was all worth it!

A Visit To Williamsburg

2009-11-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

This morning I left with my mom to Williamsburg Elementary, where my Aunt Reggie is a teacher. I visited with the 3rd through 5th graders and talked with them about eating healthy, staying active, and how important school is. After my discussion the kids got to have a question and answer session with me and boy were they excited!

A lot of the girls asked me about my favorite singers, movies, and songs. They also asked me about my favorite store and what kind of dresses I get to wear. They loved seeing pictures of me in my gown at Miss Ohio. I was surprised though to see all the boys with their hands raised! They were equally excited as the girls to ask me questions. They tend to have questions more about sports and my favorite teams. One of the questions was, "What is your favorite comedy movie?" (That was an easy one to answer- anything with Adam Sandler in it!)

We had to end the questioning after 20 minutes; they literally asked me about 40 questions! They were a little upset and disappointed that I had to leave and couldn't stay for lunch with them. But before I left I signed a bunch of pictures for each one of them and even a couple for their family members.

20 Years Young

2009-11-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

Playing Deal or No Deal at Chuckee Cheese for Adria's 4th Birthday (The game was getting pretty serious!)

Today I am 20! I can't believe it's already another birthday. John took me out last night to the Golden Lamb in Lebanon and my family taking me to Jax's Grille on Newport later tonight. Then were going to Gameworks to have a little late night fun! For my birthday I got some really funny gifts. My sister and niece bought me a Dip 'N Dots maker (I love ice cream!). But the funny thing is this machine doesn't make real Dip 'N Dots ice cream, it makes flavored water that you have to freeze!

I am absolutely obsessed with the Twilight Saga and have been a couple years before the movies even started filming and so my brother got me a New Moon jewelry chest and John got me the Edward and Bella Barbie dolls. Finally my parents brought out this big box and I really had no idea what could be in it. To my surprise it was a flat screen TV! I already had a TV in my room but it was a 9" box that only played VHS, so I bet you understand how excited I was! What I love about this TV is that it was the perfect size for my room (about 24") and it could be mounted on my wall.

I had a lot of fun this birthday and before I know it, it will be time for my next one!

The Final Race

2009-11-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

With my running buddy, Adrianna

Dancing!!!

With some of my girls

About to give a little last minute motivational speech to all 500 girls!

The Coaches

After the appearance at Bob Roncker's, I became very ill for about a week and a half. I was unable to make any other appearances as Miss Ohio for awhile (for the sake of not getting anybody else sick). But early this morning I had the Girls On The Run (GOTR as I refer to it) final 5k race! I coach the GOTR program at Corryville Catholic and have been so excited for this race for awhile. My girls have been working very hard all season for this and I felt that they were truly ready.

I arrived at Sawyer Point (downtown Cincinnati) to the race with my crown and sash in place. Immediately when I got out of my car and was still in the parking lot, girls and their parents ran up to me and asked for photos. It was such an awesome feeling to be seen as this role model for all these girls (there were 500 girls there). Finally I got to my team area and saw all my little girls and the other coaches. Everyone had a smile on their face and was so excited for the race. There was a DJ playing some music by the Black Eyed Peas and then the Cha Cha Slide came on. Of course I had to dance!

Before the race began, I was asked to give a pep talk to all the girls. I told them how proud I was of all of them and that today was the day that they all had been working so hard for. The race was finally about to start and I got in line with my running buddy Adrianna. The race seemed to go by so quick and before I knew it, the finish line was in our sight. Adrianna and I sprinted as fast as we could for the finish. Everyone was screaming for us and yelling "Go Miss Ohio!" (I decided to wear my sash during the race) When we had crossed the finish line, Adrianna was so excited! We were the first ones done from our team! We then went to stand by the finish line and cheer everyone else on.

When my whole team was done, I had to say my goodbyes. I would not get to see them till next fall for the next season. But I did promise them to visit their school before I leave for Miss USA...and I always keep my promises!

The Girls On The Run Cincinnati even did a coach profile on me in their monthly newsletter. Here it is:

Coach Profile: Amanda Tempel
Amanda first learned about the Girls on the Run when she was in the 5th grade at St. Bernard Elementary and her mother signed her up to participate. The experience not only introduced her to competitive running, but also inspired a desire to be a coach herself. Today, Amanda is not only a student at University of Cincinnati and an active runner, but she’s also Miss Ohio 2009 and a dedicated Girls on the Run Coach.
"I started out helping my mom coach the St. Clement track team when I was a freshman in high school and have done so ever since. I love coaching and one of my long-term goals is to become a head coach for a high school cross country team one day. I also became interested in coaching the GOTR program because the program did so much for me when I was younger and wanted to give something back to it. I wanted to be someone that all of these young girls look up to and to look to for help during such a confusing time."
Be sure to root for Amanda at the Miss USA competition on April 18, 2010 on NBC!

The First CUT

2009-11-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Today I had an appointment with Michael at Salon Bastille in Downtown Montgomery (my hair sponsor). I decided, well Melissa and Michael decided :), that I needed to go a bit darker but keep the color natural. Of course I needed a trim as well! Michael also added some layering around my face. The results were amazing and I love my new Do!!!!! Thanks Michael, you really can work wonders!

A Day At "The Playground"

2009-11-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

Picking out the prize winners!

At the St. Bernard Employee Appreciation Dinner

With Bob Roncker

As most people know, I am a runner. Running is a huge part of my life and it has done so much for me. Through running I have learned to always see myself as a winner and that if you want to get something out of it, you have to put the time in. Bob Roncker helped me become a better runner when I was a junior and senior in high school. I did his summer cross country camp and always went to his store to get my new running shoes. Bob is also a sponsor of the Cincinnati GOTR program and donates brand new shoes for all of the girls.

When I won Miss Ohio I knew I wanted to work with him and his store Bob Roncker's Running Spot. Today I went to the Running Spot in O'Bryonville for their grand opening of their new floor called "The Playground." No there is not a real playground on that level. Instead it was named so for the reason that the kinds of people that shop there are very active in everyday life and tend to multitask. I was so excited to be a part of this experience and to get to meet all of these different runners from all over Cincinnati. I signed a few pictures and wore this black casual dress that they picked out for me and that they sell in the store.
I even got some cute workout clothes for Miss USA! All the employees were great, especially Bonnie!

Later that evening I went with my mom to the St. Bernard Employee Appreciation Dinner. My mom works St. Bernard at City Hall and my Dad is a St. Bernard police officer. This was the first time they held a dinner like this and it was awesome! They had a DJ and dance floor set up at the municipal building and we were served buffet style completed with a huge chocolate fountain! It was nice to be surrounded by fellow St. Bernardians, a lot of who I've grown up with my entire life. There was even a raffle where I was asked to be the one to draw the winners. I drew my own ticket and won tickets to a Miami University hockey game! And if you knew me, you would know that hockey is my absolute favorite sport!

Finally we ended the night doing the Electric Slide, Cupid's Shuffle, and the Cha Cha Slide. I had an absolute blast! I promise you this; St. Bernard is one of the greatest places to live!

Oh and Mike, I won't forgot our promise if I win Miss USA.... 5 Fingers!

Roger Bacon Open House

2009-11-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to leave for the RB Open House

Today I had to wake up bright and early to get ready for the Roger Bacon Open House. I graduated from Bacon in 2008 and when they found out I won Miss Ohio, they asked if I could come and talk to perspective students. When I arrived everyone was so thrilled to see me! I first started out just greeting parents and students coming through the door. Later on I went around to different classrooms, to the Fogarty Gym, and the Auditorium. I got to see a bunch of my former teachers once again. Mr. Mueller (my former chemistry teacher) had an experiment set up where you could catch bubbles on your hand and then he would light them on fire! Of course I had to try it!!

When I went up to the auditorium to see all the different clubs, I saw Erin and Brandon, 2 former students that I graduated with. I was so excited to see them and talk to them about how so much has changed since high school. One of the girls I coach for Girls On the Run was there with her older sister too. Her parents said that they didn't believe her at first when she told them that Miss Ohio coaches her, but now they do!

I then went to the gym to see my old cross country coaches. Coach Ryan and Coach Feitchner both congratulated me on my accomplishments and were proud to see how far I've come. While I was in the gym I had my picture taken for the Evening of Excellence so that it could be raffled off. I had a great time at RB and it brought back so many memories. I'm so happy I got to see everyone and hope to make some more appearances there.

Trick or Treat! :)

2009-10-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

Judging The Costume Contest!

Happy Halloween everyone! I can't believe October is almost over! A month has almost gone by since I've been crowned. Time is really flying by! Well tonight I had the privilege to get to judge the St. Bernard Halloween costume contest. Before going down to the park to judge, I had to get ready. I ended up dressing sort of like a witch. My niece was Snow White and my brother was Paul Stanley from KISS. When I arrived I had several pictures taken with all the little goblins [aka children :)]. There were 4 age groups we judged and the awards were best, funniest, and scariest. I also gave out special candy to my personal favorite boy and girl in each age group. The contest was a lot of fun, but now it was time to go get ready for all the trick or treaters!!

My mom took Adria and Bubba out Trick or Treating, so John and I decided we would hand out candy. John dressed up as "death" and I wanted to be Mike Meyers (But really I had on the Mike Meyer's jumpsuit and wig with Jason's mask). It was funny because kids couldn't figure out which one I was! I had a really fun night, even though I didn't scare too many kids because most of them realized right away that I was a woman. But when it was all done, I grubbed on candy! I mean it is Halloween right?

Special thanks to Mayor Burkhardt for all the candy ice cream cones! (They are my favorite and they're made in St. Bernard!)

Meeting Miss Michigan

2009-10-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Magazine that came out at the end of the year (I'm at the bottom right of the big "C")

The cover shot!!

"A Beautiful Rivalry"

With our war paint :)

Last Night I left St. Bernard to go up to Columbus, OH. While I was driving, I was getting pretty nervous. The closer I got to downtown, the faster my heart was beating! This would be the first time I would meet my sister state, Michigan; the first time I would meet another girl in the Miss USA competition! I didn't know what to expect. I was just hoping that Rima, Miss Michigan, and I would get along. I was told that every year Ohio and Michigan had to become like sisters because they spent so much time together and were both owned by Proctor Productions.

When I got to the Westin Hotel at 7pm, I immediately got my room and hung out until 9pm, when I had to meet everyone in the lobby. I got downstairs, but no one was there yet. Soon Eric, the photographer, and his assistant arrived. But they didn't introduce themselves right away. I was actually on the phone with my mom, telling her that I made to Columbus safely. I soon realized that there were these 2 men staring at me and whispering. When I finally got off the phone, they were still looking straight at me! I felt a little weird, until they finally came up to me and introduced themselves as the photographers. Roopan, publisher of C-Magazine and Anna Melomud, Miss Ohio USA 2007, arrived shortly after. Now I had to just wait for Rima. When she finally came down, a weight was lifted off my shoulders! We immediately hugged and got to talking. She was the exact kind of person that I was hoping she would be. We soon started taking paparazzi shots entering the hotel. Then the photographer said to do a funny shot, so we started pushing each other on the luggage cart. We were having so much fun!

After the photographer got his shots, we all went to dinner in the hotel. We talked to Anna about the Miss USA pageant and Roopan about tomorrow morning. He said that we were going to shoot with a red and yellow Lamborghini, but they weren't able to get the yellow one. :( Rima and I joked that the red one still had 2 seats! After dinner we had to go straight to bed, for tomorrow would be a long day!

In the morning I got dressed and checked out of my room. I then met Rima in the lobby where a chauffeur was waiting for us. He drove us to Eric's studio and when we arrived breakfast was waiting for us! We had to eat now because we didn't know when we would get a chance to eat again. After filling up our stomachs, Rima and I went straight to hair and makeup. Our hair stylist made us look like Victoria Secret models for the first shot and the makeup artist kept it very clean and natural. We then were styled in our OSU and Michigan jerseys and Rock and Republic Jeans. The theme of this shoot and magazine was "A Beautiful Rivalry." I was dressed in scarlet and gray for OSU and Rima was in blue and gold for Michigan. The magazine is to come out right before the OSU vs. Michigan football game.

For the shots in the jerseys, we fought over the ball and did the Heisman pose. The makeup artist even put the black liner under our eyes! There was even a point where they wanted Rima and me to face each other with other noses barely touching while glaring at each other in the eyes. It was so funny! It was hard not to stop laughing. After that we did a shot of us arm wrestling and let's just say Rima and I really got into it! It was now time to change up our clothes and hair and makeup. They gave us these crazy fur coats and had us jump in these shots. When we were shooting Melissa walked in. She really liked the direction the magazine was going and how cool the pictures were turning out. This was the first year they used Miss Michigan and made it a duo shoot.

It was now 2pm and we finally had lunch. There was only one look left to shoot and that was the evening gowns. We both had on these beautiful BCBG dresses and had crazy hair and makeup. The theme for this shot was tug-a-war. Once again we were having a blast working together! When we were finally done shooting, we had to do an interview together for the magazine. It went really well and when we answered the final question, we realized that the day was finally over! There was a car waiting for Rima and I to drive us back to the hotel where we said our goodbyes. I knew it wouldn't be long until I see her again. I absolutely cannot wait till the magazine comes out and hope the pictures turn out great!

Rima, we have to buy those Ray Ban sunglasses for Vegas!!!

Back to my Alma Mater

2009-10-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Visiting Roger Bacon

In Mr. Mueller's room with all the girls in that class

My picture in the Cincinnati Magazine. (I ended up buying those boots, love them!)

It was another exciting morning today because I had my Cincinnati Magazine Photo Shoot! It was for the Winter/December Issue of the magazine and I was shot in 2 different faux furs. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

After I was finished with the shoot, I decided to stop by Roger Bacon High School and visit with all my old teachers. The first one I had to go see was Mr. Mueller, who had been begging me to stop by for quite some time. Brandon, the new enrollment officer, came down to the class and asked if I could take pictures with some of the students. He then wanted to know if it would be possible for me to come to the RB open House and talk to perspective students. I immediately said yes! It was such a thrill to be back to the place where I called home for 4 years of my life. A student at RB, Nick, then did a quick interview and took me around school to talk to all the students and teachers. I had a couple of guys beg to carry my bags for me in Vegas. The teachers also let the students take out their phones, which is shocking because they have a no cell phone policy, to take photos.

It was so nice to see all my teachers and hear them congratulate me. I had a lot of fun going back to RB and hope it's the first of many times visiting! Once a Spartan, always a Spartan!

Fox19 Morning Show

2009-10-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I had my long awaited interview with Shelia Gray. When I arrived I immediately had my hair and makeup done. Melissa arrived a little bit later. I was really starting to feel the pressure and was starting to become overwhelmed. I didn't know what questions Shelia would ask and was quite nervous about that. I also was terrified about it being live and having all of Cincinnati watching me. I could mess up at any moment or my brain could just freeze up! I knew that as long as I just kept true to myself I would be fine.

When it was finally time for me to go on air, my heart was racing. At first I slipped up a couple of times and you could tell I was nervous. It just shows you that I am normal and do not have as much experience giving interviews on live TV. But further along in my interview I became more comfortable and confident. Shelia helped me along too. She had told me to just focus on her and not worry about the cameras.

Shelia asked me several different questions about my education, the Girls On The Run Program, and what I would tell girls that were looking into getting involved with pageants. She also asked me about how it felt to have won, what I was doing now to get ready for Miss USA, and why I had gotten into pageants. I believe the interview went well. It is a starting point for me and now I know what I must improve on to be fully prepared for Miss USA. Next time you see me, I'll be even better that before! :)

Glad to be back home...and with the crown!

2009-10-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

My Grandma and I

The Mayor of St. Bernard, Bill Burkhardt

At St. Bernard City Hall

Today I had the honor of being introduced at St. Bernard City Council by Mayor Burkhardt as Miss Ohio USA 2010. It was only a month ago that I was there telling them that I would be representing St. Bernard in the Miss Ohio USA pageant. Everyone was so excited to see me! Several of the St. Bernard Senior members were there, as were lots of close family and friends. Mayor Burkhardt gave a speech about my success in the pageant and that I will be representing Ohio in the Miss USA pageant. He then offered me the key to the city and said that they would be putting a banner up on Vine Street to congratulate me on my win.

I then gave a speech thanking everyone for supporting me. I was so happy to make St .Bernard apart of this great year! After the speech I signed a few things for the city. One of them was my sash saying St. Bernard. Another was this picture taken of Mayor Burkhardt and me before the pageant. He wanted me to sign it when my mom first gave him the picture but she told him no, to wait after I won Miss Ohio.

After the council meeting, the different representatives came up to me to tell me congratulations. So many people told me that they wanted to come to Las Vegas and root me on! There's even a St. Bernard joke saying that they'll take the Dial-A-Ride on a road trip there! It was such a great moment to see the people of my city so excited. I feel like I really brought my little hometown alive! I really hope to make them proud at Miss USA and even bring the title and crown back home.

After we left City Hall, my family and I went to LaRosa's! It might be the last time I eat pizza for a very, very long time!

And the winner is.......

2009-10-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

Backstage with all the ladies after I was crowned

#1!!!!!!!!!

Bridget and I with the judges

The Top 5 ladies

The moment St. Bernard wasn't called! :)

"But before we announce the winner....."

Alissa and I

The Final 2

Answering my onstage question

The final 5 are.....

"Tonight's gonna be a good night!"

It has now been 3 days since I was crowned Miss Ohio USA 2010 and it all still hasn't sunk in. I've been having a hard time getting some adequate sleep. I keep trying to think back to late Saturday night, but it seems to just be a big blur. The final show went by so fast and before I knew it, I was being crowned. All of the girls were so beautiful and did a really great job.

Alissa, thanks for being such an awesome roomie! I'm so glad that it was you and I that stood up there in the end!

Angelique, you're such a big sweetheart! Thanks for answering all the questions I had about the pageant.

Sarah, you were the first person to befriend me and made the pageant just that much more fun!

Adrielle, we really represented and had a blast doing it!

Megan, I will never forget the moment you helped me out onstage! (my mind was somewhere else!! haha) I'm sure one day I'll see your face on VOGUE!

One thing I will never forget is all the hard work it took to get to this point. There were months of watching what I ate and recording all of my different workouts. Hours of practicing walking in those 5 inch heels. But it was all worth it in the end. I woke up Sunday morning to realize it all wasn't a dream. There sitting on the nightstand, was my crown! It was the most surreal moment of my life. I went back to work Monday and my manager Janet was so excited to tell all the guests that Miss Ohio USA was in their presence. I even signed a few receipts! Today was my first day back at school too. In my public speaking class, I had to give a 4 minute story speech and so I talked about this past weekend and everything that happened each day. So many questions were asked and everyone seemed excited for me. Right after classes I had to go to my Girls On The Run practice at Corryville Catholic School. I told all the girls my good news, and let's just say it got them running! They kept asking if they could go to Miss USA with me or if I could pack them in my suitcase. It was such a great feeling to know I was able to win not just for myself, but for my family, for the city of St. Bernard, for my school, for my work, and for all the young girls I coach. My one wish was to make them all proud. I feel like I truly accomplished that! Well this coming week will be a crazy and hectic one for sure! But I'm excited and can't wait! Lastly I just wanted to thank all the judges once again for seeing something special in me. You don't know how much this means to me and because of all of you, my dreams have come true!

Bridget (MY LITTLE SIS!!!)- We have our work cut out for us, but let's get ready to kick butt in Miss USA and Miss Teen USA!!!!!!!!!!