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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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!