On Sunday, August 8th, I had the pleasure of visiting the West Palm Apparel Mart with Mary and Miss Anne Marie Griffin of Anne Marie's boutique (Homestead, FL). I was a special guest at the Joseph Ribkoff booth for the day and picked out a few fall selections as part of my wardrobe this year. Thank you to the representatives who were kind enough to guide me through the collections. I absolutely LOVE the pieces, especially because Joseph Ribkoff is the official designer for Miss America! Thank you also to Scala, Alberto Malaki and Christine Alexander for your generosity. Below is a photo of me at the Joseph Ribkoff booth in a fabulous winter piece!
On Tuesday, August 1o, I was invited to the 2nd annual Inspire Awards Luncheon with the Largo/Mid-Pinellas Chamber of Commerce at the Greektown Grill restaurant. While I was there, I was introduced to many members of the chamber and the Women in Business Council. I spoke about my platform, Stop Bullying Now and CMN as well as my crowning moment as Miss Florida and the journey to Miss America. I was so appreciative of the support from everyone there and was delighted to be in the presence of such inspiring individuals and to honor them for their contributions to the community. Congratulations to all of the Inspire Award winners. Photo from the luncheon below.
The next day, I traveled to Orlando to meet with Carry O'Neal and David Lang of Regalia Magnificent Apparel to choose my cocktail attire for the week of Miss America's Outstanding Teen! Thank you both so much for always making me feel like family and truly magnificent :)
The next day, I traveled to St.Petersburg for the City Council meeting. I received my proclamation from the City of St.Petersburg declaring August 12th, 2010 Children's Miracle Network Day in St.Petersburg, Florida. Thank you to Mayor Bill Foster and the rest of the Council members for allowing me to promote CMN and raise awareness for such an incredible cause that continues to benefit over 13 million children across the nation each year. It was truly a pleasure to speak to the council and also visit with the staff of city hall. Thank you also to Robert Danielson for assisting me through the day :)
Immediately following my visit to St.Petersburg, I drove to Orlando for Alumni Night at my sorority Delta Delta Delta at the University of Central Florida. It was such an incredible feeling to be reunited with my sisters and our prestigious alumni chapter. Each year before sorority recruitment, our alumni visit with our collegiate chapter to offer words of wisdom and encouragement before the week begins. I was able to speak to the girls about staying positive and having faith in the principles that our chapter was founded upon. They were so prepared and very much looking forward to welcoming the TriDelta Pledge Class of 2010. Congratulations to my wonderful sisters! You all have worked so hard and will do a fantastic job :) Below is a photo with my two little sisters, Katie and Chera, and a photo with my "Greek family #22". I love you all.
That Sunday, I was thrilled to be apart of Stacy Schiefflin's YBF Cosmetics show on Home Shopping Network! Stacy is on the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Board of Directors and a fabulous business woman who has had much success with her incredible make-up. We did three LIVE shows, 8am, 4pm and 9pm, that day beginning with a 5:30am call time. The models and I had such a great day doing make-up demonstrations on the air and applying and experimenting with the products. Thank you Stacy for allowing me to be a part of an exciting and fun-filled day at HSN! Below are photos on-set, with our make-up assistant and the other models!
With Stacey Schiefflin of YBF Cosmetics
YBF Models and Girlfriends!
I just loved the rhinestone YBF sign! Check out the bling!On Wednesday, August 18th, I attended the Hillsborough County Commission meeting in Tampa, Florida along with my father Mayor Dan Raulerson of Plant City, Florida. Before meeting with the rest of the Commission, I visited Commissioner Rose Ferlita in her office to discuss my platform, Stop Bullying Now! and partnering with the BullyBusters program in Hillsborough County. We are so thrilled to be collaborating in an effort to stop bullying for good in our schools. Thank you, Commissioner Ferlita for this incredible partnership, I can't wait to begin working together!
After my meeting with Commissioner Ferlita, I was presented with a Proclamation honoring my accomplishments and contributions to my platform and the state as Miss Florida 2010. I was overwhelmed with the amount of appreciation and support from everyone, what an amazing feeling. Thank you to the Hillsborough County Commission for such a wonderful honor! I promise to make you proud. Photos from the meeting are posted below.
On Thursday, August 19th, I attended the annual University of Central Florida Football Season Kickoff Luncheon held in the beautiful UCF Arena. I was so excited to be introduced with Miss America 2004, Erika Dunlap who is also a UCF Knight! I had the pleasure of meeting a few of the football coaches, players, alumni and contributors to the athletic department. I was also reunited with our mascot, Knightro who is always wonderful to see keeping the UCF spirit alive! The members of the UCF Student Government were also in attendance and were so kind to congratulate me on my Miss Florida achievements, they are wonderful examples for our university. President Hitt and Coach O'Leary were fantastic speakers and got everyone extremely pumped for the 2010 football season. Thank you to Veronica Levisay for chaperoning me and being my Camaro co-pilot for the day :) Photos posted below!
