I had to take a short break from updating because I REALLY needed some sleep. Monday night my throat started hurting and my voice was getting really scratchy. Luckily I got to take my mind off of it during some great appearances Monday and Tuesday.
Monday
We were rehearsing ALL DAY but we had some fantastic breaks in the day. For lunch we stopped by the Carolina Grill where we had some truly amazing sweet potato fries along with other healthy foods LOL! For dinner we got to spend some time with our fabulous sponsors and friends at the Lions Club. There had been a terrible storm in the morning so what was normally Lion's Park was covered in water and gave the Lions some lakefront property. The men and women there are such incredible people and do so much for the Miss Indiana Program. All of the contestants are very thankful for them and the great things they do.
Tuesday
We had rehearsals all day again but the highlight of the day was definitely the Joy of Life luncheon. Not only did we have the DELICIOUS Black Buggy food, but we also got to honor the life of the amazing Joy Robbins. Although I never got the opportunity to meet her, everything I have heard about her is incredible. She truly touched the lives of every single person she spoke with and that is obvious in the way people talk about her. After another set of rehearsals, we had dress rehearsal which I was pretty excited for because I got to see my director!! Then I went home and straight to bed because my voice was really starting to disappear and me stressing about it for talent the next day did not help at all.
Wednesday
I started my day with talent rehearsal, I couldn't really talk and all of my high range was gone. I went through the motions but was beginning to stress more every minute because I really didn't know how I would be able to perform my talent at night. I had my interview right after lunch. This year I was actually very excited about it!! The judges were great and really wanted to get to know all of the contestants rather than testing their knowledge of politics and current events the entire ten minutes.
We left our hotel at 5:30, thank goodness my day was filled with laughter and lots and lots of tea before showtime. By 7 when the show began, I had most of my voice back!! I was able to sing my song almost flawlessly but a million times better than at rehearsals in the morning and on-stage question went extremely well. Even though I was not chosen for prelim talent, Jackie Jerlecki was and Carolyne Holcomb won swimsuit for the Alpha group. Both girls were fantastic and big congratulations are sent their way!
Today we have a very full schedule with our brunch with the Elks, a trip to Riley Hospital, shopping at The Secret Ingredient then Preliminary Night 2! I compete in swimsuit and evening gown tonight so all the hard stuff if done!! Don't forget you can still vote for the People's Choice Award until tomorrow night. $1 per vote and you can vote as many times as you want. The money goes to the Miss Indiana Scholarship Fund and Children's Miracle Network!
Please say some prayers for me that I continue to perform well tonight! Thank you for all of the support, I wouldn't be here without it.
-Courtney
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Miss Indiana Week Day 1: Check!
I'm a day late!! But I was very sleepy yesterday after all of the Miss Indiana festivities. Since it was Father's Day, my dad got up early with me to help me move in and spend what little time with me that he could. Even though I slept most of the way down, he still had a smile on his face. I'm so serious, I have the greatest dad in the world... even if you want to dispute that, I know it's the truth!
We left home at 8:00 a.m. in order to make it to the PAC and unload all of my competition wardrobe by noon. We made it just in time then drove over to the Pet Parade, sponsored by the Zionsville Merchants Association, down Main Street. Unfortunately it had a very rainy start but by the time most of the pets finished the parade and were greeted by the Miss Indiana contestants, the rain had stopped for the day!
After the parade we all went down to the Brick Street Inn for a little welcoming ceremony where we were welcomed to the city of Zionsville by Ray Cortopassi of the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce, all of the Miss and Teen contestants introduced themselves and we were treated with some delicious cupcakes from a new bakery here in Zionsville.
We finished our day by moving into our hotel, going to dinner at Amore's and having a video shoot at our hotel. Since Miss USA was last night, we all gathered in the hotel lobby to watch the pageant together. I had to leave a little early and finish in my room so I could shower before bed (I really enjoy sleep so waking up early is not what I prefer to do lol)
My roomie, Miss Vincennes University Alexia Brewer and I woke up with enough time to get ready before heading to the PAC to learn the opening number. The dance is so cute and I love the song!! It's going to be stuck in my head all day, but I'm OK with it. We went to lunch at Cobblestone Grill, the sweet potato fries were incredible and took lots of pictures outside (of course) then headed back for some more rehearsals before dinner.
Since we are all professional dancers here at the Miss Indiana pageant, we rocked out the number a few times then headed back to the hotel for a nice break before going to dinner with the Zionsville Lions Club! I figured this was the perfect opportunity to blog about my time here so far and plan on updating on the rest of today right before bed.
Thank you for all of your support and prayers through this week, I have been blessed with a feeling of peace and am very excited for competition to begin on Wednesday! Don't forget that voting for the People's Choice is open until Friday evening. The votes are only $1 (although you can donate as much as you like) and the funds go to the Miss Indiana Scholarship Fund and Children's Miracle Network. Tickets are still available online for both preliminary competition nights and finals night.
Hope to see many of you there!
We left home at 8:00 a.m. in order to make it to the PAC and unload all of my competition wardrobe by noon. We made it just in time then drove over to the Pet Parade, sponsored by the Zionsville Merchants Association, down Main Street. Unfortunately it had a very rainy start but by the time most of the pets finished the parade and were greeted by the Miss Indiana contestants, the rain had stopped for the day!
After the parade we all went down to the Brick Street Inn for a little welcoming ceremony where we were welcomed to the city of Zionsville by Ray Cortopassi of the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce, all of the Miss and Teen contestants introduced themselves and we were treated with some delicious cupcakes from a new bakery here in Zionsville.
We finished our day by moving into our hotel, going to dinner at Amore's and having a video shoot at our hotel. Since Miss USA was last night, we all gathered in the hotel lobby to watch the pageant together. I had to leave a little early and finish in my room so I could shower before bed (I really enjoy sleep so waking up early is not what I prefer to do lol)
My roomie, Miss Vincennes University Alexia Brewer and I woke up with enough time to get ready before heading to the PAC to learn the opening number. The dance is so cute and I love the song!! It's going to be stuck in my head all day, but I'm OK with it. We went to lunch at Cobblestone Grill, the sweet potato fries were incredible and took lots of pictures outside (of course) then headed back for some more rehearsals before dinner.
Since we are all professional dancers here at the Miss Indiana pageant, we rocked out the number a few times then headed back to the hotel for a nice break before going to dinner with the Zionsville Lions Club! I figured this was the perfect opportunity to blog about my time here so far and plan on updating on the rest of today right before bed.
Thank you for all of your support and prayers through this week, I have been blessed with a feeling of peace and am very excited for competition to begin on Wednesday! Don't forget that voting for the People's Choice is open until Friday evening. The votes are only $1 (although you can donate as much as you like) and the funds go to the Miss Indiana Scholarship Fund and Children's Miracle Network. Tickets are still available online for both preliminary competition nights and finals night.
Hope to see many of you there!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
T-minus 3 days!!
It's almost officially here!! Only three days left until Miss Indiana week officially begins! Even though I still have to pack everything, I am so excited to get down to Zionsville. Not only will I be a few days away from finding out who the new Miss Indiana will be, but I get to see all of the girls!! Even though most of us only get to see each other at locals, Kick-Off and at Miss Indiana, we make some great friends through the program.
As I sit in my office at the Y I am planning my evening ahead of me. What am I going to pack? How long should I workout after work before I go home? How long will it take me to pack? Do I have everything set out? Plus a million other questions that really don't matter in the grand scheme of things. LOL!
Last night at my second job, I got to serve my own tables. Now this is my first waitressing job ever so I am always scared I'm going to drop someone's food in their lap or else just as ridiculous as that. Lucky for me, I didn't spill any food and the biggest mistake I made was waiting to bring out one of my table's appetizer (I made sure I informed them that it was my first time ever serving and they were very nice about it)! Now I have enough cash to go get a pedicure tomorrow as a little treat to myself before I leave on Sunday!
Tonight I'm not working, but I am rehearsing with the trio I'm singing in on Saturday night at the Duneland Stars Shine On concert. I also get to sing a solo piece at the concert! The event is made up entirely of Chesterton High School graduates. The oldest performer graduated in the class of '91 (I had just turned 1 year old at that time!) I'm so honored to be a part of the show, it's going to be such a treat!
As time is ticking down here at work, I only have a few more projects to complete before I head home. So excited it's almost officially here!! Don't forget to vote for your favorite contestant for the People's Choice Award! Each vote is $1.00 and funds go to the Miss Indiana Scholarship Fund and Children's Miracle Network. www.missindianapageant.com/peopleschoice.htm if you want to order tickets to any night of the 2011 pageant, you can do that at the website as well.
Keep sending good vibes my way!
Courtney
As I sit in my office at the Y I am planning my evening ahead of me. What am I going to pack? How long should I workout after work before I go home? How long will it take me to pack? Do I have everything set out? Plus a million other questions that really don't matter in the grand scheme of things. LOL!
Last night at my second job, I got to serve my own tables. Now this is my first waitressing job ever so I am always scared I'm going to drop someone's food in their lap or else just as ridiculous as that. Lucky for me, I didn't spill any food and the biggest mistake I made was waiting to bring out one of my table's appetizer (I made sure I informed them that it was my first time ever serving and they were very nice about it)! Now I have enough cash to go get a pedicure tomorrow as a little treat to myself before I leave on Sunday!
Tonight I'm not working, but I am rehearsing with the trio I'm singing in on Saturday night at the Duneland Stars Shine On concert. I also get to sing a solo piece at the concert! The event is made up entirely of Chesterton High School graduates. The oldest performer graduated in the class of '91 (I had just turned 1 year old at that time!) I'm so honored to be a part of the show, it's going to be such a treat!
As time is ticking down here at work, I only have a few more projects to complete before I head home. So excited it's almost officially here!! Don't forget to vote for your favorite contestant for the People's Choice Award! Each vote is $1.00 and funds go to the Miss Indiana Scholarship Fund and Children's Miracle Network. www.missindianapageant.com/peopleschoice.htm if you want to order tickets to any night of the 2011 pageant, you can do that at the website as well.
Keep sending good vibes my way!
Courtney
Monday, June 13, 2011
One Week!!
One week from today I will be deep in rehearsals for Miss Indiana! I am so excited, packing has already begun and I feel like it can't get here soon enough. This morning I was invited to be interviewed on a major radio station here in Northwest Indiana, Indiana 105! I have been involved with the radio station for almost 10 years now, performing when they have shows or coming in for interview, and they asked me to come in so they could help me out! I got to talk about the pageant and my prep for about a half hour. The morning show DJ is such an amazing help and I am so blessed to have had that opportunity this morning.
Today is quite a busy day because I am working both jobs along with getting my workout in. Then when I get home I have to pack a little, practice for talent and hopefully get in bed at a decent hour so I can do it all again tomorrow. If there's one thing I am definitely ready for, it's all of the time commitments the job of Miss Indiana involves! I think I've been preparing for that part my whole life!!
I spent the entire weekend getting the final touches finished on everything for the week. Only a few more things and I will be set to go! My momal is quite possibly one of the most vital parts of my preparation. Without her, I would most likely go on-stage and all of my dresses would be falling off OR I'd be tripping everywhere since I am a bit fun sized (as I like to call it!) I absolutely cannot thank her enough for all of her hard work these last couple of weeks. The other part (aside from my amazing director, Jenee) is my mom. Although a lot of her work is complete, she's the person who spends countless hours helping me pick my clothes out and every single little thing I would forget if it wasn't for her. They are both absolutely amazing and I definitely would be a hot mess going into next week if it weren't for them.
Now it is time for me to get to work here at the Duneland Family YMCA! Summer camp started today so I am officially super busy designing my big project for the summer :) Woo Hoo, I'm officially in PR/Social Media/Miss Indiana mode (now that's definitely a mouth-full lol)
XOXO-
Courtney
Today is quite a busy day because I am working both jobs along with getting my workout in. Then when I get home I have to pack a little, practice for talent and hopefully get in bed at a decent hour so I can do it all again tomorrow. If there's one thing I am definitely ready for, it's all of the time commitments the job of Miss Indiana involves! I think I've been preparing for that part my whole life!!
I spent the entire weekend getting the final touches finished on everything for the week. Only a few more things and I will be set to go! My momal is quite possibly one of the most vital parts of my preparation. Without her, I would most likely go on-stage and all of my dresses would be falling off OR I'd be tripping everywhere since I am a bit fun sized (as I like to call it!) I absolutely cannot thank her enough for all of her hard work these last couple of weeks. The other part (aside from my amazing director, Jenee) is my mom. Although a lot of her work is complete, she's the person who spends countless hours helping me pick my clothes out and every single little thing I would forget if it wasn't for her. They are both absolutely amazing and I definitely would be a hot mess going into next week if it weren't for them.
Now it is time for me to get to work here at the Duneland Family YMCA! Summer camp started today so I am officially super busy designing my big project for the summer :) Woo Hoo, I'm officially in PR/Social Media/Miss Indiana mode (now that's definitely a mouth-full lol)
XOXO-
Courtney
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
And the countdown has begun: 11 days until Miss Indiana week!
As we get closer and closer to Miss Indiana week I am more excited than ever for this year's competition. I have hit the stage where I am in Miss Indiana mode 24/7, singing all the time, working out like a madman, reading every news outlet I can get my hands on, walking around in my outfits and having a blast every second.
Although I am very busy with my final preparations, I am using my time very wisely as I am working two jobs this summer! The Duneland Family YMCA is my main position as the PR intern for them. I get a wide variety of experience from writing news releases, to tweeting updates of the goings-on at the Y, to designing flyers, bulletin boards or signup sheets. I even had on of the news releases I wrote printed on the front page of our paper here in Chesterton during my first week on the job!!
I am very excited tostart training for my second job today as well. I have my first waitressing job at Hooligan's here in Chesterton. Everyone tells me how hard waitressing so I can't wait to get started! LOL! I know I will learn many exciting things from the challenges I encounter there and will get to meet many interesting people. I won't be working there every day but I will be spending a lot of days going from one job to the next... guess that's what it's like to grow up ;)
Now you may be wondering how there is any time for Miss Indiana prep?! Luckily I am surrounded by amazingly supportive people who help me throughout the day in so many ways. I couldn't have a better team behind me even if I hand picked the people! I am forever thankful for the countless hours they have spent helping me make decisions, letting me sing the same song for them a million times and all of the alterations we have done so far!!
Don't forget, if you want to come support any of the 31 contestants vying for the Miss Indiana crown this year, visit the Miss Indiana website at www.missindianapageant.com. There you will find the schedule of events for the week and can also purchase tickets! Check out their Facebook page as well, www.facebook.com/MissIndianaPageant. While you're there, 'Like' the Miss Three Rivers Festival page at www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Three-Rivers-Festival/34300949028
Well I've got some work to do here at the Y, check back for my updates as pageant week gets closer. I'll be blogging during the week too!
XOXO-
Courtney
Although I am very busy with my final preparations, I am using my time very wisely as I am working two jobs this summer! The Duneland Family YMCA is my main position as the PR intern for them. I get a wide variety of experience from writing news releases, to tweeting updates of the goings-on at the Y, to designing flyers, bulletin boards or signup sheets. I even had on of the news releases I wrote printed on the front page of our paper here in Chesterton during my first week on the job!!
I am very excited tostart training for my second job today as well. I have my first waitressing job at Hooligan's here in Chesterton. Everyone tells me how hard waitressing so I can't wait to get started! LOL! I know I will learn many exciting things from the challenges I encounter there and will get to meet many interesting people. I won't be working there every day but I will be spending a lot of days going from one job to the next... guess that's what it's like to grow up ;)
Now you may be wondering how there is any time for Miss Indiana prep?! Luckily I am surrounded by amazingly supportive people who help me throughout the day in so many ways. I couldn't have a better team behind me even if I hand picked the people! I am forever thankful for the countless hours they have spent helping me make decisions, letting me sing the same song for them a million times and all of the alterations we have done so far!!
Don't forget, if you want to come support any of the 31 contestants vying for the Miss Indiana crown this year, visit the Miss Indiana website at www.missindianapageant.com. There you will find the schedule of events for the week and can also purchase tickets! Check out their Facebook page as well, www.facebook.com/MissIndianaPageant. While you're there, 'Like' the Miss Three Rivers Festival page at www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Three-Rivers-Festival/34300949028
Well I've got some work to do here at the Y, check back for my updates as pageant week gets closer. I'll be blogging during the week too!
XOXO-
Courtney
Saturday, March 19, 2011
An update of my prep towards state
We're halfway through March and I am well on my way to being ready for state! I finally completed my competition wardrobe last weekend after a trip to Ashely Rene's in Elkhart. I found some great stuff there and I can't wait to go back again. Now I am just practicing my talent, interview and working out for swimsuit... Miss Indiana here I come!!
On Thursday morning I made a trip up to Fort Wayne to finish my orientation in the NICU at Parkview North Hospital. I learned how to use the phone system, how to unlock doors and even got my official badge to get into restricted areas in the department. After I learned all of that, I got to start with the hands-on part of my job. I got to help a nurse with a little newborn girl as she got her little heel prick and was just not very happy! I learned how to calm fussy babies without having to take them out of their beds and making them more uncomfortable. Then I got to hold a baby boy before his lunch time. Wow, it felt so great to just have him calm down in my arms and be completely comfortable with me holding him even though I had never seen him before. I can't wait to go back on the 27th!
Then on Friday night the Miss Three Rivers Festival family helped out at the Fort Wayne Bridal Show at Dupont Downs. Taylor and I helped greet the brides at the door. After the night slowed down a little bit, we got to go look at the displays and try out the food! There was the best chocolate fountain with lots of options to dip, and this great little place called Courtney's bakery (ironic right?). Naturally, after we tried all kinds of delicious treats, we had to try out the photo booth. We had a little bit of trouble but got some GREAT pictures!! Once the prizes were given out (one bride won a $15,000 package for her wedding, another won an all expenses paid trip to the Rivera Maya) Jenee and I were off to Cebolla's to end the night with some great Mexican food. The crown definitely drew attention there!!
The Miss TRF family will be meeting up again tomorrow evening to watch the new Miss Ball State University crowned and welcome the next titleholder to the family!
On Thursday morning I made a trip up to Fort Wayne to finish my orientation in the NICU at Parkview North Hospital. I learned how to use the phone system, how to unlock doors and even got my official badge to get into restricted areas in the department. After I learned all of that, I got to start with the hands-on part of my job. I got to help a nurse with a little newborn girl as she got her little heel prick and was just not very happy! I learned how to calm fussy babies without having to take them out of their beds and making them more uncomfortable. Then I got to hold a baby boy before his lunch time. Wow, it felt so great to just have him calm down in my arms and be completely comfortable with me holding him even though I had never seen him before. I can't wait to go back on the 27th!
Then on Friday night the Miss Three Rivers Festival family helped out at the Fort Wayne Bridal Show at Dupont Downs. Taylor and I helped greet the brides at the door. After the night slowed down a little bit, we got to go look at the displays and try out the food! There was the best chocolate fountain with lots of options to dip, and this great little place called Courtney's bakery (ironic right?). Naturally, after we tried all kinds of delicious treats, we had to try out the photo booth. We had a little bit of trouble but got some GREAT pictures!! Once the prizes were given out (one bride won a $15,000 package for her wedding, another won an all expenses paid trip to the Rivera Maya) Jenee and I were off to Cebolla's to end the night with some great Mexican food. The crown definitely drew attention there!!
The Miss TRF family will be meeting up again tomorrow evening to watch the new Miss Ball State University crowned and welcome the next titleholder to the family!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Loving my crazy life!
So I left off last time with my appearance at the Who's Bad concert in Fort Wayne. Let's catch up!
Talk about having a great time with your director! The concert was SO much fun, they played everything from his biggest hits like Thriller all the way to music from the Jackson 5. It was great to get out there and have fun dancing and singing while representing the Three Rivers Festival and the Miss Indiana Organization all at the same time. I'm pretty sure Jenee had a great time too ;) Naturally we took pictures with the cardboard cutouts after the show was over.
I had a week off before my next appearance so I had the opportunity to travel down to North Carolina for my cousin's wedding where I got to sing for the bride and groom's first dance! That was such an honor for me and a great way to spend my weekend off, with my family.
Last weekend proved to be one of the most touching appearance-filled weekends I've ever had. We started out with a visit to the Easter Seals Arc - Dancing with the Arc Stars. I was so impressed with the performances, they killed it! After the competition was finished and the results were being tabulated, Jenee, Taylor (Miss TRF OT) and I got to visit with everyone there. It didn't take long for a couple of the Arc Stars to get Taylor and I out on the dance floor. We got the opportunity to give out awards to all of the great dancers and even found out that in one night, over $40,000 was raised for Easter Seals Arc! I was so impressed by how giving the audience was for this great organization. The director of the Three Rivers Festival, Hammer, was a judge too!!
Talk about having a great time with your director! The concert was SO much fun, they played everything from his biggest hits like Thriller all the way to music from the Jackson 5. It was great to get out there and have fun dancing and singing while representing the Three Rivers Festival and the Miss Indiana Organization all at the same time. I'm pretty sure Jenee had a great time too ;) Naturally we took pictures with the cardboard cutouts after the show was over.
I had a week off before my next appearance so I had the opportunity to travel down to North Carolina for my cousin's wedding where I got to sing for the bride and groom's first dance! That was such an honor for me and a great way to spend my weekend off, with my family.
Last weekend proved to be one of the most touching appearance-filled weekends I've ever had. We started out with a visit to the Easter Seals Arc - Dancing with the Arc Stars. I was so impressed with the performances, they killed it! After the competition was finished and the results were being tabulated, Jenee, Taylor (Miss TRF OT) and I got to visit with everyone there. It didn't take long for a couple of the Arc Stars to get Taylor and I out on the dance floor. We got the opportunity to give out awards to all of the great dancers and even found out that in one night, over $40,000 was raised for Easter Seals Arc! I was so impressed by how giving the audience was for this great organization. The director of the Three Rivers Festival, Hammer, was a judge too!!
The next morning we made a trip with Miss TRF's Pre-Teen, Alexa, to Lutheran Hospital to visit Princess Diana. Well, she wasn't a princess yet... that's where we came in :) Diana is eight years old and has been battling thyroid cancer for almost two years. She's undergone 36 surgeries and is quite possibly the happiest little girls I've ever met. I was so touched from my time with Diana. She was just happy that "real princesses" came to visit her and now she is officially the Queen of Indiana, Diana. Hopefully I will get to visit her again soon.
I am now another week closer to Miss Indiana and can't be more excited. Taylor and I will be models with a few other Miss Indiana local titleholder's for Special Moment's Bridal show on Sunday. I'm not getting married any time soon, but it will be fun to model a wedding dress for a day!!
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