Before I get way too behind...

Hi Vermont!

Knowing that tomorrow is going to be a very busy and eventful day, I figured that it's time for me to catch you all up on the fun I have be having since I last blogged.

Last Friday (Septemer 18th), I arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in Framingham, Massachusetts, where I met up with Sue Lackey, to begin a long, informative and fun weekend at the New England States Conference! After settling into our hotel room, we headed downstairs for dinner with some fabulous company! Sarah Cramton and her mother, along with my sweetheart and first-runner up Caroline Bright, joined us for dinner. It was great to catch up with my fellow Vermonters, and later that night, we had some more wonderful residents of our state join us! Sonah Lee, Katie Levasseur, Jeanelle Achee (non-finalist talent award winner) and Brittany Rhodes (MVOT '05) all traveled down the Massachusetts to participate in the weekend festivities.

Saturday started bright and early, with registration beginning at 7:45 am. All of the Miss and Teen titleholders gathered together to go over a brief dinner show rehearsal and then headed right over to another room for an autograph signing. Although this was a New England States Conference, it was wonderful to see so many MAO supporters from other states travel to attend the conference. I made two friends from Ohio who are both local titleholders, I met the EDs of the Miss Philadelphia program, and a former Miss Kentucky who I really made a great connection with! I also had the opportunity to catch up with two of my Miss Vermont judges, and our emcee Dana, who gave two excellent presentations during the weekend. What I love about New England, is that all six states really have a bond. We root and cheer for each other and treat each other like the neighbors we are. When Valerie Clemens said that Miss America 2010 was attending this conference, I believe her. All of my New England Miss America sisters are wonderful representatives and role models. It was so great to spend the weekend with them!

Other highlights of the day was trying on many of Tony Bowls' beautiful gowns! (Meeting him was pretty great too!) Before dinner, all of the state titleholders walked the runway and then worked the crowd in one of his beautiful creations. The fashion show was a success, but the behind-the-scenes preparation for the show was hilarious--at least for me. I learned a very valuable lesson: always pack safety pins! Thank goodness I was able to borrow some double-sided tape, otherwise we may have had a pageant scandal on our hands. The dress I borrowed was not exactly the right size, and fit a little too loose in an area where I am not well endowed (enough said)--luckily, I was able to grab Sue's attention (the frantic flailing of my arms did the trick) and she came to my rescue! Sue has extraordinary skills with tape and she was even able to find some safety pins--which came in handy again later in the night when the Velcro that holds my sash together broke off. When the fashion show began, I was the first to hit the runway, and I felt like a star. I'm hoping that no one had a clue about the chaos that occurred backstage. Something that I'm learning to embrace is the imperfections that make each day filled with perfect memories. It's easy to feel frustrated if something doesn't fit right, or doesn't turn out the way you were envisioning--but you can't let that stop you and you can't let that hold you back. Embrace it. Laugh with it. Learn from it. Grow from it. And share these funny stories with others! (hence, why I'm sharing some silly moments in my blog--these things make me laugh and they keep me real. I'm Laura Hall and sometimes I can be a mess.)

Rick Brinkley, who has worked with the judging aspect of Miss America for years, spoke with the audience and really reinforced some important messages that I hope to keep with me while in Vegas and throughout my year as Miss Vermont. Another speaker who really inspired me was Patricia Miller--co-founder of Vera Bradley--who began her business with a $250 investment. Dream big, and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. I was so impressed with all of the guest speakers and presenters throughout the conference, but there are two people who really left an impression with me.

Sam Haskell, President of the Board, attended our conference and shared some stories from his book "Promises I made my Mother." Sam was so interesting to listen to, he is a wonderful story-teller, and I am so impressed with all he has accomplished. He is such a great role model and has done wonderful wonderful wonderful things for our organization! Something that I didn't realize was that he is a volunteer. He does not get paid to be the President of the Board, and for the first time in years, our organization is in the black! woohoo! I have a copy of his book and I cannot wait to start reading.

The other guest speaker who is just always a delight to be around is our very own Miss America, Katie Stam. I really enjoy spending time with Katie because the more I get to know her and realize how real and down-to-Earth she is, the more that I am able to see that I am highly capable to be the next Miss America. I think that speaks a lot about Katie, because it is one of my personal goals to help young girls from my state realize that they too are more than capable to be Miss Vermont one day. Katie is everything I want in a Miss America, and I'm proud to call her my friend and role model.

On Sunday, I somehow caught a cold out of nowhere. I felt a bit under the weather, but I tried to stay in the moment and enjoy the opportunities that I was experiencing by being at the conference. I definitely walked away from my conference experience with a stronger sense of motivation and more defined personal goals for myself. I am very goal-oriented and am working very hard to achieve each goal I have set for myself. I can already scratch one thing off my list!

Saturday evening, each titleholder was asked to perform in the dinner show. I found out about this opportunity in August, and when I was asked what I was going to perform, I said I was going to sing. For those of you who don't know me as well, my talent is dancing, and I will be dancing at Miss America. But for the conference, I felt a need to sing, and I'm going to share the story that I shared with the audience on Saturday evening before I performed. (I can't remember exactly what I said, but it went a little something like this:)

"I was crowned Miss Vermont during the very last weekend in June, and after you become a state titleholder, you immediately receive a stack of paperwork that seems unending. As I was going through my paperwork, page by page, line by line, question by question, there was one question that really stuck out to me. The question read--'what is one thing that is out of character for you that you would like to try?'--when I read that question, I immediately knew my answer. To sing in front of a large audience. I have performed on stage for years, yet I have never sang a solo in front of an audience. And so when I was asked to perform for you all tonight, I knew I had to sing. What better time for me to try something new and to break out of my comfort zone than during my year as Miss Vermont where I am continuously learning and growing as a person? My personal platform revolves around youth empowerment, and who am I to tell young girls to follow their dreams, take a risk, and try something new, if I'm not willing to lead by example? And even though I know that my knees will be shaking and I have no idea what will end up coming out of my mouth, at least I can say I tried. So, although I will be dancing on the Miss America stage, for the first time in my life, I will be singing for you all..."

So, I sang for the first time. I scratched that off my list, and I feel comforted knowing that I accomplished what I set out to do. Something that I laugh about is that my vocal performance did not sound the same way that it did in the shower, but at least I tried! My voice cracked, my knees shaked, but I sang. And even though that goal is scratched off my list--I'm not going to give up. I'm going to take some voice lessons, improve my technique and increase my confidence...I can't end my vocal career with the icky sound of a cracked voice can I? Nope. I'm going to improve!

The day after I was crowned Miss Vermont, I was told that your year is what you make of it. Each Miss Vermont has her own year, and I am doing all that I can to make sure this year is one that I am proud of and one that I grow from. I owe it to my state, I owe it to all my supporters, I owe it to all the Miss Vermont volunteers, I owe it to all of my family who have sacrificed so much for my dreams, and I owe it to Laura Hall. I'm giving this year everything I have in me, knowing that holding this title is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it's an opportunity that is going to make a huge impact on my life. I am grateful every single day. Even when I'm tired, or feeling sick. I am so very grateful for the smiles I witness, the stories of inspiration and hope that I hear, and the continuous exposure to everyday miracles. Before I go to bed, I always, regardless of what happened that day, say thank you. So now that I'm getting ready to go to bed, I just have one last thing to say to all of you who take the time to read my blog:

Thank you.