Wrapping up the month of May

Hello!

It's hard to believe that today is June 1st! This year is just flying by...but I'm staying busy as the 2009 Miss Florida Pageant approaches!

On May 22nd I went to my favorite Chick-fil-A in Fort Myers for their first "Princess Night". The restaurant was packed with little girls dressed up like their favorite Princess. There were tiaras everywhere! I took pictures with the girls and signed autographs as I admired their adorable outfits.


The Owners, who are also friends of mine, had crafts and other fun activities set up for the girls and everyone had a great time. They sent me home with a fresh chicken sandwich and some coupons for the road!

Miss Florida loves Chick-fil-A!!


The next day I drove up to Winter Garden with Dana for Allison Krieger's (Miss FL '06) wedding! I had so much fun riding up with Dana - quality time and Starbucks... :). The wedding was absolutely beautiful! Allison looked gorgeous and it was so neat to watch her and Brian interact during the ceremony. They were precious!

With the radiant Bride!

At the reception that followed we enjoyed a delicious lunch and danced 'til we could dance no more!

The reigning "Miss"es and our fabulous Board! We have way too much fun...



On Sunday I visited Catalyst Ministries in Bonita Springs, just south of Fort Myers, and was featured as the main speaker for the service. My family and I were so blessed by the church and the genuine fellowship we found there. We had a wonderful time getting to join another ministry in worshiping our great God. He is so faithful in providing times of refreshing during this very busy year! Afterward we were treated to lunch at T.G.I.Friday's, one of my favorite restaurants!


I spent Memorial Day in Fort Myers with my family and we celebrated with dinner, by yours truly ;), and a movie. I made our favorite "Florentine" turkey meatballs (courtesy of Rachael Ray) with angel hair pasta and a new tomato-basil sauce (courtesy of Wolfgang Puck) that turned out to be delicious!! That one is going in my recipe book!

On Tuesday I did a "Right Decisions, Right Now" presentation at Gulf Middle School in Cape Coral and on Thursday I presented at two more schools in Pinellas County - Osceola Middle and Azalea Middle.


Osceola was a smaller group of around 100 students and Azalea was a lot of fun because it was just girls. We had some great "girl talk"!


On Friday night I gave the "Commencement Address" at Sonrise Christian School's graduation in Lakeland. It brought back memories of my own graduation and it was truly an honor to be a part of the ceremony. I got to spend some time with Miss Florida Citrus, Kristen Smith, and her mentor Cathy Asbridge who hosted me for the night!

On Saturday night I went to "Taste of Pinellas" at the Vinoy Park in downtown St. Pete with Miss St. Petersburg, Katie Crews. We were introduced on-stage with Mayor Baker and had the chance to promote the 2009 pageant. It was a gorgeous night and we had fun mingling with the crowd!

Afterward I went off to the Telethon at All Children's Hospital (our local CMN hospital) to present them with a check for $5,264 from the Miss Florida Pageant. It was exciting to be a part of such a dynamic group of contributors and to be able to make the service-oriented heart of our organization known!


When I first arrived I met two very cute little boys who had told their stories on-camera earlier in the day. They were both benefiting from the services at All Children's Hospital and were excited to take a picture with Miss Florida!

Aiden (R) and his little brother

Today I completed my RDRN tour at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in St. Pete. I appeared on their school news and then spoke to two sixth grade classes. I had a great time visiting with the students and felt proud as I left, reflecting back over the twenty middle schools I visited all over the state this past year.

Just like my platform...Believe and Achieve!

Whew! That was a long one! Thank you for following my journey and allowing me to share this with you...one more month! This "adventure" is not over yet!

Take care,
Sierra

Dancing with the Stars!

Hello friends!

Last weekend was our 2009 Contestant Orientation. What a great weekend! I was so excited to meet all of the contestants and share some of my experiences from my year with them.

The Sunshine State girls!

On Saturday morning Courtney and I took pictures with all of the girls and then each had the opportunity to speak to the contestants and their parents. I also modeled the Opening Number/On-stage Question dress for the Misses and everyone loved it!

Thanks to Ann Marie Griffin at Ann Marie's for the fabulous outfit!!

Before we knew it it was time to get ready for the Salute - our "Dancing with the Stars" themed tribute to Miss Florida and Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2008. As we got our make-up done and slipped into our complimentary gold and silver gowns, we didn't know what to feel! We were excited to celebrate each of our successful years, but also felt like it was coming to an end all too quickly. But as we made our way downstairs and were greeted by our dear friends and family, we couldn't help but smile from ear-to-ear and relish in the moment.

Two "stars", courtesy of David and Carry at Regalia. Thanks guys!


Overall, the evening was just perfect. The contestants were introduced and Courtney and I entered, escorted by our parents, to the "Dancing with the Stars" theme song. It was so much fun! As dessert was being served we showed video/slide shows of our years and then each said our thank-yous and presented awards to our sponsors, friends, and family - those people who made this year unforgettable. Everything went as planned, including having time to get everybody on the dance floor at the end! It was a night to remember!

With two of my three Sunshine Princesses, Alina and Shelby

On Sunday morning I had another chance to speak to the contestants in a smaller setting. I am excited for this group of girls! Pageant week is going to rock!

After the day's activities ended, Mary and I went to a reception for the Japanese leaders of St. Pete's sister city, Takamatsu, at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts Mahaffey Theater (where the pageant will be!). It was an honor to meet the guests, including the mayor of Takamatsu!

The past few days I have spent running around the city securing sponsors for pageant week and taking care of some other "housekeeping". I'll keep you posted on the busy week ahead! Also, I wanted to share some photos from the B.A.B.E. 2 Boyland Event.

Getting ready for the "Miss"ion: Possible! talk on the great things God can do in your life while you're single. :)

With some of the girls at the post-event Autograph Party!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Love,
Sierra

Busy, busy!

Hi!

Our 2009 Contestant Orientation and Miss Florida Salute is right around the corner...which means these past couple of weeks have been super busy! In addition to making my usual appearances I've been preparing for our exciting weekend ahead.

Recently I traveled to Lakeland to continue the "Right Decisions, Right Now" tour. I visited four middle schools in two days and had a blast! I owe a special thank-you to Cathy Asbridge, a former Miss Tampa, for arranging the schools and hosting me.


After my trip to Lakeland I headed down to Boynton Beach to speak at an event for women of all ages hosted by Boynton Beach Community Church. It was held at the historic Boynton Beach Women's Club and was absolutely beautiful! Two of my Princesses were able to attend and we all had a great time enjoying the fellowship and the hand-made cupcakes!

From there I went down to Mary's house in Miami to work on some details for this weekend and also to meet with our TV producers (the Miss Florida pageant is going to be televised this year!!). While I was there, Mary took me to South Beach for the first time during my reign and we enjoyed a delicious lunch on Lincoln Road. It was a perfect beach day, so it was super crowded, but tons of fun!

On my way out of town on Tuesday morning I got to go to the filming of Regis and Kelly LIVE! at the Fountain Bleu hotel on Miami Beach. It was so neat!!


Edward, one of our producers, introduced me to Regis and Kelly and they were so nice! Very down-to-earth and really excited to be in Florida. :)


I sat through the majority of the show, but then had to get on the road to West Palm Beach to sing the National Anthem at the "Women in Leadership Awards" at the Convention Center. It was a great success and I got to see a lot of familiar PBA faces!!

From West Palm I headed back to St. Pete for the 3rd Annual "Women of History Tea" at Coachman Middle School. The girls came dressed up as women in history who were the "first" in their field. I spoke to the girls about the Miss America pageant and how it empowers young women, just like the women they were dressed up as.

Can you spot Miss Florida? :)I also spoke about self-respect and respecting and supporting each other as females. The girls and moms really responded when I emphasized how valuable each of them were and how they deserve the best! I shared with them my commitment to absitence and explained the reasoning behind it - you are worth the wait!

With my 'host-mom' Barbie, who helped arrange the appearance and came with me to enjoy the festivities

On Saturday I teamed up with Andrea Stephens, Ayiesha Woods, and other local performers and spoke to over 500 young girls on the "Perks of Being Single" at the B.A.B.E. 2 "Boyland" Event in Fort Myers. There was so much energy and enthusiasm, it was great! The whole event flowed really well and the girls soaked up every minute of it.

Well, time marches on! Although I don't want to admit it, today starts the 2-month countdown to the 2009 Miss Florida crown! Crazy! But I am excited for all of the new girls and I just say a prayer that I will make the transition back to normal life smoothly. ;)

God bless,
Sierra