November days have come and gone

Hello again!

After the fashion show in Tampa, I stayed in town for appearances the very next day.  I visited a few local schools to speak with the students about my platform.  I also had the opportunity to have a mock interview while in town.  My favorite part of the day was when I visited with a preschool class.  All of the students presented me with cards that they had made and they even attempted to build me a castle out of their toy building blocks!  It was so precious.

The following day, Monday, the 15th, I traveled to Winter Springs to speak at Rainbow Elementary School.  There were 3rd, 4th, and 5th, graders in attendance.

The next day, Tuesday, the 16th, I traveled to Lakeland for a mock interview and to have dinner with friends and members of the Miss Florida Board.  It was nice to reconnect with them!

That Friday, Mary and I judged the Mr. UCF Pageant.  This is an annual event at my university (University of Central Florida).  Mr. UCF plays a vital role in most of the university's events and is truly embraced by the student population so choosing the right man for the job was no easy task.  All of the contestants were remarkable!  It was a great experience to be on the other side and get a judge's perspective.  After it was all said and done, I believe that the other judges and I made a wonderful choice!  Congratulations to Zach Cabrera on a job well done!

Saturday, I performed at the Miss UCF Pageant and helped crown our new Miss UCF, Alexa Schmidt!  Congratulations to Alexa!  She will have a year full of memories and exciting experiences!

Monday the 21st, I attended a luncheon with the Central Florida Women's Council, where I had the opportunity to speak about my platform and my experience in Washington D.C.  Members of the Council work closely with the Florida House in Washington D.C. so they were anxious to hear about my experience there.  The luncheon was delightful, especially because Miss Florida 2006, Allison Kreiger, and her mother, Deborah, are members and were also in attendance. :-)

The next few days were spent preparing for Thanksgiving festivities.  My Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful.  All of my cousins came home from their respective colleges so I was in absolute family heaven! I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving!  Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner?!

The next two weeks are going to be very busy with travel...I will be in Miami, Tallahassee, and Tampa in a matter of six days!  

Until next time!

Kristina

Adventure Queen

Hello All!

The month of November has been flying by!  It's time to share my adventures during the first few weeks with you.

On October 29th, I attended the Miss Broward County pageant.  I had the opportunity to perform and meet with all of the contestants. Congratulations to our new miss and teen titleholders: Kourtney Gallego, Victoria Kontzamanys, Amrita Singh, Melissa Phillips, and Brandais Austrino!  I was also able to spend time with my sister queen, Rachel!

I spent the next few days in Miami finalizing a few things for Miss America.  I can't believe the time is almost here!

Mary and I had loads of fun on Halloween handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters.  I was really creative and dressed up as Miss Florida...haha...

November 5th, I drove to Apopka to emcee the Miss Apopka pageant.  I held the local title in 2010, so it was a lot of fun reconnecting with all of the people in Apopka that I had spent time with during my year.

November 8th, I drove to Winter Park for talent practice with David Gilbert.  I then drove to Port St. Lucie for a voice lesson with Anna McNeely.  Afterwards, I drove to Miami.  It was definitely a day full of driving!

The next day, I drove to Coral Springs to speak at Sawgrass Springs Middle School to speak with the sixth graders.  I spoke to four different class periods about the importance of protecting our environment and highlighted on the importance of Everglades restoration.  The school was located next door to the Everglades so it was imperative to share how vital the Everglades ecosystem and water supply is to their population.  I was very impressed with the school's emphasis on environmental education.  They have an outdoor classroom which is where I did all of my speaking.

While I was there, I was informed that a former Miss Delaware was a member of the their faculty!  Of course I had to meet her and snap a photo!

The following day, Mary and I drove to Broward Estates Elementary School.  I was to speak there about the same topic that I had the day before.  Well, as soon I entered the school, the assistant principal spoke on the intercom and announced that they were having a code yellow.  Mary and I had no idea what that meant, so while the faculty members were frantically working to calm things down in the front office, I went to the restroom to put on my crown and sash.  During that time, the code yellow turned into a code red and Mary and I were brought into a meeting room where we were told we could not move away from.  We were completely confused as we saw members of the Swat team and policemen with dogs start to search the school.

After sometime, we learned that someone had trespassed onto the campus.  The code red continued for about an hour and a half.  Unfortunately, I was not able to speak to the students because dismissal was soon after the code red was over.  Mary and I could not believe what had happened...I guess I really am the Queen of Adventure...haha.  I must say though, that I was very impressed with how the faculty handled everything!

Of course the code red didn't stop me from taking photos!

  
The next day, November 11th, I attended the Pineapple Ball with Ann Marie Griffin and her good friend Rosalie.  The Pineapple Ball is an annual fundraiser for Homestead Hospital.  I sang the National Anthem right before dinner.  I had the best time!

The evening at the Pineapple Ball was just the beginning of an extremely busy weekend.  Before the sun rose the next morning, I was up and getting ready for a drive from Miami to Orlando to attend the Children's Miracle Network Torch Relay.  Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan, Miss America's Outstanding Teen, Elizabeth Fechtel, and my sister queen, Rachel, were also in attendance.  It was great to catch up with all of the ladies!

Right after my appearance at the Torch Relay, I traveled to Plant City to attend a dinner show at the Red Rose Inn with David Gilbert and Mary.  The dinner show is an annual event that is held to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital.  The three of us had a blast watching the show!

The next morning, November 13th, I traveled to Winter Park for a fundraiser party that my good friends Michael and Ron were throwing for me.  All the money raised at this event will be used to help me with my Miss America expenses.  Many people came to the party, including my family, the mayor of Winter Park, Miss Florida 2006, and many more!  It was such an awesome event and I couldn't be more grateful for Michael and Ron's kindness and for everyone's undying support!

After the party I drove to Tampa for a Fashion Show at the Sears in Citrus Park Mall.  Former Miss Florida contestants were also a part of the show.  This was a fun event.  Who doesn't love fashion shows?

Whew...what a busy first two weeks of November I had!  Well, it didn't slow down after that!  Be sure to visit my blog soon.  I will be posting about the rest of my November adventures!

Much love,
Kristina