Holiday Extravaganza!!

                                                I love reindeer!!

                         I made a new friend while we made glitter pinecones!

                                                Another redhead!

                             What is Christmas without silly balloon hats?!!

I want one!!

                             Waiting for the ribbon ceremony to begin!

                  I watch Andrew Humphries every morning give the weather report! He was very funny and I truly enjoyed his company!!

                          Two of my favorite people! Santa & Mrs Claus!

                  This is by far the presttiest float in the whole parade!

Gotta love these guys!!

       Last year, when I was Miss Oakland County, I rode in this beautiful sleigh!

                            This year I rode in this gorgeous silver Saab sponsored by LaFountain of Highland, MI! They were wonderful to help me out!!

               My own personal chauffer and best parade driver . . . my dad!!

On Saturday December 3rd I had the honor to be in the Pontiac Holiday Extravaganza for the second year in a row!!! This is always one of my favorite events to participate in, especially when I have a chance to hang out with the kids before the parade fun starts! The children met before the parade at a crafts event where they made all kinds of Christmas items from decorating cookies, to decorated pinecones, doorhangers, reindeer made from clothespins and the like! I met so many wonderful people and reconnected with old friends! I love being able to promote the Miss America Organization, not only by speaking about it to others, but being involved in the community and volunteering with several different organizations! A very special thank you to Linda from the Genysis Credit Union that sponsored the wonderful parade!! If it were not for you, Linda, and all of your hard work this parade wouldn't be as fantastic as it is because of your love and passion! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me be in the parade again this year! You're the best!! :)

Miss Capital City!! :)

Mr and Mrs Haglund! They're the best!!

Our Miss Michigan mama!! Love you Paula!!

Our absolutely stunning and outstanding Miss Michigan, Elizabeth!! Love seeing her and watching her grow throughout her journey as Miss Michigan!! So proud of you Liz!!

My first runner up at Miss Lady of the Lakes, the beautiful Sarah Sydum!

SO great to see Morgan back in action in pageantry!! We've missed you love!

Haha Doug King is so sweet! He had all of the tall girls stand in the front row...it's nice to be in the front row, such a rare occasion! Thanks Doug for not forgetting about us tall ladies!!

One of my best friends, Emily!! Love this girl to pieces!! Can't wait to go back to Miss Michigan together again!! Talk about great memories! :-)

Melissa! One of my favorite redheads!

Cameron cracks me up!!! She's always being herself, and that's why we love her so much!

Yay! Couldn't resist stopping on the way home!!

On November 20th, I had the pleasure of supporting so many of my pageant sisters and new contestants at the Miss Capital City pageant!! Not only was it a blast to watch, but a close friend of mine, Sydney Learman won!!! I am SO proud of her! She is one of the sweetest, most genuine girls! We have known each for a few years now and I treasure her friendship!!

It was also great to catch up with my best friend Emily!! We haven't skipped a beat since we were together competing at Miss Michigan 2011 last summer!!

It was a great night and it was wonderful meeting so many new titleholders! It is fantastic to watch this program grow and see new girls competing and capturing titles! I can't wait to get to know everyone better throughout the year!

Royal Oak Holiday Parade and Birthday Lunch!! :)

I know Mr Calvin Bordine from Bordine's Nursery because I was on his float last year in the  Clarkston Christmas Lighted parade!! What a blast!

Thankfully we caught a photo of this little guy right before he put his head down! So cute!!! I love reindeer and look forward to seeing them every winter in the Christmas parades!!

Ahh Santa and Mrs Claus!! I told them I was on the 'nice' list!! :)

Love this!! This is Charlotte! She is my new director's daughter!! Charlotte was in the passenger seat during the parade while Jeannette drove the car! I got to sit up in the back seat waving to all of the wonderful people that came out to enjoy a very fun parade to bring in the holidays!! <3

I <3 parades!! So much fun!

Lunch with my girls to celebrate my 21st birthday!

My dear friend and former Miss LOL Cameron Learman, Charlotte, me, and my new amazing director Jeannette Greco Pawlowski!! <3

November 19th was such a blast! It was an honor to be in the Royal Oak parade for the second year in a row! The people are so sweet and made me feel like a Miss America!! It warmed my heart to hear all of the support I recieved from young girls who would wish me good luck at Miss Michigan!! It was a great way for me to get the word out about the Miss America Organization and how life changing it really is!! One of my favorite activities is being out with the public and meeting new people! It truly is a part of my personality! I can't help it because I am a people person! ;-) Not only was the parade fun, but afterwards I had the lovely opportunity to hang out with some of my favorite ladies Jeannette, Cameron, and Charlotte!! We went out to celebrate my birthday and catch up on life! Talk about a perfect day!!

21st Birthday!! :)

We're silly!

Just being our crazy selves with our 12 year old smiles!!

I know this is not an appearance, but it was a big moment in my life . . .  turning 21 on November 18th! It only happens once you know ;-)

I had so much fun on my birthday! Not only was I turning 21, but I was celebrating Thanksgiving with my big brother Seth and my parents! With our busy schedules it's hard to see each other very often so it was a true pleasure to spend the entire night with him; eating, playing video games until 3:30am, laughing, and more eating!! He even slept overnight! We slept in front of the fireplace in our sleeping bags! I wouldn't have spent my birthday any other way!! I'm offically, OFFICALLY an adult haha!!

Evening Gown Photoshoot!!

My favorite one!!! I think this represents not only my title, but me!! She really captured who I am in the photo! I guess pictures do say 1,000 words!! :-)

Another favorite!! This is by far my favorite evening gown and I'm so glad to have an elegant picture of it! Especially with my sash on!!

Couldn't resist! Love Christmas! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!! <3

What a fun day!! One thing that most people know about me is that I LOVE photoshoots! They are so fun and they are filled with fabulous people to spend the day with!! The amazing Melany Hallgren is a sponsor for the Miss Lady of the Lakes pageant and we had a blast together! I am so excited to pick out my autograph photo, it will be a tough decision, Melany did such a fantastic job it's hard to just pick one!! I can't wait to continue on my journey as Miss LOL and of course the new adventures of Miss Michigan! I have been so blessed with wonderful people in my life to help guide me on the right path to be the best me I can be!! Thank you to all of our outstanding sponsors by standing by us and being the wonderful individuals you are!! You're the best!! <3 Thank you again Melany!! :-)