Best Buddies Tom Brady Football Challenge and 20 mile bike ride!

Best Buddies is absolutely SUCH an incredible organization! I always love it when I get the chance to work with them and hang out with all of the buddies! :) During this event at the Tom Brady Football Challenge, I got to cheer on all of the buddies as they played a game of football with some of the Patriot's football players! I also got to "hand out" awards with Tom Brady, I met wide receiver Julian Edelman, Jarod Mayo, Guy Fieri from the food network, 9 times Olympic gold athlete in track and field- Carl Lewis, his son Bakim Lewis (in the music industry), and Lauren Potter from Glee! How cool is that?!

Not only did I just enjoy helping out at the Tom Brady Football Challenge, the following day I also got to participate in the 20 mile bike ride to raise awareness and support Best Buddies! There was SUCH a good turn out and I cannot describe the wonderful feeling that I got from doing this for them. And to see everybody in the community and who traveled far- all coming together for this amazing organization was just heart warming. Not to mention people who lived in the community would take time out of their day just to cheer on all the supporters and to keep them going!

At the one mile to go mark (a point that you feel like death and can't feel anything on your body), you are tired and trying to push yourself to the finish line. It was SO helpful and made me SO happy to see a little girl at that one mile to go mark with her dad and a table next to her handing out free waters to all of the bikers. That is something I will never forget! (And yes, I took a water ;p)

                   My gorgeous sister queens and I all dressed in our biking attire-This little girl that was handing out free waters at the 20 mile bike ride :)

                                       Ate dinner with Guy Fieri! :O              9 times Olympic Gold athlete- Carl Lewis

                              Handing out awards with Tom Brady & my sister queens!                    Bakim Lewis

                                      My boy Nick with Bailey and I!                      Sarah wanted a group hug!

                            The sweetest man you will ever meet!               Michael joined me for lunch!

                                               All smiles with Sarah!                 Two of the most charming men I've met

 

 

                         Everyone who was a part of the Tom Brady Football Challenge!

                                 Patriots wide receiver- Julian Edelman!-My awesome hat & medal Best Buddies gave me after the 20 mile bike ride!

Fundraiser for Boston's Firefighter Memorial Fund & Boston Children Hospital at Persona Boston

Last month I went to my favorite place ever over at the salon- Persona Boston where all of the staff there put together a fundraiser to go towards the Boston's Firefighter Memorial Fund and to Boston Children Hospital! The community of Boston is absolutely SO strong, and they are always there for each other which is one of the reasons why I love it so much. During the day that we were fundraising, we fundraised around $3,000 for Boston Children Hospital and around $1,700 for our firefighters, thank you so much Persona Boston for inviting me to help you out, it was an honor to be a part of all of it! Boston Strong!

Modeling Prom Dresses at Neiman Marcus

Wow!! I didn't realize how long it's been since the last time I updated my blog! I have been QUITE the busy girl the last few months so now that I have found time, I am updated you all on EVERYTHING! I have been having the time of my life since I won the state pageant and I can't wait to see what else will be in store for me :)

Here is a little bit about my time at Neiman Marcus back in April. I spent the day with my sister queens (MA Teen, ME Teen, and Miss ME), we got to model off three different dresses per girl and advertise them to the customers as they looked around. The dresses were STUNNING, and the customers were incredibly sweet and curious as to what is next for us and what we have accomplished.

From being a very frequent customer at Neiman Marcus (especially because my makeup sponsor works there with the Chanel line), I can honestly say it's a wonderful store with some incredible products and clothing! Definitely a must to stop by when you get the chance ;)

Here are some photos from our day waaaaay back in April:

Belle of the Ball

Last weekend was GLAMOROUS as not only did I pick out my drop dead GORGEOUS competition gown for Miss Teen USA, but the day after I got to help HUNDREDS of girls (almost 600 who showed up) pick out the gown of their dreams for upcoming proms! <3 There were so many volunteers who came to help, and all of the girls that I got to work with were SO sweet. We shared many laughs and got to know each other in the meantime while styling them up with beautiful dresses that were donated to the cause, shoes, jewelry, and hand bag accessories! I totally know the feeling of finding the perfect dress that just speaks to you, and it was rewarding to see their pretty faces light up when they found it :)

 

 Most of us volunteers!

 Only about HALF of the beautiful dresses that were donated (there were MANY)!

I will hopefully have some pictures from this event (with the girls I helped shop with) to share with you soon!

New York Photoshoot!

Last month I was honored to go to the big NY for an awesome photo shoot with the one and only Carlos Luna! Here are a few shots that I absolutely LOVE! Thank you for your amazing work Carlos!

The One and Only: "You're Amazing" Self Esteem Pageant! :)

About a month ago I made a trip to Claremont, NH to help out at the "You're Amazing" Self Esteem Pageant. This was one of the most rewarding experiences to have been a part of. All of these young girls, ages 5th grade to 9th grade participated in the event with courage, smiles, and CONFIDENCE! Not only was I just there to make a speech about loving yourself and the people around you, but I got to spend some quality time with the girls themselves and connect with them. We told stories, took pictures, laughed, and overall just had a great time enjoying each others company! :) 

The other volunteers and helpers were SO much fun to be around! Many of them being close to my age- we surprisingly had mutual friends even though we were about an hour away from each other, how cool is that!? Such a small world. I enjoyed making new friends and being a part of such a positive environment. We made sure that I would come back to help next year, too ;)

A big THANK YOU! for inviting me to join you last month, and for inviting me back next year! :)

5th Annual Miss Pink Pageant!

I had an amazing time at the 5th annual Miss Pink Pageant for my first time yet! I heard some beautiful and truly touching stories from these women about their fight against Breast Cancer and they left a huge impact on me. They are so strong, and still so positive but they continue to educate others about the importance of early diagnosis. Ladies, please remember it's better to be safe and find it early, it could save your life! And these beautiful woman are proof. These survivors are inspirational and will not fail to put a smile on your face. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend this amazing event, I truly am so honored to have been able to help.

Left to Right: Bailey (Miss MA Teen), Bridget (Miss NH), Caroline (Miss MA), Richard (our amazing official jeweler), Danielle (Miss ME Teen), Sammy (Miss ME), Laurie (our gorgeous producer), and last but not least me at the end!

A huge thank you to Persona Hair Salon, Elyse Jewelers & my amazing make-up team Rita & Rob for dolling me up!

 

As one of the survivors in the pageant said:

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain."