Hungry Grad Student

Photos lately

2011-12-03T15:29:00.005-05:00

You wouldn't even believe the schedule I am balancing, so I just won't tell you! I have some pictures instead :)

Monster Mania

2011-09-25T07:58:00.003-04:00

My boyfriend, John, is a huge 80's movie fan. So when he found out that Halloween creator John Carpenter and a slew of other stars would be coming to a convention an hour away, we planned to make the trip. I was most excited to meet Anthony Michael Hall, nerd from the Breakfast Club. Who doesn't love that movie or appreciate it's iconic statements about teenagerhood, cliques, and Saturday school? I also was thrilled to meet Norman Reedus, star of Boondock Saints and The Walking Dead (haven't heard of it? It's a zombie tv series based off a great comic book on AMC. Check it out- the human drama is excellent). Norman was incredibly friendly and Anthony Michael Hall said I was "truly beautiful". Coming from inner city school days where I've been called much worse, that was a nice change of pace! This entire event was a blast, and now I'll be even more excited to watch season 2 of the Walking Dead.

What a whirlwind!

2011-09-25T07:39:00.003-04:00

As many know, about one month ago I started teaching in public schools. It has been the busiest and craziest thing I've ever done, but deep down I love my job and there are about ten kids who make my job really worthwhile on a daily basis. On the toughest of days, I know I can come back to count on those kids who either really need the help or the challenge to stay on track for college. That said, that's why there are NO blog entries over the last month! Being a full time student, taking classes at night, and creating the majority of my own lesson plans, has been incredibly tiring! I'm glad I made it through one month. I have had some appearances and events and I wanted to share this one from last week. A local friend sells Stella and Dot jewelry, of which I'm a huge fan because of it's enormous styles that are eye catchers. She was putting together a line to be shown at Frederick Fashion Week, and I modeled! Wow, it has been a while since I saw a runway and this one was LONG! I even challenged myself by wearing the 4.5 inch heel I arrived to the Miss Virginia pageant in two years ago. No trips, stumbles, or falls! Some people even clapped as I finished- perhaps because they were shocked I didn't fall? (haha). I had a blast and it was really fun. Miss Maryland was there and Ms. Senior Maryland also performed a burlesque fan dance, something I've never seen before!

Frederick always surprises me with the events and level of style we have around here.

The Book Thing

2011-08-15T20:57:00.000-04:00

Most people would find this hard to believe... but it's true! As a new part of the Baltimore community, over the last few months I've been investigating various areas that natives are recommending to me. One of those ideas was the Book Thing. It's actually free! Thousands of free books.

John and I had the chance to visit this last weekend and really enjoyed it! It was amazing first of all how many books were available and how many people were visiting! There were boxes to fill with everything you wanted. I was able to stock the majority of my classroom library and pick up dozens of copies of National Geographic to use for projects and reading! What a great way to encourage people all over to read. The next time you're in the Baltimore area, check it out!

Have old books that you'd like to donate? They are open every Saturday and Sunday!

Giant Eagle Advantage Contest

2011-08-12T21:02:00.003-04:00

I'm excited to report that I participated in the Giant Eagle Advantage Contest this summer and I won over $240 in gift cards! During a summer where I was being paid at the end of my training, every little bit helped us out! I won a few times for my photos, but it was a video I made at 5:00 in the morning that ended up being a runner up video and getting $200! I was on my way to work and had had this video on my to do list for weeks when I decided to just do it! I'd had the concept but hadn't scripted it out, so I just winged it! I guess sometimes that just works. You can check out my video on the Giant Eagle homepage!

Crowdtap Shorts Party!

2011-07-10T08:22:00.002-04:00

I love my new shorts, shirt and accessory from Old Navy, and so does everyone who attended my summer Party on June 20th! What I loved about ON is that they have lots of options for different styles and fabrics so that you could find exactly what worked best for you. I've included a few photos below, and I've already worn my outfit on the 4th of july!

Miss Ohio night One: Preliminary Thoughts

2011-06-15T20:38:00.002-04:00

I missed evening gown, oops!

Favorite talents:

Courtney Monk did a good job and her hair was flattering.

Chelsi Howman’s Banjo playing was a refreshing change from the normal dance and singing and she was very talented! I have never seen a banjo player in a pageant.

Amber Bussa’s outfit was cute and she did a good job incorporating little flirty moves into the movement around the stage.

Shannon O’Neill was great, of course I think she’s the one to win the entire crown but her talent was entertaining and one of the voices that actually sounded consistent throughout the song.

Alyssa Waldman was entertaining and a good voice, but I was not a fan of the gown.

Ellen Bryan’s hair pulled back was just stunning!

Entertainment: Ok, I got REALLY spoiled by the great entertainment and strong dancers with good costumes at Miss Virginia, including some really talented teens or preteens to fill in as entertainment. Ohio’s performers just don’t look as “professional” wearing jeans on stage.

Swimsuit picks: Alissa Brumbaugh, Heather Wells (great pace on her walk!) Devon Stansbury (have you seen those calves???)

Old Navy workout pants

2011-06-09T07:51:00.001-04:00

It's hard to find the perfect pair of workout pants, but I can now say I highly recommend Old Navy! They have a new set that is moisture-wicking, which makes these pants even better to wear for other daytime activities during this incredibly hot summer. I picked up my workout pants courtesy of Crowdtap, a great online community that allows you to voice your opinion and participate in special sample shares.

What I love about these pants is their lightweight feel and the fact that it feels like they don't weigh you down while working out. They had a great fit and were extremely comfortable to hit the gym in!

I highly recommend checking out Old Navy for your workout needs!

The Monthly "Free"

2011-05-12T15:30:00.000-04:00

This list is not exhaustive as I'm sure during a busy day I missed entering something, but it's still helpful. People are always asking if it's really worth it to be a bargain and deal hunter. To give you an idea of the things you can get for FREE using coupons, deals and sample requests, here's a partial list of the items I got for free during the month of April:

-2 laundry detergent samples

-3 free razors for our house

-2 free razor’s for John’s brother

-Air Wick scent and warmer

-Bic lighter

-Microwavable popcorn bowl

-1 can manwich

-1 can pasta sauce

-1 full size Murphy’s Oil Soap Bottle

-1 travel size Jergen’s lotion

-1 Nivea body wash

-1 old spice body wash

-4 travel size deodorants to give to charity

-1 old navy dress, plus 3 for friends

-Entire box of Playtex sport wipes

-EOS lip balm

-Full size CVS hand sanitizer

-Full size Dawn dish detergent

-Full cut of meat for pot roast

-Box of Betty Crocker Potatoes

-Olay body wash

-Travel size gilette shaving gel

-Libman mop

-Dishwasher cleaner

-Strawberries, one pack

-1 Breve coffee creamer

-1 Can chef Boyardee

-1 bottle of Nexxus conditioner

-1 John Frieda shampoo/conditioner sample

-1 Arm and Hammer Toothpaste

-One sample set of Nexxus

Review: Playtex Sport Wipes

2011-05-12T15:28:00.000-04:00

Many people know: I don't have air conditioning in my car.

I recently tried the new playtex sport wipes because I am always on the go and I hate
that I get down to my evening classes after sweating through muggy DC traffic!

These are great! Is your team going out for dinner after a major game? Are you always
on the run, going from work to a great date? Want to feel freshened up quickly?
These are a good bet. I'd use them in conjunction with a travel size deodorant for a
midday touch up!

These are new, so go check them out!

Using buxr to find deals

2011-05-12T13:16:00.000-04:00

I can't even remember how I discovered this website, but I'm glad I did. I am "friends" with many deal-hunter websites on facebook but when you know you're going to make a purchase somewhere it's too much to sift through.

I highly recommend using this website if you're hunting for a particular coupon or deal. They are posted daily, and it's easy to do a search for your store and see what deals are out there. Plus, members can vote deals up or down, so you can look at the most popular deals and vote down deals that aren't so great. I've found the only downside is that there are a few "superusers" who seem to post deals every ten seconds, so it's hard to be the first to list something, even if the deal was just released. However, they have a ton of contest options to win lots of money, and extra cash never hurts, right? Visiting Buxr is so much easier than trying to google old coupon codes. Deal seekers can see exactly when something expires, too!

Visit the link below to get started- it's free!

Buxr Hot Deals

Using Offermatic

2011-04-28T09:33:00.002-04:00

Today I'd like to share Offermatic, a program I have been using for a little over two months now.

I initially joined because they had a special to get $15 off a $30 purchase at Amazon or Target. You got to pick which one. I was hesitant at first because the way this program works is by linking one of your credit or debit cards. Based on your spending history, they will offer you rebates based on your past spending. The way it works is that you "unlock" an offer and then have a certain amount of time to use it. I had one to spend $10 at 7-11 and get $5 back. This is easy for me to do because I work directly across the street from 7-11 so I'm always over there. About two weeks after my purchase, $5 was put back in my bank account. Free stuff!

Now, of course there's that not wanting someone to know everywhere you spent your money. I get that. So link up a credit card you don't use often- you'll still be eligible for rebates. So far I've gotten $20 back so it's worth it to me.

If you're interested in learning more about Offermatic, please click here

Another awesome giveaway!

2011-04-26T15:07:00.002-04:00

This time it's for Bod Cami's. I love these because my shirts always get cut too low. I wear tank tops practically every day!

Click here for more info!

You can also sign up for these giveaways available until May 2nd right here!

Another awesome giveaway!

2011-04-26T15:00:00.001-04:00

Want to win more free stuff? How about a $100 credit to Eversave.com?

Visit here for details.

Great giveaways!

2011-04-26T13:53:00.002-04:00

One of my fave websites, Cuckoo for Coupon Deals, has a wonderful Mother's Day! Please go ahead and check it out and enter yourself! Winning things and getting stuff in the mail free always brightens my day!

Mother's Day Giveaway

Old Navy Dress Sampling

2011-04-19T08:56:00.002-04:00

If you haven't visited Old Navy this spring to update your wardrobe, you should! There are some great new dresses (and even cute little complementary jackets if you still feel a chill) available. In fact, I had a hard time deciding what to take into the dressing room!

As member of the Old Navy style council, I received a coupon for myself and three friends to receive a free dress. I gave two of the coupons to my boyfriend's mom and sister and we all went shopping together! Not only was it fun, but I enjoyed getting to see what Old Navy has for sale and help other people choose their dress! I am a member of this program as a result of Crowdtap. Have questions about that or want to get involved? Leave me a comment!

Pictures above are of us redeeming our coupons and John's sister Jennifer off to her sophomore tea in the dress!!

Frank Beamer Award

2011-04-19T08:41:00.003-04:00

Last week I got a major surprise. I was traveling down to Virginia for Omicron Delta Kappa (the national leadership honor society) initiation. We left in the morning because the drive to Blacksburg was a long one. We actually made it to the campus just 15 minutes before the ceremony started! It was already such an honor to be nominated and accepted into ODK, so imagine my shock when they announced the Frank Beamer Award for Exceptional Community Service...I was the winner!

An even bigger surprise was that legend Frank Beamer himself (coach of VT football) actually came to give the award and congratulate the winner! I was honored and excited to meet Coach Beamer and have a photo taken with him!

Laura's CVS Haul

2011-04-12T14:29:00.002-04:00

Great deals at CVS this week. I wanted to keep my bill as low as possible, so using coupons I got:

1 full size essence of beauty hand sanitizer
1 starburst
1 Gain dishwasing liquid

Total $.06

Extreme Couponing... No good news?

2011-04-07T08:04:00.000-04:00

Why Extreme Couponing could be bad:

1) Real couponing is about getting what your family can use before it goes bad. Whenever I stockpile, I only get nonperishables. Things that don’t go bad for months- boxed dinners, frozen food, canned goods, etc. It’s stupid to buy 35 bottles of medicine- if you’re really using that many just in your family, you need to visit a doctor. Seriously.

2) The ONLY things I buy cheap or free to stockpile more than others is deodorant, toothpaste, cat litter, and shampoo. Why? Because my church’s cold weather shelter needs the toiletries for homeless people and a local animal center uses the litter. Why not get it and give it to them when it’s no cost to me? Otherwise, I’m just taking products off the shelf that I know won’t be used in my house. We only have two adults- the only things it makes a ton of sense to stockpile is razors, toilet paper, body wash, trash bags, etc.

3) I don’t want to be a hoarder. I feel like this show could be giving a bad name to people who are fairly trying to use coupons to save their family money. The money I save allows me to have a bigger budget for fun things, paying bills, or acquiring perishables like milk on a more regular basis. I don’t want to have a basement stocked with stuff that we can’t ever use. I’m sorry but even with a big family there is NO way those people are using that many products. They simply have to be giving it away.

4) If the show has cut out the part where these people are giving it away, that’s a shame. It’s really wonderful to use coupons to acquire products for those in need, but I also feel like it’s a travesty to empty grocery store shelves. Your neighbors might need some of that product, too! Why get 50 when it will take you five years to use that? If you’re not giving it away, you are WASTING PRODUCT. End of story. You’ll also waste product by sending the message to the company that tons of people are buying this product and so they need to make more. That means more wasted product sitting on the shelves next month because you’ve contributed a bizarre supply/demand message to the company.

5) I’m afraid stores or companies might realize that there are some crazies out there just simply buying too much and abusing the system. I’m personally grateful that certain stores like Rite Aid and Target have awesome policies allowing you to stack manufacturer and store coupons, which can be great on a buy one get on free deal. But in this economy do we really need to encourage these companies to be more frugal with coupons?

Laura's List of Cheapies

2011-04-06T14:51:00.003-04:00

Here's a list of things, that if combining coupons, store discounts, sales, and buy one get one free, you should never pay more than half price for: Shaving cream Soap Body wash Body lotion Face wash Razors (do not buy cartridges unless they are a major steal) --> (This is one of my favorite tips, we never buy razor cartridges and just buy new razors on sale) Deodorant Eyeliner Hairspray and all hair products aside from dyes Toothpaste Mouthwash So this is probably the majority of your toiletries, right? I regularly get the brand names I like from CVS or Rite Aid extremely cheap or free. When there's a deal, I maximize the savings by getting as many as allowed and rolling register rewards from week to week. For example, let's say I earned $10 CVS Extra Care Bucks last week buying Almay Foundation. This week Old Spice Body wash is buy one get one free. I can use a coupon on Old Spice plus those ECB's (which are like cash in this sense) to purchase the body wash. I add the bodywash to my stockpile in my upstairs closet and we get it out as we need it. That means once I stockpile something I dont have to buy it for 2-6 months (depending on how much I bought) and I saved the maximum amount on it! Keep your eye out for weekly circulars. Although people often think drugstores are overpriced, you will do the BEST at these stores by rolling rewards, weekly coupons from the store, and adding coupons to sales. Trust me!

Swing Dancing at Glen Echo

2011-03-29T07:35:00.003-04:00

I'm a few posts behind where I wanted to be, but I wanted to share a new and exciting activity for couples to do. We've been looking for more ways to incorporate physical activity into some of our dates, and this one turned out really well!

Over the last year in graduate school, I've noticed that if I make a wrong turn on the way home I end up at this strange place that looks like the set of a 1950's horror movie. On a trip home from DC, John was curious about what this place was, so we decided to stop and check it out. While the rest of the park was silent, many people were filing towards one building, so we followed them. As it turns out, this was Glen Echo park and there is swing dancing with live music every weekend! We sat and watched for about twenty minutes, noting how good some of the people dancing at the front of the ballroom were. We decided to come back at some point and try it for ourselves.

This last weekend John's family came to visit so we all went swing dancing. It was great! They provide a one hour lesson that teaches you a 7 step combination beforehand, and the live music was wonderful! We all had a great time and will definitely be returning! We danced for about three hours, so this is definitely a workout!

Great Spring Cleaning idea!

2011-03-10T09:19:00.002-05:00

Spring is almost here! Looking to get rid of stuff? I know that after our move last year, I am dying to unload some of this stuff for when we inevitably move the next time! Plus, we've (and mostly me..) have accumulated a lot of clothing and items over the years that I'm sure could be put to good use. We get these mailers at our house all the time and I'm jumping on the chance to donate (easily) to the Vietnam Vets of America. They come and pick up all your stuff outside your house, leave you a tax receipt, and you're done!! Just schedule a pickup. So much easier than dragging it to Goodwill, waiting in line for a tax receipt, etc.

Head on over to http://www.vvapickup.org/ today to schedule your pickup!!

My birthday

2011-02-08T08:37:00.005-05:00

My wonderful boyfriend took me out for my 25th birthday and we had a blast! We have several upcoming things on our calendar that I'll share later, but here is a photo from my birthday this year!

Miss America

2011-01-11T07:48:00.002-05:00

Well, I haven't posted in months. And that's certainly because over the last several months my schedule has been a nightmare, and within that time I've realized a lot of things that are important to me- along with realizing some things that need to be completely trashed. I'm in the process of making some major changes to my life, but this week I felt like coming back to blogging because a very dear friend, Katie Uze, is currently at the Miss America pageant.

Over my years in pageants, of course there are a few "bad apples" (and that's the case in any group of people) but Katie is truly one of the most genuine and lovable people out there. We first met competing together our very first year (2007-2008) and ended up sharing a car partner at the Miss Virginia pageant. Katie is incredible on and off the pageant stage, and it's easy for me to feel genuinely excited for her as she works towards a dream this week. She's very deserving of this entire experience and is, in my mind, the ideal Miss America: relatable, fun-loving, carrying a strong message, smart, funny, and sweet. If she doesn't win, it's fully Miss America's loss.

Miss America can be a total crapshoot. You can work your butt off and it's just not in the cards for you. It's the same way I view Miss Virginia: it's impossible to feel like you failed when you accomplished so many other things along the way you will cherish for a long time. However, only one girl each year can have that experience and the timing just might not be right. I'm proud of Katie no matter what (although I highly suspect she will win a swimsuit award in Las Vegas) and feel lucky to have become a friend over our time in pageants together.

Go Katie!

TSO

2010-12-30T08:53:00.002-05:00

One of the most exciting things John and I did this year was receive tickets to go watch Transiberian Orchestra in Pennsylvania. John's brother, Joseph, got the tickets and treated us all to a spectacular show! It was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Some people made the mistake of thinking the show was over at intermission. The concert was a good three hours but my favorite part of the show actually came after intermission, when a good portion of the crowd thinned out and the music was the personal creation of TSO. We had a blast, and the band was excellent at working with the crowd and raising interest in each song. The lights were also amazing! I highly recommend this concert to anyone who likes rock music or even classical- you will be amazing at how great it sounds fused together!

Oh, Canada!

2010-11-15T08:58:00.002-05:00

I recently had the awesome opportunity to travel to an international conference on Motherhood in Toronto, Canada! This was my first trip to Canada and also my first time experiencing Niagara Falls! Lucky enough, we actually visited the Falls on the last day it was open for the boats. This was also John's first time traveling to Niagara, and we're also planning another trip back!

One of the great things about this conference is that I got linked up with many other people in the field through this organization, and I have an upcoming book chapter to be published in Winter 2011 as a result of the connections made. We also got to go see Second City, a hilarious comedy show (which had come to my college, and, in fact, adopted a Randolph Macon girl into one of their tours because of her great sense of humor). The show was great and although the trip was short, it was a blast! There is so much to do there and I can definitely see why it's such a great honeymoon destination!

Baltimore Comic COn

2010-09-12T15:16:00.002-04:00

I have been extremely, extremely busy- to a level I have never personally experienced before. I am a full time graduate student and a full time employee- meaning I literally drive from maryland to virginia and back three days a week and use my weekends to catch up. In any case, I have several posts coming but only get to work on them in my rare free time. So the first overdue post is for the Baltimore Comic Con, which I attended in costume a few weeks ago. They had a costume contest and although I did not win, I had a great time attending and having pictures taken with many people attending the event. In fact, the costume contest was kind of a bust because it lasted over four hours and there were people who clearly had a lot of time and money to invest in their costumes!

A few quick updates

2010-08-03T19:42:00.002-04:00

It's been so long since I've posted, but my new schedule is very hectic and the weekends of summer have been extremely full so far! The remainder of this month is no different.

-I've officially entered another dimension of time management, as I'm now working a full-time job on top of working on my PhD. My mother and I are working on a project to be presented at an international conference on motherhood in Canada this fall, I'm writing a chapter for upcoming book about motherhood advocacy organizations, and in general adjusting to life as a researcher/student/employee.

-I'm preparing for a whole new kind of contest at the end of August. When my boyfriend asked if we could attend the Baltimore Comic-Con, at first I was thinking this wouldn't be very fun for me. Until I decided to enter the costume contest (last year's winner received a $1,000 cash prize). Over the course of college due to my busy schedule, positive outlook, and many hats I wore, I earned the nickname wonder woman from many friends. After learning more about this famous female superhero, my boyfriend and I decided there was no one more perfect to go as. Wonder Woman is a curvy Amazon who carries a lasso of truth. She fit me perfectly! So John and I have spent weeks perfecting a costume and makeup for this event. I am sure people will want their picture taken with wonder woman, too! I even have the blue eyes to match!

-Finally, finally, finally, two very important things are happening in my life. I've waited so long for both and I can finally afford them! Years ago my eye doctor told me the only cure to my constant eye infections and now inability to wear contact lenses was Lasik. I'm having the procedure right before Comic Con and couldn't be more excited to have glasses-free vision.

And... I'm buying a car! I'll reveal that later, but for now I am still driving the trust 1984 Cavalier. I've decided that things built in the 80's are just made to last, because she's still going strong!

Miss Virginia 2010

2010-07-05T10:32:00.002-04:00

This last month has been a complete whirlwind for me, involving a lot of stress, moving, new adventures, and some very exciting things on the horizon. I feel bad for not posting this sooner, but just over a week ago, one of my favorite pageant friends won Miss Virginia. I have to say, it's much, much harder to watch and support someone than it is to be in the pageant. I was cheering loudly for my friends Shannon Oliver and Katie Uze, and every time either one of them came on stage, I felt like vomiting. I crossed all fingers and toes that they would do their best. I am so proud of both of them- they each won a preliminary award and made the top five.

When they announced that Katie Uze was the new Miss Virginia, I shrieked for over twenty seconds and then called Katie's phone to leave her a crying voicemail of how proud of her I was. There are literally no words to describe how genuine, funny, and dedicated Katie is. She will be an incredible Miss Virginia and I'm so proud of her! Katie and Shannon have been two of my friends that I first met during Miss Virginia 2008 and we have stayed close and in support of one another ever since. Would you believe both Katie and Shannon drove over 4 hours to watch me compete at Miss Hill City? So, I figure it's time to return that favor and head out to Vegas to watch Katie compete for Miss America!

Congratulations to someone who really deserves it!

Rick Myers

2010-06-15T14:40:00.002-04:00

I've been so busy that I didn't even realize it had been a month since I'd last posted. A few updates:

My friend Anna Reis is competing for the title of Miss Ohio this weekend and I'll be watching the webcast so catch up with how she's doing.

We've been through a terrible experience the past few days with our little dog. Luckily she has survived and will recover but it totally shook our worlds. Pets are great!

And now, on to share some photos from an excellent Virginia photographer! I met Rick right before the Miss Lynchburg pageant and he came to take pictures of the entire show. I was thrilled to get to work with him out in Nelson County at some of the best waterfalls I've ever seen! Rick is great for just about everything: he does roller-derby shots, too! If you're looking for new headshots, modeling photos, or a couples photo shoot, consider working with him! He's excellent, professional, funny, and produces gorgeous photos! We're having a hard time deciding which ones to blow up in our new home!

Check him out at www.rickmyersphotography.com

Elks Lodge

2010-05-21T08:54:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a long time because 1) I have many secret projects going on and 2) I've just been busy! I have received my master's degree and in one week, my boyfriend and I will be in our new house in Maryland. We're so excited, but also just exhausted from the last few weeks we've had. John is in his last day of his second year of medical school today (meaning the worst part is now over) and this entire weekend we're showing our house to new renters, packing, and spending time together. I haven't spent time with him for about two weeks because we've been running all over the place, and we actually spent our anniversary last week in two different states.

I will post more about graduation later. Last night I was a special guest speaker at the Roanoke Elks Lodge Scholarship/Valedictorian night to talk about how my Elks scholarship helped jump-start my educational and career goals. Literally, six years ago I could not afford to go to college and without the national Elks scholarship, I would have been attending community college near home and it would have been a much more difficult road to where I am now. Thanks to the $6,000 scholarship I received from Elks, I was able to attend a private woman's college (with a $32,000 price tag per year) virtually free and with very little loan accumulation. It was my pleasure to speak to high school students on the verge of graduation about how I made it through and where I'm at now.

Coming up in June: I'm slated to judge two more pageants! I'm becoming a professional!

Update

2010-05-06T11:29:00.003-04:00

John judging Miss Nelson County

Picking strawberries

Visiting Virginia Beach

Eating in Williamsburg

C0lonial Williamsburg
I've been a horrible blogger lately, because I've been too busy! But- some good news- I am graduating! I will have a master's degree next Saturday, and in the meantime I'm anticipating my mother arriving for a few days, I haven't seen her since January. My boyfriend and I have been incredibly busy, judging pageants and traveling everywhere, and we recently had a great photo shoot with a photographer I highly recommend! Soon I'll post those pictures and explain more, but here are some photos from our travels the past month!

Help me!!

2010-05-04T09:48:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to start a program to provide free tap lessons to kids in areas that don't have access to arts programs. It's completely free to vote- and you can do it once every day! The top ten ideas get $5,000 from Pepsi. I really want to do this, please help me!

www.refresheverything.com/laurapennington

GBT Conference

2010-04-29T08:39:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I presented my research at my first conference, and it went extremely well! I also got the opportunity to speak with a woman who wrote one of the books I used as a primary resource. I am now working on a new undercover project related to this.

Top 5 Tips for College Writers

2010-04-08T16:49:00.003-04:00

Now that I am literally only a few weeks from graduating with my master's, I've also almost finished grading nearly 1,000 student writing assignments over the last four semesters. That said, a few key problems consistently emerge when students hand in writing and research papers. Hopefully this helps some people!

1. Cite. It is illegal if you don't cite your work. If you fail to include a bibliography and in text citations/footnotes, you are stealing someone else's work. This applies to data you took from a source as well as ideas that don't belong to you. If you're not putting your own ideas forward, you have to give credit. Your credit should be clear and easy to find if the grader wants to check up on your sources. And people WILL check. I recently graded a paper where a student took the liberty of using word for word phrases from their souce- without even giving credit. This is plagiarism!

2. Include the basics- page numbers, a title, your name, etc. This to me seems so obvious yet I write these words constantly on student papers! Do not give professors easy reasons to knock your grade down!

3. Start each paragraph with a sentence that tells me what you're going to do in that paragraph. Not only does it make reading easier, but sometimes professors in big classes don't have time to read your entire 12 page paper. Getting the main idea in that first sentence is crucial. It also makes you accountable throughout your writing to make sure that what you're saying makes sense.

4. Unless asked for your personal opinion, don't provide it. If asked to write about someone's perspective on a particular issue or law, the assignment doesn't ask you to critique it. Don't share your opinion unless that is clearly part of the assignment! It really detracts from your overall point and makes the paper seem completely unprofessional.

5. Dare yourself at the beginning of each paper to state what two or three things you want to accomplish in the paper. then, tailor your paper to making it readable (as if your reader knows nothing about the topic), informative, and clearly written. TA's and professors are generally very good writers- don't give away easy points!

To tell... or not to tell

2010-04-06T08:03:00.002-04:00

Over the last few months, I've really been thinking about the contemporary opinion of "pageants" and even those that call themselves "scholarship programs".

When asked why we do them, many people often answer about the self-improvement aspects of competing in pageants. And this is very true. Even if you only participate in them for personal growth and never want to win Miss (Whatever State), you will definitely gain something out of participating. Every girl goes in with different intentions and motivations behind her own participation.

Unfortunately, though, I have to believe that these programs only harm girls if they pop up on your resume. Many people debate about putting it on your resume. For some people, it works really well if you want to go into public relations or a journalism job- being Miss Whatever is a great marketing job and you're constantly putting yourself out there to further the program. At the end of the day, though, pursuing other types of careers with this on your resume just leaves a black mark.

I'll speak from personal experience. I chose not to compete my final year of eligibility in this pageant program and for various reasons. Looking back, it was a choice I am very glad I made. It's allowed me to focus so much more on school- and in the long run, that- and not my two-minute stint in an evening gown- will pay off more. I felt like I had gotten all I could out of the program. I had really pushed myself, and now it was time to move on to something else.

When it came time last fall to fill out my PhD applications, I didn't hesitate at all. I'd been in academia long enough to know that at some times, even being female counts against you. The last thing I needed on my resume was to list pageant experience- the perfect reason to give a committee an easy reason to say "no" to me. Graduate school/academia and pageants don't mix well. At times last year I felt like I lived in two separate worlds- one where looks, body type, and outfits were key, and another where your ability to connect theory to teaching to paper-writing was vital. There were essentially two Lauras. Although this kept me sane by not allowing me to become too involved in either one, I always felt the academy's general feeling about programs like modeling and beauty pageants. There is a stereotype that women can't do that and be smart at the same time. While this isn't true, I've found this belief to be rampant.

So when it came time to include the important resume in my application packet, my mom and boyfriend encouraged me to include some of my pageant information under the heading of community service. I really didn't want to- I felt it would lead to me being typecast immediately. I told them both I'd check with my advisors and go from there.

The overwhelming opinion (and this came from professors at both my alma mater and current school as well as researchers and people working in various policy positions) was not to include it- at all. I was told to delete anything immediately, and that including it could be an easy admissions denial.

On a personal level, this did surprise me a little bit. After all, I had put in literally hundreds of hours cris-crossing the state doing programs for girl scouts, domestic violence shelters, children's miracle network, etc. I had developed my own self-esteem program, spent afternoons at Blacksburg Middle School talking to teenage girls, and spoken to over 180 people in Rotary, Lion's, Kiwanis, and Optimist Clubs all over this corner of the state about my platform. And suddenly none of that counted?

I would certainly never take those experiences back-I worked hard for them and I am proud of what I did. But I just want people to know that it's not very realistic to consider that your pageant experience will help propel you into a career. In fact, this might be a reason why women no longer choose to compete in such big numbers. With reality shows galore and more educational opportunities opening up for women, why compete in something that's only going to hurt your chances in future schooling or careers?

I'm sure there are some people out there surprised by this- and maybe those working in acting or communications feel like listing that experience helped them secure a job. And that's great! But a warning to those considering different types of careers, where you'll be competing against many other qualified candidates- many people don't understand the significance or volume of work it takes to be a local titleholder. You don't want to have to educate them about what it is. I was told to leave it off- and that advice seemed to work! So be careful. Be proud about what you've done and go into the program knowing what you want out of it, but don't expect that listing this experience anywhere is going to help you!

VT Graduate Awards Banquet

2010-03-26T10:35:00.003-04:00

Last night I was truly honored to be included in such a great group being recognized at Virginia Tech's Graduate Student Awards Banquet. As many probably know, a few weeks ago I found out I was the recipient of VT's Graduate Student Service Excellence Award, given to one graduate student who exemplifies service outside the classroom. We had a great dinner last night. My award was one of the last to be given, so I sat there through the ceremony just humbled by the other people there. These are the cream of the crop with regards to VT's graduate student population. Hundreds of published papers, book chapters, conference presentations, potential pharmaceutical developments, and years of work were talked about last night. It was an honor enough to be considered for this award but it was so special to be recognized for all the hours I put into working with young girls and domestic violence survivors. I received $1,000 and a beautiful plaque!

Needless to say, I was kind of stunned to be a part of this group! When they brought me up to receive my award, it was interesting to hear that they announced I'd begin work on my PhD in Public Administration and Policy this fall. I actually never told the committee this, despite my pending application at Tech, so I wasn't sure how they knew I'd even applied. I guess they were one step ahead of me, because I logged on later to find out I'd been accepted to the program, so I will OFFICIALLY be a PhD student in the fall! This is very exciting and has been the capstone of a wonderful week, in which my thesis was returned to me to prepare for a defense with minor edits in addition to everything!

Now, I have to get to editing that thesis and grading fifty 12-page research papers, but I also have plans this weekend to just relax and enjoy the payoff of some serious hard work! I'm also presenting my research at two conferences in April, so I've got a very busy schedule ahead of me, but I have spent two years at Tech leading up to this point and I've put in a lot of hard work! On May 15th, I will have a master's degree and will be moving on to the final part of my education, receiving a PhD! Those who knew me years ago know that attending college was a question until a few nights in April when I received generous assistance from my college, high school, and the National Elks Foundation. All those people who believed in me then inspired me to keep going and get the degrees I wanted. Don't give up!

The Learning Channel... or not

2010-03-25T12:01:00.000-04:00

When I was younger, I remember my aunt only allowing her kids to watch TLC- the learning channel- during mornings. Believe it or not, the channel had lots of cute shows appropriate for kids and a great appealer in What Not To Wear for adults.

Over the last few years, I’ve really watched TLC go down the tubes. Is it a reflection of general interest in the country? It’s not enough to have a reality channel and VH1/MTV full of ridiculous tv shows, now TLC has been taken over. I think it should be renamed “The Bizarre Factory”.

I really enjoyed Little People Big World (hey, a real family, with real problems, real kids-great!) and What Not to Wear (because style interventions and makeovers are just the American way!). Over time, my boyfriend even got into Cake Boss, although each show has some staged drama that threatens to ruin the day.

But lately, what is up with this channel? My DVR somehow recorded a show called Miss Turkey Trot and Drumsticks, where women were judged only on their legs to win the illustrious Miss Drumsticks. What am I learning here? Then came Toddlers and Tiaras. Crazy pageant mom with half-talented kids who’d rather be running around outside? Please apply!

Now it’s become home to what they make seem like a freak show. While it’s great that someone 3’11 is a doctor, why do we need a show about little chocolatiers? The Little Couple drives me up a wall, too! This little woman drags her husband on shopping trips every other episode despite his frustrated cries about how much he hates it. Don’t even get me started on her laugh, either. I haven’t tuned in to “Little Chocolatiers” because I literally have no interest. It makes these people out to be freak shows. Add into the mix “world’s tallest human” and “I didn’t know I was pregnant” and I feel like I bought a ticket to Barnum and Bailey.

Then TLC had Miss America on its broadcast. They staged a cheesy fake show where women competed in “challenges” (including sliding down a soaped up slip and slide- nothing says accomplished 24 year old like this) to win a gold sash. The girls who won gold sashes earned spots in the final pageant. I never really understood this- if the judges in a pageant didn’t like me, fine! But do I really want to reference winning an obstacle course as the clincher that sealed my fate in the top 15 at Miss America? No. Then TLC dumped Miss America (which I can’t really blame them for). I was honestly sick of them advertising Toddlers and Tiaras leading up to Miss America anyways.

And today was just the icing on the cake. I don’t mind watching reality shows as a chance to relax after a long day. Pondering at the bizarre happenings on Millionaire Matchmaker? Sure! Salivating at the cooked-up creations on Top Chef? I’ll be there. But watching Sarah Palin?

I mean, really? We’re talking about someone whose speaking skills rival Caitlin Upton of the famous “such, as the Iraq” and now we’re going to watch a show about her? I really don’t feel like this woman represents me at all, and I don’t want to know anymore about her. What better way to milk her fifteen minutes of fame, though? Has any other failed national candidate made such a name for themselves? Forget Al Gore- he only was part of a great movie about global warming. Yeah, I REALLY want to know more about “holier than thou” Sarah Palin and watch the great bastions of good behavior her children are. Someone to look up to- teen mom! Oh wait, isn’t that ALREADY a reality show?

Learning Channel, I’ll miss you. What’s even more sad is that apparently the interest is there from some people to watch this crap. I think our house is going to stick to National Geographic Channel. We might even LEARN something!

A Junior Miss Weekend

2010-03-23T07:46:00.003-04:00

The Virginia's Junior Miss Judging Panel
This weekend I had the honor of judging the Virginia's Junior Miss Program. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the people involved in this organization. I participated in Ohio's Junior Miss in 2004 and had a great time. I have a special scrapbook just for the week I spent in Mount Vernon, Ohio, preparing for the final program. It is easily my favorite "pageant-related" experience I have ever had.

America's Junior Miss is a program for high school seniors to win scholarships for college. AJM gets $50,000 at the national level, and many state programs award between 5-40,000 dollars to young women each year. You can only compete once, and one winner is chosen to spend two weeks in Mobile, Alabama, for America's Junior Miss. The girls compete in self-expression, talent, interview, scholastics, and a fitness routine (this weekends was a six minute routine with push-ups, sit ups, high kicks, and a personal routine for each girl- sorry, that beats twenty seconds in a swimsuit any day!).

I was on the panel with a very distinguished group of former junior misses- a doctor in family practice, a chiropractor, an Exxon Mobile manager, and a young woman graduating with honors from college this spring to go work as a journalist in DC. There is something about Junior Miss- the women go on to accomplish amazing things. The average GPA of this years class of Junior Miss? 3.97. Last year's Virginia's Junior Miss is working on research at MIT.

I discovered Junior Miss during the summer of 2003 while flipping channels and seeing some program on CMT where girls were kickboxing to win money for college. I later learned it was America's Junior Miss, and I started asking my mom for permission to participate right away. What resulted was a wonderful week I will always cherish.

I have never had such a good time behind the scenes (by the way, don't call Junior Miss a "pageant"- the program corrects anyone who calls it this. There are no crowns or sashes- simply medallions and scholarships) at a program like this. The women I judged with were fascinating. I talked to the doctor about getting through the last two years of medical school (which my own boyfriend will soon embark on), the chiropractor about alternative cures for several migraine headaches, the auditor and Exxon employee about the growing phenomenon that is Twilight, and even spoke with the chiropractor/dance teacher about teaching dance for free in underprivileged communities, which is my newest venture I'll be pursuing after my move to Maryland in June. What a great weekend!

The girls were beyond impressive. I cannot remember at 18 being so articulate or talented. The winner, Brina Gabryel, was only 16 years old but already accepted to a university's dance program for the fall. She won talent, fitness, and self-expression. I believe she won close to $4,000 this weekend alone, in addition to what she had previously won as Lynchburg's Junior Miss.

If there are any junior high school girls out there interested in earning money for college and having a great time, please consider participating in this program next year!

My boyfriend and I also made the most of the weekend with a few interesting stops, which I'll blog about later!

Excitedly announcing... my new project

2010-03-08T13:25:00.002-05:00

For the past few months, I’ve had several people ask me if I’ll miss tap dancing. The first time, it just confused me, but after it happened a few times, I really wondered if people thought I just learned to tap dance for the purpose of pageants. Quite the opposite- I’ve been dancing as long as I’ve had energy to burn (since age 3) and I plan to continue doing it throughout my life.

Tap dancing is a family tradition for me- my grandmother and great uncle were great tap dancers and teachers. I treasure my collection of my grandmothers taps and carrying on something special to me and my family. I’ve always known I would continue with lessons and now teaching others.

The past few months, I’ve been laying the groundwork for a new project to start when I live in Maryland. I’m excited to partner with Madeline’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping inner city youth and their families by providing positive outlets for them. I’ll be helping out next year by teaching tap! I have wanted to do this for so long and was just looking for the perfect connection to work out this project, and this foundation is the perfect fit!

Here’s where I need everyone’s help: I’m applying for a series of grants including $5,000 from Pepsi to launch this off the ground. I’m also applying for another grant from an organization I received a scholarship from as a college freshman. $5,000 would really lift this project off the ground. I’ll use it to buy 2 portable ballet bars, music, and hopefully as many pairs of tap shoes (and other dance shoes to help the entire program) and money to give to special dancers to come teach for a week and inspire the kids. The kids can then just come to dance lessons and borrow shoes from my collection every week and not have to worry about the expense! Pepsi this year is giving hundreds of thousands of dollars away in grants, and the top ten grants requesting $5,000 will get the grant! I need people to vote. You can vote everyday by simply signing up through your email. My link will be available at the beginning of April.

Even if I don't win the grants, I will still go forward with this project, so I hope anyone interested helps me out! I have my fingers crossed that with your help, my idea can be in the top ten. We can really make a cool after school program come to life- and at completely no cost to these kids!

We all know that in these difficult times often comes the cutting of many arts programs. Last year the dance studio I practiced at after school was canceling their dance program due to funding. Many people who live in bigger cities can’t afford after school activities and they definitely can’t afford dance tuition, leotards, and shoes! So this is an easy way to vote and give as many kids as I can handle the chance to learn one of my favorite things! I’ll post links when it gets closer, I’m counting on everyone I know to help make this a reality!

Home, Sweet Home

2010-03-04T12:29:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been reminded a lot of my childhood in Ohio. There are a couple of reasons for this. It's spring break, so a lot of students are headed home or off on break. I will be finishing up my thesis here in Virginia. Also, my mom and brother recently went to a Styx, REO Speedwagon, and 38 special concert in Ohio. And finally, someone I went to high school with is on American Idol.

First things first. I'm almost done with my thesis. All my work has been completed- I just have to type the remaining half and edit. I'll be happy when I defend it and then my schedule clears up even more.

Second, I think appreciation of classic rock is something natural to where I live. We're close to Detroit, but Toledo's it's own city that loves classic rock. There are always great concerts there- I saw Eddie Money over summer and a few months ago my brother also saw Alice Cooper. Great artists are always coming through there. Maybe it's because I live more in a college area, but I grew up listening to classic rock. My favorite part of the drive home is when I'm on the Ohio turnpike about 90 minutes away and I pick up 94.5 XKR, the world's best classic rock station. So obviously I was jealous when I heard my mom was heading out to yet another concert with my brother, with rave reviews afterwards of Styx. I have to say, I miss being in that area. Classic rock is my music of choice and the artists just don't come through here. We have to go to Greensboro and keep our fingers crossed for Aerosmith. A lot of different music certainly comes through this area, but it's never anything John or I is particularly interested in.

And finally, I come from a middle of nowhere town in Ohio. You knew everyone you went to high school with by name. So it's pretty cool that Crystal Bowersox, a former Oak Harbor student herself, is not only on American Idol but an early favorite. I never tune into the show because it just doesn't capture me, but this year I have been tuning in to see how she's doing. So far, so good, but since I've never really watched the show, I'm not sure what a great measure of success is.

Okay, enough "fun writing". Back to mail-order brides.

Caressa's win

2010-03-04T11:51:00.002-05:00

Other contestants "felt it" about Miss Virginia

Click here

Whew, busy!

2010-03-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

So this weekend I crowned a new Miss Hill City and Miss Lynchburg. I've started a few blog entries but just haven't had time to update lately. My "spring break" (ie work on my thesis from home all week) is coming next week so maybe I'll have some down time for updates!

Great news!

2010-02-25T18:29:00.002-05:00

I just found out tonight that I won Virginia Tech's Graduate Student Service Excellence Award. I was having somewhat of a terrible day, because I've been sick all week. Combine that with writing my farewell speech for Miss Hill City and packing for that, I've been bummed out! I'm really going to miss hanging out with my committee and all the special work I did as Miss Hill City (which is part of the reason I won this award).

And just to show that this system is not just about competing, one of my nominators for this award was Stephanie Connelly, a fantastic contestant and fellow VT student.

I'll be recognized at an award ceremony with March and I am receiving $1,000 for this special honor! What a great turnaround to this day.

I'm almost a "has-been"!

2010-02-20T00:04:00.002-05:00

The weekend after this, I'll be giving up my second (and final) title in the Miss America program, Miss Hill City. Even though some people might think it's sad, it's exciting that another young woman is about to embark on a special year, one of the highlights being the Miss Virginia pageant in June.

Certainly it's been very special to be a part of Miss Virginia. Our reigning Miss Virginia just won Miss America and Virginia has a legacy of crowning talented, intelligent, gorgeous young women who make the most of the title and represent us well at Miss America. For now, I'm content to continue cheering on some of my favorite people I've met competing. Some people say it's not real for people "competing" against one another to get along well or form friendships, but go ahead and tell that to some of the girls I've gotten to know and love over the past two years. These women are incredible, and I wish them all the best of luck at Miss Virginia in June.

I'll blog again one more time before leaving next weekend to give up the title, but I wanted to take another opportunity to thank everyone for standing behind me during my quest to be Miss Virginia. It didn't happen for me, and that's okay. It wasn't in God's plan for me and I feel good about that. In the last several months, my true passions have become clear and I look forward to my future.

Whether I compete in any more pageants or not, I plan to move valiantly forward representing my platform (Breaking the Silence: Domestic Violence Awareness). I'm already incorporating it in my research (thesis and otherwise) and I know that my upcoming move to Maryland will present me with even more opportunities to remain involved in a new state with new people. I love interacting especially with kids and will continue to do that.

On that note, I have to be up early for a day-long Girl Scout event tomorrow, so I'm off!

Why I love the Olympics

2010-02-17T11:24:00.002-05:00

Every two years, I tune in to watch the world's finest athletes do their thing in front of millions of people, hoping to deliver the performance of a lifetime.

Now, I'm not interested in sports generally- I didn't even know who won the super bowl until I logged into Yahoo the next morning. But there's something about the Olympics that's different. The athletes seem more humble. Their skill seems incredible. And it's a rallying cry to support your favorite athletes. I have personal favorites for both the summer and winter olympics, making it fun to watch every two years. In the summer I cheer loudest for Phil Dalhausser, a 6'9 beach volleyball player called the "thin beast" who basically stands at the net and smacks the ball back over. In the winter, I watch my favorite athlete, Apolo Anton Ohno, speedskate.

There's something rhythmic and yoga-like about speedskating. The graceful movements, the split-second movement between skaters, and the avoidance of the inevitable crashes. Ohno has now become the most decorated winter olympian, and with good reason. What I love about Ohno is that he's always so down to earth. It's a refreshing change from the "I'm so amazing" football, basketball and baseball players of today who make FAR too much money and inevitably ruin their careers in my eyes with bad choices (Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods- role model, anyone?)

Last night's skating program added a new favorite to my category- Evan Lycasek. What graceful movements. Even in light of being slammed by the Russian skater who just edged him out after the short program, Evan remained calm.

More favorites? Shaun White. This kid is ridiculous. He's one of the few men I've ever seen able to rock curly red hair - and avoid the Carrot Top look- and he used a private half pipe to prepare for the olympics. You can bet his presentation is going to be incredible. On that note, I'm a little worn down of people ripping down these athletes. You could see the disappointment of the Russian coaches when two of their men took tumbles in pairs. Poor Lindsay Jacobellis took a spill during the snowboardcross just four years after she celebrated a little too early and lost the Gold. Snowboarding- and most sports- are hard. Athletes make mistakes just like anyone else.

I feel like I'll support these athletes whether they fall or fail because I expect more out of them morally. There's something redeeming about a Johnny Weir standing up for who he is or a Shawn Johnson being a genuine person. Why don't we expect this out of our non-olympic athletes? We're also willing to write it off in our politicians. So I say, cut them a break. These athletes are real people! And they're pretty impressive!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-16T08:33:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed Valentine's Day. My boyfriend went above and beyond- we went to the Greenbrier in West Virginia! This is a special place for us because he took me on a very sweet date there over the summer and I was blown away by how nice it was. So we traveled back there to bowl, enjoy chocolate, swim, and have a great dinner! It was a wonderful experience :)

Miss Lynchburg

2010-02-12T21:39:00.002-05:00

I wanted to reach out one more time and encourage any more possible contestants to compete for Miss Hill City and Lynchburg at the end of this month. I'm sure my farewell will be teary and I'll make another post to recap the last year later towards the pageant, but I cannot say enough positive things about this pageant. The crew is organized, and they were incredible helping me get ready for Miss Virginia. The whole committee will believe in you and do whatever they can to make you feel like the best version of you is headed to Roanoke.

If you are a potential contestant and have ANY questions about my year as Miss Hill City, please send an email to misslaurapennington@yahoo.com

Whoever wins this pageant has a great opportunity ahead of them and I will be happy to answer any questions if you're thinking about competing (several other girls have already reached out to ask questions, so please don't be afraid to email!)

College senior weighs in on Miss America... and other news

2010-02-11T16:01:00.002-05:00

My google alerts have been flush lately with news articles about our new Miss America and the pageant in general. Here are a few favorites:

Columbia Spectator

DCAgenda, article about Miss Arlington

Bristol Herald Courier, Locals knew She would win

Miss Mountain Empire

2010-02-07T00:16:00.003-05:00

Here are the results that we were able to write down:

Preteen ME: Gallienne Gilmer Hack
Lonesome Pine Preteen: Zoe Low

ME Teen: Anna Hubbard (talent)
LP Teen: Lauren Faulkner

Miss:

Interview: Misti C.
Talent: Misti C.
EG: Misti C.
Community Service: Samantha McReynolds
SS: Nancy Nguyen
People's Choice: Brooke Saurbeer
Congeniality: Alisha Evans and Misti C.

4th: Alisha Evans
3rd: Nancy Nguyen
2nd: Samantha M.
1st: Brooke Saurbeer
Miss ME: Misti C

Here are a few pictures !

Miss ME

2010-02-05T21:31:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow night five girls will be competing for the title of Miss Mountain Empire.

The weather was fine from about an hour away on in. It was TERRIBLE before that and I was grateful we were in a car that could handle the snow and driving with someone who used to live in Maine. If you're in this local area, please come out!

The contestants are:

Alishia Evans
Misti Caviness
Nancy Nguyen
Samantha McReyolds
Brooke Sourbeer

Miss Mountain Empire!

2010-02-04T14:03:00.003-05:00

John and I are leaving early Friday in the Hummer to try to beat the snow as much as possible. That way we have plenty of time to make it to Abingdon, and once I'm there, I'll just stay until Sunday morning!

The hotel is supposed to have free wireless so I'll post results and pictures once I get them. In the meantime, I'll be working on my thesis from Abingdon in my down time. Good luck to all the ladies competing, and thanks to the great sponsor of Quality Inn for the hotel room!

We are hoping to make a stop at the Harvest Table restaurant, where I visited on a college trip to learn about local and organic food. HT serves local and seasonal food from the area, and last time I was there, it was excellent!

Meet your new Miss Virginia...

2010-02-02T16:06:00.000-05:00

Chinah Helmandollar!

New Miss America

2010-02-02T13:09:00.002-05:00

A huge congrats to Caressa Cameron, the new Miss America! I knew she would win.

We have no official word yet on the new Miss Virginia! I do know, however, that several runners-up have declined the position.

Gatlinburg

2010-01-28T21:54:00.003-05:00

Can't believe I made this hole in one!

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A few weekends ago, my boyfriend and I traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a weekend away. On Friday afternoon of the week before my school started, we were feeling the impending doom of class schedules and study time and John casually suggested we take a trip somewhere. I initially thought he wasn't serious.

We've visited a lot of areas near where we currently live, but we decided to expand our trip to up to four hours travel time. And guess what? Gatlinburg was right at four hours.

Let me tell you, the internet highly undersold this great destination. We weren't expecting much. We made a reservation at a cheap hotel ($57, again not expecting much), ordered tickets for Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, and woke up at 5Am on Saturday to travel.

We stopped on the way there in Abingdon, where I'll be next weekend hosting the Miss Mountain Empire Pageant, and then continued on.

Let me push Gatlinburg here as a great place to travel if you live in SW Virginia. First of all, we paid something like $50 each for museums, but that gave us an "aquarium plus four" (the aquarium itself is around $20 to do just that). But we went to a motion theater ride, ripley's believe it or not, a house of mirrors (which I successfully guided us out of), the aquarium and a mini-golf place (where I got four holes in one including the final "impossible shot", winning me a free game. Luck was on my side!)

If you love food, this is a great place to visit. We ate twice at the pancake pantry. I'm a simpleton so I stuck with buttermilk but John tried a few kinds and really loved it. Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede is Southern Cooking at its best. We also found a great little place called AppleBarn that had delicious apple butter!

As for shopping, they have a great outlet mall there. We got John a totally new wardrobe for $200 at Tommy Hilfiger. The associate remarked "It's like Wal-Mart in here" and it truly was.

The Dixie Stampede was one of John's favorite things and the show they put on was great. How they feed 1600 people twice a night, I have no idea, but we had great seats and service. Highly recommend this!

Now, for the best part. I consider myself an aquarium aficionado. I've been to many cities around the world and explored their aquariums, and up til now the best one in my memory has been Boston for their excellent sea jelly assortment. However, Ripley's was promised as the best in America and it did not disappoint! They have an AMAZING collection of deadly animals there, a huge octopus who came out and gave us a full show, and an incredible moving escalator under a HUGE tank, easily the biggest I've ever seen. Just standing on the moving walkway takes a good ten minutes... we stepped off a few times after sighting neat animals. The only thing they were missing was penguins, but this was definitely more of an underwater life place. However, it's worth it! Great family destination.

Another great museum was WonderWorks. It's like a giant play area. I spent about thirty minutes blowing bubbles.

There's also a great Thai restaurant there, we gorged on this trip!

I've included a few pictures from the trip. We're planning to go back in March or April once Dollywood opens. We had a blast!

2010-01-28T13:48:00.001-05:00

After checking out last night's swimsuit and EG pictures, I'm adding New Mexico to my 15! OK is close.

Caressa looked gorgeous!

Miss America predictions 2

2010-01-27T17:18:00.003-05:00

If Miss America were held this moment, my prediction would be:
Winner: Virginia
1st Runner up: Ohio
2nd Runner up: Puerto Rico
3rd Runner up: Dc
4th Runner up: Alabama

Spots 5-10
6/7: Tie with Louisiana and Georgia
8: Tennessee
9: Missouri
10: Arkansas

11-15
New Jersey, Indiana, California, Illinois, Utah

Miss Virginia wins talent!

2010-01-27T07:51:00.004-05:00

Miss Virginia won preliminary talent last night, and that didn't affect my top spot placing in my predictions, but I did move around a few others.

Miss America: Caressa Cameron, Miss Virginia

Remaining top 5:

Alabama (this spot will probably be someone unexpected, like Iowa last year), Ohio, DC , Puerto Rico

Remaining Top Ten:

Georgia

Texas

Louisiana

Tennessee

Missouri

Remaining Top 15/On the Edge: New Jersey, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, California

Non-finalist talent: Utah, Maine

I keep changing this around- I had PA in my top 5 but I didn't like her evening gown. I think DC is flying under the radar but will deliver a solid presentation. I'm torn- I want MS in the top ten but I'm not sure if she'll be in that tenth spot or not!

Entertainment Weekly

2010-01-26T21:28:00.001-05:00

Have you read this article by Entertainment Weekly about Miss America? I am not too smart with technology but I used a file uploader on my personal website to be able to share it with you, since it was passed to me by email.

Visit http://www.laurapennington.com/missamericanews.htm

To check it out!

Bridal Gala

2010-01-25T15:58:00.002-05:00

This weekend I was a model for Bride's House for a big bridal gala in Roanoke. It was definitely a lot bigger than I expected, and there was a huge variety in gowns. I strongly recommend to all pageant girls and brides-to-be that you visit Bride's House, because they have a great selection of all things formalwear!

And yes, I got to wear ballet flats because apparently 5'11 is the perfect height for bridal gowns, but not any taller!

PS: Make sure to tune in this weekend to Miss America

Updates

2010-01-11T09:01:00.000-05:00

If you thought I'd drop off the face of the pageant planet just because I'm not competing, you're wrong! Several things coming up where I'm making "appearances" for the last few times as Miss Hill City or just to help out as Laura.

January 24th I'm modeling in the Bridal Gala for Bride's House at Hotel Roanoke, January 30th making a pit top in Lynchburg at a women's show before heading back home to watch Miss America, February 6th hosting Miss Mountain Empire, and February 27th I'll be back in Lynchburg to help with Miss Lynchburg/Hill City!

Good luck at Miss Chesterfield!

2010-01-09T11:35:00.003-05:00

The following contestants are competing tonight for the title of Miss Chesterfield:

Christine Ching
Ashley Faucher
Charlotte Fraser
Kourtney Ginn
Caitlin Graham
Victoria Maiden
Christina Nichols
Christina Nicholson
Veronica Rohrmoser
Natalie Smith
Katie Turner
Taylor Witte

Hopefully many of my readers are attending to watch the hilarious, intelligent and giving Stephanie Connelly crown the next Miss Chesterfield!

Important News: Miss Lynchburg

2010-01-07T10:57:00.000-05:00

The Miss Lynchurg/Hill City pageant has been rescheduled to February 27th, 2010. Please consider competing. The pageant will still be held in Lynchburg at the James River Conference Center. If enough contestants sign up, two titles will be awarded!

Freedom!

2010-01-05T10:37:00.002-05:00

I started a blog for the first time when I spent the summer living in Boston. I thought it would help keeps friends and family updated about my activities. Over time, it became a way to chronicle my journey to the Miss Virginia pageant and the great deal of community service I did as part of that.

Now that I am officially retired from the pageant world of Miss Virginia, I can exercise a little more freedom in my opinions about things, particularly pageants. I've never "censored" myself, but I've been careful about what's been said because I keep track of all the visits and searches people make to find this blog. I've been writing creatively most of my life, whether it's fictional stories or just writing about life. In this new year, I'm excited about the opportunity to return to writing for my sake.

Despite the fact that my blog has mostly followed pageant happenings, I think there are many things about me that just never came up- or never seemed appropriate in this setting. For example, while in Boston I lived in a disgusting fraternity house right next to the river (tip: don't put your friends in charge of finding housing). I decided to eventually hide my blogs about the ridiculous happenings in this house because I thought people would take it the wrong way. But the fact is, all the girls competing are real people. You wouldn't want a Miss Virginia or Miss America who wasn't. But that experience is all part of what made me who I am.

Most people also don't know that last spring I embarked on a project to write a book about dating between men and women, following the encouragement of a college English professor to tell the tales of how men and women communicate.

Many people don't know that I'm working on a master's thesis about mail-order brides, exploring areas of research largely untouched by scholars.

So, in this new year, I'll be more about embracing who I am!

Thanks for reading,

L

The end of 2009

2009-12-28T15:27:00.002-05:00

Well, another year has come and gone, and I figured it was only appropriate to do a recap. This year I accomplished many things but I also have worked hard to set myself up for a very successful 2010.

The best parts of the year, in my opinion:

1. Developing my own self-esteem program and presented it to over 1,000 area Girl Scouts. I met some of the most inspiring young ladies I have ever known and fine-tuned my public speaking.

2. Working harder than anything to get to Miss Virginia. It was truly my 100% best effort this year. I worked out at 5:30 in the morning with my trainer, drove 7 hours each week to practice my talent, and marketed myself to the best of my ability, raising over $600 for my state wardrobe. I stuck with it through many times I felt like I wasn't good enough. My proudest moment? Feeling relieved and not devastated when I didn't make the top ten. I was so proud that I was completely ME the whole week. I even said in my interview that whoever won should at least win being themselves because it would be hard to maintain a false persona for a year. So, if I wasn't the best for the job, I went away happy knowing that I'm confident in who I am, swimsuit body or not.

3. Somehow making the best of a terrible research project last Spring.

4. Meeting John, now my boyfriend, and all of the interesting experiences we've had over the last year exploring Virginia.

5. Making more of an effort to keep up with college friends.

6. Moving out of an apartment and into a beautiful house.

7. Eating much healthier, losing four dress sizes prior to June.

Things I'm looking forward to next year?

1. New car

2. PhD acceptance letters

3. Hopefully being chosen to travel to London to represent Girl Scouts at a national conference.

4. Presenting my own research at a conference in Roanoke in April.

5. Moving to Maryland with John.

6. Exercising for my own health and not some sick perceived version of an ideal woman. Not skipping meals.

Happy New Year, all!

The Food Thing

2009-12-13T15:17:00.002-05:00

In the spirit of it being near the end of the year, I've decided to admit something about myself in the hopes that maybe I'll do better next year and to see if there are any other crazies out there like me.

If you're curious about what my boyfriend and I fight about the most, you'd be surprised. Although we rarely fight, there has been one subject that has come up before: food.

Now, I admit: I'm the weird one here. I'm possessive about my food in a way that only Depression-era survivors should be. It's like in the back of my mind I'm terrified it's going to run out. And sometimes, I take that out on John.

I stick to a fierce budget in the grocery store. That means that things are always great later on- bills are paid, gas tanks are full, heat remains on. And I admit, there's always a little cushion each month left over, but inevitably there comes up things that you forgot about- oil changes, prescriptions, etc that suck up the extra money.

I am also a pro at the grocery store. my mom used to joke that you could ask the price of milk and I'd know the price at every store in town. That's fairly true. I keep an eye on prices everywhere. I shop at Kroger when we need to build up the gas prices and pick up produce, and stick to Food Lion when we're on a budget.

Now I should point out that there's never been a time in my life I went without food (surely, the negative nancies who always made fun of me for being "fat" in pageant land are laughing now). We always had plenty of food as kids. Maybe it stems from having three siblings and pets who were always stealing your stash. I remember in particular a bag of candy hearts I got as a gift. I returned to the house a few hours later to only find the empty bag.

So what is it about me that makes me act this way? I guess part of me looks forward to special treats like candy hearts and then feels devastated to discover my special treat isn't there.

This week, it was hot chocolate. I'll be spending a total of four hours watching other people take exams this week and I thought it would be nice to sit there with my mug of hot chocolate. I write to you two days after my purchase of a ten-packet box. It is now empty.

Now, this isn't something that's that expensive. but it's just irritating. I don't have time for another trip to the grocery. Plus, someone stole my identity last week and I don't have a debit card since the stolen number card has been canceled. So I only have a few dollars on hand. So, it's a huge pain to get back into the grocery!

Some might say that if this is my biggest issue, I don't have much to worry about. But in the spirit of a new year approaching, i'm acknowledging my weakness. What's yours?

thanks

2009-12-12T13:31:00.000-05:00

I wanted to say thank you to the people who left comments and emailed me about my decision not to compete any more. I appreciate it!

An Important Update

2009-12-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

An Update:

A long-needed update for my blog readers:

I have elected to not participate any longer in pageants through the Miss America Organization. At this time, I’m considering this my “retirement” from pageants.

When I was 16 years old, a friend dared me to enter a beauty pageant. What followed was a 7-year experience that truly developed me into the person I am today. When I started competing, I had no self-confidence, I was terrified of speaking in front of people, and I walked hunched over because I hated my height.

Only a few people even remember that Laura- close friends who were present those many years ago when I had no self-esteem. I write to you now a month before my 24^th birthday as a teaching assistant, accomplished public speaker, and a confident future PhD.

There were many reasons that brought me to this decision, but at the root of my choice is the fact that I no longer have the desire to be Miss Virginia. My life will go on, and in a direction I look forward to, without that crown, sash, and experience. I truly made the most of both of my local titles, and my journey to the Miss Virginia pageant both times was full of challenges I overcame and hard work. I had a great time and grew so much from this program.

That said, I don’t believe that I have much more to gain from this program. I feel like it’s a curve that eventually hits diminishing marginal returns- while I gained self-confidence at the beginning, it started to fade away at the end. My body is a size ten. I’m 5’11 and 160 pounds- and that’s fine with me. I’m not going to work out three hours a day any more, not going to compromise my health by eating like a bird, and I’m not going to feel bad about the fact that I will never have the body type of many of the girls competing.

This is just no longer my dream. While I really believed in Miss Virginia and my ability to do a great job at it, I just don’t have the overwhelming desire inside me to put the time, work, and immense amount of money it takes to even get to Roanoke again. Last year, my directors and I put in hours and hours of preparation, work, shopping, and packing. I am immensely grateful that for both years, I had people behind me that helped me and believed I could do it. Having been a runner up myself many times, it’s not fair to potentially rob another girl of her dream just for the sake of competing one more time.

At the end of the day, it’s not Laura to be up on stage teetering around in heels trying to get the approval of seven random people about my body or my twenty years of tap dancing. I’m one semester away from getting my master’s, and I’ve just finished my PhD applications. I’m more excited about THAT even though it requires even more hard work. When I think about the potential of heading back to Roanoke, the overwhelming feeling is dread- waking up at 4 AM to hit the gym then a day full of classes, driving 7 hours each week to practice my dance, and battling my body, cutting out medications that help me deal with migraines because they make me gain ten pounds, and then questioning who I am if I get “rejected” for the position.

When I started pageants in 2002, I did them once a year with American Coed Pageants. I always enjoyed this pageant because they celebrated who each girl was and didn’t make anyone feel fat or ugly. I competed at their national pageant in 2006, and I wanted to end where I started- so I returned there this Thanksgiving to compete one more time, where I was named 1^st runner up in talent and 4^th runner up overall. If I ever do another pageant again, it would be this one. I had a great time, enjoyed seeing old friends, and felt like the old Laura.

I’ve met so many wonderful friends through this program and will always hold those relationships close to me.

So, I’m moving on positively and not taking for granted all the special experiences I had as a titleholder and will use that community service to continue working with young women and people interested in tap dancing.

With all this being said, I’m not sure what the future of this blog is. I may not continue writing, I may continue. I’m not sure. But for now, I’m going to take some much needed time off to focus on my research, school, and my life as “Laura” and not as any particular titleholder.

Best of luck to all the women planning to continue to compete.

Echoing an Important Post

2009-11-03T08:09:00.002-05:00

I frequently check out Abby B's blog because it's chock full of pageant information and the latest Miss Ohio preliminary results. Her latest post, however, seems pertinent for not only contestants but fans, parents and friends. I think it's important to address this issue because I've known countless people who follow them and take what they say seriously.

The post is about pageant messageboards- otherwise known as places where contestants are trashed, directors are ripped apart, and even teen girls sometimes get made fun of. I remember the first time I ever found them- it was after my second preliminary pageant in Virginia and I had a google alert set to my name. I happened upon an anonymous website where numerous people wrote that I was overweight, untalented, stupid, etc. Here's what I believe- if someone has something to tell you to help you as a contestant, they will find your email or talk to your local director. These messageboards are NOT helpful places to improve and instead are just full of random garbage. My best advice is to just ignore them, particularly if you do win a local and are preparing for state. Focus on your preparation- not some anonymous person's opinion of what's wrong with you. This program is supposed to be about building women up, not ripping them apart. So just ignore them! Believe me you CAN do it :)

Check out Abby's post which talks about this issue.

Graduate Student of the Month

2009-11-02T20:24:00.001-05:00

I write this very excited to have been selected as Virginia Tech's graduate student of the month for November, 2009. Feel free to check out the interview at the link below!

Click Here

Your Guide to Grad School: Part 1

2009-10-27T16:14:00.002-04:00

Considering graduate school? Now that I've survived an entire year and am well into the process of writing my thesis and applying to PhD programs, I thought it would be helpful to share my perspective.

1. When you're considering programs, make a list of what you're looking for: professors with certain interests, percentage of students who get funded, library size, etc.

2. Contact professors at every school you're applying to. If possible, visit every school. An in-person presence makes a big difference as far as seeing if you really like the place and could up your chances of getting money in the department.

3. Even if you did well in your field as an undergrad, consider reading the basic books of the field the summer before. That way it won't feel like a huge onslaught when you're dumped on with thirty thick theoretical books.

4. Talk to older grad students. My first year, I literally would have been clueless if I didn't follow the lead or ask questions of the second-year students. They were experts on what classes were good, getting summer positions, preparing a thesis committee, and choosing PhD programs.

5. Work as a TA. If you want to be in academia, you need to do this. Maybe working as a TA will clue you in that you DON'T want to teach, but if you're like me, it will confirm your career choice.

More grad school posts on the way...

Virginia Gubernatorial Race

2009-10-20T11:04:00.000-04:00

News articles across the country are looking to the Virginia governor’s race.

Why?

In a state where its own residents (including me) are sick of the non-stop ads cluttering up television between the two candidates, this race is about more than who will be governor come January.

Political pundits predict that the outcome of this election will demonstrate where Americans in general stand. Democrats are certainly more subdued this year as opposed to last fall, when they were energized to the point of helping elect Barack Obama. Now, the Republicans are building momentum and in many polls Republican Bob McDonnell is far outleading Creigh Deeds.

Even though many might think Virginia’s recent blue-state status is propelling the Commonwealth towards a more left-leaning political base, that’s not necessarily true. The fact is that Virginia often has a governor of a different party than who is in charge in Washington, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see McDonnell take this race.

Negative ads can have effects on either side of the party line. Negative ads can charge up party faithfuls by making them think that the race is close and they need to get out and vote, or they can irritate the opposite party and get those people out to vote. The fact is, though, it’s an off year. People just don’t come out to vote for governor (and many other offices) when it’s not a presidential year. Maybe people are worn out from last year.

Regardless of the outcome, it is possible that Virginia could be showing the greater thoughts of the rest of the country: concerned with where the administration is taking things, delaying things, or not focusing on and use this to push for change in their own state.

But please, candidates, stop pretending you’re going to be generous with taxes. Virginia’s going to face tremendous financial problems without taxes. Would you rather be honest about the state and try to get elected that way or would you rather promise no new taxes and then break your promise? Wouldn’t that then make it easier for the opposite party to get elected the next time around? Politics is a tricky game.

Congrats Miss Roanoke Valley!

2009-10-19T09:46:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to a good friend, Madison Van Duyne, who won the title of Miss Roanoke Valley Saturday night!

Maryland Renaissance Festival

2009-10-14T08:59:00.001-04:00

I can't believe how busy things have been! I'm excited to say that my master's thesis research is well under way and currently waiting for approval for the testing of human subjects. I think the result next spring will be something I'm very proud of.

I'm knee deep in PhD applications and GRE flashcards, which is less than fun, but an important stepping stone to my future.

This weekend I spent up in Maryland with my boyfriend and his family visiting a boat show and the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I have to say, the festival blew my mind! I was expecting a few tents and some food vendors; the buildings were instead long-standing and half the size of the world's best amusement park, Cedar Point, near where I grew up. They had incredible shows- sword swallowers, jousting, tightrope walkers. Great food!

John wanted my hair to be braided by the professionals there and it was fantastic! Lots of compliments on it and so nice to have my hair off my face and neck in such a pretty way!

The Festival is open for two more weekends in Crownsville, MD and I highly recommend checking it out!

Announcing an exciting community service project!

2009-10-06T08:55:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to announce that a brainchild of mine is going forward as a community service project!

The VT Dress Drive will be collecting dresses from the Tech community, the local area around here, and girls across the state.

Do you have formalwear in your closet that you just can't use anymore? Want to donate it to a good cause?

Caitlin's Closet collects gently used gowns to donate them to girls who need them. The gowns give girls the opportunity to attend special formal events in high school. Everyone wants that chance to participate in these events without the high costs of purchasing expensive gowns!

While cleaning out my own pageant closet a few weeks ago, there were two gowns that just don't fit and I don't need anymore. I know I'm not the only one! If you are a titleholder in the Miss or Teen division in any pageant, please consider contributing to this great cause! I'll be happy to accept gowns though the mail if you contact me at vtdresses@gmail.com

This is a great opportunity to clean out your closet and help somebody else!

Exploring Virginia : Sinkland Farms

2009-10-05T10:12:00.002-04:00

The finished products!

A small view of the pumpkin patch

This weekend I visited a very popular local attraction, Sinkland Farms. This farm has an ice cream parlor, petting zoo, pony rides, hay rides, local craft vendors, a corn maze, and a huge pumpkin patch! We were successful in finding two great pumpkins to carve and had a great afternoon. The weather could not have been better.

Sinkland Farms is just outside of Christiansburg, Virginia and well worth your visit. The pumpkin festival happens every weekend until November 8th!

Congrats Anna Reis, Miss Portsmouth!

2009-10-04T08:24:00.003-04:00

This weekend in Ohio, my friend Anna Reis won the title of Miss Portsmouth! Anna will be headed to Miss Ohio next June. I've been helping Anna prepare for pageants for over a year, and she is truly a sweet girl! She had only competed in one other Miss Ohio local this year, so I'm really proud of her!

Great job to my favorite Minnie Driver lookalike!

Updates!

2009-09-24T12:16:00.003-04:00

I have been extremely busy and have several updates! This last Saturday my boyfriend and I went to go visit Natural Bridge. Even though I lived nearby in Lynchburg for 4.5 years, I never went to go see it! It was absolutely beautiful, and interesting historically. George Washington himself actually surveyed the area and left his initials carved into the rocks. I highly recommend visiting this place. We got a military discount and it worked out to about $23 per person to see the bridge, Native American village, wax museum, caverns, and a toy museum! I suggested going because I didn't know how much longer the good weather would last.

On Tuesday we went up to Arlington for a military funeral of one of John's relatives. Even though it was very sad, it was neat to get to come through the cemetary from a different perspective. There were a fair amount of military funerals happening that day and it was sobering to see the official flag-draped coffins passing by on the walkways. It made me proud to see how many people have given their lives to service.

And Miss VA 08 shaved her head! I'm so proud of Tara for continuing her legacy and doing this. She has done amazing things for children her entire life and her year as Miss Virginia still remains sometime I will always recall with fondness. I was spoiled having her in Roanoke and I'm very proud to call her a friend!

And finally, on top of all my other responsibilities, I'm taking a sewing class! I thought it would be fun since I've only sewed a little in Home Ec in middle school. My grandmother was a wonderful seamstress and since she passed down the tap dancing genes, maybe I got these, too. After struggling to find something easy enough to make in six weeks, I settled on pajama pants. Guess how much length we had to add to the legs to make them fit me? 8 inches! Guess this is the upside to sewing my own pants- they will finally be long enough!

Research and Publishing

2009-09-17T14:44:00.003-04:00

During my time in graduate school, one thing that I felt would have been really helpful to me is knowing exactly what to do. There are so many crazy paths and trying to sort out your life (or rather, even have one!) while doing research, teaching, and preparing for your own classes can make you crazy. And if someone doesn't teach you clearly how to do research or write good proposals, you can really get stuck!

So, my blog is going to take a slight turn while still including some pageant-related news. I've found very little general resources for graduate students about all these things that are a key part of our life. Over the next several months, I hope to use my passion for teaching politics to channel that into some posts as well as talking about the ins and outs of getting research done!

Quest for the Prius

2009-09-13T19:35:00.002-04:00

In my two years of involvement in the Miss Virginia program, I put 40,000 miles on my car. Granted, it's an 1984 Cavalier that only had 20,000 to start with. My car became almost part of a joke- my directors were concerned about it's ability to make my frequent drive back and forth to Lynchburg, my boyfriend concerned the brakes were going to go at any moment. Whenever I have to run over to campus and take my car, he jokes "No, I don't mind riding in it, you get a free massage." Yes, the car idles at every stop.

When you drive a car like that, you just get used to it.

I haven't had air conditioning in my car since the summer of 2008. It has been brutal in the Virginia humidity. Last year, I accidentally locked my keys in my car running in the rain on my way to Miss Roanoke Valley. I had to wedge the back window down with my elbow to get in. It was terrible, and you can tell in all pictures that I had had quite a time. Any time it rains, I also have to make the decision of whether to get soaked or keep cool. Needless to say, I'm glad fall is here.

My car is so old it doesn't have any of the modern contraptions that help keep you on the road in winter, either. I slid off the road in an Ohio winter two years ago. Never again.

I've been dreaming of owning a Prius for some time. After spending so much time on the road and having to deal with fluctuating gas prices, it's important. Last semester I went to Richmond at least once a week. Yes, that's a 3.5 hour drive each way from here. Gas is important.

When my boss/advisor found out about this, he channeled his love for Subway into collecting the little Subway stamps for the Scrabble game to help me win a Prius, if possible. Honestly, if I don't get it now, I do plan to get it at the beginning of 2010. But it has turned into a great class-wide project. In one of the classes I TA, a student had taken her entire biology lab to Subway and she said "Laura, in my hand I hold 8 chances for a Prius." Will I likely win a Prius? Probably not.

But it's nice to know that other people support my quest for an eco-friendly, cute, blue Prius.

Congratulations, Shannon Beam!

2009-09-06T22:43:00.003-04:00

Tonight in Hoopeston, Illinois, Shannon Beam was named the winner of the Sweetheart pageant. This pageant is for runners up from state Miss America pageants to have the chance to enjoy being "Miss State" for the week and compete against other women from all over the country.

Shannon was first runner up at the Miss Virginia pageant this past June as Miss Greater Richmond; she had previously been 2nd runner up as Miss Central Virginia. She is pictured here before her interview at the Hotel Roanoke in the 2009 Miss Virginia Pageant.

Deb Girl Model Search

2009-09-03T12:55:00.002-04:00

Hi all! I entered a contest last month and would appreciate your vote :)

Vote Laura

Foodies Unite

2009-09-03T11:45:00.002-04:00

If you've haven't seen the Julie/Julia movie yet, you need to. I was really impressed with this movie for a few reasons. Like several of the movies I've seen randomly and really fallen in love with, I didn't know that much about it before chancing upon it at the theater with my mom. I've since seen it again with my boyfriend and despite the economics of diminishing marginal utility, I loved it more!

It's no surprise I love food. Perhaps it's why I just could never starve myself to compete in a swimsuit! I love cooking when I have time. Even though this semester I have a great deal on my plate with thesis writing, helping teach two classes, writing a book (I know, exciting!), and applying to PHD programs, I decided to get back into cooking. Last year I lived in an apartment with a very tiny kitchen, but this is the year of upgrades in many ways and my new place has a great kitchen!

This year is a great opportunity to get back into cooking and enjoy the food. ( Fact: I haven't eaten a single wrap since Miss Virginia the end of June.) Watching Meryl Streep's new movie definitely inspired me to continue on with cooking even though I come home exhausted from school and work half the time! I've tried recipes from a variety of different sources, some easier than others, but all have worked! Yes! I'm not a total failure at making food.

My first foray into cooking came when I lived in England for a year. I lived with 8 other women and we visited the dining hall once. That was enough to know that it simply wasn't going to suffice for food. I began cooking using recipezaar.com (great for conversions and shifting to smaller portions, fyi) and recipes from my mom. Let me tell you, it's no fun cooking for one! I made that comment to a male co-worker once and he mistook it as a date invitation. Oops.

In any case, my housemates and I shifted cooking responsibility. It's much easier to cook for six or eight and have everyone chip in a small amount of money for groceries. I also cooked for my roommate a lot because we had similar taste and similar schedules. It was a great experience that pushed me into new territory and forced me to think ahead and eat healthier. England isn't really known for its food, but they have much less preservatives in anything (for example, milk only lasts four days or so) and once your stomach adjusts to that you feel much healthier.

I'm now moving on to breads and desserts in addition to just dinners. I've made some great ready-to-go lunches which are perfect for my schedule this year.

Sick of frozen Lean Cuisines and ordering pizza? Go see Julie/Julia and get some motivation. My new favorite are the betty crocker recipe books at the checkout with easy tear-out recipes. Check them out! We've had great fruit salad, pasta salad, parmesan chicken, and taco casserole from there!

Oh, and one more thing: God bless crock pots! If you don't have one, invest!

A big thanks to two of my "sponsors"

2009-08-30T20:00:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite pictures from Miss Virginia: Hair by Sarah Fitzpatrick, Makeup Kate Bixby
I wanted to give a shout-out to two people who really made the Miss Virginia experience all the better: Kate Bixby and Sarah Fitzpatrick. I met Sarah competing in Miss Virginia preliminaries last year and she's always funny and extremely helpful. Perhaps we developed a habit of her last-minute helping me: she made alterations to the evening gown I wore at Miss Hill City the week of the pageant. Both of these people helped me in very important ways: hair and makeup.

I wasn't born a "pageant girl" and I always joke with people that I just can't do my hair. I used to think it was certain lengths or styles, but no, I can't do my hair no matter what. It's also such a relief to have someone help you do your hair during pageant week because you already have so much on your mind. Sarah stepped in at the last minute to help because she's wonderful! She did a great job and I was incredibly blessed to have her help me out.

Now, on to Kate. Kate is a local Mary Kay consultant I met through my friend Erin. Erin, an office and classmate, has plugged me into so many local resources I will never be able to thank her. Not to mention that Erin, a graduate student with two small kids, a husband in a PHD program, and various volunteer positions, even DVRed the pageant to watch with said husband. Long story short, she's fantastic. I met Kate at a Blacksburg Newcomers Club meeting I went to several months ago to promote the Hope Project, which I've mentioned on this blog. I ended up meeting Kate, exchanging emails, and thus blossomed a great connection and friendship! If you've never tried Mary Kay products, I recommend it. I have extremely temperamental skin and their lotions especially are very gentle. The eye makeup remover is wonderful, and I've tried about every brand on the market. And pageant girl tip: you should never wear moisturizer with SPF in it the day you'll be on stage: it brings out the white in your skin under stage lights. You can always tell in pictures which times I forgot. Mary Kay makes two kinds of moisturizers, one with SPF and one without. They are both great and I can say this from personal experience!

I wanted to thank these two wonderful people for their help. I can promise any contestant that these people make a tremendous difference in your life and I know am so grateful for their help!

Sarah Fitzpatrick's Blog

Kate's Mary Kay Site

The summer so far

2009-07-31T11:46:00.001-04:00

I thought that Miss Virginia would be the busiest part of my summer, but I was wrong!

I can't even believe it's been over a month since I was in Roanoke in "pageant mode" competing. I've pretty much taken the summer off to spend time with family and friends, and it has been a good chance to do that. I really committed 100% of myself to my title this last year and it was like a full time job on top of being a full time grad student and being a teaching assistant. Looking back, my schedule was jam packed!

Now it's a different kind of busy. I've spent the summer showing various parts of my corner of the world where I grew up (northwest Ohio) to different people. I grew up 30 minutes from the best amusement park in the world (and no, don't even try to tell me that any six flags can compete. I think Cedar Point has been voted the best something like 7 years in a row), going to a waterpark, showing my boyfriend the Demolition Derby at our county fair, and last night I spent at the front row of an Eddie Money concert with my little brother.

Lots of people know that my brother and I are classic rock fanatics. We both taught ourselves to play bass as teenagers and appreciate that some things are just better "old". The opening band last night was a great rock cover band that has been performing for 33 years. We were shocked to get seats right in the front and I spent the night at Eddie's feet making sure my brother didn't get crushed (which almost happened when Doug dove to retrieve something Eddie threw into the crowd, which Doug did catch). Afterwards we met Eddie and had him sign some things. By far, this was the best concert I've ever been to. Eddie Money puts on a show, and his daughter who now performs with him, is extremely talented! Well worth it!

God sometimes works things out in a funny way, and I've said all along that I trust "the plan" even if it's sometimes disappointing in the short term. I've come to realize the incredible blessings I have with family, friends and education, so you won't catch me complaining anytime soon!

The return to life

2009-07-08T10:09:00.002-04:00

I can’t believe that I’m sitting here and it’s been well over a week since I got home from Miss Virginia. Another part of me can’t believe that something I spent 8 months pouring my blood, sweat and tears into is just… over.

During the last year, I have somehow balanced being a graduate student, a teaching assistant, and a beauty queen. I’ve spent Friday nights at Girl Scout meetings, woken up at 4:30 AM twice a week to meet my personal trainer, come to be known by first name by every employee at the gym, practiced interview on phone calls with friends across the country during my long drives, and worked the details down to a science.

In my interview at Miss Hill City, the judges asked me why I wanted this job. Aside from my personal connections to Lynchburg, I wanted to opportunity to increase the number of people who know about this program and how it can impact lives. I’ve reached out to nearly 1,000 Girl Scouts in this part of the state and my inbox and mailbox continue to be filled with scrapbooks, letters, and notes from girls I have met and touched. I’ve spoken to any community organization in central and southwest Virginia that would have me. Doing that, I’ve gotten to explore my new home here in the New River Valley and done my best to make Lynchburg proud. We sought all clothing and accessories from local Lynchburg businesses in an effort to keep things local and celebrate the great things about the “Hill City”.

And I’ve been overwhelmingly touched by the people who believe I can do this. People who went out of their way to run through downtown Lynchburg with me to get my evening gown altered at the last minute. People who made this affordable. My trainer who met me at the crack of dawn for hard workouts that frequently included her uttering “No whining!!”. My dance teacher, who spent countless hours working to make a song and dance that I love just right. A costumer who pulled together exactly what I wanted. My car, for somehow holding up driving to Richmond and back at least one day a week. My colleagues at school, who often told me “I have no idea how you’re pulling all this off.” For the support of my graduate community here at Tech, who I felt compelled to represent in an effort to prove that beauty queens are smart and that grad students are normal people, too. For my students- who watched their TA on TV or who came to watch the show in person. For all the friends who made decisions about where to eat based on my dietary needs.

But most of all, my motivation came from somewhere else and will continue to do so throughout my life. In December, I spoke to a Girl Scout troop about bullying and self-esteem. Part of my presentation involves the girls standing up and saying something they like about themselves. One girl said “nothing.” When my presentation was over, I had the opportunity to speak to her personally. I’ll call her Mary. Mary is extremely young- not even a preteen. She wears a bandanna on her head every day because of her cancer treatments. She wanted to know how to get kids to stop making fun of her, calling her a boy, and trying to pull the bandanna off her head. She owns her own business, this little girl, and had raised over $1,000 which she wanted to give away. When I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, there was only one answer: her hair. This little girl jumped up when her mom got there to pick her up, asked for pictures with me, and told her mom that I “was the coolest.” I have spent the months following in an effort to make her proud- that one little girl- and to prove to all the little girls I met that you can do ANYTHING you want no matter what your background. Who you are inside is the most important. I said to many that come Saturday night at Miss Virginia, it wasn’t about me, my directors, my family, my friends. It came down to making that one little girl feel proud and believe in herself. And when my name wasn’t called into the top 11, I wasn’t devastated. Sure, disappointment hurts. But I’m also a master at seeing the good and bad in every situation. I watched my two “mirror-mates” Stephanie and Erica, advance into the 11. I helped zip them into every outfit, plug in curlers, and make sure they were ready to go. When Erica was called into the top 5, I was probably more excited than she was. Because that is what this experience is about.

It’s getting to spend more time with people you know a little or don’t know at all. It’s finding a new friend in a fantastic baton twirler and laughing endlessly backstage with a piano player you’ve been volunteering with at VT for months. It’s joking with Farahn and Erika Thomas that we’re always banished to the back row for pictures so all the “tall freaks” are kept together. It’s getting to meet a Miss Lonesome Pine who shares the same love of “The Office” as you quote back and forth to each other all week. It’s spending time with people who live all the way across the state.

It’s about watching one of your closest friends get 2^nd runner up to Miss Virginia and feeling so proud because you know the person she is inside and out.

It’s about pushing yourself and challenging yourself to achieve new things.

When I couldn’t afford a swimsuit this year (let’s be honest, being a TA is a job of love, not of money…) I sent an email to everyone I knew, asking for $5. I raised $500 in one day. Alums from my college chipped in, my former employers, and a rotary club in southwest Virginia that believed in me. THAT is what this is about.

Many people wouldn’t believe it, but to see the Laura from 6 or 7 years ago would mean seeing a very shy, unconfident girl. Someone terrified to speak in front of others. Here I am today, having taught a college course and been rated “excellent” by my own students my first try out of the gate. I’ve survived two years at Miss Virginia and turned my local titleholder status into an opportunity to speak to everyone about the Miss America Organization. That is what this program is about.

It’s about being valued for your work ethic and brain only in one avenue (school) and also having the guts to put on four inch heels and a bikini.

Sure, I wanted to be Miss Virginia. Like you wouldn’t believe. But I also know that God has a plan for everyone, and if this wasn’t the right time for me, I trust that. I’m returning to a great job, a graduate school program I love, colleagues I like working with, and family and friends who back me 100%. This fall I’m applying to PHD programs! As a senior in high school, it was questionable whether I would even be able to attend college because my family couldn’t afford it. My experiences at a woman’s college combined with the Miss America Organization have given me the confidence and skills I needed in every aspect of life.

Someone I owe a great deal to is Tara Wheeler, Miss Virginia 2008. It was such a blessing to have you living in Roanoke for the last year. I got to spend time with Tara doing all kinds of interesting things this year- from bullriding to watching ice hockey to cleaning up a leaky refrigerator to helping her move out. What a wonderful example of someone who gets what this program is all about and someone who is a great friend.

For me, this program was never about beautiful gowns, sparkling crowns, rhinestones, or makeup. This was about the opportunity to help other people believe in themselves. To show kids that anyone can and will go to college and be able to afford it. To show all my Girl Scouts that women are not one-dimensional (it is indeed possible to drive from a glamourous headshot photo session to your three hour presentation on ethics in international relations). I wanted people to see that tap dance can be modern and fun. Sure, the glamour of the week is fun, but ultimately, this is about a job. A chance to touch people’s lives. And it always will be. As nice as the trophies, crowns and sashes are, I know twenty years from now I’d rather look at my community service book and remember all the fun I had doing that.

This year I was 100% Laura. If nothing else, this proved to me that I am extremely proud and confident in who I am as a person.

As for now, I’m determined to enjoy my summer, relax, and not worry about competing again. I know the answer will come to me. You all know that I am not a person who gives up easily. I am headed home to help my mother move and spend time with friends and family. I promise to keep you updated J

The last post

2009-06-20T17:48:00.000-04:00

How can I hope to write about how I feel being about 7 days away from my departure? After over 8 months of hard work since my win as Miss Hill City, part of me doesn’t even want to believe it’s finally here! But sure enough, I’m surrounded by various “to pack” piles in my apartment, worrying about last minute details, and getting excited! It’s almost here!

I can truly say that I have no regrets. I have worked as hard as I possibly could. Has it been challenging to be a full time graduate student with teaching responsibilities and preparing for this? Absolutely. But I know the experience has only prepared me with the best time management skills that will certainly come in handy if I should be blessed with the job of Miss Virginia. Over the course of the year, I have met some incredible people. I’ve tried to keep everyone updated through my blog here, but it’s good for me to reflect back and remember all the great experiences I have had with this program.

During my time as Miss Hill City, I have spoken with nearly 1,000 Girl Scouts about scholarships, self-esteem, bullying, red flags for abusive relationships, fashion, my time as a girl scout, and community service. I’ve reached out to dozens of active community members through organizations like Kiwanis, Lion’s Club, Rotary, and the Optimist Club. I’ve seen bullriding live from the arena floor, been the celebrity bowler at the Lynchburg Bowl for Kids Sake, been recognized in CVS, department stores, and Wal-Mart, tap danced with my crown on in bitter December weather, been part of the sole car driving with the top down in the Lynchburg Christmas Parade, and made the drive back and forth to Lynchburg so many times I really do think I could do it in my sleep.

I’ve been blessed with incredible sponsors and people who have always taken a moment to help me out. Jen, Kate, Esther, Amanda, Terry, Carolyn, Garry, Erin, Anna, Shirley, Lori and all of Smithfield, Mary, Kelly and all at Glade Church, and EVERYBODY who has made this possible- thank you for believing in me! You’ve given me confidence on days when I might be a little weary or stressed out.

No matter how things fall out on the 27^th, I am so proud of everything I’ve accomplished. I feel like I have achieved almost every goal I wanted to as Miss Hill City and I hope I make everyone proud. At this point I just have faith that I have done the hard work and the rest is in God’s hands.

I believe in this program and in my ability to do a great job if chosen as Miss Virginia. I’m excited, the adrenaline is pumping, and I’m READY!

Wish me luck!

Miss Virginia Final Info

2009-06-03T10:45:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm writing to include information about tickets for Miss Virginia if you're interested, when/where it will be shown on TV, and finally, how you can vote for me. This year they are again having a "people's choice" award and this girl will also receive a special scholarship for getting public support. This year's Miss America was the people's choice and the judges choice and I'd like to follow in that trend.

You can vote online at http://www.formspring.com/forms/?611002-nEC7dFGEJc

It's .99 per vote like American Idol, but I'd love your support, even if it's just one vote!

Ticket information can be found at
http://calendar.roanokeciviccenter.com/iebms/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?eventid=13294&cc=COE&oc=10&orderby1=OB001&orderby1dir=A&orderby2=OB002&orderby2dir=A

The final show on Saturday, June 27th will be broadcast on the following stations:

TV stations:

WSET ABC 13 Roanoke/Lynchburg

WVIR NBC 29 Charlottesville

WJAL IND ch 68 Hagerstown, MD

WCYB CW 4 DT 28.3 Bristol/Tri-Cities, TN

WSKY IND ch 4 Norfolk/Hampton Roads/VA Beach

WRIC ABC 8 Richmond

WHSV MY VALLEY (NETWORK) TV WHSV-DT 49.4 Comcast ch 2, Direct TV 50 Harrisonburg

As we near the time I get ready to leave, I want to thank everyone for their continued support, words of encouragement, and belief in me!

Wish me luck,

Laura
Miss Hill City 2009

A few updates

2009-05-27T19:03:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe that in just one month, a new woman will be crowned Miss Virginia. I am so proud of all of my hard work over the last year and a half, and also so happy to see everything that Tara has done with this title. She is such an inspiration and truly lives every day to make the most of it. If I'm blessed come June 27th, I hope to carry on the wonderful work she has done in this last year.

I've had so many meetings, appearances, and connections with sponsors over the last few weeks that I've hardly had time to keep up with the everyday life I've got! School is finally finished but I'm still working on research, so spare minutes are spent going through books and starting to develop my thesis proposal. I am also finding it hard to believe that I am finished with half of my masters degree! Whew! I've also enjoyed catching up with friends when I can.

I have a few sponsor events coming up. I'll be participating in a fashion show on June 7th and I feel like I've been all over Virginia being fitted and getting ready! Only a few more meetings related to that and then we should be ready!

I'm starting to "pack" in my head just by thinking about the things I have left to acquire. This is the final stretch. It's something I've been trying to prepare myself for mentally for a while. No matter how well you plan, how hard you work, and how far in advance you start getting ready, the last few weeks are pure insanity. If you can survive it with a level head, Miss Virginia will be much easier!

Wow- time flies!

2009-05-22T07:58:00.003-04:00

I cannot believe how busy things have been even though the school year has been winding down! My schedule has been absolutely packed and I've had a lot to do, so I haven't been able to update my blog that much. I'm getting ready for several events in June to help out some of my sponsors and spent yesterday driving all over trying to get errands done!

Things are full steam ahead for Miss Virginia. I am very excited about what's coming and looking forward to the week in Roanoke.

Last weekend I helped my college friend pack up her dorm room and move out. It gave me so many memories from last year when I went through the same process. Unfortunately it rained through the entire weekend so the graduation was inside, but we still had a good time and it was great to see some good friends from the class of 2009 move on to the next step in their lives.

I have also successfully completed my first year of graduate school! My last official responsibility was a research presentation that went very well; after weeks of hard work and frustration many lessons were learned about research and I was glad to be done.

So, it's now summer, but it hasn't really hit me yet. It's "Miss Virginia season" around here!

Reality Show Dropped from Miss America

2009-05-09T22:26:00.001-04:00

There will be no reality show this year like in years past for Miss America. Instead, a one hour special will include more information about the contestants.

Check out Abby's Blog for more info.

Special Olympics

2009-05-06T10:51:00.002-04:00

On Monday I was really excited to be the emcee for the CVTC Special Olympics opening ceremony! It was really wonderful to get to meet some of the amazing athletes who were participating. I had never been to the CVTC grounds before and was really impressed by the size of everything! What a great facility helping so many people. I am so glad that I got to participate in this program, because it was truly rewarding, uplifting, and enjoyable. I also got to spend some time with Mati, the Hill City Outstanding Teen, which is always great!

Thank you for the opportunity to help out and best of luck to all the athletes!

AWARE

2009-04-30T05:00:00.003-04:00

The AWARE program puts VT students into the local middle schools to talk about issues affecting young women. I've been a part of this program since moving here last fall. Last semester I worked with the 6th graders and this semester I was part of the 7th grade program. After a successful semester, we celebrated this last Monday by making t-shirts for everyone and enjoying food and games!

Sharing a sponsor

2009-04-29T07:18:00.002-04:00

The last few weeks have been busy finalizing ad pages, sending in information, and trying to keep up with schoolwork! In the process, I've really gotten to know some of my sponsors even better and wanted to share more about some of them.

One of my sponsors is Smithfield Plantation. I've had a few people ask me "where is that?!" Well, it's right in Blacksburg, on the Virginia Tech campus! Home of patriot William Preston, the plantation is set back on the far part of the VT campus beyond the Duck Pond. Smithfield is open for special events, school visits, and general visitors. It's a great way to experience some Virginia history right here in Blacksburg! As someone who is now proud to call the New River Valley my home, I'm happy to share one of the many interesting things to do in this area!

If you'd like to come out and see Smithfield for the first time, there's a great opportunity on June 7th. I'll be modeling in a the Strawberry Social and Fashion Show. A new event for this year! We will be partnering with Ponnie from Ponnie’s Boutique to model modern as well as vintage fashions. There will be refreshments (strawberry-themed) and a silent auction featuring work from local artists. Admission will be $15.

Smithfield's Website

Remembering

2009-04-18T11:30:00.002-04:00

This week was a very special and sad time for Virginia Tech. We are nearing the end of the semester here and students are getting excited about graduation, spring weather, and summer opportunities. Some of the students in the class I TA have accepted wonderful job offers and have been driving to go sign contracts and leases, which in this economy is a great accomplishment. In general- people are uplifted.

That changed this Thursday, April 16. I cannot even imagine how the campus atmosphere was altered two years ago as 32 innocent people were killed on the campus on an otherwise average day at school. The outpouring of support and sense of community here has been incredible since I arrived here last fall, and this Thursday was no exception.

As I woke up in the morning, I was blown away by the hundreds of people covering the front of campus, participating in a walk/run to remember the victims. I spent the noon hour with a friend who was on campus when it happened. One of my students had told me on Wednesday that at the time, he lived on the floor above where the killing began. It was a horrible reminder of just how many people were touched by what happened. During the noon ceremony, the families of the victims as well as the injured students were escorted to special seating. Administrators read short biographies of the people who lost their lives two years ago. It was impossible to hold back emotion as you heard about each person- a Holocaust survivor, brilliant civil engineering graduate students, a skilled horsewoman, dedicated teachers. I was filled with frustration and anger at the senseless nature of it all. These people happened to attend class on April 16 and experienced something that no one else will understand. Imagine listening to the stories of 32 people and hearing the wonderful things they had done and planned to do. It is in some sad way a great example of the opportunities VT offers to its students and the close ties students and alumni have with this school.

Even though people have healed, they will never forget.

Girl Scout Meeting

2009-04-12T08:40:00.001-04:00

The girls put together hygiene kits for local children

Last Thursday I visited Lynchburg to speak to this adorable Brownie troop! I helped them earn the "Her Story" try-it and I spoke about community service, self-esteem, and what things I did and learned from being in Girl Scouts.

Little Black Dress Party

2009-04-12T08:39:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday, I went to the Little Black Dress Party in Roanoke to raise money for Children's Miracle Network. It was held at Metro in Roanoke and was a great atmosphere!

Miss Virginia in the News

2009-04-11T14:01:00.001-04:00

Click here to read a story about Tara at the Salem Red Sox game, including a clip of her singing and speaking!

Passing on the crown

2009-04-09T06:42:00.002-04:00

While last weekend was the Miss Virginia workshop, it was also the Miss Commonwealth/Miss Virginia Dogwood pageant, the pageant held for runners up to local titles this year. On Friday night, we all packed into a ballroom at the Hotel Roanoke to watch ten women who worked extremely hard over the year compete. The entire night was full of great talent- and I had no idea who would walk away with the titles. Every girl brought something different to the table and they each have a lot to be proud of.

At the end of the night, I felt like I was reliving winning last year when Emily Hall's name was called as Miss Virginia Dogwood. She has worked tireless all year in this program and represents exactly what the runners up pageant is all about. I almost started crying when they called her name!

A few people asked me if I'd be willing to post my farewell up here, both for those who could come and those who couldn't. I've posted it below.

As you have all seen tonight, there are so many deserving women that would make wonderful representatives on the Miss Virginia stage and would make great additions to the Miss Virginia family in Roanoke. I know firsthand because I was in their shoes last year. After competing at ten different pageants and coming close but not close enough, I became discouraged and worn down. I had poured my heart and soul into this program and stood on stage time and time again hoping to hear my name called and I refused to give up.

As many of you saw last year, the tears and emotion I felt finally accomplishing my goal when winning Miss Commonwealth were entirely genuine. I embarked on a journey of just over 10 weeks to prepare for Miss Virginia. When I tell you that I could not have done it without the army of volunteers on “Team Laura”, I am not kidding. I am so thankful to every person who helped us do everything from choosing photos, raising money, offering words of encouragement to finishing paperwork in a record amount of time. You are all wonderful people and I am so thankful for all of your help.

Team Commonwealth fought through many challenges to make it to Roanoke including driving through two tornados, being locked in the National D-Day Memorial, having to change my talent song and dance four weeks before Miss Virginia, and trying on 71 evening gowns trying to find something long enough for a contestant almost six feet tall. The week before Miss Virginia, I became sick with laryngitis and a sinus infection, completely lost my voice, and experienced my fingers swelling up after getting my nails done until my college ring got stuck on my finger. I spent the Saturday before arrival in Roanoke driving around with my hand right hand stuck in a giant cup of McDonalds Sweet Tea until a jeweler in Lynchburg cut the ring off my finger so that I could maintain circulation. To be honest, I told Jimmy that if we just made it to Roanoke that would be an accomplishment in itself, so you imagine how ominous it seemed to arrive in a hailstorm that Sunday. It was not an easy road, but the hard work all paid off.

I could never have anticipated how much fun the experience at Miss Virginia would be and I was truly honored to get to know all of the girls and watch a truly deserving woman emerge as the winner.

The week at Miss Virginia would not have been the same without two people I now consider extremely close friends on and off the pageant stage, also known as my roommate and car partner, Shannon Oliver and Katie Uze. Both of these women share with me the ability to laugh at ourselves, encourage one another, and to enjoy the week win or lose. Katie and I even had some near-death experiences together- even though our car driver might have looked like a sweet grandmother, I think she was moonlighting as a race car driver because she may or may not have run a few red lights in downtown Roanoke taking us to the Civic Center.

Thank you to the staff at Randolph Macon and my wonderful second boss Esther, for your constant support and understanding. Thank you to Barbara and Carolyn for your constant support of me!

There is no way I could ever hope to thank my directors, Jimmy and Chris, for the job they did preparing me for Miss Virginia. These two men went above and beyond the call of duty numerous times and put all of their time and energy into making me feel like I could do it. Your constant support throughout the week in Roanoke meant so much to me, and I firmly believe that if I could get ready for Miss Virginia in ten weeks while working two full time jobs, I can do just about anything. Jimmy spent hours ironing my clothes, patiently waiting as dress after dress was too short, scouring shoe stores for the perfect bronze heels for evening gown, and refusing to let me give up even when the obstacles seemed like they were mounting in front of us. When Jimmy found out that I had loaded my moving truck in Lynchburg by myself in August, he insisted on driving my truck to Blacksburg and unloaded all of my belongings and furniture into my new apartment with me. I was incredibly lucky to work with both of you as directors and I am so grateful for everything you have done for me. You are both wonderful examples of what this program is all about.

Finally, thank you to my mom and brother Doug for all of your support and for refusing to let me give up. I don’t know any other 13 year old guy who would sport a tux for three nights patiently at Miss Virginia and sneak gummy bears into his tux pocket the night I was finished with swimsuit. My brother is about to be confirmed in our church so unfortunately neither of them could be here tonight but I appreciate everything that you do for me and I am so grateful to have you as my family.

Finally, thank you to everyone involved in putting together this pageant both this year and last. To the ladies competing, please do not give up even if the crown isn’t placed on your head tonight. The 11^th time was the charm for me and I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for this program. Have patience and keep working hard, because you will get there and the victory will be sweet and well-deserved.

These women have worked extremely hard all year and truly deserve another chance at competing in Roanoke, and I can’t wait to spend the week with whoever wins tonight!

Workshop Pictures

2009-04-06T06:37:00.003-04:00

This was a very successful weekend and I'll be blogging soon about Miss Commonwealth/Miss Virginia Dogwood. In the short term, with a lot of schoolwork over my head, here are a few pictures from this year's Miss Virginia workshop! I am contestant number 15, the last in group A. I'll be performing my talent on Thursday night and the the other areas of competition on Friday.