Orange Jubilee Fest :)

Just a few days after I arrived back in Ohio after such a fabulous week in Vegas, I was asked to make an appearance at Orange City Schools, Orange Jubilee Festival! I received a warm welcome from the superintendent of Orange City School along with the other wonderful staff. The festival was so much fun and they had so many talented students to be proud of. I was asked on stage to "kick off" the festival weekend! I took a few minutes to introduce and tell them a little bit about myself and to stress how important it is to give back to your community as well as staying healthy and positive. I then announced the winners of the "Community Service Ambassador" awards. It amazes me how intelligent, kind, and well rounded the students are. After hearing all of their hard work and community service, no one could deserve the award more! I also got to pull the name of the winner to sing the National Anthem for the following day to start out the festival. It was so thrilling to see how excited the winner was. She was adorable! She even sang with her sister that night on stage. Both of them have beautiful singing voices, I was so envious of them! I think God passed me up when he was handing out the talent of singing haha! I spent the remainder of the night hanging out with students and children of Orange City. Everyone there was so supportive of me! I signed tons of autographs and took countless pictures. I had a blast with everyone there and was really sad to leave.

The wonderful staff of Orange City Schools :)The winners of the Community Service Award!
Congrats! Very well deserved :)Some of my "number one fans" which they called
themselves haha! The students were so welcoming
& kind to me. Orange Schools should be proud!
The beautiful sisters that sang for everyone! Look
out for them on American Idol in a few years!

These are some of the friendly police of Orange City! They had a fun game set up to advocate the importance of no drinking while driving. I even got to play! I wore some funny goggles that blur your eye sight and had to walk in a straight line. Let's just say I would have definitely failed the test!! I was all over the place! A very important lesson was learned by this demonstration and I hope that the students realize this too. I know it is so hard for teens to turn down the use of alcohol and drugs because of the strong pressure from your peers. Always remember to stay true to YOU and know that YOU have the power to say no and do what is right. Orange City Schools have done an excellent job teaching this to their students!

MISS USA 2010! Viva Las Vegas :)

The moment we have all been waiting for had finally arrive, the Miss USA pageant 2010!! I flew into Vegas very late on Wednesday night which was the night of the Preliminary competition for the Miss USA contestants. I woke up Thursday morning and heard from my beautiful Miss Ohio, Amanda! She was thrilled with her performance at Prelims, but I wouldn't expect anything less from her. I knew she was going to be amazing from the moment I met her at the Ohio state pageant. She oozes beauty and confidence and you can't help but to stare when she walks into a room. I can never take my eyes off her and I can just see how much passion she has in her. She has worked so unbelievably hard and I couldn't be more proud to call her my big sis! She also informed me that my other beautiful sister, Miss Michigan, Rima also did an amazing job at Prelims! I have grown to become so close to Rima as well. I drove up with Rima to our last training weekend and we had a blast together! We are so much alike and we just laughed, sang, and danced the whole way there! There is a never a dull moment with us! Rima just has that "IT" factor just like Amanda. She works that stage like she owns it! She is absolutely gorgeous and has the personality to go with it. I couldn't be more proud of both of them! The rest of the day, I had the opportunity to lay out and relax the whole day with my family! The weather in Vegas is amazing! It was so hot, but they have incredible pools which made it so relaxing. One of my best friends & my brother's beautiful girlfriend,

Britney & I enjoying the gorgeous weather at the pool!

Later on that night, I got to meet up with Amanda for a meet and greet session they had at Planet Hollywood. I was SO excited to finally see her! I missed her so much! She looked incredible as always and I was so happy I got to bond with her even if it was only for 20 minutes! I made her an Ohio State bear at Build-a-Bear along with a heart felt card that I gave her which she loved! I also got to see my amazing director, Melissa at the meet and greet! I felt like I hadn't seen either of them in so long! I missed Melissa so much too! Once the contestants had to leave, I hung out with Melissa for a little longer and she surprised me with a mini me!! Yes, a real barbie doll that looks just like me!! She had my same color hair, same length, and was wearing a hot little black dress haha! I LOVED it! She really is the best director anyone could ask for.

Haha and this is why I love her so much! We have
too much fun together! She will be my best friend &
sister for life!

I woke up Friday to another relaxing day! I soaked up the sun and enjoyed the pool all day! Later on, I attended the Miss USA rehearsal at Planet Hollywood. It was so thrilling to be there at the actual theater watching all of the beautiful contestants light up the stage. During their break, I got to see Amanda and Rima which was great! I just can't get over how stunning they both are! We also got to meet Trace Adkins! Although I am not a huge fan of country music, Trace's voice is breath taking!! He is an incredible performer and it was an honor to meet him.
After rehearsal, I was off to my first event with all of the other teens that were in Vegas! I was so excited to reunite with the teens I had already met and was even more anxious to meet all of the others! We all gathered for a group photograph in front of Planet Hollywood and the Miss USA 2010 sign. After our mini photo shoot, we met in a conference room to meet and bond with one another. I had met several girls at the Standout Productions retreat and it was so great to see them all again. I've missed them so much! I also got to meet all of the other titleholders that I hadn't met before. They were all so sweet! Everyone is so beautiful and so welcoming! Miss Teen USA 2009, Stormi Henely also made an appearance! She looked gorgeous of course and she spoke with us about her experience at Miss USA last year. She had to leave due to another appearance so for the remainder of the night, us teens just hung out and got to know one another a bit better! After the meet and greet, a couple of us teens were asked to Jonathan Kayne's suit to try on some of his fabulous designs! When I say fabulous, I mean it! His dresses were absolutely gorgeous and I wanted to wear them all!

Saturday was yet another fun and exciting day! This was the day of the True Beauty Expo! The Miss Universe Organization and Planet Hollywood put this on for the teens and anyone who wanted to come! The expo had tons of amazing vendors like popular pageant boutiques along with wonderful designers, amazing photographers, cosmetic lines, CHI hair products, and many, many more! Before we explored all of the vendors, all of the teens were asked to line up on stage to introduce ourselves and give the audience a chance to get to know us a little bit better! We each went up one by one and were asked an individual question about ourselves then got to work the runway and do a quick pose at the end. I had so much fun up there and it was so nice to learn a little something new about each of the teens. We also got to meet the beautiful Stormi Henely once again along with Miss Universe 2009. Tony Bowl is the designer of my Teen USA dress and I was thrilled to see him there!! We got to chat and catch up which was so nice. He then asked me to model in a fashion show he was having at the expo. Of course I said yes! I had a blast on the runway and it was so nice to get to see Tony again.

Miss Teen USA 2005, Allie LaForce :)
Love her!
One of Tony Bowl's many beautiful designs :)
Miss Universe 2009, Stefania Fernandez!

Once the Beauty Expo was all over, Catherine and I headed up to Melissa's room for a shoot with the wonderful Deb Knoske! Deb had some rockin' outfits for us! We got our hair all teased up and some fierce make up done! We were ready for a hot shoot out by the pool! Deb always makes shooting so much fun and it was even better this time being in Vegas with the beautiful weather and pool! Catherine and I took a lot of the photos together, but we also took some individually too. There was a clear runway in the pool which was awesome! We took full advantage of it and worked the runway as Deb snapped some photos. We were looking through the pictures on her camera and I will admit, they look awesome! It looks like we are walking on water because the runway was clear, very cool! We also took some shots outside and around the casino. I am eager to see the pictures! I had an absolute blast with the crew as always! After we were all done shooting, we rushed to get ready for our Fashion Rocks event! All of us teens got to walk the red carpet and have photos taken of us. I felt like a true celebrity!! It was just like the red carpet events you watch on TV. We walked on the red carpet, posed for a few photos, then had a quick interview all on live webcast!! It was a BLAST! Shortly after was a fashion show with Sherri Hill's fabulous designs! The dresses were amazing, I wanted all of them! We took pictures and had fun for the rest of the night. It was so good to see the beautiful Allie LaForce, the inspirational AT Dunn, and all of the wonderful past and current titleholders.

The beautiful Miss South Carolina Teen, Megan & I
on the red carpet! I have become really close with Megan
& I know she will be a life long friend after Teen USA :)

The Michigan girls!! Miss Michigan Teen 2009, Kristen
& Miss Michigan Teen 2010, Catherine! :)

Sunday was the best day of them all! I woke up bright and early for my photo shoot with famous Fadil Berisha! Words can't explain how incredible he is. The make up artist was phenomenal as well. Fadil makes you feel so beautiful with all of his compliments and helpful hints on how to move. He even showed me some of the pictures off his camera and they looked great! The shoot was so relaxing and he is truly an incredible photographer. After my shoot, I headed to the Planet Hollywood theater to watch the final dress rehearsal with the Miss USA contestants. Every single girl was drop dead gorgeous and were stunning on stage. It made me so excited to watch the telecast later on that day! I got all ready and ate lunch before I was off to the telecast! It was chaos walking through Planet Hollywood with all of the people going to watch the show! I just couldn't believe that I was going to witness the Miss USA pageant live with everyone! This has been something I watch on TV every year. I have looked up to the Miss USA contestants and always wanted to meet them. This year, not only was I there, but I have gotten the opportunity to meet most of the girls. They were everything I expected and more. Each contestant is beautiful in their own way and I respect every single one of them. Before the show, my fellow teens and I took some fun photos together and got to hang out a bit more before the show started. It was so thrilling when Donald Trump walked out on stage to announce the show was about to begin. I got goose bumps and was beyond excited! Amanda, Rima, and all of the girls looked incredible! Shortly after the show began, they announced the top 15, then top 10, and finally the top 5. Rima made it through all 3 rounds!!! I was going crazy in the crowd! I could have been her number one fan out there! I was so proud of her and she was absolutely beautiful up there. After the top 5 were asked their final questions, it was time for results. I was so nervous as the count down was happening, but it was all worth while once I heard....."the next Miss USA is......MISS MICHIGAN, RIMA FAKIH!!" I completely lost it! Tears came to my eyes and all I wanted to do was rush on stage and hug her and tell her how much I love her! She deserves the crown and she will be the best representative for USA at the Miss Universe pageant this summer. I met up with my gorgeous sister, Amanda after the show and we got ready and went to the after party together! I am so lucky to have the best big sis in the world. She even gave me her VIP guest bracelet! We had so much fun together getting interviewed, having photos taken, and meeting all of the accomplished individuals in there. We even got to see our beautiful Miss USA, Rima! It is so crazy to think that the girl we've spent our entire year with, having sleepovers and goofing around with all the time is our new Miss USA! I don't think our country realizes how incredible and down to earth Rima is! She will be a fabulous Miss USA! After a long night in heels and walking around everywhere, Amanda and I had a fun sleepover in her hotel room! I was so happy I got to spend more time with her. She is truly the best Miss Ohio and sister. She has been there for me throughout this entire year and I know she will for a lifetime. I couldn't be more proud of her. She was a goddess on stage and could have easily been Miss USA too. I love her with all my heart!

Some of my gorgeous fellow teens posing before the
telecast began! So exciting :)

Amanda & I at the VIP after party with one of the
celebrity judges, Johnny Weir!

The beautiful, stunning, incredible new Miss USA,
RIMA FAKIH!! Love her so much & couldn't be more
proud of her <3

Overall, my week in Vegas was one I will never forget. I met so many incredible and inspiring people. I am so blessed to have experienced these once in a lifetime opportunities at such a young age. This week has gotten me so motivated, prepared, and anxious for Teen USA!! It's right around the corner!!

Birthday Week :)

I cannot believe my first year of college has already come to an end! It seems like yesterday that I was at dance team practice in the summer asking all of the seniors a million questions about college and my classes because I was so nervous for my first day! This year has gone by so fast, but it been the best year of my life. I absolutely love the University of Akron! The campus is beautiful, the academic department is excellent, and the people I have met are so inspiring. I have had the time of my life meeting new people and experiencing this new venture in my life. My last week was by far one of the best! I was recruited while walking on campus to be participate in a photo shoot for the University of Akron's publications. The photos would appear in the program books, pamphlets, posters, and other recruitment books for the University. Of course I agreed to be a part of this exciting event! We shot the photos throughout the duration of finals week. I had a blast with it and I can't wait to see what the publications look like!

Enjoying free Starbucks samples with two of my
new friends, Courtney & Jordan before the shoot!

Another exciting part of the week was the fact that it wasn't only my last week of classes and finals, but it was what I like to call my BIRTHDAY WEEK! I don't like to celebrate my birthday for just a day, so my friends, family, and myself make a fun week out of it! The first event of the week was spent with one of my best friends, Brenna who attends Miami University. I hate not getting to see her all the time so it's always exciting to see her! We went out to dinner, shopping, and then had a fun girls night with some close friends! The next event was spent with some other close friends of mine, Liz and Jessa! Liz and Jessa live on campus and I am at their house ALL the time with them! It is so nice to walk over to their house and visit after class or practice. We have grown to become really good friends with their neighbors across the street too! They are so nice and an absolute blast to hang out with! We even created a "game night" where we all get together and play a different game once a week. It gets pretty intense, but is always so funny! We made this week's game night special for my birthday! We played my favorite game, Catch Phrase all night! We had so much fun! The following birthday festivity was a delicious sushi dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, House of Hunan. It is located in downtown Akron and they are known for their amazing sushi! A group of my best friends got together and enjoyed a delightful dinner there! The following day was my REAL birthday! Unfortunately, I had to wake up at at 7:30 to take not just one, but three final exams!! Figures most of my finals would fall on my birthday :( I was all finished with them by noon so I kept looking at that as the bright side of it! After my finals were over, I enjoyed a delicious lunch and then a fun filled day shopping and getting my nails done with my wonderful mother! It was so relaxing and of course so much fun! My family then took me to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Mariachi Locos for dinner! They put a huge sombrero on my head and sang to me! It was hilarious! My friends met me there and then we all went out to celebrate! I am so lucky to have the best friends in the world and they made my birthday so special. Wait, it wasn't over yet! The day after my birthday, Liz and Jessa threw a birthday party for me! There were so many of my friends there from my high school friends, to dance team friends, to the neighbors, to different sports teams, and much more! It was such a fun night and I'm so happy I got to celebrate it with so many people that I love!

Haha! Looking so funny in my sombrero after
my friends & family sang to me!

My friend Leann did my hair & make up for me
before my birthday celebration :)
My friend Erin is AMAZING & baked me this
giant cupcake along with small cupcakes with leopard
cupcake wrappers! She knows me too well! Don't worry,
I didn't really eat this huge cupcake haha :)

Just when I thought my birthday week had finally come to an end, I received the best gift of all the following day. My older sister, Tara called to share the good news that she was in labor!! My family traveled to Columbus and my baby nephew, Jack Thomas Hageman was born! It was an incredible day and I am proud to say that I am an Aunt! I love little Jack and he is just the cutest baby in the world! I am looking forward to watching him grow up and being there for him every step of the way.

Baby Jack! Words can't describe how much
I love him <3

Go AKRON AEROS!

This is quite a humorous story! I was asked to throw out the first pitch at the home opener game for the Akron Aero’s minor league baseball team as Miss Ohio Teen USA. I was so excited and honored to be apart of such a huge event in my hometown. Once my friends heard the news that I was throwing out the first pitch, they kept giving me a hard time saying “Make sure you make it to the plate!” and “Don’t bounce it! You better work out those arms to make it to the catcher!” I am not the type of person to get nervous so they didn’t bother me! I was still all excited to go out on the field and get the opportunity to meet all of the players. The game was nearly sold out with it being the home opener so I knew I had to make that ball to the plate to prove everyone wrong. I arrived at the game and the Akron Aero baseball players themselves started saying the same things to me! They were offering to practice with me because they truly believed I would not make it to the catcher. I told them I could do it and didn't need the extra practice haha! I pretended like I was some baseball all-star which I am definitely not! I did know I had to throw this ball as hard I as I could to prove that I could make it to the plate though. I was introduced with a brief bio and was asked to walk onto the field. This was the moment everyone was waiting for.....I threw the ball as hard and fast as I could. Well, I certainly made it to the plate and then some! The ball flew clear over the catcher’s head and the whole crowd started laughing! Of course I laughed along with them and still had fun with it, but it was definitely embarrassing. Then, to top it all off, they replayed my pitch on the News that night so everyone got to see my amazing throw haha! Overall, it was a great experience and I had tons of fun regardless of my terrible throw!

This is one of my best friend's, Britney who got to
join me on the field before I threw my amazing pitch
haha!

Posing with some of the Akron Aero baseball players :)

Signing some autographs!

Training in Cinci!

This is the time of year we call CRUNCH TIME!! Miss USA is here and Miss Teen USA is right around the corner! The Michigan and Ohio titleholders had one last training & bonding weekend with our fabulous director, Melissa Pitchford. I traveled with Rima and Catherine (Michigan girls) to Cincinnati to meet Amanda and Melissa. We were running a bit late so right when we arrived, we had 6 minutes to beautify ourselves and be ready for our event appearance at a party being held for us as we continue on our journey to Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. We were ready in record time and made it to the party. We had so much fun meeting past judges, reuniting with one of the emcee's at our pageants, and getting to know all of the incredible people there. We all are so fortunate to have such a huge support group and people behind us that care so much. After the party, we headed back to the Pitchford household! We all stayed at Melissa's GORGEOUS home for the weekend with her wonderful family. We stayed up the remainder of the night eating healthy snacks of course and watching some fun pageant videos. It was a fun Queen's slumber party! Even Melissa's absolutely ADORABLE little girl, Ava joined in on the fun! She is the cutest little girl I have ever seen and she is hilarious! She is definitely a future Miss Teen USA! She already walks better in heels than I do and wears my crown and sash like she was born a Queen! We all had a blast together, but we had to get our beauty sleep for our big training day! We woke up Sunday morning and headed to the New View Modeling Agency to practice walking, have our physical appearance checked out, and practice our interviews. I honestly don't know what I would do without my sister queens, Melissa, Kim Proctor, and Deb Knoske. I could not have wished for a better group of people to be my back bone throughout this journey. They tell me exactly what I need to work on, exactly what I have down great, and are constantly giving me that extra boost of confidence to keep my head held high. I had so much fun with my mock interview and the judges there were fantastic! They gave me helpful hints which I will carry on with me to Teen USA! After training was all over, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at P.F Changs! It was unbelievable food and it was great to get one last bonding time in before we all separated to our homes. The weekend was definitely a success and I can't tell you how excited it got me for Miss USA and Teen USA! Rima and Amanda couldn't be more ready. They are both drop dead gorgeous with amazing bodies and hearts of gold. They have been such great role models to me and I look to them for anything I need. They are kind, caring, and genuine individuals. They are going to shine at Miss USA and I can't wait to be there cheering them on every step of the way! I love you both with all my heart!

My beautiful sister queens with past judges :)

The GORGEOUS Miss Ohio & myself :)
I love Amanda so much! I don't know what
I would do without her!

Amanda & I with one of the judges from the
Ohio state pageant!

Hahaha! The beautiful queen, CHESTER!
He is absolutely hilarious! He always makes
everything entertaining :)
I can't put into words how much these 3 girls mean
to me! We have had so much fun together throughout
this entire year! We get along so well & they will be life
long sisters to me. LOVE OHIO & MICHIGAN <3

Dance Team NATIONALS!

The University of Akron cheerleading squad and dance team traveled to Daytona, Florida to compete in the NCA/NDA collegiate national competition. This was the first year that the dance team has ever competed so we were all entering an entire new experience. We worked so hard months before leaving to compete and were so excited to create history being the first ever dance team from Akron to compete in a collegiate national competition. Our routine was very difficult, but so much fun at the same time. The music was great and I think it was a very entertaining performance. We rode a bus ALL the way to Daytona two days before competing and were there for another three days post competition. The bus ride was torture trying to sleep and get comfortable, but we had so much fun together bonding and joking around the whole time. I truly love my team and I couldn't have asked for a better group of ladies to be on a team with doing what I love. We help each other not only in dance, but we are there for each other in any situation. They are true friends to me as I am to them and I don't know how I would survive without them! We made the bus ride as much fun as we could, but it was definitely nice to finally arrive in sunny Florida! We spent the day relaxing and shopping until practice later on that night. It was unbelievable how many cheer and dance teams were there. There were teams from all over the nation and they were all extremely talented. There were cheerleaders and dancers everywhere you looked. I felt like I was in the movie "Bring It On" haha! We woke up early the next morning to compete in the Preliminary competition. We are in Division 1 which is the hardest division and with it being our first time competing, it was very intimidating to compete against such amazing teams. We just told ourselves we were going to go out there and give it all we had, but most importantly to have fun! We definitely had a blast performing and we danced to the best of our ability. We wanted to make a name for the University of Akron which I think we did. After we competed, we went and supported our cheerleaders. They did an awesome job and we were really proud of them. We spent the day watching other teams while we anxiously waited for results. After a long stressful day, we found out we made it to the Championship Cup! This isn't the highest round to make it to, but we were so excited to have made it that far. We finished 4th in the cup and 9th overall. We were very proud of ourselves to be ranked in the nation in the hardest college division! The rest of the time in Daytona was spent at the beach soaking up the sun! We all had so much fun together and will be a week none of us will ever forget!

Cassi & I right when we arrived in DAYTONA! :)

Having fun & being our crazy selves on the beach
after a long night of practice!My beautiful team and coach right before competing
in the Preliminary Competition!

Soaking up the sun after a long day of competition!

Before our night out on the town!

UA Dance <3>

This was not taken in Daytona, but yes this is the
2005 Miss Teen USA herself, Miss Allie LaForce!! I
ran into Allie while dancing at the Ohio University/Akron
game! She was there broadcasting the game! This was an
amazing surprise and I couldn't have been more excited to meet her!
She is just as beautiful inside as she is the out! I am so lucky
to have met such an incredible young lady :)

Designing my DREAM dress :)

It's finally time that I got to pick out my gown for Miss Teen USA! I met Tony Bowl at Catan's to design my dream dress. Tony is incredible. There aren't enough positive things to say about him. He took the time to pick out different colors and styles of dresses to have me try on to decide what looked best and felt best on me. I tried on numerous gorgeous dresses that I loved! His pageant line is amazing and I really couldn't have gone wrong with any of the dresses. After testing different colors, beading patterns, and styles of dresses, I figured out exactly what I wanted. I liked the top of one dress, the beading on another, the fit of a different one, and the color of another. Tony sketched up a dress for me of exactly what I wanted from each dress and I cannot tell you how excited how I am to wear this at Teen USA! Although it is not made and I don't have it yet, I am absolutely in love with it and I can't wait to grace the stage with this gorgeous gown. I don't want to give TOO much away so you'll have to wait and see! After spending the day with Tony, he asked me to model for him at the Atlanta Market in the summer!! This is a huge opportunity for me and I am really looking forward to working with Tony again!

After my successful day with Tony, I rushed off to my sister's baby shower. My sister lives in Columbus so it makes it hard not seeing her all the time. I miss her more than anything and I can't wait to be an aunt! My family found out the news that Tara was pregnant the same night as I was crowned Miss Ohio Teen USA! She shared the good news with my family at dinner before the pageant and then told me right after. It was an amazing night for my family and a night none of us will ever forget. She has had a very healthy pregnancy and is very blessed to have an incredible husband and family behind her. Her baby shower was beautiful and she received a lot of thoughtful gifts. Her baby is already spoiled and isn't even born yet! The shower was so much fun and now it's time for my new niece or nephew to be born so I can call myself an aunt! Overall, I had a fun filled weekend and I am looking forward to all of the exciting events coming up!