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!!