My First Post!

The one and only Jessica Page. Tears when i saw her!

My girls : )



crowning moment!



my name being called. : D



Wow… where to start!? Tomorrow will be my one week anniversary as Miss Thousand Islands 2010 and I am just now starting to catch my breath. I have been so overwhelmed with congratulatory wishes and love from friends, family, and even complete strangers. Thank you to everyone who sent cards, flowers, calls, texts messages, and e-mails. Your words and acts of kindness mean so much to me and have really made this time even more special for me. So much has happened in these last few months but I thought I would start off this new blog by telling you a little bit about my journey preparing for this pageant.

Jan, 24 2009. I felt lost as I sat watching the 2009 Miss America Pageant. I had been praying day in and day out for God to show me what he had planned for me. As I sat there watching, clear as day I heard God’s voice saying, “That is what I want you to do right now. I have something great planned for your life and this is where it starts.” My first reaction..”yeah probably not..” LOL. But as a Christian I knew in my heart that I had to be obedient. I knew NOTHING about pageants…I had only been in one, Miss Italia 2008. Miss Italia is a local pageant held in my town at our annual Bravo Italiano Festival. It entailed three onstage questions, two being about my Italian heritage. So needless to say I had no experience in interview, swim wear, or pretty much pageants at all. I thought to myself there is no way I could ever do this. But again, God spoke to me saying, “Just do what I asked, and I will provide for you everything you need. So..my mind was made up, and I sent my application in. First things first, GETTING BIKNI READY!! All I had ever done for exercise was dance. Not that dancing isn’t a killer work out..(Come on we’ve all seen So You Think You Can Dance). But for the most part I was only teaching classes and I just needed something different but had no clue. And that’s when I met the one and only, Jessica Page. My little fitness angel from above. She offered to let me take he “Boot Camp” class for free in exchange for some air time during the radio show I intern/co-host. To all who don’t know her, Jessica Page is a freak of nature. (I mean that in the best way possible). She taught me everything I know now about fitness and nutrition and really helped me develop my platform, “A Strong Generation.” But more than that she is the most determined, inspiring, passionate, individual I have ever met. She became so much more than a trainer, but one of my best friends. Being able to relate to her during training really helped me stay on track. As amazing as my friends are, no one understood my life style like Jess did.
Her husband then offered me a job at CANI fitness center. Perfect, a job I love where I’m learning about fitness and nutrition that helped me pay for my pageant expenses.

As the months went on things just kept falling into place just like God said they would. I found the perfect gown (on clearance that is) from my “Fairy God Mother’s” shop, A Touch of Grace. Jessica Renzi, a former Miss NY who teaches dance at the same studio as myself, helped me with my walk, posing, and interview. I dedicated all of my time and energy to practicing and getting ready for my pageant. From watching the news like it was my job, to posing in front of my full length mirror, there wasn’t a second where my mind wasn’t on the pageant.
The weeks up until the pageant was filled with so many different emotions, one minute I knew I was going to win, the next I was trying to convince myself that when I didn’t win, that it was still worth “ the climb,” yes I mean The Climb as in Miley Cyrus.. I actually cried while listening to that song a week before the pageant. LOL
The day of the pageant had finally come, I was so nervous. But I made the decision to just let is all go, and let God take care of it. My friends and family cheered the loudest whenever I walked on stage. It meant everything to see all of them (and there poster board signs) in the crowd. The pageant flew by; it was like an out of body experience. Almost as if my body took over and did all the work without permission from my brain. When they called my name as the winner, my head just dropped and I started crying. All I could think about is how glad I was that I answer God’s call for my life no matter how crazy it sounded. This experience has been so hard but so amazing. But now I feel like I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to. Maybe that’s what God wanted me to learn in the first place. But I know He will have much more for me to learn this year as I start a new journey as Miss Thousand Islands 2010, competing for Miss New York. : )