Peanut Butter and Chocolate!

Thank you so much to those of you who have signed on to follow this blog! I only have 488 Followers to go before I hit 500, and 988 before I hit 1000! LOL! No kidding! I appreciate your help in reposting the link (Please keep it up!)and encouraging others to sign on. I hope to hear from all of you on issues in your lives that should be discussed...even issues that are currently TABOO!I will be discussing ways teens can help in disaster situations right here at home in a day or two, so please keep checking back!

Today I am sitting here in Las Vegas waiting for the hair and make-up people to call my name for today's fashion show. We will be modeling Sherri Hill Gowns. I AM STILL Seeking sponsorship FOR MY gown FOR THE MISS TEEN USA PAGEANT this summer as none of the ones I have now fit me or were acepted by the directors, so if you are a designer, please keep me in mind! Last night we did a cool shoot here in Las Vegas and we also got to meet with some of the world's top gown designers! I wore a fabulous, FABULOUS Gold and Ivory Mini Dress courtesy of the wonderful people at Niki Livas and Alfred Angelo. (check out the link below under sponsors!)I dont think I have ever felt more feminine or pretty than when I wore this dress! Just wish the gown fit me! Even with alterations, it didnt suit my body type. BOOHOO! I need something tight on top and flowing on the bottom...preferably with layers of light, flowing fabric! (Of course I had a couple of Secrets on under the Niki so that helped! Thank you Victoria's Secret New York! SHHHHHHHH! Im not telling!

One of the things that has made my experience here so pleasant, is a man named Gaspar Cruz who has given me valuable tips on make-up, hair and style. He has been gentle, patient and willing to listen to me. I am not a big make-up gal, so its often difficult for me to wear anything other than a tad of concealer, clear lip gloss and a smidgen of eyeliner. Gaspar respected this and managed to make me look awesome without looking painted up like a doll. That requires real skill and HE's GOT IT!

Pageants are often considered by people unfamiliar with them, to be filled with catty women, clawing their way to the top. This is completely untrue from my experiences here in Las Vegas. Here I am, in a huge home with 8 Miss USA and Miss Teen USA's and guess what? WE ALL GET ALONG like peanut butter and chocolate! We laugh, encourage, affirm and support one another. It IS a competition, but I think each of us realizes that we will walk away in a week with or without our integrity. For each of us, its our integrity that matters! It reminds me of the Special Olympics where the runners were headed around the backstretch and one fell. The runner out in front, turned, and then ran to her competitor, helped him up and together, they crossed across the finish line. They both won.

I wore my integrity into this race, and I will leave with my integrity. Just in case you are wondering exactly what I mean by INTEGRITY, here is my definition.
INTEGRITY: DOING THE RIGHT THING...EVEN WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WONDERING ABOUT OUR FAMILY & FRIENDS IN HAITI!
The medical work is slow but steady. Patricia says they are making do with all sorts of supplies and its frustrating because there are heaps of supplies still stockpiled at different locations. She is particularly concerned about elderly patients with dementia as everyone is rushing down to help babies and no one has agreed to take on the elderly who can be alot harder to care for. Patricia and her co-workers are setting up a small camp with water, basic food and bedding for the patients they can round up.

There is also a problem for parents, family members and relatives trying to locate their children and babies. So many babies are being "resucued" and relocated that families fear they may never seen them again. A few of the experienced disaster relief workers are trying establish a sort of clearing house for children and babies and the elderly so please keep this in your prayers. Red Cross officials are begging people not to go to Haiti or the DR unless:
Candidates have fluency in the language of the disaster-stricken area, prior disaster relief experience in an developing nation, 10 years experience and expertise in technical fields such as medicine, communications logistics, water/sanitation engineering. In many cases, these professionals are already available in-country.
Most reputable, experienced agencies require at least ten years of experience, as well as several years of experience working overseas.

So what can we do? We can stay closely in tune with reputable agencies like Medecins San Frontieres, OXFAM, Red Cross and others. We can listen and learn what they need and come up with ways to raise necessary supplies and get them to appropriate clearing stations. We can raise money in all sorts of ways! I read about a little girl who got her dance company to do a dance marathon for 8 hours...they asked sponsors to pledge for each hour they danced and they raised close $11,000! This is our chance to be creative, serve others and to remember, "There go I but for the Grace of God!"

If you have ideas on ways to raise funds for Haiti, let me know and I will publish them here!

God bless you guys! Stay tuned and lets MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our WORLD!