The Princesses go to Madame Tussaud's

Today I went to the Madame Tussaud's wax museum with the DC International Princesses. It was my first visit to the museum and I had a blast. The wax figures were amazing, and they had different rooms for different types of famous figures. There were a few rooms dedicated to our Presidents and major events in government such as Watergate, and Cold War air raid alarms. There was a room dedicated to the civil rights era. They had the entertainment celebrities true to size like Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Madona, Micheal Jackson, and sports figures including Gilbert Arenas (LOL). There was also a section dedicated to the Obamas and an interactive replica of the oval office and the press room. We had fun posing with the figures and with each other.

Princess Tea Party

Today we had a TEA PARTY!!! Today was a great day. I got to meet our 2010 Princesses and we had a tea party. The District of Columbia International Princesses are young ladies ages 5 through 9. On the menu was Pink lemonade, chicken bites, pizza bagels, cupcakes, and self decorated cookies. We discussed dresses, shoes, and favorite subjects in school. Miss Titi former Miss DC International is the coordinator of the princess program and set up the whole things. After the formal tea party we had story time where I read them a story about what it is to be a princess. I asked them questions about what they learned and we found what we already knew, that they were all well on their way to being great princesses. After they were all crowned and received a jewel for their crowns.

Thomas Circle Living Center

Saturday April 10th I got to mingle with the residents of the Thomas Circle Living Center and lead a sing along. This was the second of the 2010 contestant tour events and the contestants learned a lot about the many hats a title holder will wear at any given time. I told them when we arrived be prepared to sing. I think they didn't understand exactly how serious I was, but I must say, when we did Mony Mony they certainly rose to the occasion. That day we were also celebrating the birthdays of four of the residents. After the sing along portion we all sang happy birthday, took photo's and then the music came back on and it turned into an all out party. Yes there was dancing too. I had an absolute blast.

Cherry Blossom Festival Fireworks

April 3rd marked the first Contestant Tour events for the 2010 Miss DC and Miss Teen DC International contestants. Through the month of April the contestants have the chance to follow me as I make appearances, and see what it's like to be Miss DC International. This particular event gave us a chance to have some girl time, and watch fireworks. There were vendors, and lots of tourists. We managed to find an amazing location on the water with a great view of the fireworks. We also met lots of different people, residents and out of towners who all came to see the blossoms. There is nothing more beautiful than DC when the blossoms are in full bloom.

Blue Jeans Ball

Tonight I had the pleasure of appearing as a guest chef with Mr. Dean of Sangam restaurant at the 7th annual Blue Jeans Ball. This a fundraiser for the Capital Area Food bank which raises money so they can continue to provide food and nutrition information for the thousands of needy families all over the Capital area. The Ball includes silent and live auctions, live entertainment, and amazing menu, and of course the main attraction, participating chefs from all over the Capital area giving there food and time to provide samples for the those that donated there money to attend the event. I made sure I took advantage and sampled amazing dishes with food combinations I never would have thought of.

Epilepsy Foundation

March was another great month. After almost four weeks without too much activity it all came at one. I had the great pleasure of meeting Kimberli Meadows at the Health Expo where I appeared in January. Kimberli invited me to work with the National Walk for Epilepsy which took place March 27th on the National Mall. It started as me appearing, then having me sing the National Anthem for the walk, then I was invited to perform and dine at the VIP reception kickoff event which took place the night before at the Ronald Reagan building. Present were volunteers, directors and other vip guests including Craig Melvin a well known sports anchor who emceed both events, Geoff Pope of the Philadelphia Eagle, Jason Snelling of the Atlanta Falcons, Alan Faneca of the Jets and Greg Grunberg of the hit tv show Heros's. Grunberg's eldest son has epilepsy, as do Snelling and Faneca and Faneca's adorable daughter. Pope's grandmother got epilepsy after having brain surgery. Happily through the efforts of this amazing foundation and all it's volunteers, those living with the condition have a voice and can feel less alone. I've learned the importance of understanding seizures and learning to recognize them and take action. Through Kimberli's efforts I was also invited to a lunch on March 11 at the foundation headquarters where I met Bob Madigan, the WTOP Man About Town. This amazing gentleman has been a force in getting support for the Epilepsy Foundation and the National Walk for Epilepsy. He did interviews with all in attendance at the lunch and was honored as the man of the year at the VIP reception for the National Walk.

Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

March 23 I visited the Youth Services Center with the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. This will definitely be one of my most memorable appearances. Visiting a juvenile detention center was very important to me. I feel I need to make it a point to visit and have a presence in places where they wouldn't necessarily expect to see me. I've learned throughout my year as Miss DC International how important a queen can be to the youth, and how important it is for them to have a role model who genuinely cares. I met with about 15 teenage girls ranging from 14 to 17. I didn't ask what they had done to be there. For and hour and a half we talked about overcoming life's obstacles, the importance of surrounding oneself with positive people, what they can learn from the experience of being in the rehabilitation center where they were locked up. I also asked all the teens where they saw themselves in 5 years and was open with them about obstacles I'd faced in my life and how and why I continued to push forward. They all gave me a hug at the end and I signed autograph cards for them with personalized messages. I don't know how much of a difference I made but they did at least express gratitude in my coming to visit them. They told me no one visits except church people and judges, and of course their lawyers. I had never been to a jail before, and it was intimidating to have that heavy door close behind me, locking me in. I can't imagine what it must be like to walk into a place knowing you have no choice in which side of the door you are on. That thing shuts behind you .....