12/13 DC International Holiday brunch

Filomena Restaurant in Georgetown has one of the best and most beautiful brunches, especially during the holiday season. Our friends and supporters joined Juliana, Rita and I to celebrate the season and our fabulous year thus far. The food was amazing and the decorations were some of the best I've ever seen. Some of our guests included Mrs. DC International Erika Parkhurst, Miss Maryland Galaxy Nicole Almodovar and our former Mrs. DC International 2009 Diane Lebson.

12/07 Pearl Harbor Day Wreath Laying Ceremony

Pearl Harbor Day is a very important Day in our history. Every year at the Navy Memorial there is a ceremony performed by the US Navy in observance of the lives lost that fateful day. It is short but definitely worth viewing. After the ceremony everyone was invited into the memorial museum. There is nice room there with portraits of all our US presidents that served in the Navy, the directors are very engaging and the exhibits are interesting well put together. There are also rooms that can be used for events. This was another District jewel that I was able to enjoy.

12/03 Mayors Annual Turkey Giveaway and Union Station Christmas Tree lighting ceremony

12/03 was a busy day for me. That afternoon I volunteered at the Mayors Turkey Giveaway. Thankfully that was a fairly mild day with the occasional wind gust. The giveaway was designed to assist the needy and elderly of the District during the holiday season. People were lined up in side and in several lines outside the DC armory. I got the chance to talk to some of the people that came out, and tried to encourage them through the long wait. The volunteers with the Mayors office are amazing people and always have a need for more.

That evening I switched gears and got dressed up for the Union Station Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. The Norwegian Embassy has been decorating Union Station for the holidays for 13 years. This is Norway's way of thanking DC for it's assistance during World War 2 and to acknowledge the participation of Norwegian Americans in the war and how they aided the US army and stopped a potential ambush by the German army. Present were representatives from the Army and the Norwegian Embassy as well as the Mayors office. Special Guest General Casey, Secretary of the Army was present to give awards and highlight the importance of the occasion.

Fresh Cupcake Social

September 24th My dear friend Kim had a fun and delicious cupcake social at her Georgetown boutique called Fresh. I have been shopping at fresh for at least 5 years, and almost always do my seasonal shopping there. The cute and chic cocktail dress I wore to the couture show was purchased at this store. As a favor to a friend (and of course a fun opportunity for me) I attended the event and modeled some of the new merchandise. This social was in part sponsored by Red Velvet Cupcakery which has a location in Georgetown and offered it's support to a community friend. There was a dj, an open champagne bar, and dozens of bite sized cupcakes. This social in particular was to celebrate the opening of the purse/bag room. All the vegan bags you could ever want in all colors and different styles, and of course I own one of the first bags she sold in her store, and have been carrying it for years. There were photo ops in front of the Fresh sign and on the "pink carpet". It was an amazing.

Miss DC USA Pageant

November 25 I attended the Miss DC USA pageant. One of the great things about being a title holder is being able to support other DC systems. We really are one big family and it is fun and important for us to encourage each others purposes and goals. The pageant was great to watch. All the teen and miss contestants did a great job. Lots of smiles and personality. In the end two wonderful young women took home the crowns. Jennifer Lopez is the new Teen and Mackenzie Greene will be representing us in the Miss USA competition. The were both wonderful and very deserving. One special treat for me was watching my good friend Ciara Famble compete in her first state level pageant. She made top 5 and of course looked gorgeous. So proud of her.

11/14 Greater Washington Heart Walk

I got to be a celebrity guest and mc at this years National Heart Walk for the American Heart Association. Working with the AHA is always so much fun. Roxana one of the coordinators is one of the nicest sweetest women you'll ever meet. I got to see Anita Brickman who was there to mc and Lou Katz from 97.1 a station I have listened to for years. I got to greet walkers and dance to the great music provided by the dj. I also got to meet a young girl and her family. This beautiful little girl and her equally pretty and sweet older sister danced the Macarena with me. I found out later from their mother the youngest had had a heart transplant when she was just two years old. It was a bit sobering but amazing to see her dance and be a normal five year old, able to live her life. It was also a reminder of why this organization is so important.

Young Womens National Conference, Queens Reunion Lunch

October 24th was a busy day for me. That morning at 11:00 am I attended the Young Womens National Conference. This conference is designed to help young women gain brighter futures by teaching them how to improve on everything from grooming and hygiene to life after high school. I was honored to be asked by Mrs. Erica Parkhurst, the founder of The Young Womens National Conference to be a penelist at this years event. I along with two other amazing women was asked to speak to a group of young women about goal setting and planning for the future. Events like this are always a challenge because you want to offer sound advice and you need to be careful to offer a delicate balance of encouraging and candid examples and advice. My message to the young women was that life won't always turn like you though/planned, but continue to push yourself to improve in all areas of your life, follow your heart and your faith and the future will always be bright. To support this amazing organization you can visit the website of join the group on facebook.

Later that day I joined Rita Sinha (Miss DC International 2007), Titi Williams-Davies (Miss DC International 2008), and Mrs. DC International Diane Lebson who was our gracious host for a queens lunch at her house. We had a delicious pasta salad, cupcakes from Red Velvet Cupcakery provided by the Diane's husband, and were given a tour of the house, which is beautiful. We had such a great time talking about everything from relationships, pageantry, and our goals for the year and future. It was such a nice reminder of how important it is for us to come together and share ideas and experiences as queens and women. Diane ended the afternoon with books for each of us. I received "Manners" by Kate Spade. Diane made sure to tell me she didn't necessarily think I needed the book, but she though I would enjoy it, and I have very much. It doesn't hurt that Kate Spade is one of my favorite designers, and a lady who's style I admire. Thanks Diane :)