One cold, snowy night in January, as my boyfriend and I were enjoying an incredible dinner at Opus Restaurant and Loungue in Syracuse's downtown Armory Square, it dawned on me: Today marks the beginning of my last month as Miss Finger Lakes! It's been a long, incredible year, but all good things must come to an end. I wasn't giving up my title without a fight, though. I still had some time, so I decided to get myself as involved as I could possibly manage during this last month as Miss Finger Lakes.
On February 9th, I took a day off from classes to cruise out to Elmira, NY to tape an interview for their Community Focus program that airs on Sundays throughout the entire Southern Tier. I like to think of this as my "exit interview," my last chance to get my voice heard and to promote the upcoming pageant. I got to sit down with Staci-Lyn Honda for a full 12-minute interview and we talked about my platform, "Fighting Back Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault," the upcoming pageant and some of the funny, stereotypical perceptions of pageants. I had a great time, and it was good practice for the upcoming locals I will be competing in next month!
Later that night, I had the honor of attend the Father Daughter Valentine Ball to benefit the Golisano Children's Hospital, Syracuse's local Children's Miracle Network hospital. When I arrived, I was in absolute awe of what I saw: hundreds, at least 300, fathers and daughters talking, laughing, partying, and dancing the night away. There were about 30 items available in their silent auction, some going for as much as $250! There was a magician, who was the life of the party, and hundreds of gorgeous little girls dressed to impress. I had the opportunity to crown some of these little ladies "Father Daughter Valentine Ball" Princesses.... of course, every girl in attendance got a sash and crown, because every girl that night was truly a princess. I never got the final count on how much was raised that evening, but I know that the evening was a huge success, both for the patrons and for the Golisano Children's Hospital. I had a ball (excuse the pun) that night and I hope to attend next year as a 2010 titleholder!
Last Sunday, I was invited to sit down with Marcus from Juice and Java, a Syracuse University talk showed that airs on the CitrusTV network here. I got to meet one of the behind-the-scenes members of the crew, Hilary Levin, who was going to be competing in the Miss Finger Lakes pageant this Saturday but withdrew... because she won a local in New Jersey! I was excited to chat with her for a few minutes, and offer my help and support as she prepares for the Miss New Jersey state pageant. When I finally got down to the interview, Marcus made it a point to focus on my platform for the 4 minute-slot that we had. I was very grateful to be able to address some very serious issues that I experienced as a college student, so that the SU community would be aware of the seriousness of sexual assault and domestic violence. I hope that even after my reign ends, the message of my platform will be long-lasting.
When I thought all was said and done that Sunday, I received a phone call from one of the managers of the local IHOP: They would LOVE for me to come in on National Pancake Day to help out! You see, National Pancake Day is a national Children's Miracle Network fundraiser through IHOP, who is very big supporter and sponser of the Miss America Organization. I got to go in for a couple of hours and take names at the front desk (and thankfully, there were a LOT of names to be taken!), and walk aroudn the restaurant chatting up customers. One little girl, Giavonna, told me she wanted a crown like mine. I told her maybe she can win a crown one day, to which she replied "No, I want one right now!" Ahh, a woman after my own heart. This year, IHOP's goal was to raise $1.5 million dollars, so that their fundraising efforts on this day would total $5 million over 5 years. I'm sure the final count of how much was raised will be released soon, so keep your eyes open for that! Overall, it was a great day and I even got to take home a free short stack!
And so, thus ends my reign as Miss Finger Lakes. I have been put in charge of choreography for the entire pageant this Saturday, so I have been kept pretty busy, but it's still very bittersweet to know that the end is so close. I can't say enough how incredible this experience has been for me. I've changed so much since I heard my name called that night one year ago, and I am so excited to crown the new Miss Finger Lakes 2010 because I know, whoever she is, she will carry on the legacy that this organization has built. I hope to hear my name called again, for another title in the future, but I know in my heart that I will always be Miss Finger Lakes 2009.
On Sunday, I am going to post the text of my farewell speech on here, just for my personal records. Other than that, this will be my last post on this blog. Thank you for being faithful readers, and for following along on my journey.
All my Love, Lorna Rose, Miss Finger Lakes 2009
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Where in the world is Miss Finger Lakes??
Alright, well, after weeks of trying to update this blog, pleading with and then threatening blogspot, praying to the good Lord and wishing on a shooting star, I finally got this to update! Thank you for your patience! It’s going to be a long one, because I’ve got a lot to catch up on.
First and foremost, I hope you all had absolutely amazing holidays, as I definitely did. I hope you all filled yourselves with delicious food, holiday treats and some good ol’ egg nog (none for me, thanks, but my boyfriend definitely had more than enough for both of us!) Thanksgiving was amazing for me, as I was able to spend it with Lucas and his family. Last year, when Lucas and I had just met and were still just friends, he invited me to spend Thanksgiving with him when I had expressed concern over where exactly I was going to be that day (because I wasn’t sure). I finally got to take him up on his offer, and it was incredible. The food was great, his family is so fun to spend time with, and of coursssse, the Cowboys beat the Raiders!! A great day was had by all, I’d say!
Two days after Thanksgiving I was due in Corning to take part in the Festival of Lights parade. It’s annual event that brings out the entire town. THOUSANDS of people line the streets of Corning with their hot cocoa, their scarves and their blankets, and watch the 50+ floats and displays that go by. I was blessed with an Iraq veteran for a driver and his bright yellow Corvette, and my crown was covered with tiny Christmas lights. My crown could have been lined with pure gold, though, and it wouldn’t have mattered much; I heard more of “Hey, awesome car!” than I did “Hey, Miss Finger Lakes!” It was so much fun, though, seeing the looks on the kids’ faces who came out to watch. All of our Colonial Days titleholders were in the parade, as well as our Finger Lakes titleholders, including Miss Finger Lakes’ Outstanding Teen Desiree, who is also Miss New York State Teen-Ager. I tell ya, that girl is going somewhere, fast! It was definitely an amazing Thanksgiving weekend. I got to see my dad, my half-siblings and all of my Finger Lakes family, and I couldn’t have asked for more.
As the semester came to a close, I was very intently focused on getting good grades. A year ago, at the end of my very first fall semester at Syracuse, I got my grades: Four A’s and one A-. I was so upset with myself, because I was .03 away from a perfect GPA, all because I did not do one homework assignment correctly (thank you, laziness) and I ignored the opportunity that the professor had given us to make it up. Well, let me tell you, this lit a fire under my butt quicker than a lighter in the dressing room backstage at Miss New York. The next semester, I got five A’s and that perfect 4.0 GPA that I knew I was capable and deserving of. So, you can only imagine how important it was to me to continue this pattern. I did not want, however, to forget about my duties as Miss Finger Lakes in the meantime. My year is just two months from being over as of December, and I wanted to do as much as possible before giving up my title. As fate would have it, I was contacted by the CMN rep at the Golisano Children’s Hospital here in Syracuse and I was invited to participate in the radiothon they were hosting. It would be held over the course of two days, and I was invited to come and take pledges. During my shift, we even ran a special: for every pledge that Miss Finger Lakes takes, the donor will receive an autographed photo! Over $108,000 was raised during the radiothon, all to the benefit of the new Upstate Cancer Center in the Golisano Children’s Hospital. It was an very successful effort, and I was so honored to be a part of it.
The rest of the month of December has been easy and relaxing. I finished the semester with yet another 4.0, GO ME!, and I have been thoroughly enjoying this past off of work. This year’s Christmas was probably one of my favorites ever. I got to spend a whole day with my dad, which was really nice because I hardly ever get to see him. When I do go home to Rochester to visit, I try to steal him from the nursing home for as long as possible. On Christmas Eve, I went to visit my half-siblings who live near Corning and gave them the best present ever: a puppy! Their parents said I could, so I got them a Blue Heeler puppy who they named, after hours of deliberation, Jake, because apparently they are on “Team Jacob.” There was a huge present-giving celebration between about 20 people, and then we headed down to Yonkers in the middle of the night to spend Christmas was Lucas’ family. It was wonderful, to say the very least. For New Year’s, we reserved a room in the Hotel Edison on 47th St, half a block away from Broadway. It sounds extravagant, I know, but we had to make it special; it was our one-year anniversary! His cousin and his cousin’s girlfriend came out with us, and we had a great time. There were SO many people, it was insane! Thank you and good job to all of the police officers who did their best to maintain order and keep things safe for everyone…. and thank you for blocking off 47th wayyy too early, so that I had to pay $40 for parking instead of the $11 that the hotel would have charged me!! I think the coolest part about the night was that we opened our hotel room window and were able to hear all of the concerts going on outside. Lucas and I shared our anniversary/new year’s kiss at midnight, and if 2010 is anything like 2009, I absolutely cannot wait :).
After about a week and a half in the city, we retreated to our cozy apartment in upstate NY to get a little bit more peace and quiet. Lucas has a big family, you see, and we realized how much we missed the solitude of our own place. With that, we packed up our stuff and headed back up to ‘Cuse to snuggle up in bed and watch the complete series of Everybody Loves Raymond on DVD until the real world comes banging on the door. The semester starts on Tuesday the 19th (the day after my 22nd birthday, which also happens to be Martin Luther King Day! Woo-hoo!!), as does my first day back to work… 7am shifts, I have not missed you. Well, I’m going to get back to relaxing now, but don’t worry, I’ll be back!
First and foremost, I hope you all had absolutely amazing holidays, as I definitely did. I hope you all filled yourselves with delicious food, holiday treats and some good ol’ egg nog (none for me, thanks, but my boyfriend definitely had more than enough for both of us!) Thanksgiving was amazing for me, as I was able to spend it with Lucas and his family. Last year, when Lucas and I had just met and were still just friends, he invited me to spend Thanksgiving with him when I had expressed concern over where exactly I was going to be that day (because I wasn’t sure). I finally got to take him up on his offer, and it was incredible. The food was great, his family is so fun to spend time with, and of coursssse, the Cowboys beat the Raiders!! A great day was had by all, I’d say!
Two days after Thanksgiving I was due in Corning to take part in the Festival of Lights parade. It’s annual event that brings out the entire town. THOUSANDS of people line the streets of Corning with their hot cocoa, their scarves and their blankets, and watch the 50+ floats and displays that go by. I was blessed with an Iraq veteran for a driver and his bright yellow Corvette, and my crown was covered with tiny Christmas lights. My crown could have been lined with pure gold, though, and it wouldn’t have mattered much; I heard more of “Hey, awesome car!” than I did “Hey, Miss Finger Lakes!” It was so much fun, though, seeing the looks on the kids’ faces who came out to watch. All of our Colonial Days titleholders were in the parade, as well as our Finger Lakes titleholders, including Miss Finger Lakes’ Outstanding Teen Desiree, who is also Miss New York State Teen-Ager. I tell ya, that girl is going somewhere, fast! It was definitely an amazing Thanksgiving weekend. I got to see my dad, my half-siblings and all of my Finger Lakes family, and I couldn’t have asked for more.
As the semester came to a close, I was very intently focused on getting good grades. A year ago, at the end of my very first fall semester at Syracuse, I got my grades: Four A’s and one A-. I was so upset with myself, because I was .03 away from a perfect GPA, all because I did not do one homework assignment correctly (thank you, laziness) and I ignored the opportunity that the professor had given us to make it up. Well, let me tell you, this lit a fire under my butt quicker than a lighter in the dressing room backstage at Miss New York. The next semester, I got five A’s and that perfect 4.0 GPA that I knew I was capable and deserving of. So, you can only imagine how important it was to me to continue this pattern. I did not want, however, to forget about my duties as Miss Finger Lakes in the meantime. My year is just two months from being over as of December, and I wanted to do as much as possible before giving up my title. As fate would have it, I was contacted by the CMN rep at the Golisano Children’s Hospital here in Syracuse and I was invited to participate in the radiothon they were hosting. It would be held over the course of two days, and I was invited to come and take pledges. During my shift, we even ran a special: for every pledge that Miss Finger Lakes takes, the donor will receive an autographed photo! Over $108,000 was raised during the radiothon, all to the benefit of the new Upstate Cancer Center in the Golisano Children’s Hospital. It was an very successful effort, and I was so honored to be a part of it.
The rest of the month of December has been easy and relaxing. I finished the semester with yet another 4.0, GO ME!, and I have been thoroughly enjoying this past off of work. This year’s Christmas was probably one of my favorites ever. I got to spend a whole day with my dad, which was really nice because I hardly ever get to see him. When I do go home to Rochester to visit, I try to steal him from the nursing home for as long as possible. On Christmas Eve, I went to visit my half-siblings who live near Corning and gave them the best present ever: a puppy! Their parents said I could, so I got them a Blue Heeler puppy who they named, after hours of deliberation, Jake, because apparently they are on “Team Jacob.” There was a huge present-giving celebration between about 20 people, and then we headed down to Yonkers in the middle of the night to spend Christmas was Lucas’ family. It was wonderful, to say the very least. For New Year’s, we reserved a room in the Hotel Edison on 47th St, half a block away from Broadway. It sounds extravagant, I know, but we had to make it special; it was our one-year anniversary! His cousin and his cousin’s girlfriend came out with us, and we had a great time. There were SO many people, it was insane! Thank you and good job to all of the police officers who did their best to maintain order and keep things safe for everyone…. and thank you for blocking off 47th wayyy too early, so that I had to pay $40 for parking instead of the $11 that the hotel would have charged me!! I think the coolest part about the night was that we opened our hotel room window and were able to hear all of the concerts going on outside. Lucas and I shared our anniversary/new year’s kiss at midnight, and if 2010 is anything like 2009, I absolutely cannot wait :).
After about a week and a half in the city, we retreated to our cozy apartment in upstate NY to get a little bit more peace and quiet. Lucas has a big family, you see, and we realized how much we missed the solitude of our own place. With that, we packed up our stuff and headed back up to ‘Cuse to snuggle up in bed and watch the complete series of Everybody Loves Raymond on DVD until the real world comes banging on the door. The semester starts on Tuesday the 19th (the day after my 22nd birthday, which also happens to be Martin Luther King Day! Woo-hoo!!), as does my first day back to work… 7am shifts, I have not missed you. Well, I’m going to get back to relaxing now, but don’t worry, I’ll be back!
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