..I sure am glad I drive a Honda!

The past couple weeks have been packed with all sorts of events, presentations, and parades!!



I was invited to do two interviews for CN8 a couple weeks ago. I drove up to the Comcast studio, and unfortunately just missed one of their reporters, Linda Kurtz, Miss Delaware 2004. Hopefully I'll get to do another segment with her! I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with the reporter as well as the other guests that morning: Liane Sorenson and Matt Denn. I had the chance to talk with them in the Green Room while we waiting to go into the studio. Because I am Miss Delaware during an election year, I bump into politicians all the time, so I've gotten pretty familiar with some of them!



The segments will air on CN8 beginning on Wednesday, October 9 (TOMORROW!!) and will run through November 11.





The Home Show was a two-day event that I attended recently. There were hundreds of exhibits that occupied every inch of space in the Chase Center. I spoke with exhibitors from a special-needs bakery, chiropractor practices, hardscaping companies, interior design companies, and everything in between. The second day of the show, I had to leave fairly early in order to make it to the Miss New Castle County/Miss Diamond State 2009 pageant! In my red, white, and blue cocktail dresses and gowns, I was the emcee for the evening, had the opportunity to ask the on-stage questions (the contestants did great!!!), perform two pieces on the piano, and help with the crowning. It wasn't too long ago that I was crowned Miss Diamond State 2008, so it was nice to be able to pass down the title. I truly had a wonderful year with Dineen and Tom, my two local directors, as I prepared for Miss Delaware.

After that weekend, the season of parades began!! The "season" lasts until Christmas! Poor Donald (my driver) went from worrying that his 1965 convertible corvette would overheat in the summer parades, to shivering down the street for these fall parades; one extreme to the next! It was nice to be back in Milford for their Halloween Parade. It doesn't seem all to long ago that I was a middle-schooler marching for the first time in that very same parade, but to be completely honest, it was eight years ago!! I must say though, I definitely enjoyed my updated Milford Parade wardrobe as opposed to what I had to wear in band those eight years ago. You see, trying to layer warm clothes underneath a CMS Band t-shirt was not that easy and not that warm!

Although I was a little sleepy from the four Right Decisions Right Now presentations I had made earlier that day, the chill in the air at the parade definitely kept me alert and awake!, not to mention the thrill and excitement of the crowd that night!!!



On Friday, I was back in the Hope Clinic volunteering as a dental assistant/gopher. I now know how to develop x-rays using an actual developer! Now that the times are changing, developers are not being used as often in dental offices. Because of this, the only way I knew how to take x-rayz was digitally. It's always nice to learn how things used to be done though; it makes you appreciate the conveniences that technology brings.



Saturday proved to be a nasty day outside, but that didn't stop the enthusiasm of the Special Olympics Fall Festival on the inside!, of the Bob Carpenter Center that is. It was a huge event, consisting of Boce Ball and Volleyball competitions all morning and afternoon! The athletes were so excited to put their skills to the test and show all of their fans what they had been practicing! In addition to the competition, there were all sorts of activity tables for arts and crafts, karyoke, stick-on tatoos, photobooths, and various games. There was something for everyone!!

Special Olympics is a wonderful organization and has many different related groups including the National Down Syndrome Society! I have been involved for some time now, although I have never been to an actual S.O. athletic event. I have, however, taken the Polar Bear Plunge THREE times!! Brrr!!! It's such a great event and it is more and more successful each year! In addition, I have walked the Buddywalk event! As a matter of fact, my cousin, Breck, is the face on the Buddy Walk poster if you've ever seen in posted in Rehoboth. I also spoke with some parents of Special Olympics athletes at The Home Show last weekend. The athletes were the bakers and employees of the dog treats/bakery exhibit!





The sun was shining, a perfect fall temperature, a nice breeze in the air, a bunch of children in costumes, classic cars, marching bands, and decorated floats...I'd say a recipe for the perfect parade! Sunday was the day of the Newark Halloween Parade! It went right down Main Street, through the University of Delaware campus. It was nice to be "back at school," if you will. Although I didn't dress up in a costume, I was decked out from head to toe in Halloween colors! We couldn't have asked for a better day, or a better crowd at that!

That evening, I drove home to spend my brother's birthday with the family. He turned the BIG 1-9 on October 25. It's not too often, with two working parents, a music teacher/choir director for a sister, a brother who is in college, and myself being Miss Delaware, that my whole family gets to sit down at the dinner table together to talk, laugh, tell stories, play with silly party favors, and eat! I definitely would not have missed it!..even though I had to be back up north in Wilmington the very next morning. It's that kind of "quality time" that reminds me of how truly blessed I am. Who says we have to wait until Thanksgiving to be "thankful?"



I was, in fact, back in Wilmington the next morning to make a dental presentation to a dental class at Howard High School of Technology. I spoke to 10th and 11th graders who were interested in various jobs in the field of dentistry. Of course, I was super excited to talk to them and hopefully encourage them with my own testimonies and stories. I basically gleam with enthusiasm at the thought of anything related to dentistry, so this was the perfect job for a Monday! The class seemed very tuned in to what I was telling them. I was even invited to accompany them on their trips to the Temple Univ. Dental School, as well as the Dental School at New York University! Although I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend those, it was so nice of them to offer. They had some excellent questions, some of which stuck in my head. 1) "Do you have to pinch yourself sometimes to remind yourself that you really are Miss Delaware and it's not a dream?" 2) "No offense, but do you have a social life?" 3) "If you become Miss America, will you come back to talk to our class?" 4) "You stressed the importance of networking to be successful; how do you do that?" These were excellent questions! and I was more than eager to answer them! I promised the students that I would post the picture of them if they watched the reality show..so here it is! Don't forget, Countdown to the Crown will air on TLC on Fridays in January!!





This afternoon, I made two more Right Decisions Right Now appearances in Millsboro. The fifth graders were so curious and eager to participate! Although the drive down was a little stressful (it was raining cats and dogs; the wind was blowing excessively, and my directions were slightly incorrect), I made it to the school and had two very successful presentations. There is nothing more rewarding than bringing a little joy and education to children!



Random note: I think I used exclamation marks (!) more than I used periods (.) when I write in this blog. haha





I'll be back soon to update you on more of my travels. I hope everyone has a great week!!! It's almost November!..can you believe it!? Be back soon!

Appearance at the Apple Scrapple Festival

Home Sweet Home

Just a few days ago I arrived home from a long trip to L.A. I joined the other 51 Miss America contestants for three weeks to film our reality show "Miss America: Countdown to the Crown."

The trip began with an unfortunate case of strep throat! The antibiotics that I took while I was still home did not take care of it. I was not feeling well for the first week because of this and had to miss the Ellen Show, the Warner Bros studio tour, the trip to the Los Angeles Zoo, and flipping pancakes at IHOP. I did not, however, miss any filming days which I was very thankful for. About two days after I started my second round of antibiotics, I finally began feeling better and was certainly well-rested after two full days in bed.

Once my antibiotics kicked in, I was definitely more "myself," and really started to enjoy myself. My first day back with the gang was the day we took a trip to the South Coast Plaza mall to have some free time to shop; what a day to get better!! One of my purchases was common among many of the other girls; a shawl! Although we were in California, it was chilly at times, so it definitely came in handy.



We also joined a huge crowd to watch the L.A. Angels baseball game. It was nice to just grab a hot dog with the girls and kickback! Toward the end of the trip, we arrived at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital to visit with the children. There were so many activities and crafts that we were helping with, so we got to interact with the children one-on-one. I spoke to one of the mother's for about 15mintues and everytime I visit a children's hospital, I'm reminded that the children aren't the only ones that need attention; the parents do too. It is also always nice to see where the Children's Miracle Network fundraising, that we all work so hard on, goes and how it is applied.



As far as the show goes, it was very neat to see the other side of production when we were filming. Because the contestants were together for so long, I had the opportunity to get to know many of them very well! I can't wait to reunite in Las Vegas when the Miss America Pageant rolls around. For the sake of the show's success though, I cannot tell you any more about what we did! You'll just have to wait until the show airs in January to find out!!



I've also posted a few pictures from the Ms. Assited Living Pageant that I judged shortly before departing for California.

Now to update you on my appearances since I've been home! Susan (my business manager) couldn't have been more correct when she told me in an email that "Saturday is going to be a whirlwind." Boy was it busy! I went down to Bridgeville with Sue and Bob for the Apple Scrapple event. We had a great time chatting with people and many of the elected officials from Sussex County. The event was a lot bigger than I had imagined! I participated in the Scrapple Shuffle Board game along with many of the political figures in Delaware. The first round I overshot, and the second round I undershot. Apparently shuffleboard is not my specialty, althought I think if I had been given another shot, I may have gotten a happy medium. As soon as the game ended, I joined the other participants at Mayor Joe Connely's house for food, drinks, and conversation. They mayor's wife showed us all of the doll houses that she's built; from regular homes to fabric shops and churches! They were incredible!! She shares these with all of her grand-daughters. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay at their home for too long because I had to book it up to Newark for the Miss Brandywine pageant. I arrived a little bit late, but Marisa and Chris were able to emcee for me until I got there. After intermission, I also performed Chopin's Black Key Etude on the piano. A big congratulations goes to Tiffany who won the pageant last night!; our new Miss Brandywine.



I'll update in a couple days! Talk to you soon.

MAO Contestants Visit CMN Hospital in LA

Adventures in LA! Look at all of the MAO 2009 Contestants!

Ready to Roll..

It has been quite some time since I updated you on just what exactly I have been doing! This will also be the last time I am able to update you until I return home from L.A. I have been keeping busy with my appearances, working out with Trainer Dan and Paul, running (a LOT), and planning fundraisers for the weeks between when I return home and when I leave for Las Vegas for Miss America!

I have been recovering from Strep Throat this week. Originally I thought that this would bump me back from the progress I would like to have made these past few days as I prepare for my trip to L.A., but being sick was surprisingly a good thing! It made me just rest and relax, although I could have done without the sore throat (hehe).

A couple of weeks ago, I volunteered in the Hope Dental Clinic all day with Dr. Mercer. I try to volunteer as an assistant or a "rover" every time they hold the clinic, which is a few times per month. Fortunately, the majority of our patients kept their appointments. On the flip side, it is not entirely uncommon for us to mark down "No Show" next to a patient's name, so I'm glad to know that this problem is hopefully improving.

The Milford Riverfest event was also on the books a few weeks back. I joined Sue, Mrs. Kemmerlin, and Linda at our recruiting table. Fortunately for all of us, Sue remembered to bring her pop-up tent, so the sun was not beating down on us all day. We were selling raffle tickets for a magnificient "movie basket" that we had on display, as well as fund-raising coupons to Boscovs. I don't recall how much money we made, but it was a great contribution to the organization. It was a good learning experience too; I will never forget to bring a money box! We were cramming all of our money into Sue's change purse because we all forgot to bring a money box! (haha)! Another thing I learned: don't go to Milford with Mrs. Kemmerlin if you want to get anything done in a timely fashion because she knows everbody!!! I kid you not, Mrs. Kemmerlin knows every Milford resident and their family members. It's actually quite funny to watch her try to remember their names ;).

The following Monday, I drove to Sue's house to meet her after work. It was the day of the Miss America Lottery!!! Many of you don't know what this is, but it is basically the way that the Miss America contestants choose their contestant group/number for the pageant. The groups are based on the order of competition. The contestant order for choosing was drawn randomly, and we didn't know what number we are until it popped up on the screen, but there were only three contestants on the computer screen at a time, so we stared at that screen for hours!! It was a good thing I didn't have another appearance that night, because I would surely have been late! Although it was lengthy, it was a fun experience, and it gave me a chance to practice my name/state memorization for the contestants!

I was invited to be a judge for the Miss Assisted Living pageant that was held at the Milford Senior Center! This was, by far, one of my most memorable appearance to date. These ladies were adorable and so excited to get out on that stage! I judged with Senator Gary Simpson. I run into him all the time, and he and my mom have known eachother since they were kids, so I always enjoy seeing him around the state! We had a blast judging all of these ladies and listening to their answers for the On-stage Question. Every contestant was in their 80s or 90s which made the whole show even more unbelievable! There were three crowns given; one for the winner, and one for each of the first and second runners-up. This was the first time the assisted living facilities had created a pageant like this, so I hope that they do it again next year!!

One week ago, I finally had the chance to attend my first local pageant for the 2009 Miss Delaware year! The contestants did a fantastic job and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with them in the dressing rooms before the pageant started. Congratulations to Julie and Idara!!! and also to Kayla and Carly, although I was unable to come to the Miss Wilmington pageant. I am also very excited to see new faces at these locals!! Prior to the pageant and during intermission, I was holding a jewelry sale to benefit Children's Miracle Network. My mom has a knack for making beautiful earrings, so I figured I would put her to work!! She enjoys helping out, and I definitely appreciate everything that she does! The sale was a success and I hope to hold this at the local pageants in the future! I'd also like to mention that I will never be afraid when I'm with little Sarah. She told me while we were backstage that "If anyone comes down here, don't be scared. I know karate." (haha) Those little girls did a great job on stage as princesses!

Earlier that morning I joined Mrs. Delaware, Lili, at the Grand Opening of the Lewes Automall. From radio interviews, to performing on the piano, to pictures with convertibles, and amazing pulled pork sandwiches, we had a blast! The salesmen were busy all afternoon selling cars, and we were meeting and greeting! I especially liked the steel drum performer! He did a great job! I wish that I knew The Little Mermaid songs so that we could have played together!

Unfortunately, I did not make it to the Scholarship Symposium this past Thursday. I came down with Strep Throat this week and did not feel well enough to attend this appearance. To be honest, I was also still contagious at that point so for the sake of everyone it was best that I did not go.

Last night on the other hand, I was feeling much better!, although my throat was still very sore. I went to the Billiard Tournament at Dover Downs. There were pool players from various places as well as Nascar drivers!! I met and chatted with many of the drivers which was so exciting, especially considering that one of them used to date a former Miss Missouri!!! There were two people (Fred, a cook from Dover Downs and Brian, from American Builder) that were playing to raise money for the Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization. Whoever won the tournament had a check for $10,000 to present to the non-profit organization of their choice. They both did a fantastic job!! I enjoyed watching all of the games of 9-ball! Fred made it to the final championship rounds, but was beat out by Casey Mears! Casey donated the money to the Alzheimer's Association. We all had a great time and I got a few pictures and autographs from the drivers that were still around after the tournament ended.




Today will be jam-packed with running errands, getting some of my shoes fixed, and PACKING!! I have gotten a lot of the packing done, although my bedroom looks like a tornado came through. Sue will be coming over later tonight to make sure that my packing is sufficient. Three weeks on a reality tv show requires a LOT of clothing, shoes, jewelry, and toiletries!!..nothing I can't handle though.

I am so excited for the filming of Count Down to the Crown. For many of the contestants and I, this will be a reunion!! but for some like Colorado, Hawaii, and Alaska, it will be the first time I get to meet them! I know that we are going to have an absolute BLAST in Los Angeles and hope that everyone has a safe flight.

I hope I don't miss too much in Delaware while I am away! I will talk to everyone when I get home!!!


xoxo Galen

Here, There, and Everywhere..

These past few days have been filled with all sorts of appearances, workouts, and other preparation!..oh and a new puppy too!!!

This past weekend, my brother was honored as he was declared an Eagle Scout at his final Court of Honor. Our family and friends came to witness the event from all over DE, PA, and even Tennessee! It was so nice to see everyone and I'm so excited for Phillip. It is truly a great honor to have reached this rank in the Boy Scouts and I am so proud of him for all of the work that has gone into this since the time he began boy scouts years and years ago.

As soon as the Court of Honor concluded, I was whisked away back to my house to get my crown and sash and then headed down to Lewes for the Children's Beach House Fundraiser. My chaperone, Dolph, and I had a great time!! We chatted with many people, bumped into gals from the Miss Delaware Org., and ate great food and even more desserts!! He just kept handing them to me! I had never been to the Beach House before but it is an incredible building and every inch is made/decorated to be inviting for children.

The following day, I arrived at the Slaughter Beach Vol. Fire Co. for their Open House event. I saw a few familiar faces, since some of the volunteers had been at the Ellendale Fire Hall a few weeks ago when I made an appearance! I chatted with ladies from the Kennel Club, shared some laughs with the State Trooper, enjoyed hearing the Milford Community Band perform, and spent time with the kids that took part in the event..while they weren't playing in the fire safety "Smoke House."

I almost forgot; WE GOT A NEW PUPPY!!!! Her name is Lilly and she is the cutest little thing I've ever seen!! She goes from an energetic playful mood to being so sleepy she's just got to take a snooze; typical puppy right? I think the other dogs are warming up to her nicely :)

Hope everyone has a great week!!!