State Fairs and Send Offs!

This week has been one crazy week so far and it is only half way through!

It all started Thursday when I went to Lady's Image with Debi up in Wilmington to find some cocktail dresses to wear to Florida. We purchased two awesome dresses and the store was incredibly helpful in finding dresses for me in my size. They had an alterations lady right there to make them fit perfectly and I will be picking them up on the 7th! Right after that I drove down to Middletown to support Danielle Marshall (MDOT 09) at the North Star Grill for her fundraiser for CMN. After that I drove back up to Debi's and stayed there for the night because we had an early morning on Friday!

I woke up at 5am Friday morning to get ready and head off to NJ with Debi for a day filled with Miss America fun! Valerie Clemens, a supporter of the Miss Maine Organization and I believe former Miss Maine, put together a wonderful day for some of us local area contestants. We started off visiting Schoppy's which is a big supporter of Miss America and has beautiful jewelry showcasing the Miss America crown. Of course we all purchased a little jewelry while we were there! Then we went to the Miss America Headquarters to have lunch with the Board and learn some history about the program and the women involved. Every Miss America's portrait is hanging throughout the office. We then of course, purchased some Miss America souvenirs. After that we went to tour the Atlantic City Boardwalk Convention Center and walked on the stage where all of the Miss America's were crowned before the pageant moved to Vegas. Then we finished off the day taking pictures in the ocean, walking through the Sheraton to see some old Miss America memorabilia, and ate dinner at White Castle which is an awesome sub shop! It was great meeting Miss Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, D.C., Virgin Islands, and New Jersey!!

Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will be or were days that I was in the State Fair parade so there is still tonight and Friday night available for everyone to come see me in the parades! Thursday I will be with Governor Markell all day for Governor's Day and later that evening I will be entertaining during the Governor's dinner. Each night of the fair is a different decade theme to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the State Fair. So if some of my wardrobe looks a little dated thats why :) !

Sunday was a great day celebrating Danielle Marshall Miss Delaware's Outstanding Teen 2009! She is a beautiful and talented young lady and has grown tremendously just in these few months since she has been crowned and I have no doubt she will continue to grow! She is a great representative of the state and the teen organization and will certainly do us proud at the Miss America Outstanding Teen pageant in Florida. Go get 'em girl!!!

Busy Day

Saturday was a day full of events. It started off with the Delaware Electric Cooperative's Open House down in Greenwood. It was a much bigger event than I anticipated. I started off with a radio interview by WGMD and then walked around the facility to meet people and talk with them as they were finishing up their tour of the place. We then went outside where they had a demonstration of the power going through the electric lines along our highways. At that time we also sat down and enjoyed some great hamburgers and pasta salad while live music was playing in the background. Before I left, a biker asked me to go take a picture on his bike that he brought for the motorcycle competition. It was beautiful...and custom made! I'm pretty sure I look very natural on a bike :)

Next, we were off to the Little Miss Harbeson pageant down in Laurel. I was the emcee there as well as the stage hand. I interviewed each contestant on stage after they competed in their evening gowns. Then they got dressed for their patriotic wear number to the song Celebration. In preparation for the number I was given two rolls of bubble wrap and asked to spread it across the stage for everyone to dance on. I was then told I would be dancing as well, and then asked to pick up the bubble wrap after the song was done...haha who would've thought I'd be rolling bubble wrap in a sundress across the floor. I guess that's one of those moments you look back and laugh at the end of the year. I wish someone would've taken a picture of it!

When my appearances were over I came home to get ready for a BBQ put on by my state senator, Senator Colin Bonini. I went with Jonathan, because I was his guest, and yet it somehow turned into a mini appearance. Once people got wind that I was Miss Delaware they were full of questions and advice for my year. So many people were excited to help me out and were willing to invite me to their classrooms to speak or to events put on by groups they are involved in. It was very flattering, but I think that was the first time I realized the large role I play within the state. It was amazing how the night transformed.

By Sunday I was completely drained. It was my first full day of events and believe me it was tiring! But I wouldn't change it for the world! I feel so blessed and everyday something exciting happens. Yesterday I was asked by the Kent County Tourism to take a picture with their Wacky Chair that the Milford Boys and Girls Club created for the State Fair for a competition put on for the Ellen DeGeneres for show. Online voting available on these chairs check out https://www.elleevance.com/beventLive.aspx to vote! It is amazing!!!

Other than that I have been working out at the gym and playing soccer during the day. Trying to get into the gym as much as I can while I still have the time! Not sure what next week holds yet, so I will let you know as soon as I do!

A CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK FUNDRAISER HOSTED BY MISS DELAWARE’S OUTSTANDING TEEN 2009, DANIELLE MARSHALL

Middletown, DE – Danielle Marshall, Miss Delaware’s Outstanding Teen will be hosting a Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Fundraiser Dinner at the North Star Grill located on 380 E Main St, Middletown, DE 19709-1482. The dinner is scheduled on Thursday, July 23, 2009 from 5 PM – 10 PM. If you are planning on coming out to support Danielle’s efforts make sure you tell your server you are there to support Danielle and CMN. A percentage of the sales will be donated to CMN during this time frame. To see a sample of the North Star Grill’s menu visit www.mynorthstargrill.com


For the past two decades, the Children's Miracle Network has teamed up with Miss America to raise awareness and funds for children around the country suffering from life threatening diseases. We are incredibly excited to also be working closely with the Children's Miracle Network, the official national platform of Miss America's Outstanding Teen. In effort to support Danielle in raising funds for this great cause you can donate online https://www.maoteen4kids.org/m.aspx?i=11861+D1461AC86C

Fourth of July Weekend

It was a great weekend this past weekend. The weather was BEAUTIFUL! I completely lucked out from what I have heard about years past. Friday I had the Bethany Beach parade which was wonderful. Susan's daughter Stacey graciously drove me in her blue BMW convertible. There were so many people out there it was unbelievable. An A Capella men's group sang to me before the parade which was a first for me. Then Jonathan and I met Susan and Gene at their river house to catch up on the events from the day thus far. After talking with Susan and Gene, we decided to all go eat at the Georgia House in Millsboro. They had a fantastic chicken salad sandwich if anyone is in the mood for one! Then I went home and waited for my brother Josh and his wife Carrie to come down to visit for the weekend.

On Saturday my brother and my dad worked on the yard while my sister Allison, Carrie, my mom, and I cooked dessert and made the salads for the BBQ. The food was delicious! After a nice day with my family I met my driver, Donald, in his red 1965 Corvette convertible to take me to the Dover parade that night. We had a great time talking with Danielle, MDOT 2009, before the parade and I mingled with the crowd afterwards signing autographs and taking pictures. It was nice seeing so many familiar faces in Dover. Later that night we enjoyed the fireworks and had a picnic dinner.

Sunday was a day of rest for me. After church I did some shopping with my mom up at the Christiana mall and then took a nice long nap to prepare me for this week. Monday was a day filled with finalizing paperwork to send off to Miss America and picking the official photos! It was a long night but everything was accomplished and sent off. I can't wait for you to see what pictures we chose. Barry, the photographer in NY, did a fantastic job! Tuesday I trained with Trainer Dan and played soccer with my gym. Today I had my nails done and my hair styled up at Michael Christopher's Salon in Wilmington. Then I met with my vocal coach Phil Doucette while I was in the area for a lesson.

Tomorrow is Jonathan's birthday so I will be relaxing down at the beach with him and his best friend Tim. Then we are going go-kart racing! We'll see how that goes... :)

Saturday will be a busy day with the Delaware Electric Co-Op Open House and the Little Miss Harbeson pageant. I will certainly keep you posted on how they go!

And the Fun Continues

This weekend has been filled with fun! Friday started off with John Pribanic's 100th Birthday at South State Assisted Living in Dover. I sang a few Patsy Cline songs and mingled with the folks that lived there. It was wonderful to see someone at his age still up and moving as much as he does. The past two years he has been their "poster child" for the Heart Walk.

After that my mother and I drove to the beautiful state of Vermont where I watched the Miss Vermont Outstanding Teen Pageant and the Miss Vermont pageant that Saturday. Marci McNair, Mrs. Delaware United States was a gracious hostess and I am so glad that she invited us along. I was able to be there when Laura Hall, Miss Vermont 2009 was crowned and I must say she is an absolute sweetheart! It was nice to finally sit in the crowd for a change.

Sunday was a long drive home filled with beautiful mountains and awful traffic. After the 12 hour car ride, I went to bed to wake up Monday morning to meet with Trainer Dan and play some pick up soccer.

Later Monday afternoon, a photographer with the News Journal stopped by my house to take pictures of me cooking spaghetti. On Saturday there should be an article about me in the paper and I am eager to see what picture they put in with it! Cooking is not my strong point but I have to learn somehow.

Tuesday consisted of meeting Susan and Linda to go with my mother and I to New York City for my official photo shoot! I am so excited to look through all of them and pick the ones I send to Miss America. Barry is a great photographer and his make up artist is the best I have ever had by far! Barry has taken photos of people ranging from Michael Jackson to Paul McCartney and his make up artist used to work for CNN, NBC, and several other news channels. It was a dream come true...I have always wanted to have head shots taken by a New York photographer and I am very pleased with how it went. We then made a quick visit to Soho so that I could say I went shopping there and we stopped in a cafe to eat dinner which took up most of our spare time before the train home. We left Dover at 8am and arrived home later that night at 9:30pm. It was a long day but well worth it!

Today I had a radio interview with WILM Radio 1450AM. It was a lot of fun and the first radio interview I have ever had! The interview was about 15 minutes long and will be aired on Saturday at 6am and Sunday at 8am. We talked about everything from Miss America to my platform to my emotions before I was crowned. You can always listen live to their station on their website if you are in an area that does not receive their program.

Tomorrow I have a parade for the 4th of July in Bethany Beach and then one on Saturday in Dover as well. It would be great to see some familiar faces if anyone wants to come out!! Have an awesome holiday weekend and stay safe everyone!

First Week as Miss DE 2009

This week has been full of rest and recooperation along with some appearances here and there. I am enjoying the gradual increase in the fullness of my schedule rather than being thrown into several things all at once. I had my very first TV interview with Linda Kurtz from WMDT that aired Thursday morning. "More news in less time" is their motto and they sure mean it. Linda asked several questions in a matter of two minutes and we talked about everything from my platform to my talent to Miss America! Thank you so much Linda for offering me the opportunity to appear on your show.

I also went to Whitten's Jewelers for the first time this week. They surprised me with a beautiful ring at the reception, however it was sadly far too big. They graciously allowed me to come in and went through their stock until they found a ring that could be sized down to my small finger! If anyone is ever looking for nice jewelry I highly recommend them!!! We took some more pictures of me in the store with the staff, and to my surprise they had a nicely framed display of me being crowned and wearing their ring up on a wall in the front of their store. I have received so many compliments on my ring already! Thank you Whitten's for sponsoring the Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization.

In addition, I went to Michael Christopher's Salon in Wilmington to get my nails done by Cynthia. She is so funny and made my first experience at the salon a very enjoyable one! I talked to Sal and he introduced me to Michael himself. They are such amazing supporters of this organization as well, and I look forward to working more with them in the future.

I also had my first public appearance this week. I went to Saturday's Blue Gold Game at the University of Delaware with George and luckily missed the rain! It turned out to be a beautiful night and the crowd was so excited to meet and take pictures with me. It was amazing to see so many people came out to support such a great cause. I even had my picture taken with the Chick Fil A cow! Danielle and I finally found each other around the second quarter and it was so nice to talk with her and her mother. They were so excited to be there for my first appearance and I look forward to seeing them at many more throughout the year!

This week I will be interviewing with the News Journal, entertaining at a 100th Birthday Celebration at South Strate Street Assisted Living, and I will be attending the Miss Vermont pageant this weekend. So far so good. I can't wait to see what else is in store!

Starting Off My New Year!

Hello everyone!

I would first of all like to say that I am so excited and feel so blessed to be representing the first state! This was a tough year of competition all of the girls were very strong in each area of competition. I had a wonderful week with the other contestants and was able to learn more about everyone. If you could not tell (haha) I was completely shocked when my name was announced as the new Miss Delaware!!! I plan to work hard throughout the year to create new relationships for this organization and help it grow so that more girls have the opportunity to earn scholarship money and transform their lives! Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout the week and to every person that has stood behind me as I begin this journey. I intend to keep this blog and my calendar updated with as many pictures and events as possible! Thank you very much I cannot begin to express how honored I am to represent this state at Miss America!

Danielle, I am so excited to work with you and go to Florida to cheer you on at the national pageant! You are a sweetheart and I could not ask for a better little sister!

Galen, thank you for your help and encouragement over the years. I am so happy that I was able to share my crowning moment with you, and I am thrilled to join the Miss Delaware sisterhood along with you! You are so beautiful and I have very big shoes to fill!

Here are a few pictures that people have posted online in case anyone is searching for some. Keep an eye on my blog throughout the year to know about what I am doing and how I am preparing to do the First State proud at Miss America!

Love and Belief,
Heather