Columbia Children's Hospital

     The day after visiting Mrs. Blaine's class, I visited the CMN, Children's Hospital in Columbia.  I love visiting this hospital every year because it is where I began my life.  I was born four weeks premature and with pneumonia, so I spent the first 10 days of my life there.  Although I don't remember it, the Columbia Hospital holds a special place in my heart.

     Michelle Kemp met us at the hospital and took us around the pediatrics unit where I met quite a few little boys.  We talked for a while & then I signed an autograph card for each of them.  I loved seeing the kids' faces light up when I walked in.  It makes me so happy that they can find joy in their unfortunate situations.  Michelle told my mom and I about how each room recently got flatscreen televisions and Wiis.  I'm sure this makes many of the patients very happy! :)

     That day was an especially exciting day at the hospital.  A horse had also come to visit!  Unfortunately, I did not get to pet the horse, but I got to see him from afar. :)  A warm thank you goes to Michelle for setting up my visit!  She is great and I can tell she truly cares about the hospital!
With Love,
Morgan

Mrs. Blaine's 2nd Grade Class

     On Thursday, May 12th, I spoke to Mrs. Blaine's 2nd grade class.  Mrs. Blaine is my cousin, so it was great speaking to her class.  I spoke a little about the Miss America Organization and my platform, "Building Confidence in All Children Through Dance."  We discussed the importance of dancing to stay fit.  Then we stood up, spread out, and got ready to dance!!

     Mrs. Blaine's class was full of energy!  All of them were picking up the hip hop routine I taught them.  They were great, hard working dancers!!  After we practiced the routine a few times, we snapped a quick picture and then it was time for the kids to show me their dance moves!  It seems that every time I speak to a classroom, no matter what age group, break dancing is the way to go.  We had cartwheels, hand stands, and even the worm!

     After dancing, we calmed down & I signed pictures for all the students.  Thanks for having me Mrs. Blaine!! We had a blast! :)

With Love,
Morgan

CMN Fundraiser!

     On Tuesday, May 3rd, I had a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network!  Stacy, the head of the Staff Council at Truman State University, helped put the event together.  We set up a table in Truman's SUB (Student Union Building) and collected money from both the students and staff that passed by from 11 am to 4 pm.

Thanks for making it all possible, Stacy!!

Being crowned is a very overwhelming moment in one's life ;)

     A CMN hot air balloon was $1.  A green star sticker on the balloon signified a $2 donation.  A silver star signified a $5 donation and gold stars were for $10 donations.  Along with a hot air balloon, each donor was given the option of trying on my Kansas City crown from last year.  It was a great incentive for donating.  Who wouldn't want to try on a crown?!  Even a few guys got in on the action!

I even met Samantha, Jillian's (Miss Gateway St. Louis) sister! :)

     I think the fundraiser was a success!  By the end of the day, we had raised a little over $100 for CMN!

Sara was our first gold star giver!!

All of the balloons and hearts were put in a
display case at the end of the day!

 With Love,
Morgan

Bright Lights, Big City: Prom 2011

     Last weekend was my junior prom! As president of the junior class, I was also head of the prom committee.  The committee, made up of about 15 junior girls and even a couple junior boys, started having meetings with our sponsor, Mrs. Goodsite, in the fall.  First, we chose a theme and colors.  We decided on Bright Lights, Big City as the theme and stuck with neutrals, black and silver, for the colors.  Throughout the year we planned out everything, from the decorations to the food to the photographer.

     The last couple weeks have been extremely busy as we were putting last minute details together.  We started painting our 12 foot Grand March cityscape two weeks before prom.  We began decorating the gym, where the dance was held, last Wednesday night.  Active members of the committee were excused from classes on Thursday and Friday so we could decorate during the day and after school.  Grand March was held at our primary school.  We wrapped up the decorating process there on Friday afternoon.

     Finally, the big day had arrived.  After sleeping in on Saturday, I went to get my hair done.  Then I came home and began getting ready for the long night that was ahead of me.  First I ate a very classy, delicious dinner at a friend's house in a fun, sundress.

     Then us girls changed into our prom dresses and the guys put on their tuxes. :)  We took a lot of pictures and went to Grand March, where we took even more pictures . Finally it was time for the dance!  We found that dancing in evening gowns is not as easy as it looks and very, VERY hot after a while!

     At midnight the dance was over, but the evening was no where near done!  It was time for after prom, sponsored by the junior parents.  There were airbrush tattoos, big blow up games, and LOTS of food.  But, my favorite part was the hypnotist.  Twenty students were chosen to be hypnotized on stage.  It was amazing and absolutely hysterical!  After prom ended at about 4:30 am and the festivities were over.

     I'm glad that I was able to play a part in organizing prom this year.  It took a lot of work, but it was so exciting to see everything come together.  We did a great job and I think the seniors really liked it.

 With Love,

Morgan

Happy 17th Birthday!

     I just celebrated my 17th birthday!!  I was privileged enough to wear the beautiful birthday crown given to me by my 1st grade mentoring class all day long!  After school, my parents surprised me with my birthday gift, a car!!  Now, I just need a job to pay for the gas I've been using :)

     That night I had a slumber party with a few of my friends.  We met at my house and then headed to La Pachanga, a local Mexican restaurant, for dinner.  At the restaurant, they sang "Feliz Cumpleaños" to me.  I even got to wear the big birthday sombrero!!

     After dinner we headed back to my house and were greeted by none other than...Jillian Richardson (Miss Gateway St. Louis)!!  She came into town to pick up her sister and decided to stop by.  We changed into some comfy clothes and ate some of my "The Princess and the Frog" cake and ice cream.  Yummy!

     We spent the rest of the night watching movies and braiding hair.  We also fixed the home of my two new fish, Flatsom & Jetsom.




     Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! I had a wonderful day :)

Ready for dinner!

Missouri Girls State Orientation

     This summer I am going to Missouri Girls State, a week long leadership program.  It is held on the University of Central Missouri campus.  At Girls State, we will be divided up into different 'cities', each with their own mayor, council members, etc.  We will also elect state representatives and senate members.  At the end of the week we will elect one girl as governor of Girls State.  She will come back next year, to serve as the governor of the 2012 Girls State class.



All the girls in my legion!

      There are 9 girls going to Missouri Girls State from my school.  I am honored to be one of them and I think it will be a great experience!

Me with two of the other girls going from my school :)

With Love,

Morgan

Miss Missouri Orientation

     Wow! April was such a crazy month!  The end of the school year is here and Miss Missouri is quickly approaching.  There are so many things to be done. Busy, busy, busy!

     The Miss Missouri Outstanding Teen Orientation was a big reminder that pageant week will soon be upon us!  I already knew most of the contestants, but there were a few I had never met.  Orientation was a great way to meet them before Miss Missouri week.  All of the girls are amazing this year and I can't wait to spend a whole week with them in June!  Miss Missouri week can be stressful and exhausting, but I have confidence that these girls will help make it a great week.

     The teen orientation was on a Sunday in Mexico, Missouri.  My mom and I went down on Saturday and met up with Jocelyn (Miss Northeast Counties OT), Samantha (Miss Pulaski Counties OT), Charlee (Miss Gateway St. Louis OT), and their moms for dinner that night.  We ate a delicious meal at Casa del Sol, a Mexican restaurant, and then headed back to the hotel to hang out.  After talking for a while, we decided to make a spur of the moment trip to Walgreen's (which was closing in 8 minutes) and ended up buying matching 'Cheetah Girl' slap bracelets.  There's never a dull moment with the four of us!  I can't wait until we're all together again in June!

With Love,

Morgan