Last Day of School!

     Today was the last day of my junior year!  Our year was extended longer than expected due to the huge snow storm that hit in February.  I don't believe I have ever gone to school in June before, and I hope I never have to again! :)



Goodbye junior year locker!!

      One of my favorite classes is Mentoring.  I mentor in Ms. Stacy's 1st grade classroom at the Kirksville Primary School.  I go over to Ms. Stacy's class everyday during 2nd hour.  Normally I read with students one on one in the hallway, but for the last few days we've been doing some activities that are a little more fun!

     For example, last Friday was Beach Day for the entire 1st grade!  While I was there, we had balloon and egg races, played with sidewalk chalk and hula hoops. :)  The students wore their sunglasses and other beach attire!  One girl even wore her hula skirt!

     As I was about to approach Ms. Stacy's classroom today, I heard a little voice say, "Shhh! She's coming!"  I saw Ms. Stacy quickly come over to the door and turn the lights off.  When I opened the door, Corinne, one of the first graders, ran over and flipped on the lights.  All the students jumped up and yelled, "SURPRISE!!"  It was very cute. :) They also made me a card and gave me a thank you balloon.  I love balloons!



Playing Connect Four!



Elizabeth got powdered sugar from
the brownies I made them all over her face!




While playing Candy Land, I decided that Princess Frostine was my favorite character. :)

      We spent the rest of my time with them playing various games.  I played Candy Land for the first time in years!  I love these kiddos and can't wait to be an A+ student next year!  Thanks for a great semester!



Thanks for the balloon!!



With Love,
Morgan

Send Off Party!!

     This past Sunday was our Gateway send off party to Miss Missouri!  Dawn & Dave Williams, Amanda's parents, hosted the party at their home in Columbia, Missouri.  It was a blast!  We had delicious barbeque, a fashion show, and even a talent show.  Jillian couldn't make it to the party, but she was most definitely missed!

     We kicked off the party with a very yummy lunch.  Each family brought something different to add to the feast.  We had chicken, shrimp, steamed veggies and much more!  After our tummies were full we began our fashion show.  Amanda, Charlee, and I showed off our opening number dresses, interview outfits, closing number dresses, and evening gowns.  Amanda also put on her swimsuit for just a bit!  Lastly, we each performed our talents, my favorite part, in costume!

     I'm so glad we were able to fit in a send-off party before Miss Missouri.  Dawn and Dave were great hosts!  They really know how to decorate.  There were crowns on the flags, all over the cake, and around all of our pictures.  They even played our crownings from back in October in the background all day!  Thank you so much!!
     When we got home that night, there wasn't much down time before we were going again!  My sister and I were able to perform at the Coal Miner's Days celebration that night.  Tapping outside is a little tricky, but not too tricky to keep me away!  I performed "Boogie Shoes," the talent I will be competing with next week at the Miss Missouri Outstanding Teen competition.  You can never perform your talent too many times!

     After we danced, we stuck around for a little while longer to watch the fireworks show.  A big thank you goes to Twila, my mom's good friend, for inviting us to come perform!
With Love,
Morgan

Joplin Blood Drive

     On May 26, the Red Cross had a blood drive at the NEMO Fairgrounds, in Kirksville.  After the horrible tornado, they decided to send all of the donations to Joplin.  Samantha Caraway, Miss Pulaski Counties OT, and I were able to go and help out after school.

Thanks for having us!!

     There were many people that came out to give blood so the wait was longer than usual.  There were also several thunderstorms in the area, so the weather was not exactly cooperative, but people still came to donate.  In fact, there were so many people, unfortunately, some people were even turned away!  Luckily, they were directed to go to other blood drives in the area that were to take place within the next few days.  Samantha & I passed out beverages and talked to those waiting to give blood.  We talked about the Miss Missouri and Outstanding Teen programs!
     It was a great way to spend the afternoon (even though there were tornadoes all around us in other parts of the state that day!).  We were glad to help out. :)

Last Gateway Prep Day!

     Miss Missouri week is just around the corner!  My last day in St. Louis with my Gateway board was May 14th.  We had round table discussions,  and practiced our talents and modeling.  My evening gown was back from being taken in by the seamstress, so I even got to practice walking in it!

     We then headed to Costco, in St. Peters, to collect money for the Children's Miracle Network.  Costco, a CMN supporter, has a goal of raising $2,000 for CMN.  Amanda, Charlee, & I helped them get a little over $200 closer to that goal!  We mingled through the customers waiting in the check-out lanes and gave CMN hot air balloons to those who donated.  We collected some money and reminded others to add a donation onto their bill.  So, hopefully they collected a lot of money that way also.  We had a great time and were happy to help out!

     Next, I had a lesson with Tara Osseck, Miss Missouri 2009, to work on my talent.  She was a lot of fun and a huge help!

     We then went to eat with Charlee, Amanda, and their moms at the St. Louis Bread Company.  We had planned to go watch Amanda sing the national anthem at a baseball game, but it was cancelled due to uncooperative weather.  Sooo, we went shopping instead!!

     Meri Lyn, Charlee's mom, was bound and determined to find a white, closing number dress for me.  (I still did not have one at the time)  Unfortunately, we were not successful in that area. :(  But no worries!!  Charlee and I still had fun trying on all kinds of fun clothes.  :)  We even found some dresses very similar to our interview dresses!
With Love,
Morgan