Thank You Dinner For the Arts Council

Everyone has had something in their life that "saved" them from a hard time or a trial in their life. Sometimes that lifesaver is a sport, or a person, or a hobby. For me it was Musical Theater. All throughout Junior High I was a Cheerleader for the American Fork Cavemen! Being a Cheerleader was something I had always wanted to be and getting the chance to perform dances in front of a crowd and cheer on my friends while they played a great sport was a dream. When I reached the 9th grade I had the choice to try out for the High School cheer squad or audition for Musical Theater. Having done Musical Theater my whole life I decided that it would be a talent that would be beneficial and one that I could use for the rest of my life. With that said I auditioned for the High School Musical Theater Department and ended up making it. Little did I know that Musical Theater would be the reason I made it through high school. I wouldn't say I was ever the most popular girl or ever had the most friends but people knew who i was whether it was for the good or the bad. As most people would agree high school was a time in my life that i would never want to re live but if i ever had to relive it...i know that one decision that i made my Freshman year of High School of whether or not to audition for Musical Theater or try out for the Cheer Squad would be the same. So the real reason i shared this personal story is because on February 15th I was asked to perform for the members of The American Fork Arts Council at a Thank You Dinner that the city put on to thank them for all of their hard work. I just want to them to know along with teachers, coaches, and directors you have one of the most important jobs. You will and have changed the lives of many and will continue to do so. Thank you for what you do.

Princess and Pirate Night at Chick-Fil-A

As a little girl you grow up watching Disney classics such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and The Little Mermaid. I think it is every little girls dream to become a Princess just like the ones she grew up watching on her favorite movies. Even though each of us is already a "Princess" or "Prince" I had the chance to dress up with other little girls and we got to act like the Royalty that we really are with dresses, crowns, and delicious food! On January 31st Chick-Fil-A had their Princess and Pirates at the American Fork. This was probably one of my favorite events! Seeing everyone dresses up whether it was in creative pirate costumes to the lovely princesses that i saw in their beautiful gowns it was a night to remember. Make sure to check out Chick-Fil-A's facebook page to get their weekly updates and events! Go to Facebook.com and type in Chick-Fil-A at American Fork!

VFW Christmas Party

Oh how I love the Veterans of Foreign Wars! They are the sweetest people you will ever meet!! I was lucky enough to get invited to their Christmas Party and oh how it was so much fun. It was held at the Golden Coral and we had the chance to hear from some amazing young writers, Denise with Letters to Soldiers, we got to see awards given and also had a good time singing some Christmas songs but what I loved most about attending this Christmas party was the love and care these people have for one another. While I was there I had the chance to sit by Commander Edwards daughter who's husband just returned home from Iraq and will be deployed again within the next few months. While I was explaining my platform for Miss American Fork and also for Miss Utah she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "I didn't think people cared anymore, but you proved me wrong" She expressed to me that although it is hard for the soldiers to leave their families it is even harder for those loved ones that are left at home. It brought tears to my eyes as I heard the things that her family had been through the past couple of years and how people really are forgetting that freedom isn't free. Someone, somewhere is paying the price for my freedom along with yours. The least we can do is show them that we care, and show our support and love for this wonderful gift they are giving us.

Wasatch Winds Symphonic Band

I was lucky enough to open for the Wasatch Winds Symphonic Band on December 6. Considering it is the Christmas season they did a lot of different Christmas song. My favorite one they did was an arrangement of all the popular Christmas song but they were all written in the opposite key. I love going to these concerts because it reminds me of what an incredibly talented people we have living in American Fork. At the end of the concert Santa came up and directed the band but honestly did more dancing then directing. After the concert was over I had the chance to help Santa in passing out candy canes to all the good girls and boys.

Operation Teddy Bear

With my platform for Miss American Fork and also for Miss Utah I have been focusing a lot on supporting the families of our military. I teamed up with Kraig Throne who is with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and we came up with Operation Teddy Bear. Operation Teddy Bear is a non profit organization that provides bears, uniforms, and voice recorders to the children of deployed soldiers. The bear is designed to be a symbol of the child's loved one that is serving. We also include a uniform for the bear to be dressed in and also a voice recorder so that the parent or loved one can record a message on the recorder and it will be placed into the bear for the child to replay over and over again. So far we have passed out over 200 bears and are looking to give out over 2000 within the year of 2011. We have had funds come in but are still looking for more. If you are interested in donating you  have two options
1. For small donations you can go to your local Wells Fargo bank and tell them you want to donate to Operation Teddy Bear.
2. For larger donations please contact me at missaf2010@hotmail.com or Kraig at operationteddybear@hotmail.com and we can give you more details from there

Also all donations can be used as a tax write off. If you want to email either me or Kraig we can get you all of the information you need!!

Show you care donate a bear. 

OPERATION TEDDY BEAR: Operation Teddy Bear helps children with parents serving overseas - KSTU

OPERATION TEDDY BEAR: Operation Teddy Bear helps children with parents serving overseas - KSTU

Thank You's

Considering it is the season of being thankful I thought I would take sometime and say thank you to some of the people who have helped me while being Miss American Fork.

Mom: Wow I could not being doing this if it wasn't for you and the constant push and drive you help me achieve everyday.  Thank you for always being here for me....you really are wearing this crown with me and I truly appreciate the love and support you give me on a daily basis. You're my best friend. Thank you for being so willing to help all the time, even though you are extremely busy. Thank you for coming up with such creative ideas and making sure we accomplish them. Thank you for always being there for me to talk too, It really means a lot. I love you!

Dad: Thank you for being so supportive and helpful these past couple of months. It really has meant the world to me having you be apart of this wonderful journey. Thank you for always being so excited for me, it is your enthusiasm and love that gets me through my rough patches and I'm very grateful for you. Thank you for teaching me how to market myself and how to have a good work ethic. Thank you for always being there when I need to talk, and thank you for always being so understanding....you always know the right things to say. Thank you 
for that constant reminder that I can do it and to work  my hardest. Thanks for being the best dad ever, I love you!

Rebecca: I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you for not only being my friend, but also the best cousin a girl could ask for. Thank you for our hour long talks and thank you for being my shopping buddy :) I love you so much and i'm grateful that you live so close.

Matt: If you only knew how much you do for me on a daily basis. Thank you so much for always being there for me to talk too. Thank you for being so supportive. Thank you for always being honest with me. Thank you for constant reminder that I can do this, and that I'm beautiful.  Thank you for always cheering me up and putting a smile on my face, I know I can always count on you for a good laugh. Thank you for being my best friend.........I couldn't ask for a better one. I love you.