I had the immense pleasure of attending the Texas Galaxy pageant in Houston and boy am I glad that I did!

The director, Stephanie, produces a great event!!!  All of the delegates were awesome and I SO enjoyed meeting each and every one of them and getting to spend the weekend with them.  I KNEW the judges were going to have a difficult time choosing just one incredible individual from each division!  I look forward to seeing the new Texas queens in Florida next summer and wish them the very best during the coming year.

I also had the blessed opportunity to spend the weekend with my gorgeous, sweet and incredibly gracious sister queen, Ashley, and her equally incredible family!!!  I will treasure that experience with them for the rest of my life!

I LOVE having sister queens and I can't wait until an event when we can ALL 4 spend some quality time together!!!

SEPTEMBER

This past weekend I had 2 appearances that I will remember and treasure forever......on Saturday, along with several other queens from various systems, I visited McGuire Veterans Hospital in Richmond, VA.  We visited the veterans in the Spinal Cord Injury Unit.  I was humbled by the veterans and their quiet strength. 

I had the opportunity to feed one of the veterans that was paralyzed from the neck down.  As I fed him, we became acquainted.  He couldn't speak because of a tracheotomy......he could only whisper.  But he was happy to tell me about his life (all 74 years) and I was happy to listen.  I had many of the volunteers come over to me and thank me for helping out......but I felt it was the very least I could do for someone who gave his life to serve our country!!!!  I look forward to going back in December for the holiday party.

On Sunday, I emceed a benefit pageant called the Queens of Hope Pageant.  This pageant was special to me because it was held to raise funds for a very close friend of mine, Kristy Sutton, who is battling stage 4, lung cancer.  I first met Kristy, in 1996, while we were competing in a pageant together......we have been friends ever since.  Kristy has been such an inspiration to everyone around her as she has bravely fought this battle, and she is doing so well!  Please keep her in your prayers!!!!