Hello Everyone! I know I've been due for another blog post for some time now, so...(drumroll) here it is!
First and foremost, I leave for nationals in 36 1/2 hours! I cannot believe the speed at which the time has flown by! Of course, that seems to happen when you have a full schedule! I have been keeping myself very busy with work (eCoast and Brothers North), the gym, and adorning items in my wardrobe (crystals, crystals, crystals!). Although this week has somewhat snuck up on me, I am very excited (and prepared) to compete for the title of ANTSO's National Miss! For all of you who are curious as to what I do 8-5 every day, check out ecoastsales.com. I work in the marketing department, and am responsible for direct mail advertisements and drafting press releases, case studies, and website content. I also do a bit of campaign management for Cisco campaigns. I am learning a lot about technology and can tell you all about unified communications if you are interested!
Back to pageant life...First of all, I am thrilled to see my family! I have not seen my parents since Thanksgiving; and although I speak with them frequently on the phone, it will be wonderful to see them again. Of course, they are on "last minute shopping duty" just in case I may be in need of a few last minute items :) Most of all, however, I am just so excited to compete. 30% of the competition has already been judged (academics and community service) and I am thoroughly geared up for interview and the onstage portion of the competition. Plus, I have the wardrobe of my dreams, and am just so excited to wear it (there will be pictures, I promise!)
I will be rooming with Jen Maloney, Miss Massachusetts ANSTO National Miss, and I cannot wait! We are going to have so much fun (even if we blow a fuse in our hotel room....again).
Jen and I at states, Hopefully there will a repeat trophy pic of some sort at Nationals!
Time out....text message alert: both NH (Amanda) and MA (Holly) made the top five in the Sr. Sweetheart pageant! Great news; I'll post results as soon as I get them :)
Onto what I have been up to:
Two weeks ago the whole NH, MA crew met up in Canton, MA for a nationals preparation day to ensure that our wardrobe choices were squared away and that we were thoroughly ready for the competition. Everyone has fabulous clothing and looks very prepared. I would also like to thank Kayla and Amanda for taking the time out of their busy schedules to manage this event. They are both very selfless people and deserve a lot of credit! I will not be posting any pictures from this day as to keep wardrobe choices a secret, but have no fear, I will post a lot from the pageant, so you will not be missing much. I was also very excited to add to my cocktail dress collection that day, as Devon's mom made a shopping detour that worked out in my favor...hence the champagne cocktail dress seen below!
Later that evening, several of us attended the Miss Massachusetts pageant to see the crowning of the new Miss America state titleholder. The winner, Amanda Kelly was breathtaking, and was definitely a stand out throughout the entire competition. Congratulations to her and Alicia Zitka, the outgoing titleholder, on both of your achievements! I also ran into Miss NH, Lindsey Graham, at the pageant and she looked fabulous (as always)! During the show, Lindsey was asked to introduce herself of stage, and after announcing that she had won over $50,000 with the Miss NH MAO program, a rather quiet and demure older woman next to me expressed her amazement with an un-repeatable, yet appreciative phrase. I thought it was cute. :)
Me and Lexa at Miss Massachusetts
Mandi, Me, Jen, Lexa, Devon, and Hayley at Miss Massachusetts
Nationals Roomies!
The following week I was given the opportunity to serve as a trophy presenter at Lee Speedway. I invited Mandi Erhard, the NH Sr. Sweetheart, to join me, as one of her presentation days was rained out :( We had a great time, and it was great to have her there, given that there were several big and high profile races that night (one was 200 laps!) and a lot of trophies to give out. This was a Tuesday night, and the following Saturday Mandi was heading off to nationals, so I wished her luck at the end of the night (even though she didn't need it and is doing a great job as we speak!)
Being a dork with a Nascar flag...
With the winner of the 200 lap race
Me and Mandi on the track after the 200 lap race
Time out once again... I was just informed that Holly was named the 4th runner -up and Mandi the 1st runner-up at the national pageant. Congrats to both our girls!
As some of you may know, I have done a significant amount of fundraising to get me to nationals, and I would now like to take the time to thank several people who have been elemental in my journey to Nashville. With the help of many people and businesses, I have fundraised over $2,000!
Franklin Savings Bank-Thank you so much for your generous donation towards an ad-page!
Blinks Frye Dough of Hampton (and Brian)-thank you for your very generous donation! I truly thankful for your generosity!
Brothers North Restuarant-Thank you for allowing me to host my dinner fundraiser at the restaurant! It was a great success and I raised over $600!
AJ Silva and the folks at Chantilly Place-Thank you very much for crafting me such a beautiful gown at a beautiful price!
Mirror Images Salon-Thank you for your hair expertise and the lovely dress!
Sarajayne Howland, the Barker Family, Jim and Ruth Hepp, Don and Ann Lehman, Audra Paquette-thank you for your time, energy, and/or donations; you have all made a significant impact in my preparations!
Kaley, my trainer--thanks from whipping me into shape. I never knew I could squat 145 pounds...did any of you???
Lindsey Graham, Justine Barker, Rachel Barker, Jenn Clements, Jenn Saucier, and several others for outfitting me with necessities for the pageant!
Liz McGlynn for interview and paperwork preparation
Well folks, that is all I have for now. It is getting late and I must continue with my packing charades. I will try to post an update during nationals. I will also be tweeting (oh dear, here comes the eCoast Erika) while I am there..so follow me on Twitter.com/foofalaka. Is is a rather new account so will be attempting to tweet more often. I am a twitter geek at work, so you can also catch up on my professional life at twitter.com/ecoast as well.
Peace, Love, and Packing, packing, packing,
Erika Lehman, Miss NH ANTSO National Miss
P.S. I am struggling with formatting these posts, for some reason the paragraphs are not spacing properly. The perfectionist in me felt the need to address it :)
