Red Dress Dash

We are ready for Dash!

It was time to tread in red.  My friend who has been the Miss and Miss Teen Illinois International director, Jennifer, escorted me downtown for Chicago's first, “Red Dress Dash,” for the Go Red Campaign through the American Heart Association.

The catered event was held at Daley Plaza. Everywhere you looked there were women, and even men, in red dresses and tennis shoes. Quite the look! Everyone then raced around the plaza in a 50-yard race to the finish. The winner was given both a trophy and a gift card, which he'll use for a girlfriend's upcoming birthday.

With some of our Red Dress Dashers!

It was great to see some of the familiar faces from the American Heart Association and Go Red for Women. And we enjoyed getting a chance to meet the many staff and students from Mercy Hospital who helped organize this race. Mercy has a great cardiology program and during the year they have many different events to help educate everyone about heart health related issues.

Be the change!

Amy Gregorio 
Your Mrs. International

www.GoRedforWomen.org

A Piece of History

The Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is home to the Amherst Museum.  They offer a wealth of history for both New Yorkers and overall culture.  I have attended two of their exhibit openings as Miss New York International: “Modern Childhood”, a collection of games and activities that have littered living rooms across the country for centuries, and “Body Beautiful”, an impressive display of the evolution of what society considers beautiful at each time period and the lengths we went through to achieve it.

They do such an incredible job displaying the items and curating the exhibits.  I could (and have) wander(ed) around for hours and still find pieces I missed the first few times.  The staff is such a talented group and I have come to know them well.   Whenever I attend an event with them I know it will be a fun and also educational experience.

I received an email from the director of the museum sharing some information about their next exhibit: an exploration of occupational uniforms over the years.  To my surprise, they asked if they could display my Miss New York International crown and sash as part of the two-year exhibit that will open in February of 2014.   I was so flattered and honored by request.  Looking forward to solidifying the International Pageant System as a part of history!

Enjoying the interactive games at the Modern Childhood Exhibit

With Body Beautiful Exhibit Curator, Kayla Shypski

Seek Happiness,

Jesse Ladoue
Miss International 2013

Official Photo Shoot!

During orientation at Mrs. International, we were all given a date for the official Mrs. International photo shoot with Clay Spann in Dothan, Alabama. I wrote it down along with everything else we learned that night. Now, I was on my way to Dothan for that very shoot! It is an amazing gift to be given!

It was an entertaining evening at Bella’s!

I arrived Friday and was greeted by Mary Richardson and our Miss Teen International, Haley Pontius. After checking in to the hotel, we had time to catch up a bit.  Haley is kind to her core and such a standout.  Of course I adore Mary.  She is smart and powerful.  And she is also very funny and so interesting. We met up with Joey Rutherford and Clay Spann for dinner at Bella’s.  I am hungry just thinking about it! They took great care of us there.

I had a hard time sleeping because I was so excited for Saturday!  Joey and Terri had lined up some of the most beautiful and edgy wardrobe I have ever seen! Given Bella’s, I was thrilled I was able to fit in the extravagant clothing they selected.

Miss Terri making sure everything is in place.

And for the day, Clay worked his fingers to the bone with the help of Terri.  It was a great make over every time.  And I say, “every time,” because we shot several looks; each one very different from the other.  It is still a mystery to me how my hair does not cooperate for me the way it does when it is in hands of professionals.  Clay, Joey and Terri are a tremendous trio of talent.  I have no idea which pictures they have selected and I am glad I don’t have to make the final choices.  You will get to see some of them shortly when the brand new International website is launched.  I can barely contain my excitement for the big reveal! And then throughout the year more of their hard work will appear.

This look was shot for the Go Red for Women campaign and the American Heart Association.

Clay, “the magician,” at work!  This breathtaking gown was selected by Joey and accessorized by Terri. Loved it!

These are just a couple of pictures taken at the start of the shoot. You will have to check out the new International website for the final cuts!

Post-shoot with Joey and Clay.

Thank you to Mel and Mary for this opportunity and thank you to Joey, Clay and Terri for a magical experience!

Be the change!

Amy Gregorio 
Your Mrs. International

Let Us Represent You!

To kick off my senior year just right I decided to run for student council! Now my high school isn’t very large so we don’t have anything fancy, but the student council does do a lot for not only our school, but our community as a whole. From homecoming to community service events, the student council does it all.

Before the election week there was a meeting with the candidates to discuss some of the events that would be taking place throughout the year for the council. Immediately I was excited by all of the ideas and plans they hoped to put into action though the council. I was literally jumping with joy!

When I decided to run I also thought it might be fun to run with a friend and campaign together since there can be three representatives. This, of course, had never been done before, but, my best friend, Morgan and I decided to change up this election a little bit.

The first step we took was to look at the students past records of voting and what swayed their votes. Surprisingly, one of the major factors in their choice of candidate was the funniness and creativity of the posters! So, Morgan and I, with the help of our friends, came up with the craziest and funniest posters we could think of. If we were going to do this we were going to do it right!

I have never before seen quite the reaction that we received! We had more compliments from teachers and students than we can count and gained more followers than we ever expected! The majority of our poster were done with photo shop and filled with references to nerdy movies and books. I must say they are hilarious!

Morgan and I are very close and neither of us will be too upset if we lose. Instead, we will be happy for the other if they win and happy that we had the opportunity to run for office. We know that who ever is chosen by the student body will do wonders for our school and community and represent us well.

The announcement of the new student council will be next Tuesday morning, so until then, wish us luck!

Much love,

Haley

Starfish

One of the taglines I like to tout about volunteerism is “One person can start a movement.  Let the movement start with you”.  I think too often we lose sight of the potential impact one person can have.  More than this, we lose sight of the bigger picture – if we are ALL doing good things (even small acts of kindness) we can affect great change.  One of my favorite stories to illustrate this is “The Star Thrower”.  Read on and be inspired to do your part today…

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,

“Well, I made a difference to that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.

adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley

Seek Happiness,

Jesse Ladoue
Miss International 2013

Mrs. California International Pageant

Isn’t La Quinta beautiful?

This weekend I found myself waking up on the West Coast, in La Quinta which is a charming community just outside Palm Springs, California

I met this adorable 5year old who wanted a glimpse of the crown. She was incredibly sweet!

Eddie Peterson is the director for Mrs. California International. He also is a beloved person to all those who meet him. It was a privilege to be a part of his beautiful pageant this year. I was a chance to catch up with three of the judges from this year’s Mrs. International pageant. I owe them SO much for giving me this year of opportunities. The judges for the 2014 Mrs. CA International pageant were each former Mrs. California Int’ls along with Rebekah Negrete, who won Mrs. International 2007. I had THE BEST time having lunch and late dinners with everyone and even pulled a side muscle from laughing so much with them!

Although the weekend was very busy, I was so happy to sit and talk for a while with Shana Smith, Mrs. California Int’l 2013. Shana is a devoted mother and supportive military wife. The work she has accomplished on behalf of the “Got Your Back Network,” is just the beginning of all she will be accomplishing in years to come.

The New Mrs. CA International 2014, Eddie Peterson and me.

Congratulations to the new Mrs. California international 2014, Staci Ortiz – Davis! She is providing scholarships through an organization she started on behalf of her late grandmother. She is now part of a wonderful family that is California International and with the support of her sister queens and Eddie Peterson, she's going to have a fantastic journey ahead of her.

Be the change!

Amy Gregorio
Your Mrs. International 2013

www.californiaintl.com

My Second Chance At My First Pitch

After I was crowned Miss Teen Arkansas International, one of the first events that I was able to attend was a Dickey Stephens (Arkansas Travelers) baseball game where I would be throwing out the first pitch. I was so honored and excited, but there was an issue. I’m terrible at sports. I can’t even throw a baseball straight! So, before the game I buckled down and practiced, practiced, practiced until I could throw a decent pitch. I thought that I was ready… and oh how wrong I was!

It wasn’t until I was out on the field, standing on the mound and gazing up at the large crowd and the catcher who was signaling me to throw the ball that I realized I was far from ready. But, still, I let it fly and even with all of the catcher’s speed he wasn’t able to catch it before it hit the dirt. At the time I was a little sad that it wasn’t the pitch I had hoped for, but I was ecstatic that I even had this opportunity.

Fast forwarding to after I won Miss Teen International, I discovered that I would be able to throw out the first pitch again! And I was being given a second chance to redeem myself!

This time I didn’t practice, but went straight into the pitch with confidence that I could throw a decent strike. Unfortunately, the second time around the pitch was far worse than the first! I honestly couldn’t believe it! It practically didn’t go anywhere near home plate!

When I look back now, I can’t help but laugh! It’s alright that the throws weren’t perfect, because I had the time of my life doing something people only dream about. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m proud of my first pitches, even if they didn’t exactly make it home!

Always,

Haley Rose Pontius

The Perfect Face

One of my first appearances as Miss New York International at a very public blood drive gave me a real wake-up call.  It went well enough. I mixed and mingled, took photos with fans and attendees, manned my assigned stations to make donors feel at ease, and spoke in great lengths about the International Pageant System and Volunteerism.

As it was time for me to leave I was shaking hands and thanking the staff and one of the coordinators, a man, said to me “I didn’t think you looked the part when you walked in, but seeing you in action and hearing you speak I can tell you are very deserving of your crown”.  While it is a compliment that I proved myself with substance, it was a lesson to me – never take your role as a “beauty queen” lightly.  Since that day my mission has always been to be the most glamorous woman in the room with the warmest heart.

While every aspect of a make-up routine is important there are three things I find most essential to elevate my look from a nice Saturday evening dinner out to titleholder appearance that I now NEVER skip: Lip Liner, Eyelashes, Eyebrow Definition.  The eyes and lips are the focal points of every face so it’s important that they are emphasized (but not exaggerated… save that for the stage).

Lips: With all the smiling, talking, and laughing titleholders do, a soft yet defined lip is a beautiful thing.  If this is a new trick to you, play it safe and draw your line right where your lip meets your skin.  I usually blend my liner inward for a more seamless look when I add my lip color.  My two favorite Clay Spann combinations are: Whisper liner and Nude Beach color or Paradise liner and Bubble Gum color for brighter looks.  Finish off with a clear lip glass.

Eyes: Eyelashes are not always fun and they take lots of practice (at least they did for me).  I typically use lashes that will build up my volume as opposed to my length to keep the look as natural as possible, but again giving that amped up glam that will make your eyes pop.

I was amazed the difference that defining my eyebrows made for my overall appearance.  The adjective that comes to mind most is “polished”.  It just pulls everything together. I use a brow gel and Clay Spann Brow Definer in “Soft Brown” to ensure they always look neat and sleek.

All ready for the camera – decked out in my Clay Spann cosmetics!

Practice, practice, practice!

Seek Happiness,

Jesse Ladoue
Miss International 2013

National Night Out

Around the country, more than 15-thousand communities took part in National Night Out.  In fact, 37-million of us came out for the nation-wide event. It’s a great way for police and emergency personnel to build stronger bonds with the communities they serve and protect.  That is especially true in communities where the public may not have such a friendly relationship with police.

The kids were so excited to be given police cards. It’s much better than a ticket!

I was invited to take part in the festivities in Vernon Hills, Illinois. The activities are focused on children so I brought along my son and daughter. Along with the face painting, the moonwalks and the various games to be played... children learned better ways to stay safe. Thank you Vernon Hills for welcoming me into your community and for allowing me to be part of these festivities.

Be the change!

Amy Gregorio