Miss this, Miss that

Face of GVSU to Face of 4!!

2010-11-29T05:44:00.000-08:00

Well my year as Miss Grand valley State is over, and a new girl has been crowned. It was a fantastic experience and I was honored to represent Grand Valley as the first Miss GVSU but now it is time to move on to more adventures.

I competed in the Miss Capital City pageant as my first local back and I am happy to announce I placed first runner-up! I was beyond excited but I must say, it is a little difficult being first runner-up and knowing you were that close to being the winner! But I am proud and very happy for the winner Linaya Hass and she will be a wonderful Miss Capital City!

Now for some big news in my life. In October, I auditioned for a job called "The Face of 4". It is It's a spokesperson job representing WOTV 4 here in West Michigan and I am very happy to report that it is going very well! I started off getting an instant advance ticket to the top 20! I was very excited and couldn't wait to get in the studio and get started with the rest of the competition. From there, I did some on camera work and a commercial for our sponsor "Biggby Coffee" as well as the Kalamazoo Holiday parade with the rest of the top 20 contestants. Then the group was narrowed down to the top 6 and, you guessed it, I Made The Top 6!! I am still in a bit of disbelief since last year when I auditioned for the contest I didn't even make the first cut. Now here I am in the top 6 and it has been a very busy few weeks. I had a professional interview with the station, did an on camera interview, shot a commercial for our sponsor "Subway" with the top 6, promoted myself on the campus of GVSU and shot some video of me skating with the Battle Creek Revolution pro hockey team. I must say, skating with the revolution was about the best thing so far in this competition! I fulfilled about 5 life long dreams during this shoot. I check a guy in the boards, fought one of the players (dropped gloves, stick and pulled off jersey), learned how to hit a slap shot, learned some great moves to score a goal, and played some 2 on 2 with the guys. What a really fun experience and they were all such great sports about everything! Thanks guys! This experience allowed me to be my fun goofy self and playing the game I love, hockey!!

On Black Friday, I had yet another important event to attend as a top 6 finalist. Each of the top 6 contestants were sent to different Biggby locations around Kalamazoo to interact with the community, and promote ourselves to be the next Face of 4. It was a blast! This was event was a great experience and I felt very comfortable being in the community and talking with people asking them what they want out of the new Face of 4 representative. I was at the South Westnedge location and the Manager Raj and his employees were very fun and helpful during my time there. I met with customers and got the scoop on the great places to shop and who had the best deals during the biggest shopping day of the year. I passed out candy and had a poster for all of my supporters to sign that I will have my family hold up at the live finale on Tuesday November 30th. This way all of my supporters will be there with me!

At Biggby, I met a lot of great people including some very nice gentlemen from Europe! They were visiting some family and friends for the holidays and were happy to hear about the Face of 4 and even cast a vote for me right there on their phones! They were wonderful! Thank you to everyone who came out and visited me and I was happy to meet and chat with you all!

Tomorrow is the live finale and I must say I am getting very nervous! You would think with all the experience I have on the stage in front of hundreds of people, I would be just fine but come on people, this is a $20,000 year contract at stake! Getting this job would be a dream come true! I would be out doing what I love and would finally have a job in the very tough economy! Not only that but I would be in my West Michigan home interacting with the people I love! Who can ask for a better opportunity!

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement throughout the competition. If you can make it to the live finale at peppinos sports lounge downtown Grand Rapids tomorrow night at 7pm, please do and cheer me on! Otherwise you can watch the live finale on WOTV 41 at 7pm. Thanks all and god bless!

Morgan
The next face of 4!!

P.S. you can still cast your vote for me at www.wotv.com!

We come to the end

2010-11-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

I cant believe it's a few days before the new Miss Grand Valley is crowned and my year will be over and put in the history books. It has been an incredible ride. But, I don't want to focus on that right now, I want to catch you up on a few things first.

October 23rd
Today was Fall Forum and it was great to see all of my sisters again! I didn't get to see all of the speakers because I spent the morning in Grand Rapids auditioning for the FACE of 4 and..... I made the top 20! I received and instant top 20 pass which made me one step closer to the job of a lifetime and a $20,000 contract! After the audition, I was off to Muskegon for Forum and I was also honored to be asked to be a judge for the Little Miss Pageant. All of the girls were AMAZING and the talents were unbelievable. There are some great young girls representing us here in Michigan. After the pageant, it was dinner time and our Miss Michigan, Katie's wardrobe showing. She has some beautiful outfits and gowns picked out and I cant wait to see them all at Miss America! She will represent us well :)

October 24th
The next day was the One World One Future Gala hosted by our Katie and it was again a wonderful inspirational time with the girls and amazing speakers. There was a silent auction and some beautiful jewelry for sale (I just couldn't help myself I bought some :) The gala raised money for a shelter for trafficked women in nepal and it was a huge success!

October 29th & 30th
I am also throughout the months participating as a "LumberJill" for the Muskegon LumberJacks hockey team. Need I say much more ;) Come on people, it's hockey, of course I am having a blast! I get to skate during time outs and interact with fans passing out prizes and what not. I really enjoy it and I have made lots of new friends with the girls :)

October 31st
Halloween! But also the CMN torch relay! This was a great event with some of my great pageant sisters in Detroit. We walked a 5K and had fun interacting with some of the other walkers for this great cause. There were some really great costumes being that it was Halloween but my favorite was a little CMN child named Ali who dressed up as Abby from NCIS (giant big gulp and all! ) She was adorable and lead the walk with her new bike provided by the many people who donated to CMN. I think the CMN appearances are my favorite because I get to see how the money I raise is used :)

November 6th
This is it, this was my final appearance as Miss GVSU :( .I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to sing the national anthem at the Muskegon LumberJacks game and also work as a LumberJill. I don't think anyone noticed but I got a little teary at the end of the song because I knew it was my last appearance. The fans were great and the LumberJacks won! It was a great game and an awesome way to end my year :)

Yesterday we had the first Miss Grand Valley rehearsal and it is going to be a great show with some amazing women competing for the crown. Please join us at the Cook Dewitt center on the GVSU Allendale campus on Saturday November 13th at 7pm where I will crown the new Miss GVSU. Hope to see you there.

Thank you all for your support and kind words and encouragement throughout my year. You are all amazing and I am so luck to have wonderful people in my life :) Thank you and god bless!

LOVE

Morgan
Miss GVSU 2010

All the miles I will go

2010-10-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hello friends
After Miss Michigan, I jumped right back into the swing of things. I did take a few days to relax from the mayhem that is Miss Michigan but I knew my time as Miss GV was limited so make every day count! So lets back track a lot and start from right after Miss Michigan

July 4th
I was invited to ride in the Allendale 4th of July parade running right through the beautiful GVSU campus! It was so much fun and mom and I enjoyed a little photo shoot around the campus later in the day.

July 10th
I attended the Miss Oakland County pageant where I saw my "little Mo" Morgan Stocker crowned Miss Oakland County's Outstanding Teen, she was just wonderful and also saw Elizabeth Hawthorne crowned Miss Oakland County. It was a great time catching up with some Miss Michigan family and friends and watching the beautiful and oh so funny Angela Venditti give up her title.

July 16th
I spent the day in detroit area volunteering at the Special Olympics golf games with my wonderful university sister, Jenelle Sekol. It again was such an inspiring day with great interaction and support from all of the athletes. They are all just amazing and Jenelle and I had such a great time driving around in the golf cart cheering them on! We even had the opportunity to take part in the medal ceremonies which makes the athletes so happy and proud! Especially our little friend who really had more energy than any other person I have ever met and couldn't stop raving about how beautiful we were and how much she loved her boyfriend. so cute! It was a very successful day even though I had not had power or a shower at my house for 2 days prior. eewww.

July 30th
I was asked to help out at the Miss South Central Michigan pageant (formerly know as Miss Calhoun County) which is my hometown local. I was thrilled to help out and also perform my new talent for the crowd. It was so great to see some of my old friends from way back when I first started my pageant career. The girls were all so wonderful. In fact, they were all so great that we gave all of them the spirit of Miss America award instead of just one girl. I helped backstage and chatted about miss michigan a little and performed as well as the very talented and beautiful Colleen Griffin, Miss Allegan County. It was a great time with some great people and I just loved being a part of that special day!
On a side note, I later found out a little girl attended the Miss SouthCentral Pageant where she met Miss GVSU 2010. After the pageant she ran to pick up an application for the little, junior and teen pageant. She told her mom she wanted to compete because she wants to be just like Miss GVSU.......This is why I do this job, to inspire people to follow their dreams :)

July 31st
The next day I was off to detroit once again to watch the new Miss Saint Clare Shores be crowned. Brenna O'Mally took home the title and again to was great to see so many of my Miss Michigan sisters including Morgan Stocker giving up her title as teen, and the stunning Olivia Trochio giving up her miss title. Pageants are just soo much fun!

August 5th
It was Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen! Mom and I headed to DQ for a blizzard to benefit the Children's Miracle Network! What a great way to enjoy some yummy ice cream and help out kids and CMN!

August 9th
This was a very busy day! I started the day driving to the Muskegon area for a Queen for a day event at the Special Day Camps. Like the other Queen For a Day event, this was so much fun and inspiring. I even talked one of the boys into getting his nails painted and crowned, he look great! haha. The kids all seemed to enjoy meeting the queens (me, Mekisha, and Cassandra) and the fire fighters. What a great event! But it was short lived because I had to rush out right after some final photos with some of the kids and head back down to Coopersville to attend my next event!
This was one of my most exciting opportunities as Miss GVSU. I mean don't get me wrong, have had some amazing experiences so far but this one will always stick with me! I was asked to MC the Miss Coopersville pageant! I have always wanted to MC and even and this was the best time! The girls were all great and just amazing! I has sooo much fun with my co-MC Ross and also sang the national anthem and my talent from Miss Michigan. I had some really nice comments afterward about the job I did which made me happy that people thought I did well. I had never been and MC before so I thought for the first time, it was great! It was also nice to chat and help out Rebecca Ransom and her mom Jackie since they have done so much for me getting me ready for Miss Michigan! I then headed home late that night and was really exhausted from the crazy busy day but was still so happy and every experience that day was really rewarding!

Sometime during this crazy schedule I also fit in another photo shoot with Dave Melges, a great photographer her in Battle Creek and he took some amazing and beautiful crown photos of me! My favorite was what we have title beauty is work! It is a photo that will go down in history :) Thank Dave!

August 14th
I had another absolutely amazing opportunity that I have never experienced so far. I was invited to judge the little/junior/young miss danish festival pageant with some of my Miss Michigan sisters! I must say.... I have a whole new respect for pageant judges! It was so hard to keep up with everyone and make a decision! It was a fun filled day with Casey (miss bay), Kathryn (miss spirit), Alexa (miss stanton), Mekisha (Miss Pride), and of course the wonderful Katie (Miss Michigan). We enjoyed a nice boat ride on the lake, some great lunch, a little nap, some belly dancing lessons (so fun!) and then we were off to judge! The contestants were all wonderful and so talented! Also that night, Marissa Roy was crowned Miss Danish Festival and I found out she is a GV girl! Woo! we have a lot of girls holding titles right now who go to GV! It's awesome!

At this point, had already traveled over 1,400 miles in August for my title, I felt like Miss Michigan! haha

I then spent a little down time traveling to Michigan Tech with my mom and brother to move him back into school. It was such a great time! We stopped by the bridge, some antique shops where I found Miss America depression glass!, the copper mines around Houghton, watch some beautiful rainbows appear over Houghton, took some amazing photos of ruins, took in the breath taking views of the U.P, took some photos at the bay of Lake Superior during a beautiful sunset, spent the night in Mackinac, went to Bronner's Christmas World and Frankenmuth, and then back home. whew! it was a great little vacation and time with mom : )

August 21st
Today was the Teen/junior/and little Miss SouthCentral pageant where I had the opportunity to help produce the show! It was extra special for me because my little cousin Calista was competing in the little pageant :) They even let me choreograph the opening number! It was a lot of fun and I know my mom was glad it was over!

August 22nd
I headed to Allegan to watch the Miss Allegan County pageant with my Miss GVSU family! It was so nice to see everyone yet again and to see Colleen Griffin give up her title to....you guessed it, another GV girl! Keisha Johnson was crowned. It was a great time :)

August 23rd
I was off to detroit today for the CMN golf outing with some Miss Michigan girls! we spent the day chatting with the golfers and selling raffle tickets for some great prizes! Oh and we enjoyed some AMAZING hamburgers! It was great time to get to know some of the new titleholders and also shared a ride with Marissa Roy and went shopping with her at the outlets afterward! such a fun day :) We bought some dresses that we were going to debut together at Miss Kalamazoo, keep reading of you want to know what we did :)

August 27th
I attended a campus wide picnic at GVSU welcoming everyone to the new school year! it was a beautiful day for a picnic and some good time chatting with students and hanging out with my director Amy and the most beautiful baby Eli! Oh and some really yummy food!

August 28th
I spent the afternoon with Miss SouthCentral Alissa and Sue Jordan at the Red Wagon back to school event in Battle Creek. It was such a great event where tons of organizations and groups were giving out school supplies and other essentials for back to school! There was even a GIANT red wagon that was really fun to play in! We signed autographs and handed out some crowns and prince and princess crown labels. The kids were wonderful and really looked up to us. That's what the job is all about! :) and I love it!

September 7th
Today was a BIG day. I attended campus life night at GVSU and really worked hard to get girls signed up for Miss GVSU! I was great to talk about the program to those passing by and convincing some girls that it was going to be a great opportunity and so much fun! We had a ton of girls sign up and it was a great success! I even ran into some of my favorite Miss GV contestants from last year :) It was rewarding to educate the student body about Miss GV and what we are doing and what it is all about. As well as share some of my experiences and memories as Miss GV :)

September 11th
I had the opportunity to do the coin toss at the home GVSU football game today! wait, let me rephrase that.... I had the opportunity to walk on the field, look pretty, and watch the ref toss the coin while did nothing. haha. Oh well, it was still a lot of fun and I had a blast at the game even though it was raining the whole time :(

After this I decided to take a scuba class at the local community college...It is so fun! I recommend it to everyone!

September 18th
Today was a special day because I traveled to Kalamazoo for the Miss Kalamazoo pageant to cheer on my first runner up from Miss GV, Emily Eshuis! She was so wonderful and beautiful and genuine and everything else you need to win a pageant and she WON! We were all so proud of her and she will be an amazing rep! Also, Marissa Roy and I unveiled our surprise :) we bought the same dress from Banana Republic and wore it :) hehe, twins!

At this time, I added another thing to my schedule, Volunteering with Art Prize as a member of the street team! So much fun and a great opportunity! dont know what Art Prize is?...shame on you......http://www.artprize.org/

September 25th
I traveled to Jackson for the Miss Jackson County pageant and once again, had a blast with my fellow titleholders! Also had a great time watching the pageant and Cassandra Kramer reflect on her year and pass on her title. I have to admit, I got very emotional at this farewell because Cassandra is such a great example of the MAO and it made me sad to think I was almost done with my reign as well :(

September 28th & 29th
I had the amazing opportunity to be involved with the GVSU LipDub. What is LipDub you ask? It is a lip sing video shot in one continuous take around the GV campus featuring over 600 GVSU students lip singing to Come Sail Away. It was soooo much fun and I was honored to have a Cameo in the film and hang out with the great directors and crew, oh and the scuba diver (or scuba steve as I like to call him) swimming in the fountain for the film. hehe. And just to give you a little idea about how big of a deal this video was....It has over 73,000 views on youtube in less than a week, it has been featured on the local news, viewed by people all over the world, has made the top 50 list on youtube, and there is no end in sight. I really suggest you all check it out and enjoy! it is truly amazing and showcases the campus, students, faculty, and community of Grand Valley State University. It makes be very proud to be a GVSU alumni!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn5L3gsCHgQ

October 2nd
I have joined in on the fun with the Muskegon Lumberjacks team and am a member of the "LumberJils" with some of my fellow titleholders and local girls. I started the game catching up with our Miss Michigan Katie and Miss MI director Shell and meeting her wonderful family :). Then I was lacing up my skates and headed out to the ice. It had been a few years since I was on the ice but I picked it up again fairly quickly! It was great cheering on the team! Afterward, I had a little sleep over at Shelly's daughters house where Katie resides and had a sleepover in the "Miss Michigan Room"...I must admit, I felt special that I was staying in the Miss MI room and I am not Miss MI....maybe something in the future ;)....whatever God has in store form me! Only he knows!

October 8th & 9th
Today was the Dr.Pepper Michigan VS. Michigan State tailgate part at the JW Marriott! I was a part of the Dr.Pepper Cheer/Dance team with some of my wonderful Miss Michigan sisters! we had such a great time and I even had the opportunity to sing the national anthem at the event! Sadly, I had just come down with another cold a few days before and it wasn't my best performance but at least I didn't get laryngitis until after the event! We all had a great time performing a dance, playing some games, cheering on the teams (GO BLUE) and just being silly! I love spending time with all of these amazing women and they really make my life shine! Love you all girls! Oh and congrats Shelly on your Venom bike purchase ;)

October 16th
Last but not least, we get to today (or since its like 3 o clock in the morning, I guess yesterday) I attended the Miss Washtenaw pageant with the Miss K-Zoo girls and directors and watched my Miss Michigan sister Emily McConnell get crowned as the new Miss Washtenaw County! Lots of fun catching up with some of the girls as well! :) Such great experiences.

Well, whew! that was quite a long list! I will add photos soon :) But I hope you enjoyed reading about all of my wonderful experiences as Miss GV and I cant believe 4 weeks from today, it will all be over :( certainly an experience I will never oon forget! Love to all and God Bless!

Morgan <3

Dreams come true for those who have the courage to pursue them

2010-09-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I have been so busy and running around like crazy recently that I have not been able to keep up on my updates! I just feel terrible! But the good news is I have been traveling all over the state promoting my platform, working with the Children's Miracle Network and the other titleholders and helping out in my community. In August alone, I traveled over 2,500 miles as Miss GVSU! I have been here and there and everywhere and it has been the time of my life! So let me pick up where I left off.....

backtracking way back to Miss Michigan week, I left off at Thursday, the second day of preliminaries. This was my day to perform my talent and answer my on stage question. To start the day off, we had the rotary club luncheon at the Holiday Inn where I met the president of Muskegon Community College, who is just the nicest man! It was a great time but all I could really think about was performing that night, and the nerves really started to set it. When it came time to start the show, I just kept thinking to myself, you have worked hard to get here and have already had a great week so no matter what, you'll have fun and do what you can do! On stage question was first and I have to admit, I really did have a pretty good question and got lucky. I was asked about the BP oil spill and had no problem telling the audience how I felt. Step one done and now on the the hard part, Talent! Sitting backstage waiting for my turn, I was trying to relax and take deep breaths. Months before this moment, being on the stage singing at Miss MI was only a dream, it was becoming a reality and I still couldn't believe it. I said a quick prayer and then I was walking onto the stage. The lights hit and I instantly felt confident and excited and sang my heart out! I had never put as much feeling and emotion into that song before. It all just cam out in the moment. When I was finished singing, I glanced over and my fan section and the biggest smile came over my face. I knew I had just performed the best I could! when I got backstage, I instantly started crying with just tears of so much joy. I felt so good and I was so proud of myself! Now, I was ready for the final night on Saturday.

Friday was the teen pageant and our Mall autograph signing/big brothers big sisters event at Chuck E Cheese! Our autograph signing was a blast meeting with fans and kids who really looked up to all of us. I was asked to perform my talent at the mall and had so much fun, and no nerves since I wasn't being judged! :) We then headed on to Chuck E Cheese where we spent time with the kids in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations. I had the cutest little sister name Katanna and we had a blast. I am apparently very good at" wack a mole". haha. After some fun and games, we were all off to the House of Chan for dinner. It was nice and relaxing and I got to spend some time with my extended pageant family, Jean Wilbur, from my Miss Calhoun County days. So many people came up to me with good luck wishes, congrats and words of wisdom and it made me feel so loved and supported by many people. I couldn't have asked for better friends, family and fans. Now it was time for the teen pageant and it was nice to sit back and watch the girls compete. Since Miss GVSU doesn't have a teen, I decided to adopt the Miss Saint Clare Shores teen since my director Amy was a former Miss SCS and since her name is also Morgan! I just love my little MO and was so proud of her when she placed 3rd runner up! All the teens did and amazing job and I am so proud of all of them! The winner was Miss Kalamazoo's teen, Brooke Rowland who recently competed in Miss America's Outstanding Teen and finished in the top ten! We are all so proud of her! That night I spent my visitation time with Jean Wilbur again who is the reason I started in pageants and continued on for all this time. It was nice to catch up with her and she is so supporting and amazing!

Then it was the big day... Saturday.... Finals night! I was so nervous all day and just really wanted to be on that stage and find out the results! But first we had our Friends and Family luncheon and auction. I was able to have lunch and spend time with my mom, Jen "aka director", my wonderful uncle Grant and aunt Lori (who are so amazingly supportive and wonderful!) and the Miss Capital City girls. we had a great lunch, auctioned off our baskets, and my aunt and uncle even won the Golf basket from the Jackson County team! My aunt and uncle are so unbelievably amazing and gave me the Christian Dior pearls that came with the basket! I couldn't believe it. Before the auction was over, the Miss MI organization had some surprises for us. First off was a special guest appearance. Now since I am a huge hockey fan, I was absolutely ecstatic when our special guest turned out to be Justin Abdelkader from the Detroit Red Wings!!! I chatted with him a bit and got a photo and was a very happy girl :) but that wasn't all. There was a mysterious package sitting on the auction table still that had to be unveiled. It turned out the be the very fabulous former Miss Mi and Miss America 2008, Kirsten Haglund's Miss America Sash!! this is when I immediately wished I was a rich girl because I would have spent so much money on that thing. The wonderful Doug King walked away with the wonderful prize and we were so thankful for the gift from our beautiful Kirsten.
We were then off to get ready for the final show, I was so nervous, excited, emotional. little did I know the night was only going to get better. We headed on stage for the opening number and the backstage ladies were transferring the top ten wardrobe to the "new" dressing room upstairs. Waiting for the announcement of top ten was hard, we just wanted to know! we had waited 2 days! When it came time for the announcement, I just kept saying to myself, no matter what happens, you are here and some girls only dream of having this opportunity. The first girl was announced and then.... my name and number was called! MISS GVSU!! I was absolutely beyond excited and after 4 years of competing and countless hours preparing, I had finally accomplished my goal! I never imagined after taking so long to win one title, that I would be in the top ten at the state pageant! I couldn't think straight, and tried to take it all in but it was all happening so fast! I waved to my GVSU section and was so excited all my friends and family that were there supporting me were going to be able to see me compete. We rushed back, heels coming off, clothes flying, hairspray everywhere and hurried to get ready to go on the stage. It was quite a feeling and I really didn't have time to process the feelings I was having. When it was all over, I didn't make the top five but I was still so happy and proud and excited. The lovely Katie Laroach was crowned Miss Michigan and I cant wait to cheer her on at Miss America!

The pageant was an amazing experience that I will certainly never forget. I love all of my Miss MI sisters, my friends and family who supported me, the volunteers especially our "moms" for the week, and anyone who has ever told me one day will be my day, thank you everyone for making the experience unforgettable and truly the best week of my life! I look forward to what is the next big event in my life but it will take a lot to top this experience.

Well, since I have already written a book today, ill update more about my recent miss GVSU adventures tomorrow. So long for now and remember... Dream Big!

Morgan :)

Be a bucket filler, not a bucket dipper

2010-06-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Wow, I need to play catch up a bit don't I. It has been quite a crazy ride over the past few months but Miss Michigan week has sadly come and gone and I am now looking toward the future and what god has planned for me next. So to catch up i'll do a little backtracking.....

First lets start with some events leading up to Miss Michigan. In May, I was invited to make a surprise special appearance and a friends slumber party. It was quite an experience when I walked into the room and 10 girls were screaming! AHHHH! It was defiantly a celebrity moment. I kept thinking, why would these girls be so excited to see me, im just an unemployed college graduate who has only accomplished so much in my life. It was then when I realized what the Miss America Organization is about, and what it really meant to me. These little girls didn't care if I had made mistakes in life, made choices I wish I could change, or said things I wish I wouldn't have said. All they cared about was that I was there, representing what I believed in and showing them that when you chase your dreams, they can certainly come true. I sang my talent for them and we took some fun photos and just had a great time.

One of my favorite appearances during my short reign would have to be my next appearance with many of the local Michigan titleholders. The Special Olympics summer games in Mt Pleasant. Never have I ever been so inspired by a group of people or received more hugs in my life! To see the joy in these athletes faces and the amount of fun they were having was just amazing.They all deserved a sportsmanship award as each of them encouraged and helped one another. I was invited to a special VIP reception to thank sponsors and volunteers and also had the opportunity to hand out medals to athletes at the medal ceremonies. I am really looking forward to volunteering for that event again next year and year to come!

That was the last appearance before the biggest week of my life...... Miss Michigan!!! This is something that I have been working for for 4 years and 14 pageants to get to. I was so excited and I cant lie, a bit stressed out for everything I was going to experience in a short week. Everyone was right when they said it was an emotional experience. It was bitter sweet at times since my director Amy and her husband Mark could not be at the pageant with their first Miss GVSU because they were in Ethiopia exploring the country and picking up their very beautiful adopted son Eli! Aunt Jen was there to fill in as director and she was just wonderful all week and did a fab job! They were very missed but I was surrounded by love and support not only from them but all of the contestants, parents, and directors who have grown up with me over the past 4 year. It was certainly very emotional for me to see that sooo many people supported me and have believed in me all this time. Just seeing Jean Wilber's ( my first director) face for the first time time that week almost brought me to tears. She was so proud and even though its been a long journey, she supported me every step of the way along with so many other people. I wish I could individually thank everyone but in 4 years, there are just so many people. You all know who you are and know you are loved and appreciated for everything you have done and taught me. Thank you so very much.

The week started out with a short orientation which is where the title of this blog comes from. Be a bucket filler. Kelli Leep, director of Miss West Michigan, shared with us a book she read to her class that described how everyone had a bucket and it is filled when people provide word of encouragement, support, and nice compliments to you. But it also talked about how to not be a bucket dipper and not to make negative remarks and such to people because you are then dipping into their bucket and it's becoming empty. So everyone, be a bucket filler and try to make a goal to brighten someones day with a simple compliment. Also earlier in the day, we had our head shots taken and this is when I had my first of many wardrobe issues. I was walking away from my head shots in my brand new beautiful blue dress when I hear RIPP!!! I looked down and I had just stepped on the back of my dress and ripped a giant hole in the back! I was so sad and felt the week was not off to a great start with that but my mom was to the rescue and was able to somewhat sew it back together. Little did I know, this would only be the first one.

Next was move in day and the first day of practice. I had an awesome roommate Stephanie Frey who made the week so much fun! we will have inside jokes and such for years to come! We finished the day with a wonderful dinner at Red Lobster. MMMMM Cheddar Biscuits! my favorite! Stephanie and I had realized we brought some similar outfits so we dressed to match in our black shorts and white lace shirts. soo cute!

Monday: we started the day off with some practices for the production numbers and spent some time bonding with each other.
after some practices we were off to take our group photo and then to the Exchange club for dinner. I had the opportunity to perform my talent for the crowd and met some wonderful people. Later we headed to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and mingled with some customers. I met a student from Grand Valley and had to take a little photo with him wearing my sash. haha. The very long day ended with a meeting with the judges. They were all very nice and it was when we first had the opportunity to meet big barry! such an inside joke with all of the contestants ;)

Tuesday: This was interview day!! since I was in the second group, sigma group, I didn't have my interview until later in the day so I had the whole morning to relax and study!! Sadly, since I was to interview right after lunch, I didn't go to the lunch at the Lions club with many of my other sisters. But walking into the interview, I felt prepared and ready to wow them. It went great and I even had the opportunity to tell my joke! After the interview, I stepped out of the door and started jumping for joy!! It went very well and I was so confident! After all the interviews were finished, we were off to the Muskegon County Club for the Ambucs dinner. It was a wonderful meal with wonderful people overlooking the water on the shores of Muskegon. So relaxing.

Wednesday: This was the first day of prelims and I was so very nervous!! I know I had prepared so hard for this but still felt like I could have done even more. We had rehearsals in the morning and spent the entire day at the theatre. As we were getting ready for dress rehearsal, I decided to get my gown from the steaming area and get it ready, that was when I noticed a GIANT snag along the front of my Satin gown!! I had not yet worn the gown and went into immediate panic mode!!!! I started running around looking for help with tears running down my face. I had gone through so much debate as to which gown to wear and when I finally decided on one, it was ruined! The wonderful Sheri was to the rescue and worked hard to try and fix it but we just couldn't figure it out. I went backstage to get ready to do evening gown practice and all of my sisters were very comforting and supportive telling me everything will be alright. Sheri then came upstairs with very good news, she fixed it and you couldn't even tell it was snagged!!!! I was so happy! I went on stage and felt wonderful and ready for competition that night. If I had gone through that, I could handle anything. As we were lining up backstage to kick off the show, I remember praying to god and saying, please just let me do what I know I can do and Thank you so much for giving me this amazing opportunity!! The lights can on and the music and we entered the stage, the crown went wild. This is when I realized my dream had finally come true! we quickly changed and I got ready for Swimsuit, and then before I knew it, it was over! I had walked really fast and couldn't remember anything I was suppose to do! I even tripped during my second pose! I didn't feel it went well so I wanted to do better in evening gown. Evening gown came and I felt amazing!! I rocked it! I was so happy and so excited when I got off stage but I had to rush to get back to the dressing room and change into the closing number outfit. As I was running past the TV backstage, I her... RIIIIPPPPP!!! Next thing I knew, I was looking down at my beautiful purple gown ripping from being hooked on the TV stand!!!! All the girls were sitting there and immediately they could see the tears building in my eyes. Everyone again was instantly calming me down and coming to the rescue to save the cursed dress. Thankfully, it was only minor damage, and the dress somehow after all it had been through was still in one piece. The night ended with some family time with my fans during visitation back at the hotel. It was a wonderful and successful night minus the minor issues and I was so so so happy to be there!!! Next, was going to be the night I had really prepared for!

Well friends, this is only part of the week but I feel half of you may be getting tired of reading this very long post so I will stop here but check back for a summary of the rest of the days of Miss Michigan week!! God Bless!

Morgan Lind
Miss GVSU

sometimes, you have to improvise!

2010-05-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends

All systems are go, start the countdown. I am updating just to share something I promised someone I would share. So with only 4 weeks left until Miss Michigan, I am kicking it into high gear! The diet is very strict, exercising is more intense, and CNN is now one of the only sites I visit (ok I may be exaggerating a bit, but still) I think you get the idea. So I would like to share a funny story with you all. For those of you who know me and know me well, this action I did today may not seem so unlike me, but for the rest I think you will enjoy......

Today I started a one week job at Kellogg Headquarters just to make a little extra money and maybe get my foot in the door. The job requires me to sit at a table for 9 hours and open people's envelopes to show them what they have won, I know you are all jealous and this sounds so fun right? but being that it is so close to Miss MI, I felt very lazy today and didn't feel like I got much exercise.

So when I finally got home, my mom and I decided to make a run to Sam's Club for some "pageant food" and I had changed into workout clothes before we left thinking I would have time to fit in some kind of physical activity. This turned out not to be the case so knowing me, I improvised.

After entering Sams Club, we quickly loaded the cart with some very heavy things like potting soil and a ton of frozen food. I commented to my mom, "hey let me push the cart, it's so heavy it could be a good workout for me" Then I thought, maybe I could have a little fun with this. I continued to say, "haha maybe I should just do some lunges all around the store while I push the cart................ so that's what I did! again if you know me, doesn't sound too far off right? but I would do lunges all the way down an isle pushing the cart and then take a rest for the next isle and then continue the pattern. The lady at the checkout found out what I was doing and had a good laugh so I am glad I could prepare for Miss MI and entertain people at the same time. Man do my legs hurt now, but thankfully, I will be sitting all day once again tomorrow.

And that my friends is a funny moment in the life of morgan. If you would like to hear more funny moments, maybe you should call me or chat with my friends more. haha Miss Michigan here I come!! . Have a blessed day all!!

(This suggestion for an exercise move is trademark of Morgan Lind and the Miss Grand Valley State Organization and no other local title holder may use it to get buns of steel for Miss MI) ;) I know, Im a nerd.

Morgan Lind
Miss Grand Valley State 2010

Life, or something like it

2010-05-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends, wow it has been way too long since I've updated. Life has been absolutely crazy and I have gone through a lot in the past month or so. I have bee through good and bad times and have accomplished a lot in the past few weeks.

First a foremost, I have to thank all of the wonderful people in my life and the enormous amounts of support I have received from everyone. My parents, Amy, Friends, Family, roommates, Other Directors, other titleholders,and everyone else in my life, I thank you for words of wisdom and encouragement. I probably shouldn't get too personal on the blog but some of you may know about some recent events and some of you may not so i'll update you. For every girl that has had her heart broken, i'm sure you can relate but 5 weeks ago, my relationship of 5 years suddenly ended with little explanation. While I have gone through many stages of emotions and have done my share of crying, I have learned a lot about life and who I am as a person. I feel I am slowly growing stronger with this. Here are some things I have learned.... First, God has a plan for my life, and while he does not do things to hurt me but to only make me stronger. I need to trust him and put him in control of my life. Second, what will be, will be. I will experience many hardships and challenges in life, but I have also been blessed with so many great opportunities and people to surround me with love. Third, this was not wasted time. I have learned what I want, who I am, and what I am capable of accomplishing in my life. Finally, a few words of wisdom and quotes I would like to pass on to everyone that people have told me recently that helped me through the hard times.......

*If I made you laugh, your welcome. If I made you cry, im sorry. If I changed your life, chances are you've done the same~anonymous~
*Cast ALL of your 'care' upon the Lord Jesus Christ, for He cares for you!!!!! Just 'give it up' and He will carry you.
* The disappointments make the rewards all the more sweeter. Life would be too boring if there wasn't any conflict.
and finally, * If you love something, set it free, if it comes back, it's yours, if it doesn't it never was.

So that is the bit of drama in my life but I am going to turn things around and talk about the good things in life recently.

First off, I left you in the middle of March and had a few fun events I was involved in. On March 26th I was able to sing the national anthem at the Battle Creek Revolution hockey game in my hometown of Battle Creek. It was my first official appearance as Miss GVSU and with hockey being my favorite sport I had a blast. After I sang, I had the opportunity to chat with the broadcasters of the game about who I am, what my title is and about and what I will be doing to prepare for Miss Michigan. I was also quizzed a little about my knowledge of hockey and I think the broadcasters were quite surprised about my knowledge of hockey, I am actually a tomboy at heart :)

Then on April 10th, I was honored to be a performer at the Mrs Michigan pageant in Grandville. I performed my Miss Michigan talent song and was able to catch up with some old friends before the show. It was such a fun experience and I was very happy to find out I was to be joined by my favorite acapella group GV Groove who also performed at the Miss Grand Valley pageant. Stephanie Hunt was crowned Mrs Michigan and was such an amazing woman. I wish her the best of luck at Mrs America and know she will go on to accomplish great things during her year!

On April 17th, Amy and I made the long drive up to the Alpena area to watch a Miss GVSU contestant Kristen Hansen compete in the Miss Sunrise Side pageant. All the contestants were wonderful and I am very very proud of Kristen who was crowned Miss Sunrise Side 2010!!! She was amazing and she will be an absolutely wonderful representative. Amy and I just had the best time chatting about Miss MI prep and running some practice interview questions as well as almost hitting the nations bird, a bald eagle (very true story and I had never seen a bald eagle before), and getting lost on a creepy one lane dirt road with no civilization in sight. haha. It was a fun experience that I will never forget.

While still fulfilling duties as Miss GVSU, I was also hard at work finishing up school. On May 1st, I became a college graduate!! After 4 years of hard work, I couldn't believe I was finally walking across that stage shaking T-Haas's hand and receiving my diploma. It was truly amazing! No to find a job in this hard economy.

After graduating and making the difficult move from Grand Rapids back to my parents house in Battle Creek I was back to being Miss GVSU. On May 7th, I joined a few of my fellow Miss Michigan sisters at the Beaumont Children's hospital for the CMN radioathon. I was such an amazing event that raised thousands of dollars for the CMN and Beaumont Children's hospital. The girls and I got the opportunity to go up to the pediatric floor and visit with some of the patients. It was so wonderful to meet with them and see there smiling faces when we entered the room. That's what makes this job worth while, knowing you have made a persons day just by a simple hello. We were also taken to the CMN garden which was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! It was like walking into a childhood dream with everything a kid could want. The best thing to find out was that the garden was paid for in full from CMN donations. Finding this out makes me think even though it can get hard to raise a hundred dollar donation every time I compete in a pageant, this is what it goes to making a child's day better. Very inspiring.

On May 12, I was in Grand Rapids with more local titleholders at the Helen DeVos Children's hospital "Queen for a day/Hero for a day" event. This event was such a blast! I was joined by some of the Grand Rapids Fire Department and local titleholders doing some fun activities with some of the patients there. The girls could get their nails and makeup done, make a pretty picture frame, and receive a crown from our very own Miss Michigan Nicole. The girls loved playing dress such and their eyes lit up when they were crowned by the royalty. Th boys got to hang out with the heros (GRFD) and get some fun tattoos and win some prizes while taking photos with the firefighters. I suggest if anyone ever gets the opportunity to got to an event like this or volunteer, please do so because it is truly life changing.

Well, I think I covered everything that has happened in the past 7 weeks and now I am just continuing to prepare for Miss Michigan and continue my amazing job as Miss Grand Valley State. Again, although I have experienced hard times lately, I cant believe the opportunity god has blessed me with and I need to focus on the positive things in life right now. Soon I will be appearing at the Special Olympics with my fellow titleholders then off to Miss Mi! Cant wait.

Since I have written a book, I will stop here and forgive me because i'm sure you will find many spelling mistakes since that is my weakness. Whoever can find the most wins a prize!! haha. Just remember all, don't let anyone or anything change who you know you really are. For now friends I leave you with the quote of the day

"We create our tomorrows by what we dream today".

God Bless all!!

Love, Morgan
Miss GVSU 2010

It's a wonderful life!

2010-03-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Hello wonderful friends. Well I have been very busy since I was crowned. On March 6th, I attended the Miss Lighthouse Coast pageant in Muskegon with the 29 other local titleholders competing for Miss Michigan this summer. Stephanie Frey was crowned Miss Lighthouse and she will also be my roommate for Miss Michigan week! All of the contestants did an amazing job and it was a wonderful pageant to watch. It felt so good to just sit and watch a pageant for once and not have the pressure of performing on stage! Amy and I had so much fun cheering on Emily Cole representing Grand Valley and she did very good as well! It was a wonderful night and The girls and I had so much fun!

The day before I had cut and colored my hair and it was a hit! I am very happy with it and it seems a lot of people wanted me to do this to my hair but never really spoke up about it. Thanks to Amy, she helped me get the courage to go through the dramatic change. :)

The next day was Miss Michigan orientation and I was able to get an idea of what Miss Michigan week will be like as well as getting all of the details I need to prepare myself for the best week of my life! After the orientation it was time for a little fun. We had dinner and did some karaoke and dancing will all of the Miss and Teen contestants. It was great getting to know the other girls and have a little fun!

I was then off to Florida a few days after orientation for spring break with Wesley. It was wonderful to have a little break from life even though the weather didn't cooperate toward the end of the week. We enjoyed the beach, a sunset dolphin encounter cruise, some jet skiing in the Gulf and a little shopping during the rainy days. It was really a nice time but took us 14 hours of travel to get back to Michigan because something was wrong with our plane in Tampa, grounding us for hours and then we missed our connecting flight n Atlanta. We were glad to be home late that night.

Right after I got home, I jumped back into life as Miss GVSU. I had my Miss Michigan photoshoot with Michelle from En Vida studios, one of my sponsors for Miss GVSU. She is truly amazing and I cant wait to see all of the wonderful photos she took. I had a great time shooting on the beautiful Grand Valley campus.

On Tuesday the 16th, I celebrated my 22 birthday and have realized that after the 21st birthday, there really isn't anything special about them anymore. The only thing I can say is that I am happy god blessed me with another year to live! I still had a great time with my family and friends celebrating the day.

I have a lot ahead of me in the next few weeks including performing at the Mrs. Michigan pageant and selling Miss Michigan Gum on the Grand Valley campus. This truly is a wonderful life.

That's all for now friends. God Bless.

Morgan

Not wasting any time!

2010-03-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends,
Well its almost been a week since I won Miss GVSU and I have been very busy. I had always heard from other girls how much work a title can be but I really had no idea! There is so much to do with just so little time!! This past week I have been in contact with many people regarding appearances and I have been very successful so far. I will be participating in the "Walk like MADD" event for the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization in March and May and possibly some other events in the future. I will be singing my talent at the Mrs. Michigan pageant in April and the list goes on. But the biggest news is that Amy and I have been wasting not time make a few improvements to get ready for Miss Michigan! I had a great time in the Rouge salon last night a left a completely new person (looks wise). I cant wait to debut my new look at the Miss Lighthouse Coast pageant tonight and Miss Michigan orientation tomorrow! We will be there to cheer on all of the contestants especially Emily Cold representing Grand Valley. Good Luck Emily! After the weekend is over, I will be taking a much needed spring break vacation to Clearwater Beach, FL fr a few days and I hope to get a lot of sun for my Miss Michigan head shots that will be taken the week I get back to school. I just hope the weather cooperates :) I will also be celebrating my 22nd birthday in a few weeks on the 16th! Things are just getting better in my life I thank God for everything he has blessed me with over the past few weeks! That's all for now friends. God Bless!

Morgan

Miss Grand Valley State 2010

2010-03-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

It only been a few days since I was crowned the first Miss GVSU and I am still in a state of shock! It seems so unreal still. I remember thinking to myself, if they call your name as the winner, don't cry too much, you can do it, you can handle it. And once they called my name as Miss Grand Valley, I just lost it! I really don't remember hearing any screaming, clapping or the crowning music in the background, all I can remember is saying to myself "oh god can this really be real"! I cried for what felt like an eternity and was immediately surrounded by people congratulating me and wishing me well. Everything seems like a blur and I am slowly starting to remember just what happened that night. I am very honored and blessed to have the opportunity to represent Grand Valley State and look forward to all of experiences I will have during my year as Miss GVSU.

I have to say, the first Miss GVSU pageant was absolutely perfect! The executive director Amy Post did an amazing job and although it was stressful at times, she worked through it to plan a successful pageant. None of this would be possible without her and I have to Thank her for all of her hard work and dedication to this program. I look forward to a year of fun and adventure with her!

The pageant was one of the best experiences of my life filled with some amazing people. The contestants this year were all strong and beautiful women and I look forward to seeing them soon and watching them succeed in everything they will do. I cannot say enough great things about the other contestants because they are all just such amazing young women. The contestants were Kristen Lee Hansen, Emily Cole, Rachel Curto, Emily Eshuis, Tiffany Korican, and Lindsay Voorhees. Emily Eshuis: 1st runner up, Emily Cole: 2nd runner up and Miss Congeniality, and Kristen Lee Hanson: Peoples Choice. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know all of the women and look forward to working with them in the future.

After things settled down and I was able to stop shaking, I took some photos with my parents and the wonderful Miss Grand Valley team. I also got to meet Mr. Grand Valley Corey Thelen and look forward to making some appearances with him throughout the year. Once photos were done, I finally got to see myself in the mirror and enjoy the feeling. This is something I have wanted for so long and worked so hard for. I have been involved with the organization for 4 years now and I have competed in 13 other pageants before winning! I always said to myself that God knows what is best for me and he knows when it will be my time but until then, I just need to keep doing my best and take something away from each pageant experience. My mother says it best when she says "We're so proud you're here". She writes it on every card with every bouquet of flowers she sends me backstage and it is something I always try to remember when I am competing.

The night was finally complete when I was able to eat something!! I of course went to Burger King for crown shaped nuggets and drove home to Battle Creek to enjoy a little time with my family. The next morning I was up early where my mother surprised my with a delicious glazed doughnut and coffee for breakfast, ahh junk food :) I spent a little time at home and then headed back to Grand Valley to start my amazing job as Miss GVSU. I meet for lunch with Amy and we chatted about the year ahead and how we will get ready for Miss Michigan! I cant wait!

My first official appearance will be this Friday in Muskegon at the Miss Lighthouse Coast pageant where Emily Cole will be representing Miss Grand Valley! The next day is Miss Michigan orientation where I will get all of my information about Miss Michigan and spend some time with my fellow titleholders and pageant sisters. I cant wait.

I have to Thank my parents, my boyfriend Wesley, my friends and family for their support, Amy for working so hard to make this pageant happen, the contestants for being amazing pageant sisters, Jen Kreta for photos, the judges of course, all of the Miss GVSU volunteers and of course GOD!

That's all for now friends, God Bless

-Miss GVSU-
-Morgan Lind