Photo Credit: MissAmerica.org

I was part of the Miss America Organization for 4 years when I was competing in the Miss Alabama Program and held the title of Miss Samford University (a preliminary to Miss Alabama). No, I never won Miss Alabama and never stood on the Miss America stage but I believe I know a little bit about what it’s like to be in their stilettos.

The Miss America Organization is about poise, grace, composure and beauty. Any Miss America contestant has to be complete in each of those characteristics to even be able to stand on that stage in Las Vegas.

I am proud to say I was part of such an amazing organization and one day I hope to have a little girl who follows in my footsteps and in the footsteps of so many other phenomenal women as local title holders, state title holders or even maybe the Miss America title.

I know she will learn so many irreplaceable lessons. Some of the things I learned during my years competing…

• It’s not always about winning – Yes, my goal ultimately was to “take the crown” but that’s not what means the most. In the end, I won’t always “win” in life. I won’t always get the job or the promotion and I had to learn how to handle losing with grace keeping my head high.
• Preparation has no expiration date – To succeed in life you must be constantly preparing for the next step, the next stage of life. There is no end date to being prepared.
• Never forget your poise – There is nothing that can replace poise. As a woman being poised is something you learn as you live life and take life’s ups and downs. Especially the downs…always be poised. People are watching, little girls are looking up to you hoping to be like you one day.
  
• Always wear waterproof mascara! You never know when it will come in handy

These and many more life lessons I learned from the Miss America Organization – the more important lessons I learned from my Mom…

• Stand FIRM in your beliefs – No matter what the other contestants say about you, no matter who is sitting on the judging panel or in the audience when you are faced with something that questions your morals or your beliefs always stand firm in what you believe, never try to “please” someone with your response to them.
• Always dress like Miss America when you go out – You never know who you will run in to or what opportunity may present itself you should always be dressed and prepared to accept the challenge.
• Smile – Smile when you’re winning and even more when you lose.
• Have Fun – I competed in so many pageants before becoming Miss Samford, needless to say I lost many times in my pageant career but after every competition my mom would always look at me and say, “Well, did you have fun?” I could always answer with a definite “Yes! I had so much fun!” and she would smile and say, “Then that’s all that matters.” She was right!

While I don’t agree with the way the Miss America Organization has taken the “reality show” direction with this pageant I must say there are still some amazing lessons to be learned from being part of the Miss Alabama family.

And while I hope the Organization realizes their traditions and class will take them much farther in society than trying to keep up with the latest entertainment trends, I hope they go back to highly qualified judges instead of celebrities, I hope they stop humiliating the girls who don’t score high enough to move forward in the competition, I know my future mini-me will be a better “her” because of this organization that molds young minds, teaches discipline and trains up achievers.

Thank you Miss Alabama and Miss America for all you taught me and for what I’ll pass on to my children. But even more, thank you Mom for who you made me today. Your support, love, and cheers set me on the stage of achievement and launched me toward greatness. Thank you for supporting me when I was wearing the crown and even more for being there when I walked off the stage with only flowers in my hand. You always made me feel like a winner no matter what and you always will. I am forever thankful for you and Dad and all that you both mean to me.

What makes the perfect Summer Style? Everything pictured above! Check out the links below to find out where to buy:

1.) The Rebecca Taylor Ruffle Cami dress from PiperLime.com is the perfect way to ring in the summer fun in the sun! Its flirty ruffles and light chiffon flare will make you look like you’re floating in the sun!

2.) This gorgeous gold handbag will absolutely shimmer in the summer sun! It will go with just about every summer style you don. You can find it at the fabulous Handbag Heaven for just $52.95 – what a steal!

3.) White Sunglasses tell the story of Summer Fun they are flirty but classy. These are from the amazing Sunglass Warehouse where you can find over 1,000 sunglass styles! Just make sure you save them for the summer months, opt for dark sunglasses in the fall and winter.

4.) Finish off your look with this soft & sweet pink nail polish – Fiji – by Essie (This is the exact nail color favored by The Bachelor Season 11 winner Emily Maynard)

So grab up your summer style and head to the beach, a wedding, a celebration, you can literally take this style anywhere.

What’s your favorite part of your Summer Style wardrobe?

Plus, the designers new line of Spring products is already out. So here’s why this is a perfect gift idea for the style savvy Valentine…

1. The designs aren’t too outrageous so it’s easy to pick one in her favorite color.
2. Because of the brilliantly simplistic designs, a tank top is a perfect choice that she could wear with anything and it’s perfect for layering.
3. She will be shocked at how much you know about style and fashion and even better, she’ll wonder how in the world you knew about Michael Stars.

michaelstars.com
Free Shipping on Orders over $150
Women’s Tees

Any of these tops pictured will make your Valentine so happy and remember, she will be so very impressed with your taste in style and designers! If you have any questions on what to get your Valentine feel free to leave a comment below, I’m happy to help!

You want one don’t you? There are 4 different designs, Beau, Dune, Celestia (my personal favorite – hint, hint), and the Special Limited Edition Aurora. So surprise your Valentine with one of these fabulous crystal docking stations and be sure to come back and tell me about their reaction to such a unique gift.

So let’s get started. What girl doesn’t love diamonds and sparkle? But you might not want to spend that much money on a Valentine’s Day gift, a perfect alternative to diamonds is Swarovski Crystal jewelry – www.swarovski.com.

You can find gorgeous, sparkly jewelry for the woman in your life like this pink heart pendant.

Swarovski Pink Heart Pendant

You can see the full selection of Valentine’s Day gifts for her on their website – Find a very special gift! Try the new Swarovski Gift Finder at www.swarovski.com

Plus, get 10% off when you spend $160 or more now through Feb. 14th!

Code: VALENTINE2011

Valid until February 14th

You can’t go wrong with sparkly jewelry this Valentine’s Day!

I’m from Alabama but I’m a Roll Tide Alabama fan, so I’m pretty neutral on this game, however I would love to see a back to back SEC championship win both from Alabama!

While flipping from one social media outlet to another I find a trending topic – Fashion! That’s right fellow fashionistas, even football players can cause a fashion uproar and Oregon is doing just that. It’s all about the Oregon football uniforms, more specifically their choice in neon yellow socks and cleats. I’m seeing everything from “it makes my head hurt” to “blinding” to some Auburn fans backing a few AU personal fouls on the fact that Auburn “probably couldn’t see” through the neon.

photo credit: USAToday.com

Well I for one, love the combo! Then again I’m a fashion foodie. It’s the reason I rooted for Mondo Guerro on the recent season of Project Runway: Season 8 -Mondo taught so many how not to be afraid of prints and bright colors (pictured on the right).

photo credit: The Official Mondo Guerra Website

The Oregon players are certainly creating a buzz around their uniform of choice which was cleverly designed by Nike. Now to get down to the nitty gritty on this uniform. Here are a few main points from the USA Today article on the unveiling of the Duck’s attire:

• The cleat changes from a grey/silver color at the toe to a lime green at the heel, which blends into the socks. This combo creates the effect of a blur when running/moving at full speed.
• According to Nike, the cleats are the “most advanced they’ve ever produced.”
• “Nike Pro Deflex padding with two-way airflow to cool the body and wick away sweat.”
• “Nike also created new uniforms for Boise State, Florida and TCU for their bowl games.”

And that’s not nearly all…the entire uniform is created with very specific purposes. Read the full article to see all the technicality of the uniform.

All in all I think the uniform is bold, daring, and enterprising. I commend the ducks, a uniform like this pushes those players to walk on the field with a confidence only a team playing in the BCS Championship can have. And kudos to Nike for the brave effort in not only creating a cleat that is intensely innovative but also for being brave enough to go bright.

I click my neon heels and tip my yellow hat to you tonight, fellas.

Bigfoot the Monster

I know you’ve seen this guy in the toy stores at the mall or the toy section. He’s usually behind some plexi-glass with a big button where you can see him flip forward and backward and talk. He’s hilarious! Ha ha! If you need a laugh, just walk by the toy section, push that big red button, and watch Bigfoot!!

Here’s something really neat – you can actually win a Bigfoot the Monster FREE!

All you have to do is install the Bigfoot Facebook App and select your Bigfoot mood, it will automatically display on your Facebook profile page. When you install the app you’ll be prompted to enter the contest. Contest ends on Dec. 19, 2010 so hurry and install the app and enter the contest! It could be the most favorite toy under the tree this year!

Wanna know more about Bigfoot? Here’s what the Fisher Price website says about him… He’s “a little monster with a BIG personality! That’s BIGFOOT! He’s happy. He’s angry. He’s sleepy. He’s fun. The BIGFOOT remote control toy talks and walks and throws a ball, chews and burps and exercises! And kids can bring BIGFOOT to life with an easy-to-use wireless remote control. The symbols on the buttons show you what BIGFOOT will do when you push them — no reading required! BIGFOOT includes one (7.2Volt) NiMH rechargeable battery and battery charger. Remote Control requires 2 AA alkaline batteries.”

Sounds like an exciting little fella! Have fun with Bigfoot, the Bigfoot app and good luck in the contest!

This year… tomorrow… my husband and I will be standing in line at Sears at 1:00am!! That’s right, 1:00am!! Are we crazy?! Maybe But the reason we are participating in such an insane act is we desperately need a new dishwasher. The one we have is old and rusting and breaking. We need a new one. Sears has a $500 dishwasher on sale for $299!  Such a deal! So in order to ensure even the possibility of getting the dishwasher we want, we must be in line around 1:00am. The doors open at 4:00am.

So as I’m expecting this to be a very, very interesting experience (to say the least) I have decided to do a little livestreaming of my adventure.

I’d love to invite you into the Madness of Black Friday with me, and if anything tries to fight me for my dishwasher you all can call the police for me! Ha! (Yes, the horror stories are funny, and I’m praying we have a smooth adventure.)

So come along with me on my Black Friday Madness Adventure, watch live here and feel free to laugh at me while I run wild toward my new dishwasher!

If you’re looking for designer dresses online, Bluefly has them! (I especially love Laila on the top row there and pictured below). Even though the dresses are a higher end, they are still great prices. Bluefly almost always has their designer apparel marked down from the in-store price or the price you would pay on the designer’s website.

Laila Dress on Bluefly.com

And to go with this lovely dress you must have designer shoes! How about this pair of ‘Lovers + Friends’. The faux suede is magnificent and the platform is to die for! The studs around the platform add a bit of edge to the whole look.

'Lovers + Friends' on Bluefly.com

And finally, no look is complete without designer handbags of course. So let’s go find one! How about this simple black nylon shoulder Hobo bad by Prada. I love it. This bag is simple but chic, classic and trendy.

Prada handbag from Bluefly.com

I do believe this look screams designer from head to toe! Tell me what you think of my choices, or if you think you can find a better designer look at Bluefly.com go for it! Leave it in the comments

Hair Care, Luxure Parlor

I have really, really, really thick hair so I’m always looking for something that will tame the frizz in this humid area where I live. Also, with winter quickly approaching many of you might find your hair drying out. Luxury Parlor sells Moroccan Oil which is great for adding moisture and hydration back into your hair.

You can also find so many Aveda products from Luxury Parlor. I just love Aveda products! The Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo scent is just wonderful!!

And finally, you can find many Kerastase products on the site. I’ve never tried Kerastase but from reading the information about it on the site I’d love to see how it works on my hair. If I ever try it, I’ll be sure to write a good review and include a video so you can see if it’s something you would want for yourself.

So far, Luxury Parlor seems like the perfect place to find great luxury hair products for your hair and great prices, in fact, you can get Free Shipping on all the lines I listed here, Kerastase, Aveda, and Moroccan Oil.

Happy Luxury Hair to all of you!