Im back!!

Wow! It has been a very long time since I have posted on here! I have been so busy that I just neglected this blog. So what have I been up to?
Well school itself has been crazy. I am taking 24 credit hours this semester on top of being on the dance company and also the dance team. I have games pretty much every Saturday plus dance team practice 2 days a week for 3 hours a day, and I have company practices every Tuesday and Thursday for 5 hours each day. On top of all of that I have to do 40-50 hours of gym work each week, and my homework.

The big question- am I still doing pageants?
YES- just not until Feburary, and only a couple.
I can't wait top get back into the pageant world. I have felt so disconnected from it lately. I did go to Miss Vacationland last night.
Everyone did a great job! It was such a nice pageant.
Sorry this picture is not the greatest, but here is your winner!

Best Of luck

Just want to say good luck to all the girls competing in Miss WCO and Lima Square Fair tonight!


AND!

Everyone should click the link beelow, and vote for Jillian!
She is competing in the Beauties of America national pageant in Myrtle Beach next week. She is listed as Californias 20s (I am actually Great Lakes' 20s).




http://www.tftj.com/News/Poll_Vote.htm/245

Another loss in my life..

Well, 2 weeks ago my Great Uncle passed away.
Yesterday, a long time friend, my next door neighbor and my pageant director for Pioneer Days Princess was killed in a car accident.

UHRICHSVILLE, OH — A Uhrichsville woman died after a head-on crash that injured her husband and two other city residents Monday at 1 p.m.

Driver Barbara S. McKeown, 67, of 1456 Roanoke Ave. was pronounced dead in Twin City Hospital at Dennison after the crash, in which her husband, Jack McKeown, 74, of the same address was injured. He and the other driver, Arthur L. Bailey, 25, of 211 Trenton Ave., and passenger Christopher N. Swain, 18, of 219 Trenton Ave., were treated.

Uhrichsville police said preliminary indications are that Bailey’s 1994 Chevrolet Suburban sport utility vehicle went left of center and collided with the McKeowns’ mid-sized 2008 Chevrolet car at 2221 N. Water St. Ext. The accident remains under investigation.

The McKeowns retired about two years ago after being actively involved in the Gnadenhutten Historical Society and the Gnadenhutten Historical Park museum housing the artifacts and history of the first settlement in Ohio dating back to Oct. 9, 1772.

Jack McKeown is a former longtime Gnadenhutten councilman.

Barbara McKeown previously had worked at the tourist information center at the I-77 rest area near Dover for the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“Even though they retired, they were still involved in promoting the county,” said Dee Grossman, director of the CVB. “They were always pushing Gnadenhutten. They were very fervent and never let up. They would get so frustrated when people in the area didn’t understand how important that site is to the history of Tuscarawas County. Speaking for our board and staff, our hearts go out to Jack and their family





So many things are happening in my life right now, and its crazy. I'm having health problems, my mom is and it just seems like we keep losing people close to us. I just hope that things will turn around when school starts back up.




And since I am updating, I will say that I had a great time at Miss Greater Cleveland and North Coast,but pageant land won't be seeing for a while, because school is going to be very hectic and I have to dance at basketball games almost every Saturday in the fall. But, Congrats to Sarah, Ashley and Meggie! You girls are awesome!

I'll try to update this more often.

2009-2010 Local Season

Hey everyone! Once again, I will be competing in local competitions that will give me the chance to compete at Miss Ohio! I will be competing at Miss Greater Cleveland/Cuyahoga County and Miss North Coast this fall. As I am preparing for the new season to start, I still need to raise enough funds for the CMN network, and I could use your help!

What you have to do is:
http://www.missamerica4kids.org/m.aspx?i=4795718FE2293A
go to the link above and click Donate Now.
then it will have you fill out information.

Not only will this allow me to compete this year, but you will be donating to a wonderful cause! The Children's Miracle Network!

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Alicia Huyghe

It's been a while!

Wow! Time has been flying by the past month!

First off, I want to say that EVERYONE did a fantastic job at Miss Ohio this year! I'm so proud of you all!
I wish I could have competed, but I was thrilled to be able to watch! I didn't think I was going to get to, and then out of no where, my dance practice was cancelled!!
I wanted the live stream Tuesday-Friday, and I was able to attend finals.

I wasn't shocked on who made the top ten, in fact, it was hard for me to even pick ten people, because I thought so many were fantastic! Even with the top 5- it was hard to pick 5 girls. Everyone was ON and really were great!
I will say though, I am so thrilled that another MIss Clayland is the new Miss Ohio! Living in Uhrichsville, I can say that everyone here is excited. More and more people are beginning to understand what this program is all about, and it is great!


So other then attending Miss Ohio, I got some more great news!
I made the dance company as well as the dance team! I am so excited and I can't wait until the fall semester begins..
and yes, I will be back for Miss Ohio Locals!
I will be competing in Miss Greater Cleveland and Miss North Coast..
then sadly I will have to take a pageant break and pick back up in the spring.
Many are just to far away for me to drive to, and some are on the same days as performances. I have been working very hard to improve on things, and I just can;t wait to get back into the pageant mode.
I've also really been working hard on that swimsuit body.
I've lost about 6 pounds and I've really been working on toning my body, and I am very proud of myself.

OH! and of course, MY CRUISE!!
It was the GREATEST experience of my life and I must say, it has made me appreciate everything that I have and ever will! Seeing families in different countries and how they live, really opened my eyes to something new, and it really makes me rethink how I want to live my life. We all take so much for granted and we shouldn't.
One story-
I was in Isla Roatan. A beautiful island off of Honduras. We had just came back from doing snuba, and we decided to head into the main town for the flea market. A little girl, whose name I can't even pronounce, came up, grabbed my hand and said I will show you around. She took me to her home, which was above their little store and explained to me that she lived above this place with 2 other families. (Which, this building only looked like it could fit 1) She then took me to some other places and of course tried to get me to buy everything. When I was leaving, she looked at me and asked if she could have a dollar for showing me around. I decided to give her one of my bracelets instead. I knew her parents wanted her to just get money for them, and so I told her, to keep that bracelet for herself, and then I gave her a dollar to give her parents. I have never in my life, experienced such joy in someone, just over a bracelet. It made my heart melt, and I did cry. What made me even more emotional too was the fact that we ended up coming back a while later to meet family and she still had that bracelet on, and the biggest smile ever.

Sadly, I was unable to get a picture of her, because they didn't allow us to. But she will forever be in my heart and I will always think of her!

I will update with some pictures later.

Just remember, live your life to the fullest, and don't ever take a thing for granted.
-Alicia

Miss Ohio and new blog

Well, I had a fantastic time at Miss Ohio. It was great to see everyone and all of the girls did an amazing job!
Congrats to Erica, the new Miss Ohio!
Everyone in my hometown is so excited to have another Miss Ohio, and I know she will do a fabouls job.

I also wanted to say that I have a new blog that addresses my platform.

c-u-etheworld.blogspot.com


I am at work right now, so I will update later with my thoughts on Miss Ohio

Miss Ohio: Wednesday's prelims begin whittling process

MANSFIELD — Two veteran contestants from Mercer County — Miss Clayland Erica Gelhaus and Miss Northwestern Heather Waterman — captured the first round of preliminaries Wednesday night in the 2009 Miss Ohio Scholarship Program at the Renaissance Theatre.


Making her third trip to the Miss Ohio stage, Gelhaus, 21, of St. Henry, won the talent award, garnering a $700 scholarship.

An excited Gelhaus, who will be a senior this fall at Otterbein College, said winning talent Wednesday night was an honor. Her major is vocal performance.

Before the show, Gelhaus could be heard warming up her vocal chords in the theater parking lot.

Her goal is to become a professional opera singer.

Making her second trip to Miss Ohio, Waterman, 22, won the swimsuit award in a two-piece yellow number, winning a $400 scholarship.

The Celina resident said she was excited to win the night’s prelim swimsuit competition.

“It’s really exciting for me. I worked really hard at keeping up my physical fitness. It’s really about a balance of eating healthy and working out,” said Waterman, who added that she’s training to run a marathon.

Both women said returning to Miss Ohio makes them feel at ease.

“You get to know a lot of the girls. It’s almost like coming home,” Gelhaus said.

Waterman said she agrees. “Coming back this year I feel like I have a little bit better idea what’s going on,” she said.

A pageant tradition continued Wednesday as the Mansfield Noon Optimist Club became an inductee into the Miss Ohio Hall of Fame. Optimists brought 20 children from Friendly House to the show. Pageant volunteer, scholarship donor and vocal coach Jim Estep also was inducted, having served with the program 51 years.

During Wednesday night's show, themed “Timeless,” featured entertainers danced, sang and included the audience in a doo-wop musical number.

A segment of the evening's entertainment included Miss Ohio Karissa Martin and contestants, wearing black lace and leather, dancing to “Disturbia” by Rihanna.

Preliminaries continue at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Friday and the next Miss Ohio will be crowned at 8 p.m. Saturday night. This show will be televised on Time Warner's digital cable channel 119 by the Ohio News Network.