Expo.

I spent both days of the weekend in Pennsylvania as a guest at a great Sports Extravaganza and Wellness expo. I got to see fitness and bodybuilding competitions, an arm wrestling championship, strongman competitions, and a Karate championship. I met so many great people - many of whom grew up in NJ! Everywhere I go across the country, I always find other NJ people - we attract each other like magnets!

With my new fitness certification under my belt, it was also great to be surrounded by people in the fitness and wellness industry. I picked up some great tips and felt newly motivated to keep it all up. But my favorite thing to do at all of these events is to meet children - so many amazing smiling faces this weekend, and I was so happy to see how many of the children were participating in the martial arts aspect of the weekend - healthy diet and moderate exercise started at that age builds a lifetime of good habits.

Pump it Up!

This weekend I was very busy, although not "officially" as Mrs. New Jersey America - the crown definitely wouldn't have stayed on my head! To me, pageantry has always been about setting goals and reaching for them, pushing myself to become a better person - wife, daughter, friend, teacher, community member. One of the greatest things about pageantry is that it causes you to reflect on yourself, the person you want to be, and the causes important to your heart. I've been doing so much reflecting on my platform recently, and this weekend only added to that reflection. One of my goals this year was to achieve a fitness certification ... and I did this weekend! Thank you to all those who sent me good wishes in emails, texts, and their hearts. I needed that goodwill when I was pushing into the sixth straight hour that first day, let me tell you, and when I taught my practical test class today (after two staight hours of class participation first)!

Hearts and Hammers.

Saturday night I was a guest at the Habitat for Humanity "Hearts and Hammers Ball." I was so moved by the stories of new homeowners, and impressed by the "ReStore" program, which removes usable materials from dumps, refurbishes and resells them, raising money for more new homes. 90 tons have been removed from this county alone!


I was also able to spend time with students Karen and Michael, former students Carol and Ken, new friends like Dawn (amazing job, Dawn!), and even got a new student at the dance!