My party still hasn't stopped :)

Hello everyone!

The last couple of weeks have been VERY busy! Since my last blog update, I have had such a variety of events that I attended and they all kicked off in Phillipsburg, NJ. I had the honor of crossing state lines and speaking at the Lopatcong Township Middle School. I gave SEVEN presentations on my platform and spoke to grades 4-7. We talked about peer pressure, bullying, and having a positive body image. From the questions that they were asking me, there is no doubt that children and teens in this day and age are growing up much faster than my generation and those preceding me. I was thrilled to be able to give so many presentations that day, and reached over 800 kids. I can only hope that those that I spoke to will take my message and apply it to their daily lives.

My next event was the Cookport Fair in Green Township. My parent's band--Diamonds in the Rough--has played there for the past 15 years, so I saw many familiar faces! When I first arrived, a gentlemen came over and said, "Miss Pennsylvania, your carriage awaits." He wasn't kidding! It really was waiting for me--my mom and I were about 15 minutes late due to construction. It was so beautiful and the horse was what they called a Miniature Work Horse. I was escorted around the fair where I had the opportunity to say hello to the fair attendees and invite them to the stage to watch me perform!

I had planned on using my two CDs as background music for my performance, but unfortunately--due to technical difficulties--I was not able to use the CDs. Because I have such a musically inclined family we just happened to have a guitar in the back of the car and my mom ended up accompanying me on my two songs! There are always bumps in the road, but everything always manages to work itself out for the better! I played one of my favorite fiddle tunes, "Ragtime Annie" and the non-techno version of "The Orange Blossom Special". I also spoke to the audience about the Miss Pennsylvania & Miss America Scholarship Organization as well as my platform!

The next day I was off to Lebanon, PA for the Annual Pennsylvania Trappers Association Banquet. I attended this event with our Outstanding Teen, Jocelyn and her mother. I love Jocelyn so much, and every event that I attend with her is always a lot of fun! The event was really nice, the food was delicious, and Jocelyn and I shared our experiences as state titleholders with the audience. Despite my hatred for cold weather, I cannot wait until the first winter parade when I can finally wear my beautiful fur that they gave to me upon winning Miss Pennsylvania!

The next evening I was off to Scranton, PA for the National Association of Abandoned Land Mines event. Now, to be quite honest, I had no idea what this event was about when I asked to be in attendance. I did some research and WOW, what a remarkable organization this is! The NAALMP reclaims land and water resources that have adversely been affected by past coal mining and that have also been abandoned or inadequately restored. I learned quite a bit about land mine reclamation and the dangers that abandoned land mines can have on communities. At the event, I signed autographs and mingled with the attendees during their meet and greet. I met the mayor of Scranton and was even serenaded by Van Wagner and The Breaker Boys!

I would be remiss if I did not mention that my wonderful chaperone for the evening was Mrs. Doyle! You could tell that she was an experienced and seasoned chaperone! (I wonder why J) It was nice to finally have the opportunity to catch up with her and I was so grateful that she was able to attend!

On Tuesday I was at the Senior Health & Lifestyle Expo in Lewisburg, PA. They had all kinds of vendors set up that in some way benefit the health and fitness of senior citizens. I met a lot of Miss America fans who watch the pageant every year!

I don't know what it is with being serenaded lately, but no sooner did I get settled into my booth a quartet came over and sang to me! It was so beautiful. I had such a nice time there! I signed many autographs and was the one that drew all of the tickets for the door prizes and cash giveaways! There are several of these expos that go on during the year. I will also be attending one next month and several in the Spring as well.

To wrap up this stint of appearances I scheduled my first session with Jeremy Hoy at Finish First gym. I really had NO idea the pain I was about to inflict on myself upon making this appointment. Before the first session started I told him I would be back the next day as well. That was my second mistake.... My thighs, hamstrings, and abs have never hurt so bad in my life. I had dinner with Chet, his brother & wife, Bob, and Mark last night and I could barely get up the stairs to go into the restaurant! Embarrassing, I know. However, despite the difficulty and pain from the workout, Jeremy will DEFINITELY be getting me into shape for the swimsuit competition at Miss America!! I will be seeing him for a workout every Wednesday to make sure that I am staying on track with my diet and my own workouts.

This weekend I will be in the 250th Anniversary Palmyra parade! I have several appearances coming up next week as well. Check out the Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Organization Fan Page on Facebook for more updates on upcoming events! Also as the pageant season gets underway, if you are interested in competing, check out www.MissPA.org for pageant dates and deadlines!

As always, thank you for following along J

With love-xoxo,

Courtney Thomas, Miss Pennsylvania 2010

A Weekend of Heroes - September 10-11, 2010

“I come here today not just as First Lady, on behalf of my husband and a grateful nation. I come as an American, filled with a sense of awe at the heroism of my fellow citizens. I come as a wife, a daughter, and a sister, heartbroken at the loss so many of you have endured. And I come as a mother, thinking about what my daughters, and what all of our sons and daughters, can learn from the 40 men and women whose memories we honor today.” –Michelle Obama, Septmber 11, 2010

September 11^th will forever be remembered for the heroes that lost their lives at the World Trade Center in New York City, The Pentagon in Washington D.C., and Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

This past weekend was about heroes, and I had the opportunity to meet some myself—both big and small. Friday night was the Brookville Volunteer Fire Department’s 101^st Anniversary Celebration. As soon as I got there, one of the volunteers ran out from behind his milkshake booth—camera in hand—and darted over to greet me with a hug. He was so excited that he could barely get the words out to ask me for a picture. I could not believe how thrilled he was to finally meet a Miss Pennsylvania! It was such a special moment, and the rest of the night was no different.

One of the perks of being Miss Pennsylvania is the plethora of free food that you get when you go to events—especially fairs and festivals. The vendors feel that if people see MISS PENNSYLVANIA eating their pizza, french fries, cotton candy, etc. then the general public will want to go to that particular vendor for the food. In other words, they want me to be a walking advertisement. Which is great and all, because there is no doubt that I LOVE to eat, but the cotton candy that I was given is not exactly in the “swimsuit-friendly” category. I believe I had—no joke—the world’s largest cotton candy ball that evening. But my goodness was it D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

Later that night, I performed a couple of fiddle tunes on the grandstand and had the extraordinary opportunity to play a song with Pork McElhinny—a hometown country music star. We played “Let the Circle Be Unbroken” and during the song Pork turned to me and said, “Hit it, Courtney!” and I broke down on my fiddle and had my very own solo!!

The volunteer firefighters at the event were so kind and friendly. I spent the evening with them listening to their stories and experiences about firefighting and was so happy that I could spend the September 11^th weekend at such a remarkable event!

The next morning I drove from my hometown in Sigel to Philadelphia to be a part of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia CMN Radiothon. This will go down as the most fun, emotional, and humbling appearance of my entire year. The children at that hospital are truly heroes. It was such a perfect, Fall Saturday and these kids were fixed to their beds and wheelchairs—unable to enjoy the weather outside. I shared the day with Andrea Helfrich, Miss Philadelphia 2010, and we both left the event feeling so touched by all of the children we met. Their positive attitudes made me realize how much I take for granted and how often I should count my blessings. Vikram, Brandon, Alexander, Sarah, and Delaney were a few of the children that I met that day and they are all heroes—heroes that I look up to for their strength and determination.

I really hope that I have another opportunity to revisit CHOP to see them all again. I will never understand why these children were chosen to have to go through life with such painful diseases, but we can certainly be taught a lesson from their strength of mind and fortitude.

I hope that you all have an excellent start to the Fall season! Thank you so much for following along and don’t forget to “Like” the new Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Organization fan page on Facebook!

Until next time…

With Love,

Courtney Thomas

Miss Pennsylvania 2010

Miss America's Outstanding Teen - August 24 - 28, 2010

“See you in Vegas!” These were my departing words as I said goodbye to all of my Miss America Class of 2011 sisters in Orlando, FL Saturday night after the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant.

It was such an eventful week and it all started on Tuesday when I woke up at the crack of dawn to leave from Pittsburgh with my mom. That evening was the first night of competition and also where I had the chance to meet a few of my fellow competitors for the first time. We were all talking outside of the theater and getting along so well, we ended up missing the entire opening number of the show! The first night I sat beside Miss Oklahoma and Miss Hawaii—AWESOME girls. Then there she was, Miss Pennsylvania’s Outstanding Teen, Jocelyn Gruber. She was so beautiful and made me so proud to be her “big sister”. The first night she “tickled the ivory” and blew us all away with her piano piece. Following the competition she said, “the hardest part is over—it’s all downhill from here!”

Technically, all of the Miss America contestants did not have to be in Orlando until Thursday afternoon. So Wednesday afternoon my mom and I spent the day shopping at the nearby outlets. Despite the humidity, we had a nice time! That evening more Miss America contestants attended the event and Jocelyn competed in Evening wear and Onstage Question. She was asked to speak about how BP could reimburse the local businesses affected by the oil spill. She was stunning and answered her question with poise and eloquence.

Thursday was when all of the fun started for the Miss contestants. A couple of weeks ago we were told that we would be doing 60 second interviews with the Tall Pony Production Company. There were no limits to what we could do, wear, or say. The only criteria we were given was to address, “Why I should be Miss America”. How we addressed the statement was entirely up to us. We could speak, demonstrate, perform, etc. I, of course, wanted to incorporate my violin into my interview (I am the only violinist/fiddler so I knew no one could steal my idea!!). They told us the interviews would be posted on YouTube and other websites in mid-October. So you’ll have to wait and see before I spill too much!

That evening before the last preliminary the Miss Florida Board and Regalia Magnificent Apparel treated all 53 contestants to dinner at Maggiano’s (My ALL-TIME favorite restaurant!!). At the pageant that night Jocelyn competed in Lifestyle and Fitness in Active Wear. They were all required to do a fitness routine in which they were judged on. They even had to do a push-up and Jocelyn made us all proud when she was one of few that actually did a COMPLETE push-up! Yeah, Jocelyn! J

Friday was the busiest day of all during the week. I woke up at 6 a.m. and spent the entire day at Disney World with all of the Miss America contestants. We were treated like royalty and broke off into groups where we were escorted by a Disney guide to each of the rides that we wanted to go on. In the morning we were in a gated part of the park and met by Mickey, Minnie, Cinderella, and Belle. It was a lot of fun having the opportunity to talk with them and get our pictures taken with our favorite Disney characters (not to mention getting their make up secrets for the hot and humid weather).

After Disney World we were taken back to the hotel to get ready for the “Evening with Miss America” Fundraiser at the Siegel Estate. Mr. Siegel owns Planet Hollywood and Windgate Resorts. It was a 90,00 square foot house. That’s right…..Ninety THOUSAND square feet. I did not feel like I was in a house…it felt like a convention center, and I was asked to perform there!!! During the cocktail hour of the event, myself and a few other contestants performed as the guests mingled with the contestants. I played two pieces, one of which was a classical favorite “Canon in D”, and Miss Minnesota even played the piano with me. It was absolutely beautiful! Miss America Caressa Cameron performed later in the evening, too. She is such an amazing singer!

Saturday morning all of the contestants attended our official Contestant Orientation. There was a lot of information, but talking about Las Vegas and hearing about what the pageant will be like got me even more excited for January. I still can’t believe that I am going to MISS AMERICA!!! After the meeting I was getting really antsy and excited for the final night of competition. After watching Jocelyn all week, I knew she would do well. Before finals all of the Miss contestants gathered in the lobby for an autograph signing. My mom even got me all of the contestant’s autographs!

I was so proud of Jocelyn Saturday night. Initially, we all thought there was going to just be a top 10. However, they surprised all of the girls by changing it to a top 15. So now we say that Jocelyn made it into the top 10 twice! I’m secretly glad she didn’t win because I would have been sad to lose her and her family for the remainder of my year! She did SUCH a remarkable job though, and would have made an amazing Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful “little sister”. J

I also wanted to mention how excited I was to see so many Miss PA contestants down in Orlando supporting Jocelyn! Ashley Duespohl, Elissa McCracken, Whitney Kerr, and Kaitlynne Kline were all there and I was so happy to be able to spend some time with them

I anticipated blogging from Orlando, but my lack of internet service at the hotel made for a very long blog entry now that I am back home (my apologies). The upcoming week is a little slow for me, as I will be preparing to run a half marathon in Virginia Beach over Labor Day weekend. But after that, September is VERY busy. October is too! I am practically booked until Thanksgiving and am hoping I can still squeeze in some Miss America prep! There are a lot of great events coming up and I cannot wait to share them all with you!

Until next time…

With Love,

Courtney Thomas

Miss Pennsylvania 2010

Miss Pennsylvania July 2010 Newsletter - Posted on www.MissPA.org

July 2010 Newsletter
(August 13, 2010)

It has been almost two months since I was crowned ‘Miss Pennsylvania 2010’ and there are some days when I still cannot believe it. When you dream about something for so long and finally accomplish it after all of these years—it is an indescribable feeling. I have been given the opportunity to change a little portion of the world, and the sky is the limit!

I already have so many stories to share with you, and it has only been two months! During the first couple of weeks I was still trying to fathom the fact that I was Miss Pennsylvania, all while planning for the year ahead. I received a shower of cards and congratulatory messages. I was so touched by all of the support that I received from the pageant community, my hometown, and even fans from other states! My hometown even erected a billboard congratulating me on my accomplishment!

My very first appearance was the Union County Veteran’s Day Parade. As soon as I put my crown on I was approached by groups of children and baseball teams all wanting pictures and autographs. It was astounding to see how excited everyone was about the Miss America Organization. Speaking of Miss America, I spent the next weekend in Pittsburgh getting things finalized for January. You wouldn’t believe all of the paperwork and questionnaires that there are! During this time, I had my official headshots taken at Becky Thurner Photography! It was so much fun and I even got to spend the day with our Outstanding Teen, Jocelyn. I cannot wait to spend the week in Orlando cheering her on!

Another event that I really enjoyed was the Miss Pennsylvania Reunion in Altoona. I had the opportunity to meet some of my sorority sisters and reminisce over stories and pictures. Despite the heat, we had loads of fun! Not long after that I revisited Chet’s beautiful farm for an afternoon party. I was given a personal tour of the Llamas (I even got a kiss from “Lilly”) and drove four-wheelers on some trails behind the farm!

An appearance that I was really looking forward to as soon as I heard about it was the “Queen for a Day” event at the Clearfield County Fair. Several fair queens from the surrounding areas got together to offer tips and encouragement to young girls who are interested in competing for the fair queen title in their home counties. I shared my experiences from Miss Pennsylvania week and met many potential MPSO contestants! At the event, I met a little girl named Brooke, who is a poster child for the Children’s Miracle Network. The Clearfield County Fair Queens raise money for CMN every year, and Brooke happened to be a guest of honor at “Queen for a Day”. She is nine-years-old and has already undergone two heart transplants. It was so inspiring to see how driven and motivated she was despite her surgeries. I was honored to meet her and even got her to take a picture with me!

Before the Miss Pennsylvania pageant I was asked to be a spokesperson for the Ensign John R. Elliot HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers, because of my work with my platform. It is a great organization that was started because of a tragedy involving a drunk driver. Every year they have a dinner and memorial to celebrate the life of John Elliot, who was killed by a drunk driver. They also take that opportunity to recognize important representatives, sponsors, and supporters of the HERO Campaign. This year was the 10^th anniversary of John’s passing and with an audience of over 500 people, I was asked to share my involvement with the campaign and my goals for the upcoming year. I was honored to speak beside First Lady Laura Bush and Olympic gold medalist, Carl Lewis. It was a life-changing event and I was so blessed that I was not only asked to be in attendance, but to have the opportunity to share the story of my platform.

I have been so busy with appearances the last two months, and each event has had something special about it that I will take with me through my year. I feel so blessed to have received the opportunity to travel across the great state of Pennsylvania advocating my platform and meeting people from all walks of life. I am even more blessed because since I was crowned Miss Pennsylvania, I was able to move back home and have had time to spend time with my grandfather who has been battling cancer for the past year. He just passed away a couple of days ago, and it is because of this title that I was able to be home with him and spend his last days by his side.

Having said that, thank you to all who have shown your sympathy and support to my family and I. My grandfather was a remarkable man, and will be greatly missed. I admit I have been quite distracted by his illness the last few weeks, but look forward to keeping up with my blog and newsletter more consistently now. Unfortunately there were a few appearances that I had to miss because of my grandfather, but the Miss Pennsylvania Board was so kind in allowing me to spend this time with my family. I have such a great support system and I would like to take this time to personally thank Chet, Steve, Mark, Bob, and the rest of the board for everything that they have done for me so far. I promise that I will continue to pour my heart and soul into this job and to make you all proud! Take care, Pennsylvania!

With Love,

Miss Pennsylvania 2010

Me and my BFF, Sally Hansen

June 13th 2010 was the kick off to Miss Pennsylvania Week 2010. 35 girls traveled to Pittsburgh from all across the state to compete for the title of Miss Pennsylvania 2010. Upon arriving at the Holiday Inn (our hotel for the week) I unpacked my car and immediately resorted to my designated room, sat on my bed, and prayed before my roommate arrived. I knew that once we were all finished with unpacking our luggage that the week would be a whirlwind of rehearsals and events so I wanted to make sure that I took some time beforehand to really reflect on why I was there and to also reflect on a few scriptures that I had specifically selected to get me through the week.

I remember in years past, pageant week would arrive and I would constantly find myself worrying about whether or not somebody had a dress similar to mine or if my on-stage question outfit would be like what anyone else was wearing. But this year, I did not find myself thinking about those things at all. Instead, I thought about my plan. I thought about questions like "What do I seriously want to accomplish this year if I am crowned Miss Pennsylvania?" and "What would I want to be remembered for upon completion of my year?" I thought about questions like these all week and every time I had a vivid image to answer it with. I put everything in God's hands and knew that he would be with me throughout the week.

First of all. Meeting the contestants. Every year I am blessed with a fun roommate that is always a night shower-er (I prefer to shower in the mornings so there was never any conflict of bathroom usage). Every year at Miss Pennsylvania it always seems like the contestants inevitably get along, and this year was no different. It didn't matter what group of contestants you put together, we all managed to find a topic of discussion and inevitably had something in common. Every night before the competition girls were helping others before they did their own hair and make up. That's the kind of stuff that needs to be on reality shows!

Next. Rehearsals. This year's opening number song was a lot of fun and I'm sure I can speak for all of the contestants in saying that anytime Tik Tok ever comes on the radio I involuntarily start breaking out into the dance. I never said I'm any good at it, but I sure did rock it in the back row!!!

The preliminary nights of competition seemed like they started and were over in a flash. Along with winning both swimsuit and talent, I was compelled to defeat "The Double-Prelim Curse". However it felt like everything BUT a curse. It was such a blessing and in my mind I knew that the curse meant nothing. Prelim awards, as I learned throughout the years, do not matter. They're merely the sprinkles and icing on the cake!

So Friday came and it was finally time to meet the judges. I was the very last interview and I was extremely excited after hearing how nice and personable they were all day. Of course, the 10 minutes flew and after walking out of the room I was happy with how it went. I always get very weird after interview because I know that that's it. I can only hope that I was what they were looking for and thinking about the fact that my fate is up to the 5-7 judges on the panel can make me a little nervy. But that was it! Off to the teen pageant followed by a relaxing night at the gala.

I woke up Saturday morning and just felt very at peace and relaxed about the competition thus far. I just wanted the night to come SO badly. The day seemed to drag in anticipating the announcement of the next Miss Pennsylvania, but the 7:45 curtain call came sooner than I thought. As the smell of spray tan and hairspray filled the air, we were all gleaming with excitement as we awaited Jill's performance of the National Anthem. And that was it. The start of one of the most memorable evenings that I will remember for my entire life. "You're top 11 finalist number four..........Miss Jewel of the West, Courtney Thomas!" Whew. Thank goodness! I was contestant number four last year, too!! And again, the competition FLEW and we were down to the final announcement. This part never flies, though. It always seems like you're standing there forever. But then the moment came. By the time they announced the first runner-up, I was both scared and excited. I was praying to God that this be my year. "And Miss Pennsylvania 2010 is........COURTNEY THOMAS!"

From that moment on, everything was a blur. I couldn't believe it. I seriously just could not believe it. What I had been working so hard for, every day in some way or another for the past 4 years finally happened. I went to bed that night at 3:30am and woke up the next day at 7am. I had a dream that night that I had won, too. I woke up disappointed thinking that it all really didn't happen until I looked at the night stand and saw my rhinestoned 'Miss Pennsylvania' sash sitting there. It was real, and signing my very first contract as Miss Pennsylvania 2010 further validated that.

In two days it will have been 1 month since my crowning and since then I have been driving (and flying) across the state to attend appearances. Anything from parades to rock concerts. It has all been a BLAST so far! In a couple of weeks I'll be posting my very first newsletter on MissPA.org, where I will get to share with you some of my favorite events and what a day in the life of Miss Pennsylvania is really like.

I've never had a blog before and never really considered myself important enough to need a blog. But as your Miss Pennsylvania 2010 I want to keep everyone up to speed with what I'm up to and where I'll be heading. So make sure to check back and until next time....

With love

xoxo,

Courtney Thomas

Miss Pennsylvania 2010