Miss America Pageant and New York International Pageants

My girlfriends and I decided to attend the Miss America Pageant for a girls weekend.  We will not be repeating this adventure.  It is something that I recommend you do at least once if you are a pageant girl, but not worth the cost or the effort for more than once in your lifetime.

Here is what I wore:
Top and Skirt from Bebe - purchased that day!
Shoes from Dillards (either Melani or Gianni Bini)
Jewelry: 14mm fuschia rhinestone rivoli earrings (forget where I purchased those); necklaces by Elena Maratos, Sabika, and Sarah C Jewelry.
Hoodie - Evy's Tree - it gets cold walking in and out of hotels; and I refused to be cold while watching the Miss America pageant - so this hoodie got some use!

As for the pageant, Kim and I left early.  You couldn't see much from our seats.  We all agreed that the view from television is much better and we won't bother ever going to the live pageant again.

Pre-Dinner Photo of my girlfriends and I

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At the beginning of October, I traveled to New York to judge the New York International Pageant!  Susan (Mrs. PA International 2008, Mrs. Northeast International (top 15 at Mrs. International), and a very close friend) traveled with me as she was also judging.  We loved meeting all of the contestants!  After the pageant, I forced Miss and Teen PA queens to do a photo with me which turned into a very fun photo shoot for many of us!

 I wore several outfits during the weekend, but the only one really pictured is a Heather French Henry gown that was covered in crystals by Diane Speacht of Altoona, PA (she is a master seamstress and designer).  You need to see the gown in person to get the full effect, but it is simply stunning!!!

 

What I Wore - Weekend Fall Festival

I love this weather!  Hot enough for flip flops and cold enough to grab a hoodie to wear at night.  Here is what I wore to a Fall Festival and cook-out at a friend's house.

Top - something from Dillards
Jeans - Not Your Daughter's Jeans
Shoes - Lindsey Phillips (I have three rhinestone embellished center pieces for these shoes).  I love these shoes and will purchase more!
Jewelry - Sabika - what else ;-)  Spring 2013 Catalog
Hoodie - Evy's Tree

LINK UPS:
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What I Wore - Work Wear

This was an outfit I put together for a pseudo fall day where I had errands and a meeting.  It is a Diane von Furstenburg dress that I picked up at the outlet store for $99.  I love the fabric, but I am weary of the brand in general because nothing from her line fits (the two dresses that I purchased were great buys, but both required alterations before being worn).  At $99, they were worth the effort, but I would never pay even close to retail for her things due to the requirement of alterations.

I paired old Sabika jewelry with it (from Fall 2011 - I think the Cowboy Collection) and a Kate Spade black sweater (I would have preferred a non-sparkly sweater, but the sweater that I purchased from White House Black Market fell apart :-(, so this was my only black sweater option).

Shoes - I need something better, but these Earthies served their purpose, but they are not "clean" enough for the dress.

LINK UPS:
Watch Out for the Woestmans
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Get Pretty On

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St. Andrew's Choir - Talent Show Fundraiser

I was so excited when I was asked to judge a talent show at St. Andrew's (my parish).  This talent show as a special fundraiser for the choir's upcoming trip to Italy!  Our church choir is really an amazing choir with many dedicated members and an incredibly talented director, David Kimock.

I used to be a choir member, however, due to my part time job in Delaware (and the traffic on I95, getting home for choir practice isn't always possible).  So I made the tough decision to withdraw; I do miss it.  The music and camaraderie are wonderful.

The talent show was so much fun!  The acts were terrific and so entertaining!

Sorry for the lack of photos of the actual talented performers; many of the pictures just did not come out....that happens :-(

This lovely gentleman started to sing at the age of 75; he is 83 here.  He dedicated his song to his Wife.  He sang "My Way" and really has the look of a Dean Martin / Frank Sinatra.

What I Wore:  More repeating here as I wore my La Petite Robe dress again (considering its cost, I figure that I should wear it as much as possible!).  I paired it with a reasonable comfortable pair of open toed shoes from Enzo (as much as I love my LK Bennett shoes, they are not that comfortable...seriously, I don't know how those European princesses can stand those shoes for more than an hour).  I am wearing a Sabika cross necklace with my Sarah C Necklace and 14mm fuchsia rivoli earrings (and I forgot where I purchased them).