Sorry for this late blog! Life has been pretty crazy but I’m enjoying every second of it. I know that I said I would try to blog every day in Orlando. Well, things turned out to be a little hectic for that to happen, but I will try to update everyone on the amazing week.

First, backtracking to a couple weeks ago when I flew to Fresno for the Got Milk campaign... I was live on the local Fox for five hours promoting Mootopia: Summer Oasis, a campaign to show the beauty benefits of milk. I had such a wonderful experience and was able to stay just two doors down from the room where I stayed with my roommate, Lana Brewster, Miss Northwest, at the Miss California competition. I was able to get free manicures and hair braids throughout the morning while relaxing in the breezy getaway of Mootopia.

That weekend I had my homecoming. A HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE thank you to Kati and Joe Enea for making my homecoming so memorable. It was more than I could have ever asked for. There were so many contestants who came to congratulate me which was truly appreciated. Many wonderful local executive directors and volunteers came as well. I was surrounded by so much love and support; everyone made me feel so special. When they had me say a few words at the end, I was speechless. For the five years that I have been involved in this organization, the people that provided me love and support were in one room, and I was filled with emotion. The volunteers of this organization are truly outstanding and the impact each person has made in my life hit me at that split second. So again I apologize for being dumbfounded at that moment, but I was just full of so much joy I could not hold in the tears. Thank you again for everyone that came and for everyone involved in this program. Your contributions are unbelievable.

Now, back to Orlando! The second preliminary night, Shelby Sinkler had talent. She was flawless. You could hear all her taps and her energy was outstanding. I was so proud to call her my teen! Miss New York's Outstanding Teen won talent with her beautiful ballet piece and Miss Virginia's Outstanding Teen took evening gown.

On Thursday all of the Miss contestants participated in a timed video that will be used for marketing. Each contestant came up with a unique skit on why she wanted to be Miss America. It was wonderful to see the fun costumes and ideas some of the girls came up with. I am not going to give anything away, but be sure to keep your eye out for these videos in the near future. I hope you like mine!

That night all of the contestants were treated to dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant. I have never been there before and the food was magnificent. Fine dining with all of my pageant sisters was definitely a blast. They ended up serving us "light" desserts at the end of the meal with fresh fruit and lemon cookies! It was a great night to learn about the wonderful experiences and stories the Miss contestants had to share.

This preliminary night Shelby had her evening wear and onstage question competitions. She looked gorgeous in a white gown with a big bow in the back. I remember my teen gown also had a big bow in the back, and seeing something similar on Shelby made me smile. She just flowed across the stage! So many Miss contestants came up to me, saying how great Shelby looked and how she shined on stage.

Friday morning we went to Disney World. It was such a treat to be able to go to the "happiest place on earth" with the Miss America gang. It was definitely an experience I will treasure. For those of you who know about my Disney obsession, you can understand how excited I was to attend the park. After our interview and photo session with Mickey and the Disney princesses—where Mickey also blew me a kiss behind Minnie's back ;)--we all split into groups to ride the attractions. I was lucky enough to ride Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Buzz Lighter, and both Splash Mountain and Big Thunder twice in a row! Later that night all of the

contestants went to Seagate to participate in a vendor event. The owner of this beautiful Florida estate had top chefs of various restaurants serve some or their favorite foods in his backyard. It was such an interesting way to have dinner. We were joined by Miss America, Caressa Cameron where she graced us with a song. Wow, does that girl have pipes! Her range is remarkable.

Finally Saturday came along, where we all met in the morning for breakfast and orientation. That was when the fact that I am going to the Miss America pageant truly sank in. Miss America gave an inspirational speech on how to stay true and focused. She also gave us secret hints on what to expect in Vegas. She is such a sweet person, and I am glad she is able to represent the organization this year. Later that night, we all brought our autograph cards to sign for all of the audience members who wanted our autographs. I sat next to my buddy, Miss New Mexico, and we had a blast before the show. I am not the best at giving little quotes to people when I autograph a card, so I borrowed some of her phrases for the night. Soon the final competitions began, and Shelby strutted her stuff during the opening number; she did a wonderful job and everyone was very proud of her. She received an award for community service and for sales/sponsor ads. It was a great week and I am so happy that I was able to cheer Shelby on throughout the entire competition.

That same week, I moved into the beautiful home of my host

family, Kathi and Glenn Baldwin. They welcomed me with open arms. My mom took us all out to a fun and healthy restaurant in Orange County and we were all able to get to know more about each other. Although I have known this family for five years, this is the first time I was really able to get to know them on a more personal level. I am excited to be a part of their family for a while; I know it will be a fun adventure!

I am currently heading back from Miss Lake County, my first local pageant appearance as Miss California. The family of a former Miss Lake County, Amanda Betat, graciously opened their home to Gwen Adkins and I. I had such a great time with Cricket Betat, she was definitely a kick! She is an amazing cook and jewelery artist, so I was lucky enough to be the beneficiary of some of her gifts. Thursday night I got together with some of the judges and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Blue Wing. Freeman Stamper was so cute and had me take a picture with all the waiters. I was able to catch up with Layne Sanders, Tony Moises, Paul San Filipo, and it was definitely good eatin'!

On pageant day, I participated in a mock interview, as the warm-up for the contestants. The questions were mostly on politics, but I felt I was able to hold my own. I thoroughly like being able to do mock interviews at the local pageants; thanks Bob Arnhym for always setting it up. Next I visited a local senior home, where Taylor Butler, Miss Sacramento County/Miss Lake County 09 and Katie Murphy, Miss Lake County's Outstanding Teen 09, joined me in this event. My goal, whenever I have a local pageant appearance, is to visit a senior home in the community, since my platform is “A Helping Hand For America's Seniors.” Doing this as often as I can will help bring about a much greater awareness that the interactions between young adults and seniors is a mutually beneficial experience. We visited some residents’ rooms where they shared some great stories with us. We also performed in their main lobby. Their faces just lit up when they saw our crowns!

Later, the competition was held in the Lake County fairgrounds, a fun and lively environment. I sang LeAnn Rimes’ "How Do I live" and assisted with the onstage questions and crowning of the princesses and new titleholders. Michelle Wells is the new Miss Lake County and Faith Hornby is the new Miss Lake County’s Outstanding Teen. They both were so gracious and I can't wait to see them at Fresno next June. I know they will have such a great time during their year of service.

Thanks for reading my extremely long blog. I hope you enjoyed it!!

Until next time...

Arianna Afsar

Miss California 2010