Miss America

It has been a couple weeks since one of the most exciting adventures of my entire life: Miss America.
This voyage has truly been memorable and I met 52 fabulous women. The most common question I get
from people is “Are all the girls mean? Did you really get along?” Although I answer as frankly as I can,
the answer is always the same, “These are the most fabulous, caring, driven, motivated, supportive,
and genuine people I met.” We were all there to enjoy our one chance at this experience and we were
not going to ruin it by being cutthroat. We knew that we would not get any more points by not sharing
hairspray or makeup or anything of that matter, so what would be the point to be like that? We all
understood each other because we had been working for the same goal for 6 months; we all practiced
daily on our talent, we were addicted to the gym, we deprived ourselves of sweets, we were glued to
CNN, we shopped till we dropped, and we all enjoyed the amazing journey of preparing for this week
and we were going to have the most unbelievable time possible. That is exactly what we did. I can
honestly say, and I believe the Miss America Organization recognized it as well, that we were one of the
closest class the organization has had in decades. I miss seeing these women every day, and I just can’t
wait to see what we will all accomplish in years to come.

I have to start with my roommate for life: Kathryn Knuttila Miss Minnesota. First of all you will be seeing
her work in major feature films coming up, so watch out. She performed a fabulous original composition
for her Miss America talent and of course I had to be the same night as her!! She was awarded non-
finalist talent. We met each other in Orlando back in August and immediately clicked. It
was a blessing to have her as my roommate. We had basically the same sleeping schedule, preparation
tactics, and honest advice. We would do crunches together at night, munch on the fabulous fiber one
cereal, ask each other interview questions, and bluntly tell each other how we looked before we walked
out the door! ;] I was so lucky to have this fabulous woman as my roommate.

Backing up… I arrived in Las Vegas on January 5th, a day early. Thanks to the WONDERFUL Chelle Hyde,
we got our own room to relax and enjoy before all the chaos started the next day. We were able to do
a Walmart shopping run with Miss Oklahoma and check out the beautiful and blinged out hotel: the
Cosmopolitan.

The next day was Opening Ceremonies were we were given our “bachelorette” rose by Boyz II Men!!!
They even sang to a few of us, which was quite a treat. I am not going to lie, by no means was it warm,
but we all picked out our cute outfits for a reason, so I was determined to show mine off! ;]

Some other exciting events were the Barry Manilow show, going to the top of the Paris Hotel, flipping
pancakes for the IHOP CMN fundraiser, filming commercials for DSW, participating in a Joseph Ribkoff
Fashion Show, rehearsing, more rehearsing, and even more rehearsing.

There were so many people other than the contestants that made this trip so memorable: the security,
Rodney, Lewis and Chris who always found the humor of every situation; the fabulous hostesses who
stayed up until 1am every night making sure we knew where to go the next day and the awesome
choreographers, stage managers and production team who broke down every move and step to make
us look fabulous. Overall it was such a professional and put-together environment which was always
comforting.

I remember distinctly two conversations that I had separately with Miss Michigan and Miss Colorado
about no matter the outcome, all of our lives were going to change post Miss America. I would be
either (A) traveling the world or (B) be going back home to San Diego where a new adventure of being
Miss California would begin. Before, I only knew the life of Miss California residing in the Baldwin’s
beautiful Orange County home, leaving at 7am and coming back at 9pm. Everyday my life consisted
of preparation activities and Miss California events. After Miss America, no matter what my life was,
it would change. I still get to live the dream of Miss California but it will be a completely different
experience now. For 6 months part of being Miss California was preparing every single second, but now
I truly get to enjoy and savor each moment of without having to think about anything else. I have grown
and changed more than I could have ever realized. I have become stronger, wiser, and smarter because
of this adventure and I am truly grateful. A lot of people ask me if I regret competing at 18, and I don’t
at all. I am not one to believe in fate, but rather that you make your own destiny. I am grateful for this
experience when and how it happened and I would not have had it any other way. Making the Top 10
out of all these fabulous women was an honor, I was able to show America everything I had, swimsuit,
evening gown, talent and my onstage question dress without the fear of not answering the question
succinctly enough ;].

There were a lot of people that came and supported me throughout the entire week. Being able to see
these people every night of competition was a must. They gave me the confidence and drive to give it
my all no matter if I was exhausted or discouraged; they were always there to pick me up. Bob- seeing
your pearly whites every night was so helpful. Your statement of “You got the points you needed, you
got the points” with a huge grin on your face was so reassuring. Making you proud was enough for me.






Chelle, thank you for EVERYTHING; I don’t even know where to begin, from the secret watermelon
gifts, to being the amazing Lucille Ball escort, to the daily notes of encouragement. You are THE best
business manager I could ever have. Remember if I make it big, I’ll pay you to follow me and be my
business manager ;].





Kati and Joe- Thank you for being amazing supporters. I LOVED seeing my banner
every night. It was a reminder of how much I am loved. I am honored to always be your San Diego girl.
Dirk and Patti Wunderlich, Ernie Koneck, Tom Moletteire, Kathi and Doug Hikawa, Alesia and Timari
Foster, Vera Hartsock, Jan & Jim Dowd, my Uncle Terry, my great Aunt and Uncle, Jess and Maureen,
Millie and Elaine Grgas , Shelby and Barb McDonald, the best boyfriend: Jeff Knecht, my bestfriend of all time: Shireen Ashtari, wonderful bestie: Dayne Tran, Lauren and Deanna Brady, Mickey and Derek Copple, Layne Sanders, Shelby and Paula Sinkler, Mary McCaman, Felicia Alvarez, Norma and Don Troast, Marissa Santana, and Caroline
Olivier, Nikki Lehman- Thank you SO much for your support. It was TRULY TRULY TRULY appreciated. For all of those
who saw me at any point, thank you. Again I can’t stress enough how I loved the “A F S A R Arianna is
our star” chant, loving words, and glowing smiles. Although it was a wonderful experience, when it got
to competition I was very drained and you all picked me up every single night. It is still unbelievable to
me to realize how many people came out and supported me, I am truly touched.

The BIGGEST thank you goes to my parents. Dad: thank you for always telling me the honest truth.
So when you say I nailed the song, I know you mean it. You always see the glass half full in every
circumstance and you gave me my philosophy on life, which is to take advantage of every situation. I
made the best of my experience, I worked as much as I could, I tried my hardest, and you showed me
how to be my best; I appreciate that lesson. Mom: thank you for always having my back and for always

understanding the meaning of my tears and smiles. Thanks for listening to me express my joy or vent
during the week whether it be for 30 minutes or 2 seconds. You are the one person who gets me, the
ins and outs, I never have to explain myself and that was extremely helpful for this experience. You are
the one who taught me to manage my time and succeed in whatever endeavors I put my mind and heart
toward.

Overall I had a wonderful experience, and I can’t wait to bestow my wisdom upon the next Miss
California :].

I was able to return to beautiful Fresno on November 12th. It was so fabulous seeing all of the wonderful
volunteers and discussing with them my intense preparation experience. I will admit that it was a little
strange having them discuss the next Miss CA competition… I am definitely not ready to turn this job
over.


The next week I met the fabulous Jeann Mcswain, owner of Athena Jean Salon. I was a part of
their “Look Good Feel Better” fundraiser. I was also able to see my Miss California roommate, Lana
Brewster. She is such a beautiful woman inside and out, and it was wonderful to catch up with her.
We were all treated like celebrities by getting our hair and makeup done and getting a massage and
pedicure the next day. It was such a successful fundraiser and speaking on behalf of the wonderful LGFB
program was an honor.


In December I was able to finally meet the staff of the Little Brother’s Friends of the Elderly (LBFE)
Organization in San Francisco. The down-to-earth Miss CA 2004 Nicole Lamarche, drove me around
the city to participate in a LBFE meeting. The next day I was able to partake in the best parade I have
ever seen LIVE: Oakland’s “America’s Children’s Parade.” It was shown internationally. I was able to
sing 45 seconds of “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”. I had adorable dancers dance to my song on
a Christmas dream float. I had a BLAST! Linda Otriveros was my traveling companion and showed me a
new world of makeup!!! The next day I was able to be a part of the Miss Oakland pageant where I saw
my fabulous sister: Shelby Sinkler. Congratulations to the new Miss Oakland and Outstanding Teen,
Nanxi Liu and Sarah Dahdouh. Layne Sanders did a fabulous job of putting on a successful show in a
beautiful theater.

My FABULOUS Pilates Sponsor. Sharmila Mitra from Core Arts Pilates had an awesome christmas party that I attended. Pilates changed my body and it is all thanks to Sharmila!!!!

The next week I participated in the Nutcracker put on by the California School of Ballet owned by
Maxine Mahon, one of my judges at the Miss California pageant. It was so great to catch up with Lurece
Hunter, my traveling companion, and meet all of the magnificent ballerinas. They even had me sign their
pointe shoes!!! We later exchanged tips on pageant poses and ballerina poses.


The following week I went to Kansas City, MO where I stayed with one of my best friend’s family, the
Harens. I had a session with the incomparable vocal coach and music arranger, Bill Wolfe. It was a great
last hurrah before my trip out to Las Vegas.

November Blog

The day after I got back to Orange County, I was off to San Diego where I had a wonderful lunch with
Bob. Throughout these months I have been having lunch dates with Bob on a regular basis; he is the
best interview coach I could ask for. He has so much wisdom and knowledge and I love picking at his
brain ;]. Bob definitely is lucky this year because we have a lot of the same social and fiscal views. Right
after my lunch date I drove down to work out with Mike Douglass, my personal trainer in Alpine, which
I have been doing on a regular basis. He is so encouraging, but kicks my butt every time I work out with
him.

On November 2nd I had my sponsored hair appointment where I was treated like true royalty! Chelle
and I met Stephen Wicking on the American Airlines flight in August on the way back from Orlando. He
is such a genuinely nice man; he immediately took us into the Admiral's club when we met him on the
plane. Lisa Richardson Loeb is owner of the outstanding "Salon Marchessa" in La Mesa who colored my
hair. She highlighted my hair a shade lighter which really brightened up my face and it was a perfect
choice. Stephen then cut my hair into a very playful, easy, and free style which I absolutely adore; I
am hooked on their services. The salon then treated me to a manicure and a pedicure which has been
long overdue. Their salon was so adorable and very fashionable, which was a great touch. They also
purchased lunch for me and just made me feel so welcome!



The next day, I was off to Virginia for the Christening of the California Submarine! I was absolutely
honored to be a part of this monumental ceremony. My first job was to attend the media photo session
to show my support and encouragement for this celebration. When I arrived to the submarine, I was
dumbfounded; the boat was enormous spanning 377 feet long and being able to undergo 6 months of
submersion at a time. The boat will last for over 50 years and at the half way mark, Northrop Grumman
Shipbuilding Company will revamp the entire boat in order to give it updates and repairs. I was able to
meet the sponsor Donna Willard and her daughter and two grandchildren who were both so enamored
with my crown the entire weekend. They both were able to be Miss Submarine Princess that day by
trying on my crown. The average age of the crew members was 20 years old, so I was able to relate
and converse with a lot of them. I applaud them for all their hard work and bravery for fighting for our
country. Their strength is unbelievable to me especially since we are all around the same age! I signed
and handed out autograph cards to many of the crew members and ship builders. All of the individuals
involved with the creation of this boat deserve a huge appreciation; it takes approximately 12 years to
design and build the submarine. I also just found out that they are going to hang my signed 8x10 picture
in the submarine when it goes out to battle. I am flabbergasted with that news!!! I feel more than honor
to have my picture hung in the boat for the crew.



That night we attended the sponsor dinner where we immediately met the Naval Chaplain and his wife,
Don and Norma Troast. It had to be fate that we met them because they are Williamsburg residents and

that is exactly where we wanted to go on our afternoon off the next day. They graciously invited us to
give us a tour of Williamsburg and an 18th century candlelit dinner. At the dinner, they had a red carpet
photo arena where I was the official Hollywood celeb to take pictures with majority of the guests. It
was quite funny to be brought back to Hollywood in Newport News, Virginia! The presentation during
the dinner was pretty exceptional, for they introduced veterans from WWII, executives of Northrop
Grumman Shipbuilding Company, the Willard family (the official sponsor), professionals in the Virginia-
Class Submarine Program, and presidents of General Dynamics Electric Boat Company. All of these
individuals contributed to the completion of the California SSN 781. At our departure, we all received
goodie bags full of USS California engraved water glasses.
WWII vets.

The next day was the BIG day!! It was so exciting and an honor to be the last one to enter the stage
and immediately perform the national anthem with a fabulous color guard in front. The presidents of
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding and general Dynamics Electric Boat: Mr. Mike Petters and Mr. John
Casey spoke during the ceremony about their company's contribution and the significance of this boat
for our nation. US House of Representatives, Rob Wittman and Bobby Scott, also shared their support
for this submarine and all its potential. Then Donna Willard broke the bottle in front of the boat to
officially christen the California SSN 781 where gold and blue balloons fell from the ceiling. I immediately
hurdled myself through the balloons back onstage to sing God Bless America. Everyone joined in
the second round of the song and we all could feel an instant connection between the boat and the
audience; it was an unforgettable feeling. After the ceremony the boy scouts stopped me for some
autographs which were very funny because a lot of them were extremely nervous to even talk to me.
They then started an autograph session for two hours which actually flew by because each person that
came up to get a picture had a different story to tell whether they were involved with the shipbuilding,
one of the crew members, or a family member of an individual in the crew.

We then immediately headed out to Williamsburg, which was quite a sight! I have never been to a
historical place in America, so it was a first adventure for me. Don and Norma were more than generous
for planning this whole afternoon/night for Chelle and me.