***HOLLYWOOD***

LA

~MARCH 4-8~

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting some friends in LA while I was on business.  Let me tell you a little bit about that! 

What I love about LA is that it is made up of dozens of communities. -There is no one single experience that can sum up the life and the heartbeat of this city.  But what can be noticed about Los Angeles by both tourists and locals alike is the vibrant and unique neighborhoods, and the extreme diversity that sets it apart from any other city.  

I LOVE the diversity of LA and I got to experience that first-hand.  Since I was in LA during th Oscars, every hotel in the area was about 600 dollars a night.  The only place offering a good deal was in "Chinatown."  While in Chinatown, I literally felt like I was in another country. -All of the billboards, bus stops, benches, and local stores were ALL in Chinese.  (I logged into the hotel computer and even THAT was in Chinese haha...)

So yes, while when the words "Los Angeles" first reach our ears, we instantly think of "eternal sunshine," "beaches," and "Hollywood glitz" ....don't forget that LA is also home to many small communities as well, with their own distinct cultural personalities.  In LA, there is a place for everyone. 

Anyway, immediately after I landed, we checked out the Farmer's Market for dinner, otherwise known as "The Grove." 

I had never seen anything like it. The Grove offers EVERY single type of food you can possibly imagine... and it's ALL in one place.  (Naturally, I was in heaven)  After much deliberation, we finally chose to eat at this Brazilian Steakhouse/ outdoor, open buffet type place.  (...they definitely don't have those in Oklahoma) 

And wouldn't you know it, Crystal Bowersox from American Idol had the same idea.  While I was eating, I had the pleasure of speaking with her.  She is AWESOME and I am totally pulling for her. She said she'll be cheering for me at Miss USA! ;)... We also exchanged favors: I vote for her, and she votes for me. haha ;) (The Photogenic Award that will be on NBC in May)

The incredibly talented, Crystal Bowersox.

Also at the Grove, was Fo Porter, from America's Next Top Model Cycle 12.

It was ironic seeing her because I was recently contacted by the ANTM casting team asking me to come in for a private casting in Dallas.  (I appreciate them allowing me to avoid those crazy lines, haha)

I also ran into my friend, Yuri, while in LA, who I had the pleasure of shooting with in New York City several weeks ago.  He just landed the Christian Audigier campaign, and had billboards  already up while I was in town. What a stud.

Also to make note, while I was shopping with friends, I ran into Jaimee Grubbs, former mistress of Tiger Woods.  (She was shoe shopping at Rock & Republic. haha...)

...........Moving right along, and away from the celebs...Behn and I tore down the city in pursuit of the most kickin' wardrobe EVER for Miss USA and the "City of Angels" did NOT dissapoint. ;)

We drove all throughout Ritzy West Hollywood, past the Sunset Strip and the Santa Monica Pier, all throughout the upscale Melrose Avenue Shopping District, Beverly Hills and of course, Rodeo Drive.

Funny story:  My dad shoots me a text during our shopping excursion and types, "Ummm the credit card company called.  They were concerned about a possible 'fraud' in Beverly Hills." ...hahaha....

Needless to say, even though I had to drop some major cash, I was able to purchase several INCREDIBLE statement pieces and I'm really looking forward to showing them off in Vegas soon. ;)

(On another comical note:  One store clerk thought I looked like "Heidi Montag" post-surgery???? haha...I decided to just go ahead and take that as a "twisted compliment" -The girl had to have 12+ Plastic surgeries to look similar to what I look like naturally. ;) lol... Because "THIS" nose, lips, cheek bones, teeth and chin are from the good Lord above haha....and mom and dad, of course.)

MORE BIG NEWS: I met with Brett Tomberlin, producer with Imagination Design Works.  IDW Productions is an independent entertainment Production Company that creates feature length motion pictures, television programming, stage productions and website properties.

In June, I will be modeling for a t-shirt line coming out to promote an upcoming movie, "Winchester."  (Based off of the haunted, Winchester Mansion in San Jose, Cali ~ http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/index.cfm) IDW is also offering me the opportunity to audition for the film.

To date, Winchester is currently in development and is being penned by the writers of Haunting in Connecticut, Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe. IDW will produce the film in association with Nine Entertainment and Haunting in Connecticut producer, Andy Trapani.

Along with Winchester, I've been given the opportunity to audition for Pointe Miguel.  Pointe Miguel is also in development at this time and is projected to enter into production in Fall. Andrew Golov, former executive at Spelling Television and Artisan Entertainment will be heading this upcoming soccer thriller. During Andrew's tenure at the studios he oversaw such properties as "Backdraft," "Far and Away," "Thinner," "The Punisher," and "The Blair Witch Project."

Last of my celebrity "run-ins," ....As I was leaving LA and preparing to board for NYC, I met the engaging, Al Roker.  I complimented Al on what a fantastic job he did putting together the Miss USA documentary featured on E!  He gratefully accepted my compliments.  Afterward, we talked about my Miss USA preparations. 

Aside from the "celebs," the best part of the trip was spending time with my great friend, Behn, and shopping until we dropped. (Literally! - We forgot where we parked and walked around for nearly an hour looking for our car... haha) ...I also had the pleasure of meeting his pride and joy, "Glitz," the shi tzu.

Last of the adventures worth mentioning is of course related to food. ;) And anyone who KNOWS me, KNOWS that I'm not one of those "salad eating" chicks. haha...

Quick Fixes: While in a hurry one day, we drove through Mcdonald's for lunch where they hung a giant sign stating, "99 BILLION SERVED..." (Dang that's a lot of people who like big macs... haha....) And in need of a midnight snack, I also had to try the famous, "Del Taco" before I left town.  I must tell you, I have never in my life seen a fast food restaurant that only serves one option...haha...TACOS!!! ( A #1-#10 were all.... tacos, LOL)

Restaurants of Choice: One night we hit up "Baby Blues BBQ", where I chowed down on some catfish, fries, and mac n cheese. haha... (The breakfast of champions...) Another night we enjoyed "Mel's Diner", one of the oldest in LA, where I got to indulge in a burger, fries, and chocolate milkshake. (Chocolate is my weakness!!)

To CONCLUDE:

My TOP 5 "Craziest Things about LA":

1.) Seeing a celebrity at least once a day is quite ordinary. 

2.)  THE TRAFFIC. Omyword. A 10 minute drive in OKC is a 40 minute bumper to bumper in LA.

3.)  There's a fast food restaurant that only offers one option...haha... TACOS!! (Although, those were some dang good tacos.)

4.)  Medical Marijuana is advertised in neon lights inside store windows. haha ( I will never forget driving through town at night and seeing a giant neon green Marijuana LEAF in the window! haha... "Toto, we're not in Oklahoma anymore" ;) )

5.) At the entrance of almost every parking lot, EVEN THE GROCERY STORE, you have to take a ticket and get it validated. Amazing!

That's all folks!

Hope everyone has a blessed day.

Peace & Love,

BABY LUKE IS HERE!!!

My beautiful nephew was welcomed into the world the day after I got home from NYC. He arrived bright and early around 6 a.m.  We could not be happier or more grateful for the safe delivery and for our healthy baby boy!!!! :)

I am so proud to be an Aunt.  Thank you Faith and Luke for making my life a little brighter. I love you both! - Aunt Mo

(Faith Kendall playing in the snow we've been having ;) )

After Luke was born, I headed to Tulsa that night to meet with an interview coach.

It was an all-around successful day.

"What the world needs now, is LoVe, sweet LoVe, ...Its the only thing that there's just too little of... no, not just for some, but for EvErYoNe..."

<3<3<3VaLeNtInE's DaY<3<3<3
February 14

I had a FULL DAY of fun-filled events with my Cade on V-Day!

We headed off to Dallas and  had an amazing time enjoying the Dallas World Aquarium, visiting family, and of course, stopping at SPRINKLES and buying over a dozen cupcakes!!!! haha...

He also had a spa day planned up his sleeve where I received a relaxing hot stone massage.  Afterward, we had the opportunity to go to the NBA All-Star Game in the new Cowboy Stadium!!!!

(The Manitee's were my favorite! :))

(A rare leafy sea dragon)

(My favorite flavors are chocolate, chocolate peanut butter chip, red velvet, and strawberry :))

( I LOOOOVE Massages)

(And I LOOOVE Basketball! :))

WOW! What a day, huh?!

Have a good one and spread the love! ;)

"Start spreadin' the newsss, I'm leaving todayyy...I wanna be a part of it--New York, New York!!"

New York, New York

~FEBRUARY 4-9th~

(I LOVE peanut M&M's!)

 

(The view from my hotel room)

Hello everyone! I apologize for being a bit “MIA” for the past few months.  I have been traveling like crazy and haven’t had a chance to update. Since the last post, I've been to Tulsa, Houston, Dallas twice, Kansas City twice, New York City twice, LA and many other exciting destinations!  With all the speaking engagements, appearances, and photo shoots I’ve been doing, I feel like I’m already living the life of Miss USA. It can be exhausting, but the best kind of exhausting! ;) I am grateful for every second of the journey. 

The first week of February, I spent nearly a week in New York City.  I can't describe in words how much I enjoyed my visit, even walking miles in the cold. ;) --You should of seen me. I was like a real “New Yorker,” speed walking throughout the busy city!  There is something incredibly empowering about NYC.  The atmosphere makes you come alive.  There is so much to take in... the sounds, the smells, the people, the voices, the cultures, the foods... it's really incredible.

Yep, there is nothing quite like the big apple…. Worlds away from my home in Moore, Oklahoma. ;)

(wink, wink!)

I traveled to the city that never sleeps with my mother alongside me, who ADORES NYC, and for good reason.  My mom is a born and raised New Yorker believe it or not. (Although upstate) …She is a physical therapist and lived and worked in the New York City Baptist Hospital in her 20s.

- On a side note, she packed up and moved there all on her own without knowing a soul.  Not only New York City, but many other fascinating places, like Venezuela!

I too, have this identical spirit that she had as a young woman. I long to travel all over the world and embark on a similar great adventure of my own. My entire life I have had an deep fascination for other countries and cultures. Whatever I end up doing in life, I do hope it allows me the ability to travel, experience new things, see new places, and meet new faces.

Because of this great love to explore new places and experience new environments, winning Miss USA would be a dream job. (And even more so, Miss Universe)  It embodies everything that I am and everything that I love in life. – Meeting new people, inspiring others daily, being a role model, a public speaker, a model, a diplomat, and of course, being an ambassador of love and strength and beauty –inside and out.

Thursday:

(Modeling the awesome hats at the M&M store, lol)

Anyway, back to my trip to the city. So, naturally, even though we’ve been to New York, my mom and I had to visit the typical tourist spots. We had quite a time making our way through the three-stories of the M & M store. And being the chocoholic that I am, I couldn't forget to make my stop at the Hershey’s store. On our way back to the hotel, we also decided to graze through the massive Time Square “Toys R Us” for my niece and nephew. My brother in law, Matt, is an Oklahoma City police officer so we made sure that baby Luke had NYPD onesies when we got home ;) The last stop we made was my favorite, the ESPN Zone, of course! I got some great shirts for rehearsals at Miss USA.

Friday:

The day of my photo shoot with Fadil we ordered in a big room service breakfast.  It was deeeelicious!  Wrapping up the shoot, it could not have gone any better. The staff I worked with were not only incredibly talented, which we all are aware of, but they were genuinely wonderful people as well. I also shot briefly with a male model originally from Slovenia named Yuri. He was a gifted model and had worked for many huge names, including Gucci.  Yuro also had recently finished shooting a lady gaga music video. Amazing! (I felt like I was rubbing elbows with the rich and famous ;)) The craziest part about meeting Yuri however, was that as it turns out, he played college basketball in Oklahoma at one point in his life, no more than thirty minutes from my hometown. What an amazingly small world we live in. 

I also met an amazing young woman named Yuko at the shoot. She did my hair and makeup.  Yuko is one of those staff members I mentioned earlier-- not only is she a talented creative manager, but she is a phenomenal person.  We had so much in common and I consider her a dear friend now.  Hopefully I will see her again soon.

Afterward, Fadil suggested we go to a steakhouse located under his studio. It turned out to be the most exceptional steak I have ever had! Also joining us during the shoot and for dinner, was Ashley Bickford, Miss Connecticut USA. It was a pleasure meeting her.  I loved hearing about her triple crown accomplishments.

Once we finished our cheesecakeand chocolate mousse cake for dessert, we shared a taxi to her bus stop to make sure she made it safely. Our taxi driver was a HOOT. He was an 80-year-old Vietnam Veteran with such a vibrant, lively personality.  (I hope I have that much spunk at 80!)  I made sure to thank him for his service to our country before we parted.

Saturday:

Saturday was the most brutally cold day of the trip. The piercing west winds still didn’t stop me from walking all over New York, though. Mother and I walked to Time Square and then to Columbus Circle to do some shopping. Although, while we were expecting to purchase some clothing, the only thing we ended up buying all day was food! Haha…And the only thing we got on our stop into Columbus Circle was a bag full of Godiva chocolate ;) …After Columbus Circle we fought our way to 5th Avenue facing the strong winds head on. After gazing upon the shops with one thousand dollar shoes and extravagant jewelry that would make me go bankrupt, we decided to have lunch at the Rockefeller Center. We had lunch in a location underground where we could watch the ice skaters. My favorite part about the Rockefeller was the flags circling around that rink that represented countries from all over the world. They flew proudly in the air.

…On our way home, (Or back to our hotel, that is. –I’m already calling NYC my home. LOL) we made a short stop at the NBC store, and then, naturally, made our way to Magnolias once again for cupcakes. When we arrived back at the hotel, we watched the OU/Texas basketball game. We ended up pulling the upset and beating Texas, which was a huge win for the Oklahoma Sooners! woohoo!!  Later, we headed out for dinner.

We were supposed to fly home on Sunday, but our flight from Baltimore was cancelled and rescheduled for Monday. Then, on Sunday night we received a call saying our flight was cancelled for a second time, except this time out of New York. Haha…( I chose to see this a sign that I was clearly supposed to stay in New York!!! ;) )

Sunday:

Moving along, since we had a few extra days in my future home, we decided to really get the "New York experience." We found a great pizza place for lunch and later enjoyed a wonderful off-broadway show. We chose on a whim to see the Fantasticks. It’s been performed for over 50 years so I figured that it must be worth seeing. Off-broadway was fascinating as I could literally reach out and touch the performers. I loved the intimacy of the stage production.

When we got home, we cleaned up for dinner and actually took a taxi this time. We enjoyed the lovely ambiance at Tao restaurant. They did a grand job with lighting and décor, not to mention outstanding service. Five stars for Tao!

Speaking of Tao, my food consumption in NYC  was OFF THE CHARTS! Haha... I had pretty much everything you can imagine.  And just to show you how phenomenal of a memory I have, haha... I will name off some of the outrageous foods I got to indulge in!!!......Chips and salsa, steak, shrimp, pork, chicken fajitas, corn mix, guacamole, bacon, eggs, oatmeal with brown sugar and strawberries and raisins, breakfast potatoes, pineapple, cantaloupe, STEAK, broccoli, cheesecake, chocolate mousse cakes, teddy grahams, trail mix, nutri-grain bar, cheez its, Nabisco cookies, Magnolia’s, 4 chocolate cupcakes, pineapple cupcakes, peanut butter and brown sugar cookies, bagel and cream cheese, egg bacon and cheese breakfast sandwich on English muffin, several cappuccino’s, a handful of hot chocolates, pepper jack cheeseburger and fries, a bundle of breads and muffins, GODIVA – chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry/banana shish-ka-bob, dark chocolate covered blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, empanadas with avocado, Caesar salad, 21 layer crepe with berries, a large half pepperoni/sausage and bruchetta pizza, Snapple, edamami, hot and sour soup, shrimp toast, onion rings, filet, orange chicken, rice, molten lava cake, chocolate chopsticks, chocolate fortune cookie, vanilla bean icecream, strawberries, French toast with powdered sugar and maple syrup, scrambled eggs, everything bagel with cream cheese, more pizza and dessert….among other things of course. Haha…

 mmmm...mmmm...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ;)

(Yes, I attempted to taste test all 18,000 restaurants in NYC within a week, haha…but was unsuccessful. Hopefully I burnt a few calories here and there from all the walking I did. ;))

Well, I hope you enjoyed hearing about my trip to New York City! That was pretty much it in a nutshell ;)

*Striking poses in Kansas City*

*****First off, on January 23 I attended a MACU basketball game in honor of my brother-in-law, Matthew Lindsey.  He was awarded a spot on the "TEAM OF THE DECADE." We were so proud of him. Congratulations, Matt on your wonderful accomplishment as a college athlete.*****

A couple days afterward, I headed off to Kansas City for the first of three Vanbros "bootcamps."  January 29, 30, and 31st was reserved for spending  time with my beautiful Vanbros sisters, pictured down the left of the screen ;)

I left a day early because of the bad weather in Oklahoma City to be safe. (You can never be too careful when you have a six hour drive to defeat in the snow) 

....Since I was in town early, I was allowed to relax and do a little shopping at Oak  Park Mall.  While I was there, I managed to snag that killer black blazer you see me wearing in these photos. ;) ...Later, I made my way to Borders to grab a hot chocolate and do some reading.  I love the atmosphere and vibe of bookstores.

....The next day we met with Jen briefly to work on our Miss USA profiles. (Unfortunately for me, there were some glitches on the main page and everything we worked on was deleted. :( ) Nonetheless, I received some great feedback.  After seeing Jen we were freed to spend time with one another. 

That night we all met at "Spin Pizza" and had a great meal. (Bethany and I were the only ones who ate pizza, though...haha ;) )  After our "pizza party," we all jetted over to Miss Kansas Teen USA's house, Olivia Harlan, for a Miss America Watch Party!! -It was an absolute blast! Nebraska, Arkansas, and Oklahoma made the top 15 so we were proud of our states. ;)  Mrs. Harlan made us an incredible apple dessert and coffee as we enjoyed the show.  She had a BEAUTIFUL home and could not have been more hospitable.

The next morning we had our photo shoots for the Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas websites.  It was a fast paced day, but we had a lot of fun in the process. 

...I got up extra early to stop by Panera and purchase some bagels and cream cheese for the ladies and the staff for breakfast.  I knew it was going to be a long day for everyone, so a carb-loaded breakfast was essential. ;)  There were also some homemade chocolate chip cookies at hand, and some delicious trail mix to munch on...

During our shoot, we had to face the freezing cold weather outside!!! (There was even snow on the ground! ha)  However, we all bravely fought through it knowing the end result would be nothing short of fantastic, and it was!

We also had the pleasure of meeting some awesome people in the process, including Lisa Proctor, makeup extraordinaire, and the fabulous Bryan Wood, who assisted her. Also to help was our titleholder prize package hair stylist, Kitch.

And of course, all of the photo credits go to the one and only, Will Patterson!  -Thank you, Will for all of your hard work.

Feel free to check out Lisa and Will's websites. They are both truly talented people. 

Lisa Proctor - Makeup - http://www.lisaproctor.com/

Will Patterson - Photography - http://www.willpatterson.com/  

 

I hope you enjoy the photos above and below!  Have a terrific week and God bless. :)