Meet and Eat with Miss Greater NYC and Wafels and Dinges!

I had a wonderful time on Saturday at South Street Seaport with my friends from Wafels and Dinges. Special thanks to Thomas (the Wafel Guy), Sonia (who runs the South Street Seaport cart) and Joe (my favorite wafeleur) for making the event possible. Wafels and Dinges made a generous contribution toward my Miss NY expenses, and I'm so grateful for their support!

Near the new Wafels and Dinges cart at South Street Seaport.

Happy customers!

With a few of the awesome wafel guys.

With Sonia, who runs the South Street Seaport cart.

My mom is superwoman.

Pageants can be expensive. This is no secret. In addition to travel expenses, promotional materials for your platform, time (which is money) and fundraising, there's the pageant wardrobe- a massive, looming, multi-faceted entity; the acquisition of which leaves you feeling like a hero in a Greek tragedy on an epic quest.

That's me, retrieving the final piece of a super awesome pageant wardrobe that makes me feel great! And the sword means it's free! (Who's going to ask you to pay for something when you're holding a sword?) Ok, fine,  maybe it's Jason the Argonaut retrieving the Golden Fleece. You get the idea, though...

Interview outfit, opening number dress, talent costume, swimsuit, evening gown, on stage question dress, jewelry, shoes.... Scary, right? Now multiply that by three (my sisters, Kieren and Courtney, are also competing for Miss NY this year). I'll be honest- the wardrobe has always and forever been the thing about pageants that most intimidates me. Money has always been an issue, and admittedly, it's unfortunately easy to get caught up in what everyone else is wearing, and how beautiful and new their wardrobes look, and who designed what, etc. etc.

Instead of high-end designer wardrobes, Kieren, Courtney and I are incredibly lucky in another way! We've got supermom! She sews! She alters! She bedazzles! She's taught us to look at a piece of clothing and see what it could be, instead of just what it is now. I am the queen of reworking pieces I already own, and my mom has the technical know-how (or experimental courage) to make it happen. And I just have to give her a quick shout out, because she is currently kicking her superpowers into overdrive to get everything done by June 21st. For the upcoming Miss New York competition, my mom is making my swimsuit, Kieren's swimsuit, Courtney's talent costume, my talent costume, and my interview dress. For real. Additionally, she'll be nipping/ tucking/ stitching/ adorning anything else that we found that needs a little lovin' to make it extra special!

I'm taking suggestions for a VERY NICE (yet affordable) thank you to give/ do for my mom once the craziness of this month passes- suggestions?

Have you bought your tickets yet?

Tickets are now available for purchase on the Miss NY website for the Miss NY 2010 Preliminary, Teen, and Miss Final competitions on June 25th and 26th, to be held at the SUNY Albany Performing Arts Center's Main Stage. The theatre is a bit smaller this year, and the seating is assigned, so buy now to ensure rockin' seats!

Tickets are also on sale for the Miss NY 2010 Ball, to be held at our host hotel- the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road (near the airport) in Albany. There will be a breakfast buffet (I'll be the FIRST in line for the Waffle Sundae Bar...), a DJ and cash bar along with raffles and special awards for the Miss NY contestants. I'm sure it'll be an awesome event! You can purchase those tickets here.

I hope to see you in Albany!

Too cool for school? Maybe... Too cool for the School of the Future? I doubt it.

I'm thrilled to announce a partnership with the School of the Future, an intergenerational free school created by some pretty awesome fellow-teaching artists who want to put the learner (in this case, a community) in the educational driver's seat. School of the Future will be held in July in Sgt. William Dougherty Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in a temporary structure built specifically for the needs of the project. Awesome. I'm honored and very excited to be a part of this project, and would love to let you know how YOU can be a part of it, too!

School of the Future is planning an exciting fundraising opportunity! If you're free, PLEASE come support this exciting and promising new project! Check out the info below.

We will be hosting a School Expo of the Future on June 11th to kick off our summer semester. Join us for a dance-off, good food, drinks, an exposition of classes that will be offered at School of the Future during the month of July and special musical guests!

The Expo is also an opportunity to raise some additional funds for programming at the school and more! So come shake a leg with us, learn how to tango upside-down, inside-out and along the East River tidal strait.

June 11th - 8-11pm @ Solar One under a giant outdoor tent along the East River!
Solar One is at East 23rd Street and the East River all the way passed the FDR Drive

Solar One:
24-20 FDR Drive, Service Road East
New York, NY 10010
Directions: www.solar1.org/about/map/

Meet and Eat with Miss Greater NYC and Wafels and Dinges!

This Saturday I'll be helping out at the Wafels and Dinges cart in the South Street Seaport, who have graciously agreed to host a fundraiser for me again this year! A portion of the day's proceeds will go towards my competition expenses. Last year's fundraiser (as Miss Brooklyn) was SO MUCH FUN and I'm thrilled that they're having me back! I'll be there from 3-5p, so be sure to stop by! 

Video Footage from TEDxDUMBO

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I really enjoyed attending TEDxDUMBO- the Empire State Partnerships' Spring Symposium, which is why I'm pleased to present video footage of the event! Up first is Michael Hanson! You can see my notes on the presentations here.

My fitness sponsor (/business manager/ adopted mom) is AWESOME.

Many personal trainers wear multiple hats when providing services to their clients- motivator, friend, psychotherapist...etc. MY fitness sponsor does all that, gives me insanely hard workouts, and doubles as a booking manager/ personal clothier/ PR representative/ adopted mom (which is a relief to my mom, since Kieren, Courtney and I keep her pretty busy)...

Ellen Stein, herself a 7 Time Masters IPF World Powerlifting Champion, is no stranger to competition, and has been a tremendous motivator, not only helping me prepare for the Miss New York pageant, but also helping me succeed in my other athletic endeavors (see my post on Tough Mudder to learn more about my newfound addiction to endurance challenges). This woman knows her stuff. And she knows me- well. To keep my attention from flagging and incorporate my natural propensity for dance and movement, she devises grueling workouts using Russian Kettlebells, Sandbags, TRX... My body has been completely transformed (in a good way) by the work I've done with her, and I'm so grateful. 

Ellen and I started working together in the spring of 2009 after I won the title of Miss Brooklyn and she agreed to donate her services as a fitness sponsor, and she's been around ever since! Ellen knows EVERYONE in Brooklyn, and was responsible for hooking me up with my wonderful hair sponsor, Joe of J Taylor Salon in Bayridge, and booking me for some of my favorite appearances- helping out at Sean Casey Animal Rescue, being the Guest Ringmaster at the Coney Island Boom-A-Ring Circus last year, and this summer, throwing out the first pitch at a Brooklyn Cyclones game (date TBD- check back later), attending a NY Liberty game... 

Even though being a community liason and incredibly dedicated personal trainer might seem like going above and beyond, her generosity doesn't end there. This is where the adopted-mom part comes in. Because Ellen is there for me, always. She comes to my pageants. She comes to my birthday party. She comes to my appearances. She makes sure I'm caffeinated. She brings me clothes that she bought and decided she didn't like. She checks in on me. She sends me more emails in a day than most people receive in a week. She brags about me to EVERYONE she meets (in true mom-fashion). And she never, ever, expects anything in return. She's become one of my dearest and most loyal friends, and I'm so grateful to have her in my life!  

Ellen's website is coming soon. For now, here's her contact info:

Ellen Stein

7 Time Masters IPF World Powerlifting Champion

ACE, NASM, NSCA-CPT, CPR/ AED/ First Aid Certified

RKC/IKFF Kettlebell Certified

L.I.F.T. Sandbag Certified, TRX Certified

w8lifter222@aol.com

917.846.1146