Hello! I hope your holiday season was filled with family, food, and lots of memories. It seems as though the holidays always fly by, which is too bad because I LOVE the month of December and the holiday cheer that surrounds you everywhere you go!
The first several weeks of December were spent finishing up my first semester classes and taking final exams. This semester was a lot of hard work, but it certainly paid off in the end!
On December 8th, I had the chance to go Christmas caroling in the Wolfeboro Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Spirit Open House. I adore the town of Wolfeboro, and caroling in shops and businesses while looking out at Lake Winnipesaukee was a great way to kick off the holiday season!! I sang a variety of holiday tunes and met many wonderful people.
On December 16th, I performed at The Voice Studio's annual Holiday Recital at the Opera House in Derry. I sang "Grown Up Christmas List", which was a little tough to get through because I performed it only several days after the shootings at Sandy Hook. It is one of my favorite Christmas songs and it is a song that I really relate to at this point in my life.
All five MGD queens - from Miss to Princess!
Performing Grown Up Christmas List
The week before Christmas I volunteered at three holiday events. First up was the Capital Region Food Program. I spend the afternoon at the National Guard base in Concord filling boxes of food to be distributed to families for the holidays. My shift alone filled 1248 boxes of food! I was so impressed by how organized the program was and how much of an effect they have in the greater Concord community. I cannot wait to go back next year!
With volunteers from Capital Region Food Program (with boxes upon boxes of food in the background!)
A few days later I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Salvation Army's Toy Shop in Manchester. This may be my favorite event I have been to as Miss Greater Derry!! Upon arrival, we were briefed about how the day would work. Each volunteer was paired up with a parent from the community who was shopping in the Toy Shop for their children. The Toy Shop had thousands of toys organized by age group. The parents got to pick out four gifts for each child, plus a book and a stocking stuffer. I had the chance to help five parents shop for their children. This experience was so incredibly rewarding! The parents were incredibly thankful and it meant so much to see the joy on their faces that they could give their children a happy holiday season.
I also volunteered for Breathe NH by wrapping gifts at the Manchester Harley Davidson store. According to their mission statement, "Through education, advocacy, research, and partnerships, Breathe New Hampshire works to eliminate lung disease and improve the quality of life for those living with lung disease in New Hampshire." It was a lot of fun to talk with people doing their last minute holiday shopping while collecting donations for a great cause!
Wrapping gifts with Miss Bedford Julia Neveu and Miss Lake Sunapee Region Brittany Dube
This month I also attended Miss New Hampshire Megan Lyman's Trunk Show and Send Off Party. Meg is so ready to compete in Vegas! Meg just got to Las Vegas for Miss America and I wish her the best of luck!! Be sure to watch Miss America on Saturday January 12th on ABC. :) I also attended a Yankee Swap/Pot Luck with some ladies from the Miss NH Class of 2013. It was great to be able to hang out with a bunch of the girls!
"A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds." --Francis Bacon
Happy New Year!!!
:)
Kendall
MGD2013
No comments:
Post a Comment