Back to the Bay!

Hi everyone!

I got back recently from a wonderful weekend in the Bay Area!

After a wonderful drive home with my favorite people, I was so excited to be back home for the first time in 6 weeks! I made it home on Valentine's Day, so it was so nice to be reunited with the people I love back home!

Saturday was a busy day. I got to enjoy a delicious breakfast with my family before running around Walnut Creek to complete a myriad of errands. Later that afternoon, my grandma (Nomi) and I drove out to the Oakland Airport to pick up my Jr. Teen sister, Taylor Longbrake, for a very eventful weekend!

We went straight to the Miss East Bay Cities 2014 pageant, where one of my closest friends, Felicia Stiles, was competing. The pageant is a prelim to Miss California and eventually Miss America, so it was really exciting to watch! I got to see many of my favorite "pageant land" people there, which was wonderful.

I love running into Heidi- she's so fabulous!

Always lovely to see Beezie!

Then it was showtime! We watched 28 beautiful, talented young women compete in talent, swim wear, formal wear, and onstage question. My favorite part of Miss America is the talent competition, and there were a fantastic variety of talents at Miss East Bay Cities. We saw everything from ballet, to jazz, to monologues, to tae kwon do, to breathtaking vocal performances. Felicia was amazing and it was exciting to watch her "do her thing" onstage.

Finally it was time for crowning, and our fabulous Felicia came away with Top Talent, Top Swimwear, Top Formal Wear, and Top Interview awards (if you're counting, that's every competition). We were ecstatic when she was announced as the new Miss East Bay Cities 2014! Congratulations Felicia- I am so proud of you!! I can't wait to watch you at Miss California this summer!

Felicia Stiles is Miss East Bay Cities 2014!

Celebrating with the new queen!!

We were up bright and early the next morning to get ready for our photo shoot at the Castello di Amorosa in Napa, California. When we drove up the driveway, I was stunned by the beauty of this castle in the middle of wine country. Sidney Ricks was our fantastic photographer. (Side note, Sidney is completely awesome. He did a beyond stellar job photographing us and we were so lucky to work with him!)

Exploring the castle!

My first location was at the bottom of a wooded gulch. Yes, that entailed hiking down a muddy hill and climbing over mossy rocks to get to the "perfect shot" as photographer Myckle put it. I can't wait to see how the photos turn out!

We took some group photos in our sundresses, and then we all changed into formal gowns for more photos. Since there was a bit of downtime between our individual photos, we got to explore and spend time taking our own "fashion shots." Shout out to Lyndsey- she's practically a professional haha!

I love my Lily!

Cheez-its = Life

Aww it's a sister sandwich!

Taking photos- look at that castle!! So beautiful! 

Thank you Sidney Ricks- you rock!

Sister sisters!

I love making new friends!

I love taking photos in formal gowns because I love how elegant all of my sisters looked!

Love this photo!! One of my favorites!

Stepping it up in our formal gowns!

After 5 straight hours of shooting, with only a box of Cheez-its to sustain us, everyone was ready for some lunch. We got delicious hamburgers at Gott's Roadside in Calistoga- so so yummy! After that it was time to say goodbye to Lily and Lyndsey. I love these girls and spending time with them is always so much fun, so saying goodbye is a struggle.

Until next time!

Then Taylor, Nomi, and I headed back home with high hopes of making cookies and watching the ice skating competition. Taylor and I made scrumptious chocolate chip cookies, and enjoyed eating them as we watching Olympic Ice Dancing. Taylor is so fab, and it was so much fun spending the weekend with her!

Mmmm cookies!

Early early early the next morning, we packed up the car and took Taylor to the airport. Last weekend when we said goodbye, I knew that I would be seeing her literally 6 days later, but this weekend was different because I don't know when we'll be together again!! I hope it's soon because I love spending time with my sister!

I went back home to pack up by bags and prepare to return to school. While I'll miss the homemade meals and showering without flip flops, I always love returning to school because it truly has become a second home to me.

Well that sums up my weekend! I had the time of my life with my sisters and hopefully I'll be seeing them at open calls coming up soon!

Speaking of Open Calls... If you want to compete in National American Miss, an Open Call is the best place to start! Open Calls give potential contestants the opportunity to get to know NAM, see a presentation, meet current titleholders, and practice interview! I'll be at the Oxnard Open Call on February 26. I hope to see you there!

The dates for NorCal Open Calls have not been released yet- but as soon as they are I will let you know which ones I will be attending! I'm hoping to make it to at least a few of them!

Okay so that's all for today! Be sure to follow my social media: Instagram @janekennedyy and Twitter @janekennedyy.

Thanks for reading!!

Xoxo,
Jane Kennedy
NAM Miss California Teen 2013