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

Miss Amazing Pageant 2014

Happy February!

I just got back from an incredible experience that I would love to share with you all! On February 9, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Southern California Miss Amazing Pageant. The Miss Amazing pageant system was designed to give girls and young women with disabilities the opportunity to gain the life skills gained through pageantry. The system was actually founded by a NAM queen, Jordan Somer, and you can learn more about it here!

On February 8, I took the train down to Van Nuys and my Jr. Teen sister, Taylor Longbrake, and her mom and sister came to pick me up. Taylor's sister, Maddie, was actually a Miss Amazing queen this past year, so this year she was passing on her title. We went over to Birmingham High School to set up in the afternoon, and it was amazing to watch the stage and decorations come together. Then we went back to the hotel. Our Pre-Teen sister, Lyndsey Tillinghast, and her mother came to pick us up from the hotel, and we headed out in search of something fun to do.

Isn't Taylor a stunner? 

We ended up going into Trader Joes for some Powerberries (my absolute favorite- if you've never tried them, you're missing out!) One of the managers of the store was handing out caffinated chocolate candies, and Taylor joked that we would need them the next morning. The manager asked us what we would be doing, and we told him that we were volunteering. As we were walking out of the store, the manager ran up to us with three bouquets of flowers (one for each of us) and thanked us for our dedication to serving the community. If I wasn't already completely obsessed with TJ's, I am now!

We got some Cold Stone (pageant girls love ice cream) and went to see a movie in the coolest theatre ever. The seats were all reclining couches and it was so cozy and wonderful. Then we headed back to the hotel to watch the Olympic recaps and get some beauty sleep.

Bright and early the next morning, Taylor and I headed down to the gym to work out on the Elliptical machines. We were the only people in there, and we had a ball switching off watching Olympic Hockey and Dance Moms. We returned to the room, took showers, and headed out to Miss Amazing!

Upon arriving, I was thrilled to be reunited with tons of my pageant friends and sisters! I haven't been in a place so full of pageant girls since NAM Nationals! Naturally, we took tons of pictures.

Check out how many NAM girls came out to volunteer!

After volunteer orientation, we were paired up with our buddies. My buddy was named Emilee, and she was in the Pre-Teen division for the third year. Emilee loved to dance and swim, and we got to talk all about our mutual hobbies. We spent a lot of time practicing her introduction and her formal wear walk- but she was a natural. Emilee worked the stage! I definitely learned a thing or two from her over the course of the day.

We had a short break for lunch, at which time we discovered that the cast of "Awkward" on MTV was filming at the same high school! Many of the girls got photos with the lead characters, but since I don't watch that show, I just went around with Lyndsey. She was completely fangirling (don't tell her I said that!) But it really was cool seeing real television set and all of the actors just chilling out.

Then it was finally time for interview. I went in with Emilee but she didn't need any help at all! Her sweet heart and adorable personality captured the judges and I could see how much they loved her.

Emilee loved trying on my crown- little did she know
that she would soon have one of her very own!

Emilee and I before the Final Show!

We got ready for the final show and the energy backstage was electric. All of the girls were so excited to get out there and show off their stuff. We went out and did the opening number dance, and then got back in line for Introduction. I knew Emilee's intro so I kept her on the right track. At the end, I whispered in her ear to say "Thank you." Instead she said "I'm cute." It was completely hysterical and beyond adorable.

Next, she changed into her formal gown for that competition. I took her out on stage and she rocked it- blowing kisses, waving, bowing- she had it down. I was blown away by her onstage presentation and poise.

After all of the competitions came the Talent Showcase. Emilee and her mom had created a song and dance to one of Jennifer Lopez and Pit Bull's songs . She even had extensions! Emilee went out there and got the crowd so excited with her high-energy performance. After she sang, Emilee stayed onstage to thank her Mom and everyone who had helped her get to where she was. She even thanked her Uncle, who had passed away earlier that year. Everyone backstage was in tears from her amazing performance, and her beautiful heart.

Emilee after her stellar Talent performance!

Next it was time for crowning. Emilee's group was first, so we lined up and waited onstage as many of the girls were called as princesses. Then it was only Emilee and Marisa, another girl who had been simply spectacular all day. When Marisa was called as the first runner up, I began to cry. I had to lean down and tell Emilee that she had won, since she wasn't quite sure what was going on. Emilee fell over and began to cry because she was so excited. It was a beautiful moment.

Loved this moment with beautiful Emilee!

With the new Miss Amazing Pre-Teen, Emilee!

I'd like to end by saying thank you to everyone who was involved this past weekend. Your effort and hard work were evident in the beauty and organization of the show. Thank you to Karen Stagliano for putting together such a remarkable group of volunteers and contestants. I had the time of my life and I'm sure everyone else did as well!

Thank you so much for reading y'all! If you'd like to learn more about the Miss Amazing program or even get involved yourself, please check out the website here! Thank you!

Xoxo,
Jane Kennedy
NAM Miss California Teen 2013

January in Review

It has been so very long since I posted last so I thought that it would be a good idea to talk about some of the things I have been doing in this new year!

I returned to school and I couldn't be happier to be back! I missed my roommates, my dorm, and my sorority sisters so much and it was great to be reunited. I continued my job working at the front desk of my residence hall and started new classes. The quarter system is great because it gives you the opportunity to take lots of classes over the course of a year, but it's rough because the quarter is only 10 weeks so the classes go at lightening speed! I am taking two of my major requirement classes and I'm happy to say that I LOVE them, so it looks like I'll be sticking with my Communication major, and hopefully beginning the Political Science major next quarter.

I have started tutoring at the local elementary school, and I have been paired with a student named Gio. He is in fifth grade and he is so cool- I love helping him with math homework and playing chess and battleship when he's done! The hardest thing about college for me was not being able to spend time with kids, so through this tutoring and mentorship program, I solve that problem!

I also recently got hired as a Tour Guide for UCSB! I went through the application process with about 350 other students and I was beyond excited to be one of 20 students hired for the position! I love UCSB and I'm so excited to show it off to prospective students. Right now, I am about to begin training, and hopefully I should be leading my own tours by March.

So that's all the new news from me- I'm looking forward to a few Miss California related trips coming up in February as well as the beginning of Open Call season! Stay tuned and I'll be writing all about those events over the next few weeks.

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and my other social media:
Instagram @janekennedyy and Twitter @janekennedyy.

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo,
Jane Kennedy
NAM Miss California Teen 2013

LEAP into Literacy Drop-off

After collecting over 1000 books for the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco through my LEAP into Literacy drive, it was finally time for my first delivery of the year! I packed up the books and drove over to the Ernest Ingold Boys and Girls Club in the city for their Holiday party!

I got a great tour from a young girl named Poppy, who has been attending the club for 6 years. She was such a sweetheart and I could really see how much the club means to her and her younger brother.

Then it was time for the daily meeting. All of the kids came together and I was invited to speak to them about literacy and my responsibilities as Miss California Teen. Then they all dispersed to different rooms to do holiday arts and crafts, before returning to the main room to pick out a book and a teddy bear (the bears were collected at the Miss California Pageant last July). I loved helping the kids pick out  books to read, because I was able to share my passion for reading with them. Each and every child that I met brightened up my day because they were all so excited about the books and excited about learning.

Thank you so much to the Ernest Ingold Boys and Girls Club for having me! I can't wait to come back and visit again soon!

To learn more about your local Boys and Girls Club, visit www.bgca.org.

Follow me on Instagram @janekennedyy and Twitter @janekennedyy for more updates on my year!

Xoxo,
Jane Kennedy
NAM Miss California Teen 2013

Tay in the Bay

I was lucky enough to spend the weekend after our Sacramento Santa Parade with my sister queen, Taylor Longbrake. I loved showing her all around the Bay- from my favorite Ice Cream parlor, Fenton's, to the Golden Gate Bridge!

I even got to show Taylor around UC Berkeley!

Thank you for visiting Taylor- come back anytime!! 

Xoxo,

Jane Kennedy

NAM Miss California Teen 2013

Sacramento Santa Parade

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear! There was plenty of Christmas cheer going around at the Sacramento Santa Parade on December 14, as all 6 Northern California queens (Princess Kendahl, Junior Pre-Teen Lily, Pre-Teen Lyndsey, Jr. Teen Taylor, and Miss Marissa) were finally united!

We rode through the streets of Downtown Sacramento on a beautiful float designed by Lyndsey and Lily's families. We felt like princesses- waving at the crowds of people with our iconic "pageant waves."

Before the parade with my sisters: Lily, Marissa, and Kendahl

NorCal Queens on the float!

Passing by the California State Capitol!

Lily and Lyndsey have the most fabulous personalities!

My beautiful roommate, Brie, came out to the parade! She's the greatest!!

Posing in front of the California Capitol building

After the parade, we went over to Old Sacramento for a state queen photoshoot! We had a break, so we went over to the candy store, where we got to try tons of taffy and even extremely sour Toxic Waste candy.

Toxic Waste was too sour for Kendahl, Lyndsey, and I!

Then it was photo shoot time! We shot in four different locations and the photos turned out incredibly. Thank you Sidney Ricks for taking the time to take such beautiful photos!

Here are some of my favorites:

What a successful weekend! It's always fun spending time with my sisters!

Xoxo,

Jane Kennedy

NAM Miss California Teen 2013