Countdown to Vegas

Hello friends!  It certainly has been awhile since I’ve blogged, so we have a lot of catching up to do!  Just after the holidays, I headed to Jonesboro, Arkansas, with my mom to meet with one of my sponsors for Miss America – Shelley Kelley and Clark’s Bridal and Formal.  Shelly graciously has provided me with my walk-on gowns for Miss America, along with my onstage question dress, appearance cocktails, and my talent costume.  A special thank you to Shelley and her team for all their hard work and generosity to ensure I looked my best at Miss America! I had so much fun working with you all, and can’t wait to see you again soon!

Just a few days later, I headed to the Lake of the Ozarks to pass on the crown of my local title.  It was such a bittersweet weekend because I have grown so attached to the Lake board members, volunteers, and community during my year as Miss Lake of the Ozarks.  Without them, I wouldn’t  be where I am today, and I wasn’t quite ready to give them up! I don’t think they were quite ready to give me up yet either, because Mother Nature did everything she could to keep me from arriving in a timely fashion.  Battling rain, snow, sleet, and ice, I finally arrived in one piece to the Resort and Yacht Club, the official hotel sponsor of the pageant, and checked in to my gorgeous suite for the weekend.  Thank you to the Resort and Yacht Club for making me feel like a queen during my stay!  The next morning, I headed to see my friends Stacy and Steve at 101.9 The Wave for one final radio interview as Miss Lake of the Ozarks.  Then, it was off to finish shopping for Miss America!  I’m fairly certain that the Osseck family single-handedly keeps the BCBG store at the Lake Outlet Mall in business, because they know me by name!  No one should ever shop that much…  But once again, the girls at BCBG had me looking fabulous and ready to head to Vegas by the end of our shopping trip. 

It was great to see so many familiar faces competing for the Miss Lake of the Ozarks and Outstanding Teen titles, as well as so many new ones!  With eleven Miss and five OT contestants, we had our work cut out for us at rehearsal, but the show went off without a hitch!  I owe a very special thank you to every single person who played a part in helping me become Miss Missouri this year.  I love you all so much, and you each played such an important role in helping me to achieve my dream.  Thank you for an incredible year and for your constant support and encouragement!  Congratulations to Miss Lake of the Ozarks 2010 – Sydney Friar – and Miss Lake of the Ozarks Outstanding Teen 2010 – Taylor Deen!!  You girls have such a great year in store for you and I am so proud to call you sister queens.

(L to R): Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen – Lauren McCreight; Miss Missouri – Tara Osseck;  Miss Lake of the Ozarks – Sydney Friar; Miss Lake of the Ozarks Oustanding Teen – Taylor Deen

Sunday morning, my family and I packed up and headed to Mexico for my Miss America Send-Off Party!!  I had anticipated this day since I was crowned back in June, because that point marked the final countdown to Miss America.  I have been working so hard for the past six months and was so excited for my family, friends, and pageant fans to see!  I owe a huge thank you to Presser Hall at the Missouri Military Academy for allowing us to use the auditorium, to Bruce Oliver and Edward Jones for sponsoring the event, and to Phil Kimmi for hosting the send-off.  I modeled everything I would be taking to Miss America, from my arrival outfit to my walk-on gowns, and everything in between.  I received really encouraging feedback from the audience and Miss Missouri board members, which gave me that extra boost of confidence I needed before I hit Vegas!!  Thank you so much to my special performers – Lauren McCreight, Stephanie Patton, Maggie Rowland, and Mary Bauer.  Without my involvement in the Miss America Organization, I would have never met these four incredible young women, and I am so thankful they shared their time and talents at the send-off, but more importantly, for being such great friends.  Another big thank you to everyone who came out to show their support – your words and gifts meant so much more than you’ll ever know!

I had one last appearance before heading to Miss America – the military base at Fort Leonard Wood.  I spent two days visiting the troops there and signing autographs for some promotional events at the Commissary.  During my first day on base, I helped promote a healthy eating campaign sponsored by the Commissary.  With professional chefs doing a live cooking demonstration and plenty of free samples of healthy foods, the troops and their families were in store for a treat. We even had SpongeBob SquarePants on hand to help me greet the little ones!

On the second day, I kicked off the fundraising efforts for the Special Olympics, sponsored by Proctor & Gamble.  Ever since college, I have been involved with the Special Olympics, so to expand my efforts to the Fort Leonard Wood area was a great opportunity.  I owe a big thank you to everyone who helped make my visit possible and especially to our troops for their service and sacrifices.

Until next time,

Tara

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