WMUR and Miss NH Team 5K Cigna Race

In picture to the right: Jenn Saucier, Chantel McCabe, Me, Jamie Staton, Krystal Muccioli, Brittany Dube, Kat Howland. Picture to the left is Danielle Cowan and Lauren Debaie

http://www.wmur.com/video/20396908/

I haven't run competitively since High School. When Jamie Staton, the Sports Anchor for WMUR news 9 (http://www.wmur.com/wmurnewsteam/825803/detail.html)

asked if I wanted to run in the race I was really excited. It was a good opportunity for the Miss NH Program to give back to WMUR. Jamie Staton is the Host for the Miss NH Scholarship Program and we have so much fun with him! We had a beautiful day to run and we all had a ton of fun! Our WMUR team even came in 7th for Co-Ed Teams! Lauryn Debaie, Jamie and I were in the top 5 for our team too!

7. WMUR-TV

20:29 22:41 24:01 24:12 29:15 = 2:00:38

Daniel Velchev, Scott Pellerin, Lauryn Debaie, Jamie Staton, Alicia Rossman

Thank you to Cindy Conley the Public Relations Director for the Miss NH

Scholarship Program for holding all our belongings during the race! See her in the movie wearing the pink back pack!

NH Food Bank at it's lowest level in 25 years

http://www.wmur.com/video/20162180/index.html

Support the NH Food Bank

Greetings Friend of OFL and the Food Bank,

Thank you for the support you have show over the years. If you haven’t had an opportunity to get your fix great seasonal foods (and even if you have), here is your chance. Please join us Monday August 24^th to enjoy four courses of great tasting locally produced food artfully prepared by the Recipe for Success Culinary Job training students and chef instructor Jayson McCarter. The NHFB Recipe for Success program and Operation Frontline has teamed up with the New Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Connection and the NH Dept of Agriculture to our first Growers Dinner at the Capitol Center for the Arts. For only $50 per person ($30 of which is tax deductible) you can enjoy the best of what the season has to offer in NH and support our programs. Cocktail hour runs 6-6:45pm and dinner will be at 7pm. Tickets are available as pre-purchase only so be sure to get yours early! All proceeds will benefit the Recipe For Success programs: Culinary Job Training program, Production Garden, Fresh Rescue, and Operation Frontline.

For More information, please see attached flyer or contact Helen Costello Recipe for Success Program Manager hcostello@nhfoodbank.org or 669 9725 X 145.

Thank you again for your continued support of our programs!

Best,

Becca Story

National Anthem

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090726-NEWS-307269970


Singing the National Anthem at the Miss Stratham Fair Program.

surfin! and bickram yoga

Holy cow am I sore! I have done two days of Bickram Yoga and then yesterday I went surfing. If you are looking for an absolutely amazing work out I would suggest trying out Bickram Yoga. I can't believe how much I improved in just two days of class and am really excited to go again this afternoon. It is so refreshing and is a way to release stress, get rid of toxins, and feel good about yourself. Surfing is also totally relaxing. I had a lesson with 2 of my girlfriends and we had a blast! I wanted to buy a board when I was in high school but it never happened. I had so much fun!

WOKQ and John Deere What's Your Talent Competition August 8th

Tomorrow I will be competing at John Deere Rosencrantz in Kensington New Hampshire at the What's Your Talent Competition. I am really excited to perform the show starts at 2:30 for anyone interested in coming! For more info: http://wokq.com/Article.asp?id=1387748&spid=21338

Katrina Rossi's Runway Gala

Janine and I want to thank everyone who made Katrina's Runway Gala possible. It took a lot of planning to pull the show off and we were so happy with the show. It was a huge turn out we had plenty of food and desserts and it really meant a lot to Katrina. Thank you for everyone who brought a food item and for everyone who came. We raised $100 in donations that was contributed to the Children's Miracle Network Platform. We wish Katrina luck in her journey at the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Competition.

Kelsey and I have raised over $500 for the New Hampshire Food Bank

Kelsey and I have been baking up a storm this summer. We have raised over $500 for the New Hampshire Food Bank and Share Our Strength! Thank you so much to all of our bakers!

Judd, Sundae, Lois, Cheryl, Kristen, Stephanie, Judy, Dori, Janet, Chantel, Patty, and Lauren.

A special thank you goes out to Sweet Dreams Bakery, Saint Anthony's Bakery, Shaw's and Sam's Club for their generous donations.

Another special thank you to the Stratham Fair, Vickey Avery, and the Exeter Rec for letting us host our bake sales.

Kelsey and I would both also like to thank our mothers for helping at our Bake Sale. My mom was a TROOPER and sat in the rain with me all day Friday at the Stratham Fair and then because we had more to sell she sat with me all day Saturday as well. She's a great mom!

Dover teen wins Miss Stratham Fair title | SeacoastOnline.com

Dover teen wins Miss Stratham Fair title | SeacoastOnline.com

Stratham Fair Great American Bake Sale

Come enjoy the Stratham Fair and stop by my stand to grab a baked good to help end childhood hunger! I have been going to the fair since I was a kid and love everything about it! I am looking for bakers and volunteers so if anyone wants to help out I would be so grateful! My bake sale is this Friday the 24th! It is the same day as the Miss Stratham Fair Pageant as well. I will be moving my stand to the show around 5pm. I hope to see you there!

Cape Cod week of July 13th

I went to the Cape with my Nanny last week and we had a great time! When I was a kid my entire family would go every year because my Grandparents owned a house on the Cape! We have so many wonderful childhood memories and I remembered the area pretty well. My Nanny and I lived it up for a week...we had amazing food while we were there. We went to Seafood Sam's, Salty's, Giraldi's, The Egg and I, Cape Cod Creamery and just really had great food. We went parasailing together which was something I have always wanted to do! OH DEAR! We even got our palms read - that was interesting. We did a lot of relaxing at the beach which was amazing and we went into Chatham one day to shop. I am happy she asked me to go with her. We both really enjoyed our time together.

Parasailing with my Nanny!

71 and still kickin'

I have beans!!

I am so excited! My scarlet runner beans survived the month of rain. I got them from cat nip acres when I worked at the farmers market. Wendy gave me a scarlet runner bean plant and a yellow pear cherry tomato plant. I have a few flowers that have started on the tomato plant. I am so excited, the beans are bright red and are supposed to attract humming birds and butterflies. I put both in a pot right outside my apartment window. I sit at my kitchen table as I work every day and I can't wait until I have a little humming bird friend!

Miss Winnipesaukee 1st Runner Up

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090713/GJNEWS02/707139947/-1/CITNEWS

Today was a lot of fun! My day started out at Fun Spot with a cup of tokens and a lot of arcade games! We went across the street to ride the go-carts too! Tonight I was first runner up at Miss Winnipesaukee! I won a $700 scholarship which will be at least 3 loan payments.......they start in November EEEK! I'm really thankful for the scholarship money. Tina and Gary (the directors) work really hard to raise the scholarship money for all of the contestants.

Thank you so much!

My First Casting Call

Friday the 10th was my first casting call! I went to Boston and really had no idea what to expect. The movie is called "The Town" and is directed by Ben Affleck. He is also the lead actor! I got to the open call where I met a guy named Kevin. He was really helpful and clued me in on what I was getting myself into! Oh...and he was really cute too! We waited in line for about an hour and just talked with the people around us. Then we got to the door and received our lines that we needed to memorize. It was a great experience and it would be nice to be picked! There were over 100 people there and the call was from 1:00-7:00. I was there right at 1! So I am assuming hundreds of people will be seen. I am hoping to at least get some extra work! That would be really cool, Ben is one of my favorite actors...and no matter what I got some experience and met a really nice person, so the day was a success!

PS...I did get lost on my way there though...typical :)

Jess had a bike race! The Granite State Quest

We followed Jess for 50 miles today! She had a bike race that started at Timberland that was "a ride to conquer cancer". The bike race has raised over $600,000 in the past 6 years. Jess did pretty well and was in the beginning of the pack! We drove along the coast in the Hampton and Rye area and then went back to Timberland for a break and then she was out for her second loop which was in the back roads of the Exeter/East Kingston area. It was a fun day but very long! She finished in 3.5 hours and we stayed for a BBQ afterwards.

Timberland Boot Company Garden Project

A note from Cheryl Rossman, a member of the garden committee explaining what the Timberland Garden is:

Ah the Timberland Garden…a place to relax, chat with friends, get some sunshine and give back to the community.

As a group of avid gardeners, it is somewhat hard for us to believe that everyone doesn’t have a garden of some sort in their own yard. We have determined we are among the minority which makes us so successful at recruiting. Currently we have 31 volunteers who plant, maintain, and harvest under the guidance of seasoned veteran gardeners only too happy to share their knowledge.

On harvest day, a company wide email is sent; the veggies and flowers are placed in a community area along side of the donation jar. All proceeds are donated to the New Hampshire Food Bank which is in part why we “sell” out everyday. Lettuce, carrots, squashes and herbs along with many other items are grown in the garden. Timberland families are becoming fans of swiss chard, beet greens, and brussel sprouts which are our most “unusual” offerings.

Taste of the Nation Volunteers - THANK YOU!

‏

From:

Ed Draper (edraper)

THANK YOU!

What more can we say? Actually….a bit more. You rock! As volunteers you have a reason to be proud. On Wednesday June 24^th your help with the Taste of the Nation event made this night the best we have ever had. We raised over $115,000 that will go directly to local groups that ensure that no kid goes hungry.

Putting this event on was no small task. With over 1000 people under the tent, 50+ restaurants, wine, beer & spirit companies and a rockin’ band it was important to have a dedicated group of volunteers to help set up starting early in the morning (8 AM), to work the many different position during the event and to finally help break down and close up the event late into the evening (Midnight!).

We are proud of the hard work that each and every one of you put in that day. Your efforts did not go unnoticed…the feedback we have received all rave about how smooth the event went and how well run it was… a testament to you hard work.

We do appreciate the effort that all of the volunteers put in. Some folks deserve an extra pat on the back.

Recycling Pods – Our volunteers were particularly challenged this year. Our goal was to have a “zero trash” event but that was not the case. They had to work extra hard to keep the compostable items, non compostable items, and reusable trays all going in the correct bins. This is an area that we are reviewing and making changes to for the event next year.

Break Down & Clean Up – Their task was to leave the tent and grounds in the same condition that we started with at the beginning of the day. Lots of tables, chairs, lines, trash, recyclables, signs etc to be broken down and readied to be taken away. It is quite a bit of work, especially at the end of the evening when it would be more desirable to just go home. In addition to this they started their shift out doing gate duty, recycling pods, bussing, front entrance etc.

Pictures of the event can be found on our Share Our Strength Seacoast Facebook page http://tinyurl.com/mwcmak . Don’t have Facebook? Now is the time to sign up!

Ending the way we began….THANK YOU for a successful Taste of the Nation event. We are going to take a bit of a much needed rest but will be back at it again next year. Be on the lookout for emails when we out the call out for volunteers once again.

Thanks!

Ed & Karen

Pictures

http://www.neflyrodders.org/index.php?option=com_morfeoshow&Itemid=14

Check out some fun fishing pictures of my dad and me!

Miss Derry Competition

Tonight was a lot of fun! Congratulations to Krysal M the new Miss Derry! This is her first title and she will have a blast at Miss NH this year. Also congrats to all of the other contestants we had a great week together. I was so happy to win the Community Service Award, People's Choice Award, and to be 2nd Runner Up! I won a total of $2,700 which is a huge scholarship! I am so thankful for the hard work of the Miss Derry Board and Bingo Players who raised so much money for the program. Thank you so much as a recent graduate I am stressed out every day with future bills in mind (ps I have to start paying in 5 months)....not cool. Anyway thank you so much you have really helped make a dent in my college loans!

Good Luck Miss New Hampshire!

I'm excited for Lindsey Graham, Miss New Hampshire 2009 she is singing in Loudon at at NASCAR Race which will be on TV!! She is singing the National Anthem and is listed as a VIP on a few websites. I'm excited for her...Go Lindsey!

Miss Derry

Come watch Miss Derry tomorrow night at the Opera House in Derry NH at 7:00 pm to support 12 wonderful young women including me! It is going to be a great show....and it would be a great title to win. Danielle and her team host the biggest local scholarship program in New Hampshire. We spent all night tonight rehearsing and it is going to be a great show! Cheer loud for your favorite contestant!

Friday June 19, 2009 Derry Relay for Life

From Left:

Janine, Lauren, Katrina, Alysia, Governor John Lynch, Miss New Hampshire Lindsey Graham, Alicia (me)

Great Interview Question

Last night I was asked by a judge about Guantanamo Bay. I watch the news almost every day and feel like I keep up with current events more than most people do. Unfortunately when the judge asked me about Guantanamo Bay I drew a blank. I didn't know the answer then but I know it now and will be prepared to answer that question next time! Right after the interview I called my Dad and he was surprised I didn't know about it but gave me the heads up about what it is and what it's about. Right after he started explaining it I knew exactly what it was I just wasn't familiar with the name. Can't win them all...can't know every answer, and I'm only human.

Take away message:

I learned 3 new things during that interview process and it pushed me to go home and do some research. That is what is great about the Miss NH Program! I learn something new all the time!

Great Question!

Taste of the Nation Portsmouth

Today I volunteered all day until my Miss Derry interview at Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth to set up for Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation! It was a lot of fun setting up before the event. They sold over 800 tickets and it was a huge success despite the weather. The Taste raised over $100,000 to help end childhood hunger. I saw Emily Heubner who is on the National Share Our Strength team and works with Taste of the Nation's across America. I met her in January when I went to Washington DC to learn more about SOS. I heard I missed Billy Shore at the event too which was sad but I am sure our paths will cross soon. I got out of interviews at 9pm which was too late to go back to Portsmouth to enjoy all the delicious food...so sad. So my night consisted of SUBWAY-eat fresh :) I am excited to see all of the pictures from the event and to hear how well it turned out.

GABS Swasey Park Exeter Pavilion Concert Series July 2nd with Kelsey McDonald!

Come enjoy live entertainment and some delicious home baked goods!!!

I CAUGHT MY FIRST STRIPER!!!

 Steve Murphy (Captain) who took my dad and I out on the Merrimack
What a fun day yesterday was. There was a New England Saltwater Fly-Rodders trip on the Merrimack River. We met with Steve Murphy at Rings Island Marina at 1:00 and didn't get home until 11:00! I caught 4 fish and had about 6 that I almost had but they somehow got off the hook at the last minute...I still had the fly though so it's all good! At one point my dad, Steve, and I all had a fish fighting us on the line-it was pretty cool. My first striper was about 21 inches and my dad's was 23. Steve said now that we know what we are doing next time we are going to double our inches..........I told him I was just fine with the small ones. One of the stripers I caught was only about 12 inches and Steve made fun of me because I wanted to take a picture with it. It was a good day, the fish were out, and we finally caught something that swam and looked like a fish!

Farmers Market New Hampshire

http://nhfma.org/

There are over 58 farmers markets in the tiny state of New Hampshire find one near you!

Advice for the week pick 1,2,3,4, or all!

1)  Have dinner with your family once this week

2)  Take a 10 minute walk by yourself or with someone else

3)  Watch the news for at least an hour collectively this week

4)  Buy something local (It's really easy)

example: Have you ever heard of the Country of Origin Legislation (COOL)? well it is in effect now and requires all fresh produce to be labeled as to where it is from.  When you go to the fresh produce isle see where your food is coming from.  I bought blueberries this week 2/$5 at Market Basket in Lee from Holt, California!  It's local!  Mexico=NOT LOCAL....just check out the labels and see what you can find.  You will be surprised.  It's even better if you can find a farmers market near you!  Near me there are locations in Exeter, Durham, Portsmouth, and  Kingston....can't get more local than that!

Go out and do it!  I dare you.

American Idol Try Outs

So.....the try outs were interesting to say the least! We waiting outside in the pouring rain for 4 hours starting at 5:00am. We didn't try out until 5:30pm. A lot of funny things occurred from the time we got there to the time we left. If you want details ask me!!! It was a great experience and it was well worth my time to show up and give it a try.

First round:

13 tables, 2 judges per table, audition = 30 seconds or until they say STOP YOU SUCK (well not really but basically)

What they are looking for: no idea!!!

My guess: You either have to be drop dead gorgeous, have an absolutely amazing voice, be funny looking, absolutely awful, dressed up in some silly costume... I'll stop my list there you get the picture.

So it was a good experience but 2 judges (joe shmoes) either say yay or nay and then you go to 3 more auditions before you can even see Simon which isn't until January.

Ok....so more details if you want to know more about it just ask! It was fun, I'm glad I went but not sure if I would ever try out again. I for sure would never take a plane anywhere to go and try out. I'd rather be Miss New Hampshire and say "I'M GOING TO VEGAS" (to compete for Miss America of course) than say "I'M GOING TO HOLLYWOOD!!!" (to compete for American Idol)

:)

Alicia