Oh my goodness! It has been such a long time since I have written, but I have been so incredibly busy this past month. I have no idea where to begin, so I guess the best thing to do is just dive in! Here we go...
Well once we returned from Orientation I was completely exhausted from all of the activities, but as they say, there was no rest for the weary. I had papers to write and things to do before I could be done with my last year of college. That's right folks, I'm done with classes at USD! The last week of school I had over 35 pages of papers to write, gotta love being an English Major, and even better, they were all due on the same day; talk about stress! I spent over 30 hours in the library - in two days mind you - working on papers, researching, and writing, but the relief I felt after submitting my last paper was amazing, I can't even describe the weight that was lifted from my shoulders!
I was so excited to see my family that weekend, they came down for graduation, and we spent a great 3 days together checking out our favorite places in San Diego. It really is a great city and I feel so blessed to live here. I couldn't imagine a better place to represent this year at Miss California than my own home town!
Well, speaking of Miss California, I cant believe there are only 33 days before we head back up to Fresno! I feel like orientation was last weekend! Time really flies when you're busy. Anyway, it's crunch time to say the least, and I am working extremely hard to make sure that I am as ready as I can be. Everything has come so naturally this year, my wardrobe was easy to find, and I feel that I am the most calm that I have ever been. Now it's just time to work off those last few pounds, put finishing touches on my talent, keep up with current events, and get all of my things organized so that I don't have to think about anything but competing while I am there. I am so excited and I really can't wait to head up.
Whew, well that was a quick overview of what I've been up to, but there is more to talk about! This weekend I have appearances every day - if I do become Miss California I will totally be prepared for the busy schedule!
On Thursday, Marina, Miss Northern California Regional, and I attended a Sex and the City 2 premiere event. We got to model fabulous clothes - from my clothing sponsor Be Beauty - and were able to wear beautifully crafted hats. It was so fun and we had a great time meeting new people and, of course, getting to wear some great stuff. Marina and I have had a wonderful time working out and making appearances with each other, we are beginning to be joined at the hip! Thanks to Tara and Juju at Be Beauty for the fun opportunity!
Friday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to visit Rady Children's Hospital. Myself, along with Kristy, our beautiful Miss CA, Justine, Miss Blythe, Katie, Miss East San Diego, and Miss Nor. Cal Regional, Marina, spent time with the children in the care of this wonderful staff of doctors and nurses. I have visited Children's hospitals before, but it never ceases to amaze me how strong the children, and their parents are. It makes you appreciate what you have, health, family, love, and you realize that while things can get bad we are blessed that we do not have to deal with daily life the way that these people do. I visited the Oncology wing of the hospital - where patients with cancer are being treated through Chemotherapy and other types of medication, etc. There were kids of all ages, from 6 months to 17 years old. The nurses asked each room whether they wanted a visit from me, and for the most part - except for those that were feeling very sick - they all wanted me to come in. The kids were great. I cannot express how wonderful it was to walk into a room and see a child look up and watch every move that I made with a giant grin on their face. They were so happy to see a princess and most of the little girls were too speechless to say much. I felt so happy that I could make them smile and put just a little bit of joy into their life of severe pain. They all wanted to touch my crown and try on my sash. One girl put it on and began to show me her pageant wave. They were adorable. If it wasn't enough to make the kids happy, what was perhaps even more rewarding was to see the smiles on their parents' faces. These kids have really only known what life is like in a hospital, but their parents know that there is more for them. For parents I am sure that it is almost more difficult to deal with the pain that their child is going through, I am sure that anyone of them would trade places with their child in a heartbeat. To make them smile and thank me for making their child's day so much better, was priceless. We should all feel blessed for what we do have. These people are so strong and it was inspiring to be a part of their lives, if only for a moment. Thank you so much to Chelle Hyde for inviting me to be a part of this life-changing experience.
Today, I was invited to the Cub Scout Memorial Day Event. What a difference to see children running around, playing, yelling, and having fun when just the day before I was with children who will never experience that. It was fun to be around the kids as they placed a single American flag on each one of the headstones. Now there were not just several headstones, there were thousands; and what was even more amazing was that they put a flag on each one in a single hour! Amazing!!! The boys were not too excited to see me - they were too cool - but the little girls all wanted to see my crown and wanted to be sure to get an autograph card. I have never been more aware of the differences between little boys and girls! They were funny to watch. Thank you to the Cub Scouts for inviting me to be a part of this great event celebrating what this holiday is truly about.
Tomorrow, I'll be headed up to the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival. It will be great to see the other girls and have a great time hopefully eating lots of strawberries! I will let you know how it goes, much sooner this time!
Well at the cost of boring you, I am going to say good bye for now - plus it's time for a nap, I've been up since 5 a.m.! It's been a busy month, but I am so happy for all of the opportunities. Thank you to everyone who has helped me this far, you are all amazing! Until next time...
Always,
Saundra Combs
Miss San Diego Cities 2010
Well once we returned from Orientation I was completely exhausted from all of the activities, but as they say, there was no rest for the weary. I had papers to write and things to do before I could be done with my last year of college. That's right folks, I'm done with classes at USD! The last week of school I had over 35 pages of papers to write, gotta love being an English Major, and even better, they were all due on the same day; talk about stress! I spent over 30 hours in the library - in two days mind you - working on papers, researching, and writing, but the relief I felt after submitting my last paper was amazing, I can't even describe the weight that was lifted from my shoulders!
I was so excited to see my family that weekend, they came down for graduation, and we spent a great 3 days together checking out our favorite places in San Diego. It really is a great city and I feel so blessed to live here. I couldn't imagine a better place to represent this year at Miss California than my own home town!
Well, speaking of Miss California, I cant believe there are only 33 days before we head back up to Fresno! I feel like orientation was last weekend! Time really flies when you're busy. Anyway, it's crunch time to say the least, and I am working extremely hard to make sure that I am as ready as I can be. Everything has come so naturally this year, my wardrobe was easy to find, and I feel that I am the most calm that I have ever been. Now it's just time to work off those last few pounds, put finishing touches on my talent, keep up with current events, and get all of my things organized so that I don't have to think about anything but competing while I am there. I am so excited and I really can't wait to head up.
Whew, well that was a quick overview of what I've been up to, but there is more to talk about! This weekend I have appearances every day - if I do become Miss California I will totally be prepared for the busy schedule!
On Thursday, Marina, Miss Northern California Regional, and I attended a Sex and the City 2 premiere event. We got to model fabulous clothes - from my clothing sponsor Be Beauty - and were able to wear beautifully crafted hats. It was so fun and we had a great time meeting new people and, of course, getting to wear some great stuff. Marina and I have had a wonderful time working out and making appearances with each other, we are beginning to be joined at the hip! Thanks to Tara and Juju at Be Beauty for the fun opportunity!
Friday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to visit Rady Children's Hospital. Myself, along with Kristy, our beautiful Miss CA, Justine, Miss Blythe, Katie, Miss East San Diego, and Miss Nor. Cal Regional, Marina, spent time with the children in the care of this wonderful staff of doctors and nurses. I have visited Children's hospitals before, but it never ceases to amaze me how strong the children, and their parents are. It makes you appreciate what you have, health, family, love, and you realize that while things can get bad we are blessed that we do not have to deal with daily life the way that these people do. I visited the Oncology wing of the hospital - where patients with cancer are being treated through Chemotherapy and other types of medication, etc. There were kids of all ages, from 6 months to 17 years old. The nurses asked each room whether they wanted a visit from me, and for the most part - except for those that were feeling very sick - they all wanted me to come in. The kids were great. I cannot express how wonderful it was to walk into a room and see a child look up and watch every move that I made with a giant grin on their face. They were so happy to see a princess and most of the little girls were too speechless to say much. I felt so happy that I could make them smile and put just a little bit of joy into their life of severe pain. They all wanted to touch my crown and try on my sash. One girl put it on and began to show me her pageant wave. They were adorable. If it wasn't enough to make the kids happy, what was perhaps even more rewarding was to see the smiles on their parents' faces. These kids have really only known what life is like in a hospital, but their parents know that there is more for them. For parents I am sure that it is almost more difficult to deal with the pain that their child is going through, I am sure that anyone of them would trade places with their child in a heartbeat. To make them smile and thank me for making their child's day so much better, was priceless. We should all feel blessed for what we do have. These people are so strong and it was inspiring to be a part of their lives, if only for a moment. Thank you so much to Chelle Hyde for inviting me to be a part of this life-changing experience.
Today, I was invited to the Cub Scout Memorial Day Event. What a difference to see children running around, playing, yelling, and having fun when just the day before I was with children who will never experience that. It was fun to be around the kids as they placed a single American flag on each one of the headstones. Now there were not just several headstones, there were thousands; and what was even more amazing was that they put a flag on each one in a single hour! Amazing!!! The boys were not too excited to see me - they were too cool - but the little girls all wanted to see my crown and wanted to be sure to get an autograph card. I have never been more aware of the differences between little boys and girls! They were funny to watch. Thank you to the Cub Scouts for inviting me to be a part of this great event celebrating what this holiday is truly about.
Tomorrow, I'll be headed up to the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival. It will be great to see the other girls and have a great time hopefully eating lots of strawberries! I will let you know how it goes, much sooner this time!
Well at the cost of boring you, I am going to say good bye for now - plus it's time for a nap, I've been up since 5 a.m.! It's been a busy month, but I am so happy for all of the opportunities. Thank you to everyone who has helped me this far, you are all amazing! Until next time...
Always,
Saundra Combs
Miss San Diego Cities 2010
