3 MORE DAYS

Wow. 3 more days. Unbelievable.
Words cannot describe how ecstatic I am to head out to the beautiful Fresno ;] on Thursday. My lovely mother will be driving me up to Huntington Beach where I will drive the remainder with Lana (best roomie ever).
I had such an amazing time at our Send-off yesterday. The Miss SD committee is so amazing and I am truly grateful for all they have provided. Their kind words and encouragement really keeps me motivated! I also feel so blessed to have Tierra and Saundra as my sister queens; they are both so talented and beautiful and I am proud to be a part of the same program as them! I can't wait to see what this up coming week holds for all of us! We performed our talents, showed off our wardrobe, and strutted our strut; I truly believe we are ready to kick some butt! I honestly wish I could leave tomorrow ;]
We had some wonderful guests support us! Thank you Mom, Dad, Kati, Joe, Pey-Shiuan, Alexander, Robin, Shelby, Kim, Marina, Jan, Jacob, Lorena, Trish (and the list goes on) for supporting us yesterday. It truly means a lot.
A big shout out to Kati and Joe. Your help this past year, thus far, is truly outstanding. You both are so knowledgeable and I appreciate you guys sharing your wisdom with me. Glen Beck is pretty cool ;] I appreciate the fact that Kati made sure I was always aware and on time to my appearances and made these opportunities possible.
Pey-Shiuan, your photography is amazing and I appreciate all the pictures you have provided me. They tremendously help, more than you know ;]
Alexander, your training keeps me motivated, and I owe my exercise programs to you!
Kim, thank you so much for your daily interview questions. They always keep me on top of my game. Even though they can be very tricky at times.
Robin, I know you always have my back and I love our friendship. I have known you for so long, and definitely consider you a great friend. I know you will be a celebrity model someday and it is always fun seeing your new photos. you are a beautiful person inside and out.
Shelbs, I have only known you since November, and I have to thank the Miss San Diego competition for letting us meet each other. I love you so much and you are definitely one of the most down to earth, hilarious, talented, beautiful young woman I have ever met. Thank you for being a part of my life.
Jan, you are always so supportive in everything I do. You have been there since Miss California's Outstanding Teen, supported me in Orlando for Miss America's Outstanding Teen, you were there for me in Phoenix for American Idol, and are now coming to Fresno once again for Miss California. Your generosity is mind-blowing and I love spending time with you.
Mom and Dad. The biggest thank you to you both! I am what I am today because of you two. You have raised to be the best I can be and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. This needs to be said a lot more, but I love you both and appreciate so much all that you do for me. I can't even begin to think of words that match my gratitude.

So this basically sounded like a farewell speech.. But its just that I have surrounded by such wonderful people and I have to thank the Miss San Diego organization for letting me meet half of the people. I just can't wait to leave and reunite with a lot of wonderful girls around the state. It is going to be a tough competition, and although I will be giving my all, I know I am going to have such an amazing experience and will treasure each moment.

Love you all,
Arianna Afsar
Miss San Diego County 2010

It's Crunch Time!!

As Saundra just said in her post yesterday, we had a wonderful time celebrating the girls' send-off and I speak on behalf of our entire committee when I say how proud we are of them! Arianna, Saundra and Tierra have worked VERY hard and are ready! I cannot wait to just get there and make all of this happen!

To recap a little, we did have our "Sundae Send-Off" Party yesterday hosted by our amazing teenie queenie mom, Lorena. Lorena - THANK YOU SO MUCH for opening your beautiful home to us and hosting our crazy girls and their families. I think we all left a little beach envious. (: The girls modeled their wardrobe and performed their talents and I am pretty sure San Diego will be something to reckon with! Now the girls are home packing like maniacs, labeling, marking off on checklists and getting ready to leave town on Thursday and Friday. I can't wait to get there on Monday to see them. I am pretty sure I'll be having withdrawals in the meantime.

I also wanted to take a minute to thank some people publicly. I would like to of course thank Lorena again for being such a great host but more so I would like to thank her for raising such a poised, intelligent and wonderful daughter. Tierra is like no other 14 year old I know and I love her to pieces. She is sweet and fun and silly but so mature at the same time. She is hard working and dedicated and you are the reason she is that way. Great job mom!

Karin and Mohammad, Arianna's parents...thank you for letting go and giving us Arianna. In just a few short weeks she's been home from school, we've gotten to see her transformation, and I'm not referencing just politically speaking. (: It has been so cool to watch her opinions form and see her life experience happen first hand. Thank you for trusting her with us and taking care of her when we aren't there.

Trish and Bill Combs, Saundra's parents...your dedication to and love for your daughter is beautiful. Your willingness to travel down here just shows how much y0u believe in her and her dedication to success. Thank you for giving me a "22 yr-old daughter" and for trusting us with her when you are away. I have told her a million times, no one will be more prepared than her, and it's because of her but also because of you and your commitment and love for her. Thank you also for spending Friday night with us and for the super yummy dinner at Bing Crosby's.

Lastly, I want to thank our team for help preparing the girls for state. It is hard work and dedication and next week will be exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time! Thank you to my wonderful husband Joe for always being up to date on what's going on in the world (which lately is A LOT) and for making sure our girls have the information. Thanks for the late night errands and handling my freak outs at 3am. By July 11th, it'll all have been worth it!

I am going to do my best to keep this updated next week while we're at Miss California so please keep checking back. We hope to be posting our girls as prelim winners and titleholders!!

Until then...

Kati Enea

Miss San Diego Pageant & Scholarship Assc.
Executive Director

Almost There...

Wow, I cannot believe that in 3 short days I will be on my way to Miss California! The time has flown by, and whether we're ready or not, the time has come! I would like to start this post by saying good luck to all of the other beautiful contestants that will be competing for the title of Miss California. Each of us has worked so hard to make it to this point, and it is important to remember that simply being a part of this program and having the ability to compete is a huge accomplishment. Congrats to all of the girls, I cannot wait to see you all soon!

Today was our Send-off party! Arianna, Tierra, and I were all hosted by Lorena Gonzalez, Tierra's mom, at her beautiful home in Crown Point, right up the street from me! We had sundaes - which none of us ate of course, too close to competing! - sun, presents, and wonderful friends and family. We showed off our wardrobe and both Arianna and I sang our talent pieces. I would just like to say that I am glad we aren't on the same talent night! She is beautiful and I am so proud of her :) It was so nice to relax and have a great time with everyone. I feel so blessed to have such a great committee who is extremely supportive and is truly excited to watch us grow in everything that we do. I know that I speak for all three of us when I say thank you, Kati, Joe Psz, and Alexander, you are all amazing and have been so wonderful to all of us. We know we will succeed at Miss California because of all that you do! Like I have said before, if I don't win, I will be happy to return to San Diego and continue to be your girl. Love you all. I would also like to thank Lorena for hosting our party and for being such an inspiring woman!

Yesterday I was invited to my rommie's send-off/birthday party. We had a blast checking out all of her wardrobe, listening to her talent, and spending time with her to celebrate all of her accomplishments. Marina is such a beautiful young lady and I am so excited for our adventure in Fresno, we are going to have a great time. Let me warn you, the girls from San Diego are definitely a force to be reckoned with! We are ready for Miss California.

My parents were here over the weekend, fresh from Hawaii and incredibly tan, to help me get all of my last minute things together. My parents have been so supportive and it is nice to know that no matter what happens they are incredibly proud of me. They have been with me every step of the way and I definitely would not be where I am today without them. I love them both so much and am so proud to be their daughter! Thank you both so much for everything you do. Anyway, they were here to make sure that I was taken care of and that I was ready to go. I had a mock interview on Friday - with possibly the toughest panel of judges I have ever had, it included a Sailor of the Year (a HUGE award in the Navy) who is now on the national board! If I am not prepared after that I don't know if I will ever be! I definitely feel prepared after their visit, and it was nice to see them for the last time before Miss California.

Well, the next few days are completely jam packed with things to do! First on the list is PACKING!! I have put off packing until now so that I wouldn't bring too much - wishful thinking, I'll probably still bring more than I need. I will be labeling and packing for the next 72 hours straight! Somewhere in there I need to get nails done, hair colored, waxing, pick up appearance clothes, have final meetings with Kati and Joe...oh and did I mention sleep? It will definitely be busy, but I love every second of it. I am truly excited to go to Miss California. It will be a new experience and I am determined to make it feel like the first time that I went, just a little more prepared this time. The goal this year has been to look at Miss California from a new angle - to be fresh and take in every experience. I realized that I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to compete at Miss California once, let alone three times. Some girls work so incredibly hard and never make it. We are all very lucky to have these opportunities presented to us. Miss California, among many other things, is about the experience and what you can do for others. I have worked so hard this year to inspire others and give young girls - maybe even older generations - a good role model in a world full of despair and negativity. This is what this program is about, and I am so excited to have had the opportunity to fulfill this role, not just once, but four times.

Well I should get back to packing, but I wanted to take one last chance to thank everyone in this program who has helped me get to this point and to become the person that I am today. You know who you are, thank you one million times for all of your support. I will try to keep everyone updated every day at Miss California. The posts will be short - I need sleep at some point - but I will be sure to cover the important things! Next time I write I will be in beautiful Fresno! Until then...

Always,

Saundra Combs

Miss San Diego Cities 2010

Two Weeks!

I cannot believe how quickly we are getting to Miss California! We are just 14 days away and I could not be more excited. The week has been so crazy with preparation, packing, and all of the other little things that have to get done before competition starts. I have tried so hard to write more frequently, but it seems as though the days fly by and before I know it, it's been a week - or more! Anyway, here is this fun and exciting week in review!

The last time I wrote I had just gotten done with mock interviews at Kathy Baldwin's house.

Again, I had a great time and was so happy to have such great feedback. This past Sunday, we had mock interviews again, this time at my wonderful director's home. Kati and Joe opened their home to the three of us - Arianna, Tierra, and myself - as well as Marina Inserra, Miss Nor. California Regional, and gave each one of us a chance to run through a full interview and then recieve feedback from our great committee. I am happy to say that I have improved since the last time, and am hoping to continue improving! I must also say, that I could get through any distraction easily after both of my mock interviews. At Kathy's house her beautiful cat decided that the "podium" we were using was actually her chair, and she wanted to hang out where everyone else was. At my interview at Kati's house, Miss Aubri, Kati's adorable little girl, decided she also wanted to be a part of the fun and asked a few questions during my interview. She's so cute and I definitely love having both her and Sammi around, even if they are a little distracting at times :)

Unfortunately I have been a little sick these past few days, but I have definitely not let it affect my preparation! I figure you don't get a day off if your Miss California, so I just have to push past it - just in case! Thankfully it happened now and not two weeks from now. Unfortunately I can't dance and I definitely can't play an instrument, so my voice is about all I have in the talent department! Have to keep it healthy and make sure that I'm all better for Miss California.

This week Marina and I have made it a point to workout with each other almost every day. Every time we get a little tired we just say, "swimsuit prelim!" and go just a little bit longer. It definitely keeps us going and pushes us to work as hard as we possibly can. Both of us are so excited to make the trip to Fresno - who'd a thought anyone would be excited to go to Fresno - and we cannot wait to see the other girls and just have a great time in general. We are both counting down the days!

Well, my family left for Hawaii today (great timing right?), they said they were going to relax for me...I'm not sure how that works, but I love them for understanding that things are too crazy for me to leave for a week - even though it would be nice to spend time with them, and be in Hawaii! I love them and am so happy that I have their support. I feel so blessed to have such a great committee who has prepped me and supported me in everything. Can't wait to see them at my farewell party!

Prep has been going extremely well, and now it's time to get the last minute alterations, make sure my emergency kits are packed, and begin organizing my bags. Kati does such a great job at making sure that each one of us feels that we have everything we need - and she has two babies! She goes above and beyond and I can't wait to make her proud at Miss California.

That's about all that I have for this week, short I know, but my life pretty much consists of sleeping, working out, a little eating, and watching the news. Oh the life of a Miss California contestant. I know it will be worth it in the end, and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds. Until next time...

Always,

Saundra Combs

Miss San Diego Cities

19 Days and Counting...

It is incredible how quickly time flies! I cannot believe that in just a few short weeks we will be headed up to Fresno for Miss California. It is absolutely crunch time, but for some strange reason I feel so calm about pretty much everything. I guess that is one of the advantages to having been there before, you learn to prepare and anticipate everything that could happen or probably will happen. I am definitely one for organization, and this week has been dedicated to making sure that I have just about everything and anything that I can think of!

Before we get to this week, I should probably tell you about last weekend first. As I mentioned in my last blog, the Southern California girls were all invited to attend mock interviews this weekend at the beautiful home of Kathy Baldwin. It was a beautiful setting and many of the girls came to have at least one mock so that they could be even better prepared for Miss California interviews. It was so nice to see everyone that came and be able to talk to them about preparation, choreography, wardrobe, and anything else that we could think of. It will be such a fun year and I can't wait to see all of these girls very, VERY, soon.

In addition to the Miss contestants having interviews, several of the Teen competitors came as well. I have been very curious as to what the dynamic will be at Miss California this year because of the addition of the teens into our program, but after having met several of them, I am sure that we will have a great time. They are really a lot of fun to be around, and while they may be a little more, what's a good word for it..., energetic, I have no doubt that they will bring an element of fun into the mostly serious atmosphere that the Miss contestants create during preliminaries. It will be interesting, but I have no doubt that we will have a great time.

Whew, well as of this week I have officially begun packing. As I said, I like to be over prepared and not too surprised by anything that could happen during competition. So this week, I have gathered all of my supplies - boxes to separate things in, emergency kit stuff, hem tape, butt glue - and am beginning to organize them into their own separate boxes, like I said, no surprises! Packing is perhaps the most intensive part of this entire thing! I am starting now but no matter how hard I try I am sure that I will still be packing the night before I leave! Oh well, I am trying to get it all done as soon as possible, we'll see how well I do!

I am almost ready to go to Miss California, there are just a few things left that I need to finish off my wardrobe. It has been quite an eventful year and I truly feel that the experiences I've had as Miss San Diego Cities will help to propel me even further. I have a great team behind me and we are all so excited to see what the outcome is this year in Fresno. Thank you so much to everyone that has helped me during this year, I feel truly blessed to have you all in my life!
Well I better get back to packing, I'll keep you updated as to how it's going...

Always,
Saundra Combs
Miss San Diego Cities

28 Days and Counting!

I cannot believe how close we are getting to heading up to Fresno for Miss California! It is always amazing how quickly the time flies by. I am so excited and am working hard in prepping and making sure that I feel my absolute best at Miss Cal this year. Here are the past few days in review...

The last time I wrote I was just about at the end of my whirlwind weekend, and what a whirlwind it was! On Sunday, Marina and I headed up to Garden Grove for the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival. It was such a great time! I had so much fun seeing all of the girls and watching them perform their amazing talents. What talented and beautiful girls we have in this organization, it will be an amazing competition this year. I was excited to see everyone and to see whether anyone else had tried to practice the opening number dance moves that we had been sent via youtube earlier in May; I was happy to hear that nobody, like me, had even attempted it. I don't know about the other girls, but I am not a dancer and learning dance moves from a video is completely foreign to me - I will stick to what I know, singing. Anyway, there were quite a few girls at the festival this weekend, the list included: Miss Tustin, Sarah Salazar, who sang a great piece and had the audience going wild, Miss Fullerton, Gabby Marco, who danced beautifully - so jealous - Miss City of Orange, Rachel Berry, who danced - again, so jealous - Miss Hollywood, Lindsay Nault, who sang Summertime and did an amazing job, Miss Southland, Coreena Coleman, who sang! I was shocked because she is such an amazing dancer, so glad to see her perform with her younger brother, they were great, Miss Culver City, Laura Jean Berger, sang - again, these multi-talented girls impress me - and did a really great job. Miss Santa Barbara Co. Carley Ryckman, who did a very upbeat and fun Irish dance - I wish i could jump like that! - My sister, Miss San Diego Co. Arianna Afsar, sang - of course- even though she was sick! She did so great and I am soooo proud of her! Miss Northern Cal. Regional, Marina Inserra also sang and did a fabulous job; and of course there was our wonderful hostess, Dee Dee Saetia, Miss Garden Grove, who performed with her dance team and also did a flashy performance with her fire balls - I know that is not what they're called, but I forget what there name is, please forgive me! She was fabulous and I felt so special being included in this great group of contestants. I hope I didn't forget anyone, but if I did I will be sure to add them! Everyone did an AMAZING job, you're all wonderful girls!

After we all performed, all of the performers returned to the stage and sang God Bless America.
It was a wonderful setting and there was definitely a sense of commrodary and friendship. We all had a great time, and I am sure that I speak for everyone when I say thank you to Stacy Margolin for inviting us to be a part of such a great program.



Once we had finished, Marina and I were starving and we had to find some kind of nourishment, and of course do some shopping! We did both within a matter of an hour, and were very succesful in our venture! Before the event we ate a strawberry shortcake - loaded with strawberries and whipped cream, not exactly on the diet, but delicious nonetheless - but after the show we just needed a little something to fill us up before going home. We found something...
corn!! Okay so it's not exactly the healthiest thing, but it was so delicious, and I made sure to wipe off as much butter as possible! Marina and I had such a great time and are developing an even better friendship. This program is amazing, friendships that will last a lifetime are developed throughout our years of competition. People always ask whether we try to put each other down, sabatoge one another, or speak ill of each other, but the answer is always the same: the girls that compete in this program are all wonderful. I think the thing that people don't understand is that this is really a sorority of amazing women. I have never been around such well-rounded, motivated, beautiful, and talented people in all of my life. I think that one of the best things in this program is that we all become very close and develop relationships that will last well beyond our competition years. We are the future of this country and I can honestly say that each of these women is fully capable of creating a brighter future.
We finally got home at 11 and it was time for bed! This past week has been full of workouts and prep meetings. I have met with Kati and Joe - my dream team :) - twice this week and I am not sure what I will do without them next week! They have been so wonderful to me and I cannot express how blessed I feel to have them behind me!

On Saturday I am heading up to Kathi Baldwin's house - which I am so excited for! - to have a mock interview workshop for the So Cal girls. The practice is much needed and I am so excited to hear the feedback of such a great judging panel. I'll be sure to keep you updated! Until then, I need to get back to current events, there is so much going on, it's hard to keep up! only 28 more days...

Always,
Saundra Combs
Miss San Diego Cities