My Favorite Quotes

     To change things up on my blog this month, I thought I'd share some of my favorite inspirational quotes! 

• "Failure is a detour, not a dead end street." -Zig Ziglar
•  "You will get all you want in life, if you just help enough other people get what they want." -Zig Ziglar 

• "The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday."
•  "Failure is not the opposite of success.  It is a part of success."
• "Motivation gets you going and habit gets you there." -Zig Ziglar 
• "Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart." -Zig Ziglar 

     Here is a video from my favorite motivational speaker of all time, Zig Ziglar.  I have been listening to his speeches since I was fourteen years old.  I love his message!  Check it out...

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! 

Sincerely,

Cherokee Pearce

Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 2015

The Children's Depot

     The kids at The Children's Depot were so fun!  I had a great time and was able to spend my whole day with different age groups, rotating to every classroom.  I read my book, Meanie Muffins, to the kids and then asked them what they learned.  Here are some of the responses I got...

• "Treat other people how you want to be treated."
• "Just because you're different, doesn't mean it's bad." 
• "It's not nice to bully." 
• "Just because someone is mean, doesn't mean you should be mean to them too." 
• "If you are being bullied, tell your teacher." 

Last but not least the cutest little boy that said...

• "I just don't like books!"

     I am so happy that every class learned something and took away a valuable lesson.  The kids at this daycare were so open and told me stories about times they have been made fun of and how they handled it.  One little girl told me about a time that her best friend was teasing her, but she didn't think her friend knew that it was hurting her feelings.  So, she told her friend that her feelings were hurt and sure enough, she didn't mean to hurt her friend.  Listening to that story made me realize how mature these kids are.  It proves that kids have different tolerance levels and may be more sensitive to being teased and sometimes you just have to say, "hey, that hurts me."

     I am so impressed with all of the classes I visited, they were so well behaved and listened intently to the whole book and to everything I said.  I also want to thank the staff for being so welcoming!!

Here are a few pictures from my visit...

The kids played in the rain. Of course, it's still raining in Oklahoma! 

Dallas Bootcamp

WHAT A WEEKEND!!  This past weekend was spent with my Vanbros Teen Sister Queens in Dallas, Texas for our Teen USA bootcamp!  Here is a rundown on how my weekend was!

Day 1
     The first day was such a blast!  I woke up at my 6:00 AM wake-up call and headed to the studio to get my hair and makeup done by the beautiful and talented, Nicole West!  I couldn't have asked for a better person to paint my face for my official Miss Teen USA headshot!!  She is such a perfectionist and made sure I was completely, 100 percent happy with her work.  After Nicole got me all glammed up, I started my shoot with one of my all time favorite photographers, Zac Grimaldo!  Zac took my headshots last year for Miss Oklahoma Teen USA so I am so glad I was able to have him take my Miss Teen USA headshot!  I could definitely brag on Zac for days but to sum it up, he is insanely talented and a TON of fun!

     To finish off day one of bootcamp, I talked to Adrielle Churchill and Valerie Hayes!  Adrielle really helped me understand what to expect during the Miss Teen USA competition and Valerie helped me with my interview skills!  I really can't imagine this journey without those two! 

     That night, all of us teens, Jason and John Vannatta, Adrielle, and Zac all went to dinner as a group!  We had so much fun chatting with each other. 

Day 2

     Day  two was a lot like the first, I worked with Adrielle and Valerie again! My first appointment was with Valerie and I always love talking to her because she really listens and helps me feel more confident in my interview.  I have known Valerie for a while so it was great reflecting back on my journey together!  My next appointment was with Kim for walking!  After that was over, it was time to hangout with Adrielle!  This time Adrielle and I took a trip to Starbucks to get our daily dose of caffeine :) 

     After all of us were done with our appointments, it was dinner time!  I drooled over the most beautiful tower of strawberry shortcake that John was eating.  I promised myself that I'd have one after Miss Teen USA in August :) After dinner we all headed to downtown Dallas to take some fun group pictures!  Zac truly caught our personalities perfectly in these photos. I can't wait to see them all!! 

Here are a few photos from Day 2...

Zac and I 

Every brunette needs TWO blonde best friends <3

Love me some Nebraska 

How cute is my Lil Illinois?! 

Thanks for hanging out with us crazy girls, Will! 

Day 3

     This is the second to last day in Dallas!  On the third day, I had my final appointments with Valerie and Adrielle for the weekend. :( I really appreciate the time they spent with us girls helping us prepare and become our personal best, I am beyond grateful! 

     This day was pretty relaxing!  Me and a few of the other girls decided to get some sun and some exercise while exploring downtown Dallas.  

Day 4

Our last day together in Dallas, Texas :'( 

     On day four we all had mock interviews!  It was so cool actually going into what felt like a real interview.  I truly think it helped us all prepare.  After our mock interviews, Zac took more group photos!  We all were somewhat matching and had a blast working with Zac again! After our shoot we went to Medieval Times.  

Here are a few photos of our last day...

The knight threw us carnations :)

     I want to give a special thank you to John and Jason Vannatta for their time and effort in making this experience so awesome!  I am truly thankful for all that you do.  My heart is full and I have with me now the most incredible memories I will cherish for a lifetime.  We all had a blast and really bonded throughout this past weekend.  Thank you to Adrielle Churchill, Valerie Hayes, Will Henderson, and Zac Grimaldo for being so amazing and helping us!!  I also want to thank Royal Salon and 24K Spray Tan for getting me ready for bootcamp! 

Sincerely,
Cherokee Pearce

Sunny Patch Kids

     I loved visiting the kids from Sunny Patch Kids Daycare!  Anytime I have the opportunity to visit a classroom or daycare to share my book, Meanie Muffins, it is always a special experience.  While reading the book I heard lots of giggles and even some saying "awe" because of the way Confetti the cupcake was being treated.  It's so exciting knowing that all of the elementary school children understood the lesson from the book.  Afterwards, I passed out special Meanie Muffins bracelets that say "I'm not a Meanie Muffin" and signed autograph cards for them.  This had to be one of the most enthusiastic group of kids I have ever had the opportunity to spend time with.  I actually had one sweet girl who asked me after I read my book, "So, how do you work for the government?" It was one of the cutest things for a little five year old to say, she thought by wearing my sash, I worked for the government.
     A HUGE "Thank you" to Sunny Patch Kids Daycare for allowing me to visit!  I hope to come back soon!!