Christian Learning Center

          On the last week of June, I had another opportunity to read my book, Meanie Muffins, to another daycare!  Reading to Elementary Schools and Daycare Centers is something I have enjoyed throughout my year as Miss Oklahoma Teen USA.

          

          At the Christian Learning Center, I was SUPER impressed with how well behaved the kids were while I was reading.  I read to the three year old's group and the school age group.  I was so shocked that a child as young as three could tell me the lesson learned from the book.  I told the school age group more about my story and why I felt inspired to write a children's book.  This group of kids asked so many questions and I spent a lot time with them hanging out and getting to know each other.  I feel really blessed to have the opportunity to go into a classroom, read my book, and hear the kids talk about being kind, respectful, and accepting of other people's unique qualities. Something that stands out to me about this appearance is that I received a message on Facebook from a mother of one of the kids and said that her son was really impacted by my book and she thanked me for taking the time to read it.  That was one of the most rewarding things ever!!  It helps me know that I am doing my job :) 

She LOVED her Meanie Muffins bracelet!

          Thank you so much to the Christian Learning Center for allowing me to visit! I hope to come back soon! :) 

Sincerely, 

Cherokee Pearce

Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 2015

USO: Operation That's My Dress

Wisconsin Teen and Nebraska Teen were on my flight!

Flying over Chicago <3 

          WOW!  I don't even know where to begin about this incredible event!  The USO is such a great organization that helps members of our military and their families in so many ways!  I was honored to be a part of the Operation That's My Dress event in June, benefiting families at Fort Drum. The event took place in Alexandria Bay, New York at the Edgewood Resort.  The Edgewood Resort also provided us Teen USA titleholders with hotel accommodations for the weekend that we were there!

          The first night we had the opportunity to attend the Welcome Dinner!  The resort provided us with an AMAZING buffet to feast on that was absolutely delicious!  It was really fun mingling with all of my fellow sister queens and the other USO Volunteers.   The USO Show Troupe was even kind enough to perform a few songs for us after dinner which is something I will never forget, their voices are incredible.

         

       
         


















The next day was the day of the actual event!!  We started our day with a rehearsal for the fashion shows and then prepped and relaxed for our show for the military daughters!  This was a super fun show because all of the girls in the audience would cheer for the Sherri Hill dresses that they loved.  After our first fashion show, we had the opportunity to help the teen girls pick our their dream dress for prom!  Sherri Hill's donation was SO generous and the girls fell in love with Sherri Hill's designs. I helped two young ladies pick out a dress and I can say that they made a huge impact on me.  These girls know what it's like to overcome obstacles, they have went through countless moves to different states and even countries.  I am so glad they had a day to be pampered and taken care of, they completely deserve it!  After the teen's session we went back to get ready for the active duty member's and military spouse member's runway show then quickly went back to the dress expo after our second fashion show.  I met many military spouses that were so grateful for having the opportunity to pick out a gown for an event.  It was an honor meeting some of the strongest young women who sacrifice as they or their father, mother, or husband is fighting for our country.  This was truly a remarkable experience!

       
       





          After the event, the USO and the Edgewood Resort organized an amazing "Thank You" Party!  This was our last meal together as a group before we all parted ways to go home :'(

       
           I had such a blast the whole weekend and really want to thank the Edgewood Resort and the USO Staff and Volunteers.  This event was so amazing, thanks to everyone's effort in making it the best it could possibly be.  I look forward to another Operation That's My Dress Event in the future!!

Sincerely,
Cherokee Pearce
Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 2015

         

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