Everyone is Beautiful in Their Own Way

Kayla Martell, the new 2010 Miss Delaware America is one inspiring woman!  I'm awed by her.  She has done more for Delaware and beauty pageants than I could ever imagine and wish.  In an interview on The Insider TV Program tonight Kayla said, "Everyone is beautiful in their own way.  If you don't believe you're beautiful no one else will either."  Go Kayla.  Celebrate your Beauty!  I'm so proud to know you.  You inspire me and all of America.

Until next time,

Kristyn Z

I Believe in Miracles!

So I was checking out my sister's blogsite when I came across this picture of Audrey Hepburn and a quote I think everyone here might enjoy too.  She was a wonderful Hollywood actress and starred in one of my favorite movies; BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S.  Btw, my bedroom just got painted TIFFANY BLUE.

“I believe in manicures. I believe in wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”  — Audrey Hepburn

Until next time...

Kristyn Z

Happy Birthday Katie Z!

My sister Katie is 20 years old today!  She's not only beautiful, my best friend but is always there for me.  I love her and everything about her.

Happy Birthday Katie!

Kristyn

How Can YOU Start Celebrating Your Beauty?

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” — Lucille Ball

Until next time....

Love you all!

Kristyn Z.

In the Summertime...

... when the weather is hot, there are a few things I think are real cool and want to share with you, like the Atlantic Coastal Beach at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware, my favorite spot in the world!

http://www.beach-net.com/ParkCH.html

A bit farther south, there's the Boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware with Dolles Salt Water Taffy. 

http://www.rehobothboardwalk.com/

I can tell you all there's nothing like a slice of Grotto's mouth watering Pizza when you're walking the boards in Rehoboth!

http://www.grottopizza.com/

And I can't leave Midway Speedway on Route 1 out of this post because I love racing around their track in a go-cart!

http://www.rehoboth.com/midwayspeedway/

So, how 'bout you? What are some of your all time favorite places and things to do in the summer?  You can post comments below.

Until next time...

Kristyn Z

Our Country Needs Strong and Good Leaders

"To lead people, walk beside them … As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate … When the best leader’s work is done the people say,  We did it ourselves!"

 - Lao-Tsu

Our country is experiencing tough times.  Especially now, we need leaders that don't just make a lot of empty campaign promises but actually have a record of working hard to help and inspire the people of our country in achieving their goals and dreams.  These are not easy times for sure, but with good counsel and great leadership the American people will rise to meet new challenges and perservere these hardships.  I believe our great nation because of the strength of our leaders and people will once again stand at the front of all other countries in the world soon enough!  As Delaware's Miss Teen All American, I'm fortunate to meet our State's political leadership at various events throughout the State.  Today I was fortunate to spend a few minutes with Congressman Mike Castle and our senior US Senator Tom Carper.  Both men took a personal interest in me as a high school student and wanted to know how I felt our country was doing.

One thing is certain, in Delaware we are very lucky to have men like Mike Castle and Tom Carper serving us.  I am proud to have gotten to know them and learned some important things from each of them today at the Delmarva Chicken Festival in Dover, Delaware.  Our economy in Delaware is dependent on agriculture.  Chicken farming is one of our State's major industries.  Most all of the corn and soybeans raised in Delaware stay in Delaware to feed the Purdue, Mountaire Farms and Holly Farm chicken flocks scheduled for American tables across the country.  Good luck and God speed to Mike Castle and Tom Carper as they work hard to represent the needs of Delawareans in Washington!

One thing for sure, don't ever be afraid to voice your opinion and be heard especially when you're in the company of our nation's leaders.  The United States is a democracy; "... by the people, of the people and for the people."  So get involved, our country needs us.  Your voice, opinion and vote counts!

And, oh by the way, please eat more chicken.   Not only is it nutritious and good for you BUT it helps the people of my state of Delaware!

Until next time...

Kristyn Z

THE WILL OF A CHAMPION

I learned a great lesson this weekend from my mentor, Nicole Bosso, 2007 Miss Delaware USA.  Nicole is a beauty queen in every sense of the word!  This year she set out to accomplish something no other woman in Delaware has done, win another Miss Delaware pageant crown, at the 2010 Miss Delaware America pageant at Dover Downs Hotel.  Out of all the contestants from around the State, Nicole got 3rd Runner Up.  The Miss America Pageant isn't just a beauty pageant, 35% of a contestant's score comes from a very challenging TALENT component.  Something Nicole never had to contend with in the Miss USA system of beauty pageants that were her domain!

Nicole worked long and hard to perfect a sizzling dance routine which surprised  everyone in attendance that doubted her.  But this weekend belonged to Kayla Martell, the new 2010 Miss Delaware America.  Kayla is a very special woman.  Beautiful, talented with an impressive history of national community service awards.  Kayla is a champion for people with alopecia, a dreadful hair loss syndrome.  She let everyone in the audience know she was wearing a wig and suffers with alopecia!  But that didn't stop her from competing for the title of Miss Delaware America over the last several years, UNTIL finally  she won the very coveted title.  What a thrill for Kayla and ALL OF US IN DELAWARE.  So here's what I learned from Nicole and Kayla.

By now you know I'm big on inspirational quotes and motivational sayings.  They help me contend with life's adversities and keep me on track in working towards my own goal of being a Miss Delaware USA someday in the future.  Vince Lombardi, the great football coach once said;

 “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”

This weekend I got to see a great beauty queen's tremendous will to win which drove her over the last few months to perfect a dance routine catapulting her into a top 5 finish in a pageant that was not her specialty for sure.  I am constantly awed with Nicole Bosso!  And I got to see the great will and determination of Kayla Martell, the new Miss Delaware America as she overcame the odds of adversity and finally accomplished her dream! 

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”

- Vince Lombardi

Congratulations to Kayla Martell and Nicole Bosso, two beauty queens whom I'm very happy have touched my life in a special way!

Until next time...

Kristyn Z

Never Lose Sight of Your Goals

Okay, so you want something really bad and decide to make it one of your personal goals.  Now how do you keep yourself psyched up and on track to achieve it? 

The first step is WRITE DOWN YOUR GOAL.  It helps you believe it can come true.  "Seeing is believing!"  Then do something really simple attach a final date to your goal.  One month, one year, five years whatever it may be.  Next, put together a timeline and simple plan how you will accomplish your goal.  Take a look at and talk to some other people that have done what you intend to do and ask them how they did it?  Try to make a few friendships along the way with someone successful in accomplishing exactly what you are setting out to do.  They just may volunteer to help you do it.  Associating with winners in life is infectious. 

Some people say sucesss is the result of "preparation meeting luck"!  I say it's simple hard work or "planning your work and working your plan".  Just think how sweet it will be to realize your goal.  Seeing yourself being successful will help you enjoy and look forward to working towards acheiving your goal.   Everyone sympathizes with a loser BUT you can bet one thing; "everyone loves a winner"!  Do you want to win in life?

Here are a few tips from some experts that really work...

"Having goals in life is what makes the world go around. Everyone, yes everyone, has at least one goal. People need goals to survive, achieve, and to be successful. Goals are a thing all people need but yet often have a hard time sticking to them. If you mess up on our way to achieve a goal, you stop altogether or decide to start all over again. There are many tips to help you achieve small goals, all the way up to huge life goals that may take you years to reach. You must never lose sight of your goals as this will cause you to become discouraged and you may never reach them. The following six tips will help you to keep those goals within sight.

 Picture yourself achieving the goals, dream about the goal, imagine your life after the goal has been achieves. Maybe you want to lose one hundred pounds, well, imagine yourself one hundred pounds lighter and out shopping for new clothes. Try to concentrate on the positives rather than what has happened in the past to stop you from achieving your goal.


You will encounter people who will doubt you and they will voice it. Ignore those negative people and smile at them when they say something negative about your goal. Focus on proving them wrong. Imagine losing those one hundred pounds someone told you that you never would lose. Again imagine yourself walking up to them and seeing their face when they see the new you.


Form a group of your peers that are trying to reach a similar goal. Losing weight is a hard thing to do alone, maybe you have a couple of friends that all want to lose weight too. Their goals do not have to be exactly the same as yours for you to work together at achieving those goals. There are a lot of organizations out there that offer weight loss support. You can join these groups and be around people who are going through the same struggles or have gone through the same struggles to achieve their weight loss goals. Organizations are a good way to surround yourself with people who are trying to do what you are and also people who have achieved their goals and can share their experiences with you. Hearing how someone else achieved his or her goals is a huge boost of hope and will help keep you positive.

Another great is to find you a mentor to work with one on one. A mentor can help keep you focused and is also there to support you no matter when or where you need it. If you know someone who has reached a goal and you admire them for then ask them to be your mentor and help you learn how to reach your own goals. Your mentor does not need to be someone you that you see or even live near, you can communicate with him or her through writing and phone calls. Mentors are great because they have already overcome the obstacles that you will encounter on your journey to reach your goals and they can offer you great advice and insight as to how to overcome obstacles.


As you embark on your adventure to reach your goals, you need to not lose sight of you and your health. Do not jeopardize your own well being to achieve a goal. Take time out for you, even if it is only a few minutes, read a book, take a bubble bath. Do some relaxation methods or just sit and relax quietly for a couple minutes. Take this time to reflect on how you are doing and give yourself a pat on the back for sticking to your goal path.


And finally the biggest and most valuable tip is to do whatever you need to reach your goal. Just sitting and thinking about what you want to achieve is not going to get you there. You have to work at it and make it happen. If you take the needed steps and put these six tips to use then you will no doubt achieve whatever goal you set for yourself. Stay positive and work hard and your goal will become reality."

From SOLVEYOURPROBLEM.COM (Tip #2006)

Just remember this, you're never alone in this world.  There's always someone there to help you BUT you have to reach out and ask!

Until next time...

Kristyn Z

"DREAM IT, BELIEVE IT, ACHIEVE IT!"

I don't know where my title quote originated BUT I learned it from one of my favorite people and teachers, Nicole Bosso.  She is an inspiration to me.  Nicole taught me an important lesson that let me DREAM and ACHIEVE my goals, to believe in myself.  Now I want to return that favor and wish her GOOD LUCK in her upcoming bid to become Delaware's First DUAL Miss Delaware Title Holder.  Nicole is the 2007 Miss Delaware USA.  She is now competing for the 2010 Miss Delaware America crown. 

Even though there are some really talented and beautiful women competing for this year's title of Miss Delaware America and each one of them is a wonderful role model for teenagers like me, I don't know anyone in the whole world who could be better suited to be Delaware's first 2x Pageant Queen than my special friend and mentor, Nicole Bosso.  My heart is with her every step of her journey! 

Nicole here are some more neat inspirational quotes for you and everyone out there wanting to live their dreams.

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." ~ Anatole France

"Most people are not really free. They are confined by the niche in the world that they carve out for themselves. They limit themselves to fewer possibilities by the narrowness of their vision." ~ V. S. Naipaul

"Our imagination is the only limit to what we can hope to have in the future" ~ Charles F. Kettering

"Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations unless he or she begins with some wild expectations." ~ Ralph Charell

"If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Until next time...

Kristyn Z

Seize the Moment!

“I remember one morning getting up at dawn, there was such a sense of possibility. You know that feeling? And I remember thinking to myself this is the beginning of happiness. This is where it starts and of course there will always be more. It never occurred to me it wasn’t the beginning. It was happiness. It was the moment. Right then.”

— The Hours
 
Relish every moment of your life.  Until next time...
 
Kristyn Z

You Are a Masterpiece!

"Today is a blank canvas upon which you can create a masterpiece" - Ralph  Marston

This simple little quote says so much doesn't it?  Join me in turning your life into a masterpiece.   It's simple.  You've got to start with liking yourself.  Everything God gave you fits together into a wonderful puzzle.  Never question the ultimate Artist again.  Once you stop looking at the pieces and see the whole picture, it all begins to make a lot of sense, doesn't it?  Some people travel the world and spend their entire lives searching for themselves.  Others take a simple moment and look within to find themselves never missing a single minute of living.  More thoughts from Ralph today...

"You won't solve all your problems today, but you can take care of one or two of them. You probably won't get all the way to your destination, but you can definitely make some progress.  Every day offers numerous opportunities to make progress. Make use of as many of them as you can.  Steady, persistent effort may not seem like it's having much effect at the time you're doing it. Keep going though, because over time those little steps forward can take you a long, long way.  Right now, there's a valuable difference you can make. Instead of just letting the next few moments pass by with nothing to show for them, choose to invest them wisely. \Move your world forward a little bit. No one else may even notice, but you will know, and you will benefit, and so will they. By fully appreciating and utilizing the smaller opportunities, you attract the bigger opportunities into your life. Use what you have, with persistence and faith, and you'll most surely get wherever you wish to go."  The Daily Motivator -- Ralph Marston        

 http://greatday.com/

Have a great weekend!  Until next time...

Kristyn Z

Bullies; A Real Problem in School

Whoever thought bullies were all talk and no action needs to view this National School Safety Center video, produced to help school administrators educate faculty, parents and students about the severity of the schoolyard bullying problem. The video is a docudrama "trigger film" designed to stimulate discussion and strategic planning among students, educators, parents and community leaders in the development of bully prevention plans. The message is clear: Bullying hurts everyone. The video tells the dramatic story of a bullying victim and how the problems adversely affects his life as well as the lives of the bully, other students, parents and educators.

Check out this video.  If you're a victim, TELL SOMEONE!

Until next time...

Kristyn Z

To Thine Own Self Be True

“Take chances if you can handle the repercussions. You want to be an individual; can you handle it? Because it’s lonesome. That means not running with the pack. The pack don’t want you when you’re an individual. Pack wants you to be the pack. The phrase, TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE, it’s real. But it’s hard.”    —    Whoopi Goldberg

My Babci (Dad's mom) and me... Don't forget to wish your mom and grandmom, Happy Mother's Day!

Until next time...  Kristyn  Z.

Above All Things, Believe in Yourself!

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”  ---  Walt Disney

Until next time,
Kristyn Z

Do You Want to Know What Changed My Life?

It was about a year ago my mom and dad gave me a special present.  They signed me up for a Fashion Modeling Training Program at Barbizon Modeling School in Wilmington, Delaware.  At first I thought, "why me?"  I didn't exactly think I was modeling material with my braces, tomboy ways and shy nature BUT it was better than doing chores around the farm every other Saturday.

When we first met with Joan Bernard, the owner of Barbizon in Wilmington and Agency Modeling Director Whitney Camden, I wasn't too sure if they thought I was a lost cause or felt sorry for me.  But those two ladies and several others including my instructors especially Nicole Bosso, former Miss Delaware 2007 taught me a lot about myself.  I will NEVER forget the special gift they gave me of believing in myself!  This whole blog, my pageant career and everything that has happened since my first day at Barbizon are the result of some of the most special people I've ever met! 

My 10 week, 20 session program covered a lot of topics including; how to do my make-up, pick out outfits, shoes and accessories to match and wear in different situations, how to do my hair, walk on the high fashion runway, pose, take fashion photos, have confidence in myself, speak clearly and confidently and all about beauty pageants.  I liked the modeling portion of the program with Whitney and her assistants BUT let me tell you, when Nicole Bosso talked about her experience competing for Miss USA, I started remembering my little girl dreams of becoming Miss Universe!  Believe it or not I actually got to meet Miss Universe 1995  Chelsi Smith this past February!  I didn't believe it all could ever happen for me until I participated in the Barbizon Graduation Fashion Show and put together my first portfolio of fashion photos.  With my braces coming off and the results of working out, eating right and taking care of myself showing, I started to believe anything was possible.  So, when Nicole Bosso called and asked if I wanted to try to compete for Miss Delaware Teen USA last fall, I jumped at the chance.  Believe me, I would have never tried something like that a year before.

Thanks to Barbizon and Nicole, my first pageant experience went REALLY WELL.  I was the youngest TOP 5 Finisher out of 56 girls, got 4th Runner Up and was awarded Miss Photogenic.  The Miss Photogenic was definitely because of the things I learned at Barbizon and my TOP 5 finish could have never been possible without Nicole's lessons at Barbizon plus the poise and confidence I gained while in the modeling program.  You know the nice thing about Barbizon?  Once you "graduate" you're never really done.  You can go back just by calling and sit in on classes for free, join in on activities and even get modeling jobs through the Agency Modeling Director.  I've been able to do some of that too because of Joan Bernard and Whitney Camden.  This past January, I even participated in a Miss America Scholarship type talent versus traditional beauty pageant and was awarded the Miss Milford Outstanding Teen Title which allowed me to compete for Miss Delaware's Outstanding Teen Title.  I was selected People's Choice and got the Interview Award at that statewide pageant.  AND get this a year ago, I was too afraid and shy to talk in public much less perform a talent or dance on stage.

This past March I was named the 2010 Delaware's Miss Teen All American and will compete for the NATIONAL title of Miss Teen All American once held by Hollywood Star Halle Berry and TV Star and former Miss USA Shana Moakler.  Imagine that a year ago, I would have never thought of ever getting up on a stage much less pose in an evening gown, answer interview questions or pose in a swimsuit!  Well I've got a suggestion for all teenaged boys and girls that dream of acting, modeling or just want to get confidence, poise, make friends and have a lot of fun...  SIGN UP FOR A BARBIZON PROGRAM.  I thank my parents everyday for doing it for me.

Don't wait, just like the Barbizon website and ad says,  "YOU COULD BE OUR NEXT STAR!"

Until next time...

Kristyn Z

Sometimes Life gets Tough, Doesn't It?

“People who have only good experiences aren’t very interesting. They may be content, and happy after a fashion, but they aren’t very deep. It may seem a misfortune now, and it makes things difficult, but well—it’s easy to feel all the happy, simple stuff. Not that happiness is necessarily simple. But I don’t think you’re going to have a life like that, and I think you’ll be the better for it. The difficult thing is to not be overwhelmed by the bad patches. You must not let them defeat you. You must see them as a gift—a cruel gift, but a gift nonetheless.”  —   Peter Cameron

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain!”

Until next time...     Kristyn Z

Daydream Believer!

“Change your thoughts and change your world.”

— Norman Vincent Peale

The World You Desire Can be Won...

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplacable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it’s yours”
(Ayn Rand)

Sometimes you need to step outside, clear your head and remind yourself of who you are, and where you want be. And sometimes you have to venture outside your world in order to find yourself .

Never let your fire go out.  Join me in creating some new sparks for everyone to see YOU are in this world to win!  So let's CELEBRATE OUR BEAUTY together.  Leave me a comment if you enjoy my posts.  Tell us something about your journey in life.  We're all in this together.

Until next time... 

Kristyn Z

Fear of the Unknown

“It's fear of the unknown. The unknown is what it is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that--it's all illusion. Unknown is what it is. Accept that it's unknown and it's plain sailing. Everything is unknown--then you're ahead of the game. That's what it is. Right?”

- John Lennon

I was recently interviewed by a local newspaper columnist Jennifer Hayes of the Middletown Transcript who asked me how I got into Beauty Pageants last November.  I told her my story...

Last November, one of my Barbizon Modeling School instructors and 2007 Miss Delaware USA Nicole Bosso encouraged me to compete in the Miss Delaware Teen USA Pageant. I had been a tomboy and "jockette" up until this fall.  But you want to know something I always like to try new things, and Beauty Pageants are so opposite of the way I lived, I thought I’d just give it a try.  Since then I've gotten hooked and will be competing for the highly coveted Miss Teen All American title once held by Halle Berry, Shana Moakler and Jenna Edwards later this summer.  But that's not the important part of my message today.  The reason I write this blog is to let everyone know once in a while you've got to push beyond your comfort zone and STOP BEING AFRAID OF THE UNKNOWN.  Stop chasing your dreams and start living them.  I know so many kids my age who are afraid just to be themselves, find and celebrate their special beauty. 

If I can help even just one person out there to overcome the hurdle of fear in life, writing this blog will be well worth it.  Take the fear that prevents you from taking control of your life and use it to motivate yourself.  Whenever you get butterflies in your stomach, your face gets red and heart skips a beat getting ready to try something new DON'T LET IT STOP YOU and keep you living in a SAFE ZONE being forever average and doing the same boring thing over and over again in life.

Those feelings are normal.  They are good.  Don't consider them warnings, think of those feelings as a "RUSH" in life.  Welcome them and you'll stop being afraid of trying something new.  Believe me whenever I get up on stage, I feel flushed, scared and excited.  But those feelings are exactly why I get up on a Beauty Pageant stage.  I think about getting up on that stage everday sometimes by myself other times with my coaches and mentors who've done it before.  I want to be Miss USA someday and imagine what it will feel like when the crown is placed on my head!  I know that's what I want in life.  If I can help you see your dream and live it, just get in touch with me.  That's what life is all about.  Helping each other overcome the fear of the unknown!

Until next time...

Kristyn Z

Take a Minute and Think about This Statement!

Couldn't pass up this opportunity...

Just saw this on the web and really liked what it said.  So many times kids my age, including me are too quick to criticize and talk about each other.  The results are lost friendships and hurt feelings sometimes causing irrepairable damage to people and their reputation.  Before you open your mouth and start talking about somebody else take a minute and think about this statement.

“When we look just a little deeper; by making a noble effort to understand people and truly listening to why they do the things they do, they never seem quite as weird. Actually, they begin to seem almost normal.”

Don't judge.  Listen and try to understand.  Until next time...

Kristyn Z.