Oklahoma, Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plains...

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the great state of Oklahoma and my Grandma Roni! The trip was a blast and it was also my first time riding an airplane. While in Oklahoma City, we watched the Nutcracker Ballet, Oliver The Musical, went ice skating, shopping, and had some great food (French, Italian, and Cheesecake Factory!) I had so much fun getting to know my Grandma Roni better and meeting my cousin/aunt Caitlin (it's a long story, haha.)

Here are a few pictures from the trip!

Grandma Roni, Caitlin, and I before the Nutcracker

Caitlin and I with our mini nutcrackers

Caitlin, Santa, and I before Oliver The Musical

Grandma Roni and I

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With Love,

Ashliegh

Miss America 2011 Judges!

From the Field of Interview – Joy Behar (host of The View)

From the Field of Community Service/Instrumental Talent - Miss America 1990 Dr. Debbye Turner Bell (former Miss America!)

From the Field of Star Power – Marc Cherry (Executive Producer of ABC's Desperate Housewives)

From the Field of Fitness/Dance – Tony Dovolani (Dancing with the Stars)

From the Field of Health and Beauty - Marilu Henner (actress, author, fitness/nutrition guru)

From the Field of Fashion – Taryn Rose (shoe designer)

From the Field of Vocal Talent – Mark Wills (country music star)

Miss Mansfield & Miss North Central

This past weekend I competed at the Miss Mansfield pageant! I had a blast getting to know all the girls competing! They are all beautiful, intelligent, and talented young women. Congrats to Courtney and Ashley on their new titles and I wish them the best of luck at Miss Ohio is June! Here are some beautiful photos from the pageant thanks to Ross Clark!!

Courtney Crain, Morgan Kindred, and Ashley Worholic

Opening Number

On Stage Question with Miss Ohio 2006, Melanie Murphy

Swimwear

Talent

Black and Gold - Sam Sparro

Not a huge fan of this costume, but it worked

Evening Gown

Thank you to my dear friend Erin for letting me borrow her prom dress :]

With Love,

Ashliegh

The Benefits of Volunteering

Many people chose to volunteer because they want to give back to their communities. What they don't know is that they aren't just benefiting their communities and those that they help. Through volunteering, people also benefit for themselves.

The benefits one might reap through volunteering include, but are not limited to:

• developing a new skill
• building confidence through accomplishing something worthwhile
• boosting one's career options and resume (73% of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteer experience over one without!)
• expanding interpersonal skills (motivating others, understanding people better, dealing with difficult situations, etc)
• enhancing communication skills
• building teamwork skills
• fostering goals
• and so much more!

In a world where it's all about oneself, by telling others how they can benefit through volunteering, the world's volunteer base can expand greatly!

One person truly can make a difference in the world. When others see one volunteer, the volunteer inspires others to volunteer, also!

So get out there and volunteer!

With Love,

Ashliegh

Coming to you from Canal Fulton..

I'm finally home in Canal Fulton for Thanksgiving break with only 7 school days left in the semester. My time at Ashland University has been amazing thus far. I've made so many new friends, met so many people, and have become a part of so many awesome activities. I've joined the Alpha Phi Sorority, Habitat For Humanity Team, TV2, and Homecoming Committee. I'm currently running for a position as Director of Philanthropy for Alpha Phi and Habitat For Humanity's Marketing and Communications Chair. Earlier this semester, I ran for Class President and lost, but I had fun with it and it was a great way to meet new people. Next semester I will  be working with Colleges Against Cancer as a Relay For Life Team Captain! I'm very excited for the multiple leadership opportunities that have come my way.

I've also been able to jump right in with my Broadcast Communications major and work with the Ashland's TV2. I anchored multiple times this semester for the news broadcast and helped with behind the scenes work for the sports broadcasts, while also being able to go out and shoot footage for the shows.

So as you can tell, I love Ashland University!!

Also with finals right around the corner is the Miss Mansfield/North Central Pageant! I've been working hard on my interview skills (anchoring for TV2 has helped!) and changed my talent song to Sam Sparro's "Black and Gold" (it's fierce). I'm very excited to be competing with my Alpha Phi sister, Ashley Warholic, and Ashland Greek Life sister and floor mate, Becca Ribley!

Thats all for now!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

With Love,
Ashliegh Jarzenski

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! Have fun trick-or-treating!

Anyways, here's an October Update..

To kick off the month of October, Alpha Phi had a date party event where all the sisters invited their boyfriends or friends to a hayride and bonfire event! I invited my room mate, Eryn, to be my "date". The event was tons of fun, even if the hayride wasn't scary. lol

Me, Marker, and Eryn 

On October 16th, my family celebrated my dad's 40th birthday by throwing a surprise party for him! We invited many friends, family, and people over to celebrate! The event turned out to be a success and dad had no idea the party was planned!

Last weekend I carved pumpkins with my Alpha Phi sisters, went and saw Ashland University's production Of Mice and Men, and went on a hayride with Sean and his entire family. 

About in the middle of the month, I received a "Big." Which pretty much means that I got a "big sister" in Alpha Phi. Woot! This is Lauren, my Big...

Today, October 30th, I was initiated into the Alpha Phi Fraternity. This morning was the ceremony, where the new members learned many of the Alpha Phi secrets. After the ceremony, we all went to the Silver and Bordeaux Banquet where we were surprised by our family members! My mom and grandma came all the way out to Ashland to congratulate my initiation into Alpha Phi!  

November will be filled with the Alpha Phi Red Dress Gala, St. Jude's Letter Writing Party to raise awareness of the St. Jude's Hospital, registering for classes, preparing for the winter pageant season, making Christmas gifts, and Thanksgiving festivities.

That's all for your October update!

With Love,

Ashliegh

A September Update

The past month has been crazy to say the least. Here is a small recap.

On September 5th, I attended the Early American Days Festival held in Killbuck, Ohio. My best queen friend, Samantha, gave up her title as Early American Days Queen. I had a lot of fun travelling to the festival with the current Olde Canal Days Queen's Court, also.

Samantha and I <3

Soon after the festival, I went through Sorority Recruitment, and in the end, joined Alpha Phi! I love my new sisters! They are all wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, and talented young women. 

New Member Class- Bid Day!

Night One of Recruitment

Pictured with my floor mates: Frankie, Joni, and Eryn

Night Two of Recruitment 

Again with Frankie, Joni, and Eryn

Night Three of Recruitment (Note Beauty Queen Stance :p)

Joni and Frankie

Night Four of Recruitment

Becca and Joni

This past weekend, my new sisters, Lauren, Brittany, and Margaret (who I nicknamed "Marker") went up to Bay Village and stayed at Lauren's house. We had fun going to her high school's football game, shopping, eating, and going to the Indian's game with her family!

Us after the game

Marker and I goofing off

I signed up to go on a Habitat for Humanity trip during spring break to Georgia, and I will be an anchor for TV2, Ashland University's channel! I'm very excited for these great opportunities! 

I know I haven't made an appearance at any pageants lately, but I will be competing at Miss Mansfield on December 4th! I revised my platform a little bit, have a new talent routine, and hopefully will have a new dress! I've been working on interview skills, also.

That's all for now!

With Love,

Ashliegh

The College Life

Last Friday, I started a new chapter in my life called COLLEGE!!!! And so far, I love it, even though I feel like all I do anymore is eat, walk up and down staircases, read, and eat. LOL The campus, the people, the food, the town, the dorms, the classes, it's all great. I was definitely ready to take on Ashland University. Yes, I do miss my family, friends, and Canal Fulton, but I adapt quickly and I think that is because of all the moving around to different schools and towns when I was younger.

This semester I am taking Understanding Politics, English Comp, Intro to Mass Communication, Media Tech, Through The Bible, and Accent On Success, the required freshman class. So far, I like all of them, but I'm really excited about my Media Tech class.

I plan on "going Greek" and join a sorority. Recruitment week is September 12-18th and I'm pretty excited for it! I also am going to get involved with Community Care, which is simply a large community service group and then all the students who join choose which team they will join. The teams are Hunger, Habitat for Humanity, Youth and Literacy, Crisis, Elderly, and many more. I hope to team up with Habitat and Literacy.

My 3 goals for this semester:

1. Academic- I want to make the Dean's List.

2. Social- I want to join a sorority.

3. Personal- I want to lose 5 pounds. (Nooo Freshman 15 here!)

Pictures of my half of my dorm.

With Love,

Ashliegh Jarzenski

Goodbye Canal Fulton, Hello Ashland!

Tomorrow morning, I will be making the move from one small-town to an even smaller town. I will be leaving my home in Canal Fulton, where I have grown up for the past five years, and will be moving into a dorm room at Ashland University.This evening was 'The Last Hurrah' for the summer. Many of my friends and I got together at Heritage Park to hang out for the last time before we all go off to college. .

Through all the packing up my bedroom for the big move, many emotions have come about. Excitement. Sadness. Lonliness. Fear. Happiness. But I look them in the face and say "I have waited a whole year for this, and now, I am ready. Bring. It. On."

Twiggy, Audrey, and Grace <3

Above my bed

Farewell my beloved hometown.

With Love,

Ashliegh

Photoshoot!

A few days ago, my Aunt Tara was in town and we went on a photoshoot around Canal Fulton. It was extremely hot out, but we had fun! If anything, the heat gave us an excuse to go get some ice cream at Oser's.  Here are a few of the photos she took! Thank you, Tara! :]

And now my new headshot for pageants...

Now, I must go start packing up my room for college! That's right! I move out to Ashland University next Friday! More later.

With Love,

Ashliegh

Miss North Coast

This past weekend, on Saturday, August 7th, I competed at the Miss North Coast Scholarship Pageant in Brunswick, Ohio. I would like to congratulate Chelsi Howman on becoming the 2011 Miss North Coast! I had a blast getting to know all of the other girls competing and I think I did okay in my interview this time. Of course, I am still working on my interview skills. I'm going to change my talent for the next pageant I do, I'm not going to tell what it is yet. :] I'm changing my talent from the "Higher Ground" jazz dance because I feel that the dance just isn't working for me, you know?

At Miss North Coast I also got to meet a few of the other local titleholders, the new Miss Crystal Lake, Shannon O'Neill, and Miss Mansfield, Heather Wells. Both of them were very nice and a pleaseure to meet and I hope to get to know them better throughout the next year/few years as I compete.

Anyways, on with the pictures.

Evening Gown

On-Stage Questions

Swimsuit

Talent

Contestants!

Brunswick Old Fashioned Days Girls!

I travelled with them during my Canal Days Reign so I was very happy to see some familiar faces in the crowd! Also, Amber, the OFD 2009 Queen was a helper backstage at North Coast! 

The New Miss North Coast, Chelsi!

That's all for now, folks!

With Love,

Ashliegh

#21 and #24

#21. Compete in a Miss America Preliminary.

On Saturday, July 24th, I competed in the Miss Greater Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Pageant. As many of you know, I have spent the past year building my interview skills, public speaking skills, working on my dance, working out, and studying various facts about Ohio, the senators, the representatives, the governor, the mayors, and current events. I carry a ziploc bag that holds about 500 index cards that have various interview questions on them front and back. As I walked into my interview with the judges, I saw all the things I worked so hard to improve walk right past me and out the door they went. I became what I worked so hard not to be- a hot mess.

After my interview that was filled with questions such as "what's the state bird?", "how do you feel about the oil spill?" and what is your favorite vintage item that you have collected?" it was time to practice my talent. I went up onto the stage, my music started playing, and then...my mind went blank. Technique, gone. Routine, gone. Smile, gone. The dance that I have been working on for the past year, gone. Finally, after a mini-freakout in the bathroom and going through the dance 4 times, I remembered it.

Finally, we had dinner, and then on with the show! Introductions, swimsuit, talent (I did pretty darn good, minus the fact that My toe got stuck on some metal thing on the stage floor during my turns, ugh!), evening gown, and onstage question (which came out as "umm...blah blah blahh, ummm...repeat")

So overall, I thought I could have done 100% better, had I not been a nervous reck since the moment I woke up that morning. Will I continue competing in MAO Locals? Heck yes.

Now on with the photos.

Contestants with Sylvia and Harvey Jenson, and Miss Ohio 2010, Becky Minger

Miss Ohio Becky Minger (When Becky came back to the dressing rooms to say "Hi" to the other contestants, I was starstruck, no joke. Hahaha)

#24. Get my braces removed.

Not many people know this about me, but when I was a youngun' back in elementry school, I was bullied almost everyday because of the way my teeth were. Even now that my teeth are more straight than what they used to be, you can definitely tell I was not genetically gifted with a "beautiful smile".

After nineteen very long years, I can now smile confidently without a worry that people are judging my smile.

Before, during, and after braces photos.

(This is also for #39. Go Clubbing, which is one of the most interesting things I think I have done, haha. I'm just too prude for clubs, I think.)

That's all for now, folks!

With Love,

Ashliegh

National Hamburger Festival

I just returned home from the 2010 National Hamburger Festival held in Akron, Ohio. I competed for National Hamburger Queen but I received 3rd Runner Up out of 13 girls, I'm happy with that! I also was able to help a few Kent State students/teachers with a documentary/article they were working on for the pageant!

Queen- Katy Schmid
1st Runner Up- Brianne Campbell
2nd Runner Up- Marisa Zink
3rd Runner Up- Ashliegh Jarzenski
4th Runner Up- Kayla Miracle

Congrats to the girls that placed and I had a lovely time getting to know all the other contestants!

Now on to the photos!

Carli, Mandie, Me, Marisa, Nancy, and Megan promoting the pageant at Rock The Lock Night

Life Size Barbie

Contestants

Melissa Menches Clapper, also a former Olde Canal Days Queen! '88 and '09!

Now on to Miss Greater Cleveland/Cuyahoga County next weekend! Wish me luck!

With Love,

Ashliegh