on Wednesday were team hospital visits with Children‘s Healthcare of Atlanta. My first stop was with the University of South Carolina at the Egelston location and the second was at Scottish Rite with Florida State. We met so many families and children, it was really touching to see them light up when we walked into their rooms. We handed all sorts of goodies like tee shirts, silly bands (a HUGE hit!), Chick Fil A stuffed cows and more. I was so impressed with the football players from both teams. They were absolutely fantastic with all of the kids, spending time with each one. I spoke with a few individually and we pretty much agreed these visits probably had more of an effect on us than the children we were visiting. Seeing the strength they show on an everyday basis was inspiring. We have been given such great opportunities to reach out and touch people and we will not take our health or blessings for granted.
Thursday was the Georgia Power Chalk Talk & Football Feud at the Marriott Marquis. When I arrived I was surprised to learn I would be enjoying lunch at the front table with Mr. & Mrs. Steve Spurrier and other representatives from The University Of South Carolina! We spoke about Suwanee, Miss USA and of course, the game. Before the luncheon concluded the players competed in Family Feud which was quite entertaining! I was laughing out loud at one of the question/answer segments “What would you typically forget to do in the morning when running late for class?” answers consisted of “Don’t go at all,” “Don’t Shower,” “Forget my deodorant,” and “Don’t change, wear my pajamas to class.” Lovely!
Friday was the Chick Fil A Bowl Parade and game. The parade was a lot of fun, it is always so sweet to see little girls get so excited to see Miss Georgia USA! I rode in a metallic blue Corvette that I really just wanted to get in the driver’s seat and drive off with! The news had predicted cold rainy weather so I was shocked at the weather and how beautiful it was! My coat and turtle neck were quite toasty haha.
Finally, the game itself was incredible! The Georgia Dome was buzzing with the energy of all the fans and smelled a little bit like Chicken Sandwiches :) . Fourth Quarter I was escorted down to walk around. I took lots of pictures with fans, the cheerleaders, mascots, and even held a LIVE gamecock (I was scared to DEATH!). After the game concluded, it was an honor to be on stage with Florida State University while they were presented with their individual trophies and Bowl trophy.
The following week I made a road trip up to Nashville to meet my hair sponsor, Gordon at Gordon & Company Salon! We tweaked my color and the shape of my cut and the blowout made me feel like a Victoria’s Secret Model! We had so much fun and my hair looked fabulous! I also had the chance to meet one of my Greenwood sisters, Amy Colley, Miss Tennessee USA 2005. She is such a sweetheart and gave me a lot of insight into the coming year and what to expect at Miss USA.
Later on that week I met with my dental sponsor, Dr. Patel and his staff from Dentistry at East Piedmont. They were so nice and accommodating, I am very excited to get my best, whitest and brightest smile with them!
Photos from my two hospital visits with the teams.
http://www.chick-fil-abowl.com/PressBox/Multimedia/2010BowlWeekPhotos/tabid/185/LGaid/78829/Default.aspx
-Kaylin
