It's already day 9 of "Camp Mary" and I'm having a blast.  Mary Sullivan is so much fun.  This won't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me personally but I absolutely love to laugh and I find humor in almost everything (sometimes a good thing, sometimes not) so we spend a lot of time giggling.  Mary is clever, fun, insightful, and kind.  To the next Miss Florida: make sure you enjoy her.

On July 25th I did a fun interview with Emerald Coast Magazine.  This magazine tells the stories of people with ties to the Destin, FL Panhandle area.  My family moved there when I was 10 and we lived in the area for three years during my awkward middle school years.  Of course people that might remember me from that area and ages 10 to 13 are appalled at the idea of me winning Miss Anything (I don't blame them).  But, this interview was a wonderful trip down memory lane.  We talked about the sparkling white sands, the delicious fresh seafood, sunsets where the sun melted into the ocean like butter on a biscuit and a crucial part of my childhood.  Some of my best memories were from these years in Blue Mountain Beach playing by the sea and learning to embrace what I could become.

Mary and I trekked up to Orlando in the afternoon on the 25th to make sure we were already in O-Town for a hair appointment and head shot photos the next day.  We stopped by Regalia to visit with Carry O'Neil and see Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen Jennifer try on a few dresses.  I don't envy Jennifer as her pageant is right around the corner but she is going to be ready and she will represent this state wonderfully.  We stopped by Copperhead Salon to see Chris Martin and he gave me a new do that is much more manageable and current.  I had some crazy long Rapunzel locks going at Miss Florida but this hair cut is great as Miss Florida should be modern young woman.  Chris Martin at Copperhead is an incredibly talented hairdresser but, more importantly, he radiates kindness.  Chris and his wife Jen are so giving and their love for the Miss Florida pageant comes from a genuine place.  I could never express how thankful I am to have Chris in my life as a friend and not just a hair magician.  Speaking of magicians, our next stop was Deanna Meredith's photography studio.  She took some beautiful pictures which is very hard to do because I don't take good pictures.  I am so impressed by her and she made our shoot exciting and fun.  Thank you SO much Chris and Deanna!  Now Mary gets to embark on the exhausting journey of picking the right headshot for Miss America.  I'm pretty sure she's having nightmares about my face where my potential headshots are dancing like sugar plums in her head.  Terrifying.

July 27th: My first meeting with The Everglades Foundation.  Miss Florida's partnership with this amazing organization has always fascinated me and I could not be more excited about the work I will be doing with them.  They understand the value Miss Florida can bring to their cause and we understand the benefits our organization can reap just by being associated with The Everglades Foundation.  It is a beautiful relationship that has grown and evolved every year with each different Miss Florida.  I plan to put my own stamp on it but I am so thankful to the Miss Floridas that came before me and paved the way for the rest of us to have this enriching opportunity.  Mary and I met the new CEO of The Everglades Foundation, Eric Eikenberg and we talked about the plans he has to use Miss Florida this year, their internal mission, and even a little Major League Baseball.  I learned so much about this ecosystem that supplies 7 million Floridians with water.  Here are a few quick facts I found interesting:

-On average, each Floridian uses 180 gallons of water a day and one out of every 3 Floridians rely on the Everglades for their water supply.  

-For every dollar invested in Everglades restoration, $4 are generated in return with the real estate sector benefiting most from improved water quality.

-Everglades restoration will generate about 442,664 jobs over 50 years.

-The freshwater Everglades ecosystem is currently less than half its original size...about 2 million acres of the ecosystem have been lost.

But, the main point that really stuck out to me in our initial meeting is this: water is not a renewable resource.  We have to conserve what we have and work to make sure our children and grandchildren will have water in their lives.  What we do now directly affects the future generations that will need this water to survive.  

I encourage everyone to go to The Everglades Foundation website www.evergladesfoundation.org and learn more.  This is a cause I will be talking about often but it's worth familiarizing yourself with and finding out how you can help.

With The Everglades Foundation's new CEO Eric Eikenberg