It's official, the paperwork is in!

Wow, what a week. I just put the finishing touches on my Miss Georgia paperwork and sent it into the office yesterday. I must say, I am relieved to have that done. It feels like I am school again and I just completed a major project, except this one could have many more long term effects.

I have been super busy the last two months, working as hard as I can to prepare myself for this June. One of the main things I have been doing is distributing the children's coloring and activity book I created "Larry the Safety Bee" to all the Children's Miracle Network hospitals in Georgia, as well as to several elementary schools. The book is themed toward my platform, Vehicle Safety and Awareness through SADD, so I try to teach the kids all about road safety when playing outside and riding in the car. The book was very well-received by the kids, but I can't help but laugh when I get questions like "Are you a real princess, do you live in a castle?!".

Reading at Lovin Elementary School in Lawrenceville, GA


Again at Lovin Elementary, they kids are holding my book

Visiting the Children's Hospital at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, GA to give out my books

Visiting Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, GA to give out my books


Another major event was the 2nd annual "Catch it for Kids" twirling clinic. This was held as a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network and to help send me to Miss Georgia. The clinic was held at George Walton Academy, my alma mater, in Monroe, GA. The day was filled with lots of great baton instructors from some of the best teachers in the state. I also added a little fun by teaching the girls some of the UGA cheers I did when I was a college majorette. We had a great turnout and two wonderful guest performances from the UGA Majorette Line and Feature Twirler.

Me and sweet Kayley, one of my students

The UGA Majorettes signing autographs after the parent's show

Me signing autographs

Lastly, I attended the Miss Georgia Forum in Columbus, GA. This is a big weekend for all the contestants as we get together for the first time. A weekend full of meetings and a gala is culminated with the drawing of our order of appearance for the preliminary competition. This is an especially nerve-wracking time, and I am not really sure why! After a day of meetings on Saturday, we attended a Project Runway Gala on Saturday night. The theme was project runway, and we were all required to make our own outfits from the materials in various stores. I was assigned the stores Home Depot and Lowe's, and I must say I feel that my entire boared had the most creative and attention grabbing outfits! Check out the pics...

Me in my Home Depot outfit with Miss Georgia 2008, Chasity Hardman

Me and Anna (Miss Rome's Outstanding Teen), our moms, our board and field director. We were quite a sight!

Me and Anna on Saturday before meetings

Me, Andrea and Emily, my awesome board members

Well, thats all for now. I will be back with another update soon, off to work on my speech for next weeks appearances!

When God Closes a Door, He Opens a Window

Hello again~

Wow! It has certainly been an eventful two months. Growing up, my parents have always bestowed upon me the importance of rising to the occasion and meeting all obstacles head on. They taught me to take the circumstances in my life by the reigns and never stop fighting. And certainly, that lesson has been of great value to me over the last two months.

It is no real secret that our economy has been on the outs for awhile now, but short of listening to CNN describe the ambitious plans of Congress and President Obama to put 700 billion here and a trillion there, I had not personally felt the effects on my own life...that is until the day I was called into my boss' office. I was informed that my company was downsizing, and my position was being eliminated. WHAT?? Not only that, but several other of the companies positions were being eliminated as well. That is a pretty big number when you only have 20 employees!!

So, there I was, 23, no job, and no clue what to do next. Find another job...not in this economy...go back to grad school...couldn't do that for at least another year, so what about the mean time? Well, after a minor meltdown in the unemployment office...yes, I did cry at the Dekalb County office of the Georgia Department of Labor, they thought I was crazy...I decided to return to my true love, coaching.

I left my amazing majorette coaching job last year to pursue my big city dreams, but I could not be more happy to be back in Monroe with "my girls". I feel like I am home again!! Of course I did have to swallow my proverbial pride to move back in with the parents for the time being, but what's a girl to do?! I just keep thinking about what my parents have always taught me in times like these...fight through it, things will get better. For all of those out there in the same situation as me, please know that when God closes a door in your life, He really will open a window...I am proof!

Just think, now I am one step closer to being ready to become Miss Georgia...and I won't even have to leave an empty apartment behind!!

Best Wishes,

Ashley

The Children's Miracle Network

Hello again friends~

I'm taking a break from working to update everyone on my adventures over the past few weeks. I have been working very hard on promoting the national platform of the Miss America Organization, the Children's Miracle Network (CMN). The Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children across the United States. There a a total of 170 hospitals that are apart of CMN, and our very own Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is one of them.

In November, I volunteered at the Star 94 Cares for Kids Radiothon at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) Egleston, which is the biggest CMN fundraiser in the state of Georgia. For several hours I answered phones and took pledges as people all over Atlanta called in to be apart of this wonderful event. I personally raised $1,410.00 for this event, and the overall total raised for the whole radiothon was $825,284.00. Throughout the 3-day event, children and parents went on-air to share their personal stories of how the Children's Miracle Network has touched them. It was such a blessing to hear the amazing stories of fight and survival that many of these children had. Another highlight of the event was meeting the "Morning Mess", Star 94's morning show personalities, Marco, Shannon, and Super Phat Mickey. I listen to them every morning, and I must say I was a little star-struck, especially when Super Phat Mickey put me on-air and asked me if I was available!! I think I turned so red!!

On my way to the radiothon!

"Thank you for calling the Star 94 Cares for Kids Radiothon"

"The Morning Mess" Super Phat Mickey, me, Shannon, and Marco

Well if this wasn't enough radiothoning for me, on December 12 I volunteered for the Kicks Loves Kids Radiothon at CHOA Scottish Rite. This even was hosted on-air by Kicks 101.5, a local country station. This event was equally as fun and heartwarming, and I nearly tripled my personal fundraising total from the last radionthon, coming in at $4,983.00!!! The event raised about $180,000 overall. The wonderful thing about these fundraisers is ALL of this money goes directly back to the hospitals to buy important equipment and medical supplies necessary to keep the hospital in its state of the art condition. Once again I had another celebrity encounter, this time with on-air personalities Evelyn Kay and Mike Macho from Kicks 101.5.

Answering phones

Answering phones again!

A fellow volunteer and me

Mike Macho and Me

But despite all of these exciting events, my favorite thing I am doing for CMN is to volunteer weekly at CHOA Scottish Rite. Every Sunday I visit the hospital, playing games, working on arts and crafts, and occasionally singing and dancing...anything to bring a smile to a child's face. One of my favorite things to do is visit the Aflac Cancer Center, where I keep up with patients from week to week. I do love the joy of seeing a patient who has improved in the week since I saw him or her last, and I also love seeing the relief of their parent's faces because they now that things are looking up. One of the most touching experiences I have had is with a little baby who was about 9 months old. His mom had to work every day, so he was usually by himself and would just scream and cry, and it was devastating to see. Many of the nurses were busy and didn't have time to sit with him, so they asked me to. I tell you, as soon as I picked that baby up, he immediately stopped crying. He just smiled at me with his big brown eyes, and for the next 2 hours we played and giggled, and then he fell sound asleep. At no point in my whole life have I ever felt like the volunteer work I did mattered this much. This poor little boy is the reason why it is so important to volunteer, and why I will continue to volunteer for the rest of my life. Wow, what a difference, no matter how small, I felt that I had made sitting in that hospital room rocking that little baby.

Overall, my experiences working with the Children's Miracle Network have really made me realize how fortunate I am. I am so lucky to have my health, and the health of my friends and family. And, we are so fortunate in Atlanta to have such an outstanding children's hospital to care for our kids. In this coming holiday season, even in the midst of all this economic tormoil, please take time to realize that we all have something to be thankful for, and we have all been blessed in some way. And isn't that really the meaning of the season?

Merry Christmas,

Ashley

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas!

Hey There~

It's Sunday morning and I am back to reality after a wonderful Thanksgiving and first week back to work after the holiday. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and had alot to be thankful for. I know that I do. I am so appreciative of the wonderful family and friends in my life that continue to encourage me on my journey to become Miss Georgia. It is really a rollercoaster journey everyday, and their encouragement and belief in me is what keeps me persevering. Unfortunately I ate way too much turkey and pecan pie...which I paid for dearly at spin class this week!! I keep trying to remember that I have to be onstage in a swimsuit and heels very soon!!

Last week, I had the fabulous opportunity to ride in the Rome Christmas Parade. I am from a small town, and assumed that this parade would be similar to the Monroe Christmas Parade. Boy was I wrong...this parade was HUGE!! Not only were there over 100 parade entries, but there was a sea of people lining the streets. Parades are one of my favorite things to be apart of, and this time was no different. I enjoyed meeting many of the wonderful people of Rome, and seeing all the creative floats. My personal favorite was the "Christmas Vacation" themed float. "Christmas Vacation" is one of my favorite Christmas movies, and this float definitely did it justice. Not only did they have Clark, Uncle Eddy, and Rusty, they also included a Christmas tree complete with a squirrel and the crazy, wrapped cat. If you haven't seen this movie, please go watch...you will not be disappointed!!

Here is a picture of me riding in the parade...it was FREEZING!!!

This week I will be working hard on my personal platform and the national Miss America platform, the Children's Miracle Network. Today I start my weekly volunteering at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and I am working on my teen driver safety marketing plan. I hope everyone has a great week, and I will be in touch soon.

Best Wishes,

Ashley

My Personal Platform

Hello again! As I sit here sipping coffee on Saturday morning, I thought I would share a little bit about my personal platform. As a contestant in the Miss America Organization, I am asked to choose an issue that is personally important to me that I will support during my year of service. I have chosen to support vehicle safety and awareness for teens.

When I was 18 years old, my life was forever changed when I was involved in a very serious motor vehicle crash. On July 4th, 2003 I was giving a friend a ride after watching some fireworks. I was driving on a rural, Walton County road with limited visibility and practically no streetlights when I approached an intersection where I didn't have a stop sign, but the road that crossed mine did. As I entered the intersection, a truck came barreling through the stop sign, crashing into the driver's side of my vehicle. The impact of the crash caused my vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, to flip and land overturned in a nearby ditch. Miraculously, my friend and I walked away from the crash with minimal injury, and I truly believe we were saved because we were wearing our seatbelt that night. Unfortunately the driver of the other vehicle, a 17-year-old boy, did not make the same decision that night. While his truck remained upright on the road with minimal damage, he was ejected from his vehicle and instantly killed. As tragic as this incidence was, I can't help but think it could have been prevented. Had that young boy been wearing his seatbelt that night, he would most likely still be here with us today. He was somebody's son, he was somebody's best friend, we cannot continue to lose our young people in such a preventable manner. As a direct result of this life-changing occurrence, I have dedicated myself to educating and bringing awareness to teens and parents on the importance of safe driving behaviors. The above is a picture of my vehicle after the accident.

Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to speak to teens and parents at many safe-driving events throughout the state. I have worked with organizations such as Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute, and the New London School of Driving. Last year I even had the opportunity to address the Georgia House of Representatives on behalf of the Teen Seatbelt Bill.

Since becoming Miss Rome, I have been presented with so many opportunities to make a difference for teen driving. I have had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Alan Brown, founder of the Joshua Brown Foundation. The untimely death of his son (Joshua Brown) in a car crash became the inspiration for Joshua's Law which has greatly improved teen fatality and crash statistics since it was instated in 2007. I also met with Senator Preston Smith of Rome who actually authored Joshua's Law. He gave me alot of insight into how the legislative process works, and the difficulty that came with passing and implementing Joshua's Law. I have also been named a state spokesperson with the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) organization which is apart of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. The GOHS invited me to be a guest speaker at the press conference for National Teen Driver Safety Week, and at the Click-it or Ticket Thanksgiving campaign kickoff press conference. I am so appreciative to Mrs. Barabara Jones of SADD and Mr. Bob Dallas of GOHS for giving me such great opportunities to get my message across to the teens of Georgia. Last week I also spoke at the Teen Victim Impact Panel at the Gwinnett County Courthouse. This is a court-mandated class for teens who committ serious traffic violations, and therefore they are the kids I hope to reach the most.

Photo Above: National Teen Driver Safety Week Press Conference 10.22.08

Oglethorpe University-Atlanta, GA

Photo Above: Click-it or Ticket Thanksgiving Campaign Kickoff 11.17.08

Lenox Square Mall-Atlanta, GA

Here are some links you might find interesting on the GOHS website:

1. The National Safe Teen Driving Week-check out the pictures and the video. I speak at the end of clip #1

http://www.gahighwaysafety.org/2008teendriversafetyweek/

2. Click-it or Ticket kickoff for Thanksgiving-again check out the pictures and the video. I speak at the end of clip #1 here as well.

http://www.gahighwaysafety.org/2008thanksgiving/

As I continue to work on my platform, I will be sure to keep my blog updated because awareness is key for this vital issue.

Much Love,

Ashley

Journey to the Crown

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog "A Year in the Life of Miss Rome 2009". Wow, I can't believe I can actually say that I am Miss Rome, Georgia, and I couldn't be more excited about it. I was crowned on September 20, 2008 at the Rome City Auditorium, and I also received the interview award and Miss Congeniality that night as well. In attendance that night were my wonderful parents who I refer to affectionately as "Buzz and Ter", and my adorable little brother Zach (who is actually not so little...he is about 6'3"). In my two years of pageantry, Zach has only been to one other preliminary pageant, he wasn't even able to see me crowned Miss East Georgia last year. He is quite popular, and his social schedule is very demanding...hehe! So, I was so thrilled for him to see me win my last preliminary title...as I will be aging out this year! Please check out some pictures from the night.

And the winner is...Ashley Grant!

Being crowned, I was so excited!

From L to R: Briana Jewett, 2nd Runner-up; Anna Gilbert, Miss Rome's Outstanding Teen 2009; Ashley Grant, Miss Rome 2009; Courtney Piedrahita, 1st Runner-up

Me and my friend Jackie Holmes, Miss Rome 2008

Me and the AWESOME Andrea Pitts, Executive Director of the Miss Rome Pageant

Me and my Dad, Buzz

For those of you who are not familiar with pageantry, the Miss Rome pageant is an official Miss America preliminary pageant. Each local preliminary, there are about 40 in Georgia, feeds into the state pageant...in my case that is Miss Georgia. The winner of the Miss Georgia pageant will then go on to compete for the title of Miss America. So as you may have guessed, I will now be working extremely hard to prepare myself for the Miss Georgia pageant which will be held in June 2009. It is my dream and long time goal to become Miss Georgia, and since this is my last year of eligibility, I will be doing everything I can to rise to the challenge. I love my state and it's wonderful people, and I would love nothing more than to serve and be a representative of Georgia for the next year. I also belive that young girls in America are desperate for positive role models and influences in their lives. There is no other organization that compares to how the Miss America Organization positions young women to be positive role models for our young girls. To me, becoming Miss Rome and working to become Miss Georgia means an opportunity to positively influence and encourage the young girls in Georgia in a way that could make a very lasting and lifelong impression...Wow, I can't think of any greater challenge and honor!!

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you anything about myself. My name is Ashley Grant, and I am 23 years old. I am originally from Monroe, GA, and I graduated from the University of Georgia with a Marketing degree and an Advertising degree in December 2007. I know live in Atlanta and I work as a Media Coordinator at Hauser Group, which is an advertising agency. I have one roommate, Stephanie, who is one of my very best friends. We also have a dog, Hummer, who I am allergic to but love anyway! I have been living in the "real world" since February, and it has many ups and downs, but I love every moment of it. Ok, well that is all for now. I will be back to update every step of my journey as Miss Rome 2009...hope you enjoy the ride as much as I am!!

Best Wishes,

Ashley