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http://www.floridassef.net/

January 18th-20th

Tim Ackert, Project Director of Orlando Venues Project Office, and Michael Davis, Florida Engineering Society Central Florida Chapter President.

Can you believe it??!!!! I actually stayed in the same area for more than 2 days! WOOHOO! Now, I am different than most. I am so used to driving all over the place so being within 75 minutes of my apartment means I am near home. I know, weird…right???? Even before I won Miss Florida USA, I was the same way. The Orlando Magic corporate offices were 30 minutes away from home and when you add traffic it took anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to get to work! Anyway, I arrived back from Miami on Monday, but instead of going to Orlando I decided to drive to Ormond Beach and stay at Kim Antos’ home. We spent the night catching up and continuing my preparations for Miss USA. The next day was the same story except I added in a workout with my trainer, Arnold. I love the both of them, they are truly a team. They are not preparing me for Miss USA , they are preparing me for life!

Wednesday was a jam packed day! Of all the days to leave my cell phone at home this was probably not the best day for it to happen. I felt like I was floating from one thing to the next with no concept of time. I just hoped that all my events ended on time as not to make me late to the next. It worked out, but I do not plan on doing that again any time soon.

I started my day at the Marriott in Downtown Orlando. Michael Davis, President of the Florida Engineering Society's Central Florida Chapter, had asked me to speak at their monthly chapter meeting. Typically, the meetings are closed to members only, but they decided to open it up to professional engineers in the effort to raise funds for five $1000 high school scholarships and one $1500 college scholarship. It was the perfect audience for me to speak to about my engineering scholarship, the Future Female Scientist Award. I met some great contacts who are thrilled to hear about my mission and want to see my scholarship succeed. It was invigorating to be amongst individuals who have the same desire and passion as me. I delivered my speech following Tim Ackert . He gave a detailed description of the new Orlando Events Center, the Amway Center. It is going to be state of the art…I am almost jealous that I am not dancing for the Magic! The Orlando community is going to LOVE the new arena, as well as ther Dr P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center and the New Citrus Bowl!

From there I made a quick pit-stop at Regalia Magnificent Apparel in Thornton Park to drop off a gown and spend time with my favorite guys, David and Carry. David was on a trip, but Carry and I had about 30 minutes together. I always love catching up with him. They have dressed me for my state pageant all 5 of my years including the years when I was first runner up at Miss Florida, Prelim Evening Gown winner at Miss Florida and National Sweetheart, and this year when I won Miss Florida USA. We have developed a friendship that is unbreakable. I value their opinion and I trust them. Carry and David leave in a few days for the Miss America Pageant in Vegas so I will not be seeing them until mid-February. I miss my Regalia boys !

I rushed off to Baldwin Park to visit my favorite Veterans at the Orlando Vets Nursing Home. I first met them in December for BINGO and I promised to return in January. They are all so sweet and I enjoy spending an hour with them every month. It is not much, but with my schedule they are appreciative that I can at least do that. BINGO happens the third Wednesday of every month and they play for a full hour. Anyone who wins gets a dollar and this week the vets had a choice between bills or silver dollars. Many vets won multiple times and one guy was playing two boards and literally had BINGO on both boards at the exact same time! That may seem like a lame story, but it was very random and I was floored when it happened! What are the odds…I guess pretty good…lol

I said my goodbyes and it was to my last stop of the day, Magic vs Pacers home game. Scotty B was out of town so it was all me that night. If you have been following the Magic then you know they have been on a dry spell. We lost four or five games in a row…YIKES! I am happy to report that we finally won. I hope this means we are back in the game, but only time will tell. Gosh I am exhausted just reliving that day!

Well, I am going to put the computer down and finish watching Hope For Haiti. It is incredible to hear the stories of survival. I can only imagine what life must be like in Haiti right now. I want to cry every time I watch CNN and I do not even know anyone over there. I made a simple donation at Publix last week; I wish I could do more. If you can afford to make a donation financially, please consider to do so. If we all made a small donation then it would add up very quickly and do an immense amount of good. Visit HopeforHaitinow.org

Good Night!

La Casa Hermosa Photoshoot/South Florida Fair

Not only is La Casa Hermosa the premier gown shop in South Florida, but they are also the Official Gown Sponsor of Miss Florida USA. Therefore, I was fortunate to receive an invite to participate in the LCH photo shoot featuring the dresses and accessories for their Spring Prom line. We met at Robin Fleming’s home in Wellington early Saturday morning and got started immediately. There were so many dresses and only 8 hours to squeeze everything in!!!!! Dresses were flying, photos were getting snapped and smiles were everywhere :)


Grant would not miss out on the opportunity to make a youtube video for the Miss Florida USA channel so you better believe he drove up from Miami to get in on the action…lol Anastasia Pierre, Miss Florida USA 2009, made a guest appearance as she had to leave before lunch for another photo shoot on the West Coast of Florida. Also present was our Miss Florida Teen USA Alyssa Rivera, Amanda Zitzman, Annilie Hastey, Sheri Riley, Kelly Saks, Jessica Wittenbrink, Lisette Garcia, Kelly Haffner, Christie Nowels, Alex Ming and Jules Meyer.

I am able to post some of our pics, but to see them all you will have to stay tuned for when the professional photos are revealed!

As soon as the shoot was over, I scooped up my boyfriend and we made our way to the South Florida Fair for the annual Miss South Florida Fair pageant. I am very close to those involved with the fair as Miss SFF 2005 was my first title in the Miss America System. Since then, I have my own “Fair Family” as I call them :) Dan, Lisa, Carrie, Pamela, Vicki, Rita, Henry, Maryanne and Chris! I look forward to seeing all of them every January!

I usually spend all day and night at the fair, but because of the shoot there was only time for one perfectly cooked, greasy corndog (which is probably a good thing…lol) before the pageant began. The Miss SFF titleholders have had many success stories in the past decade as myself and Shannon Ford have gone on to win the title of Miss Florida USA, and several of our past titleholders have placed in the Top 15 and Top 5 at Miss Florida USA and Top 10 and Top 5 at Miss Florida America. Along with the title comes a very generous $3000 college scholarship and a $1000 cash scholarship which draws heavy competition from the neighboring counties. This is why there is always a talent audition in November to narrow the girls down to 15-20 contestants. The year I competed, 60 young women auditioned and 20 of us competed.

This year was no different! I am proud to announce that Courtney McKenzie, a former Miss Florida USA local titleholder is the new Miss South Florida Fair 2010! She was so excited as this was her second year competing. It goes to show you that persistence pays off.

I had the opportunity to speak with Courtney on Sunday as she stopped by my autograph table in the EXPO Center on the fairgrounds. She took full advantage of her title arriving hours earlier to tour the fair. She held a rooster, milked a cow and is preparing herself to KISS A PIG! Kissing a pig is a Miss SFF tradition and all titleholders, though they will not admit, enjoy doing it:) I cannot wait to see that picture…lol Congratulations Courtney! Knock ‘em dead at state!

Home Sweet Home!

Hey Everyone!

So, somehow I managed to not leave the house today. I have been glued to my laptop attempting to catch up on emails, facebook and of course MY BLOG!I have done pretty good for the month of January, but you may have noticed I have some gaps in the other months. Weeks with no blogs!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Well, it is not that I am sitting on the couch eating bon bons, it is because I am off traveling making appearances.

My Christmas present to myself was my new laptop, so I am hoping this means I will be able to be a better blogger for you :)

I just updated my Oct 12th Play Golf-Fight Cancer blog with a picture of myself and Chris Doering. He and I are exchanging autographs in the picture...lol I also posted that the event raised over $72,000....which is very exciting considering how bad the economy was in October and still is today. I also added my appearance with the Anti-Defamation League on December 8th.

I promise to keep up on blogs in 2010...that is my New Year's Resolution to YOU!

Love you all!
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

150th Anniversary of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

What a fantastic day for Jupiter! Today was the 150th Anniversary of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. The historic celebration honored the January 1860 arrival of Captain Edward Yorke and the hardy men who built the landmark Jupiter Light. The day began at 1pm with authentic Children's Maritime Heritage games.
An hour later the ceremony began with guest speakers James Snyder, Loxahatchee River Historical Society Board Chairman, Bob Abbey, Director of the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Rear Admiral Steve Branham, Commander Seventh Coast Guard District, and Bruce Dawson, Field Manager, BLM Eastern States. Event sponsors included the BLM, the Village of Tequesta and the Town of Jupiter. As soon as the ceremony ended, it was off to the Light to take the first climb.

As you can see, the line was wrapping around the lighthouse. I spoke to several people who ended up waiting a full hour and a half just to see the view from the top of the lighthouse. From what I saw and from what I heard, the wait was completely worth it!

The last time I climbed the Jupiter Light was in August of 1989! I was 6 years old and it was the first time my family traveled to the light. I have to dig up the old Jupiter Courier Newspaper in which my family was on the cover with an article about the days event :) Anyway, I was excited to start Climb For The Cure with the hometown lighthouse I had climbed 20 years prior. Lucky for me, both my parents and Alyssa Rivera's family made the climb with me. 105 steps up and we saw the most breathtaking view. We took out time to explore and when we came down we were rushed over to the next activity.....the Cake Off!

The Lighthouse Anniversary Cake-Off competition had 5 entrants including cakes from the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa, Seagull's Diner, Cake Kingdom and Publix. Alyssa and I assisted in judging the Cake Off and let me tell you.....not ONLY were the Cakes gorgeously creative, but they were absolutely delicious! That was my last hurrah as it's time to get serious about my Miss USA diet. The public was served cake and refreshments by volunteers from the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa and asked to vote for the People’s Choice Award. I had the honor of announcing the winners of the day and the were:


Best Tasting:Jupiter Beach Resort.........Best Historical: Seagull's Diner


Most Creative, People's Choice, and Judges Chioce: Cake Kingdom



Once the difficult choices were made, all of us enjoyed the rest of the day mingling and signing autographs with Jupiter locals and tourists. We met people from Poland, Germany, New York and more. I even ran into former classmates, old friends, my high school debate teacher (Mr D) and parents of dance students that I taught when I still lived in Jupiter! I am so glad I participated in this event, it was like a homecoming! Thank you to Jamie Stuve and Kathleen Glover for allowing me to be a part of this event and start my Climb For The Cure. Both Jamie and Kathleen are so passionate about Lighthouse Restoration and life in general. You cannot help but to feel inspired when you are around them :)



What a great way to start 2010! Hope to see you all soon!

Sincerely,
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA

Happy 2010.....6 month Update!

Happy 2010 to my Family and Friends!

It has been nearly 6 months since becoming Miss Florida USA and I have accomplished a lot. I feel so privileged to represent Florida, the state in which I was born and raised. I am so excited for this year although it is hard to imagine 2010 being better than 2009. Last year was filled with milestones; I graduated from the University of Central Florida, went to the NBA FINALS with the Orlando Magic, won Miss Florida USA 2010, raised enough funds for my engineering scholarship (Harris Corporation Future Female Scientist Award), and made over 85 appearances.

With the new year comes new goals and new challenges. I have set my goals high, but they are all realistic. In the next few months, I plan to distribute my scholarship awards, start CLIMB FOR THE CURE (read below), and prepare for the Miss USA Pageant while continuing to make appearances when possible. I will have the opportunity to attend several of the Florida Science and Engineering Regional Fair Awards Ceremonies to distribute my scholarship. All 34 regional fairs will receive a single $100 scholarship for a female in the Junior Section (middle school ages) for an outstanding engineering project exhibiting originality and creativity. In addition, the Florida Science and Engineering State Fair will receive a single $250 scholarship. I would like to take this time to once again thank HARRIS CORPORATION and my friends and family who have contributed to this scholarship.

There is much to do in preparation for Miss USA, but I am excited for it all. Every workout inspires me to eat healthy while every conversation excites me for the future. The state of Florida has yet to produce a Miss USA and the thought of being the first motivates me to be better in every way possible. I cannot guarantee a win or evening placing at Nationals, but I can promise you that I am living my life as a Miss USA should. I am devoting myself to my community, raising awareness/funds for various non-profits and staying true to my moral standards.

I am so blessed to have all of you in my life. My friends and family know how crazy my life has been since July 18th. Although, it is not much different than being an Orlando Magic Dancer, it does require more traveling and less time with them. I have been to Tallahassee down to the Florida Keys traveling over 18,000 miles. The support has been endless and I thank my parents, Tel Air Family, Kim Antos, Arnold Kolozsvari, Orlando Magic family, friends and my wonderful boyfriend for supporting my new job.

CLIMB FOR THE CURE

In the next 6 months, I plan to visit all 30 remaining lighthouses in the state of Florida and climb as many as allowed. One of my fondest childhood memories was visiting the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. Because of this, I decided to make the Jupiter Lighthouse my first climb on January 10th, 2010. There will be a full day of activities as the lighthouse is celebrating its 150th Anniversary. My hopes are that I am able to raise awareness/funds for Susan G Komen and encourage locals to learn about the maritime heritage of their lighthouse.

I am really excited about this endeavor as it is something completely different and very fun.

Please take the time to my support my cause by either making a donation, attending a climb, forwarding this email or all of the above! I appreciation your support! Visit http://www.info-komen.org/goto/climb_for_the_cure for my information

As of now, I only have three dates set for climbs; Jupiter Inlet on Jan 10th, Cedar Key on Feb 19th, and St Augustine on March 20th. I plan to add Ponce Inlet hopefully in the month of March. Most likely I will complete the rest of my climbs either upon my return from Miss USA or after my reign as Miss USA J No matter what, I will complete this project!!!

I will probably have one last update prior to departing for the Miss USA Pageant. To see what I am up to visit my blog at http://missfloridausa2010.blogspot.com

THANK YOU EVERYONE! Best of Luck in 2010!

Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

Vanessa's Baby Shower

Vanessa's Mother-In-Law and Mother

I love babies! Although, I am not ready to have kids just yet, I am so excited for all my girlfriends who are soon-to-be-mommies!

Today, was my first baby shower of 2010 (I had several last year and more coming up). Vanessa was my Team Leader on the Orlando Magic Dance Team my rookie season. She is one of the most amazing individuals I have ever met. The best way to describe Vanessa is that she is one of those people that most girls want to hate, but cannot because she genuinely cares about everyone around her. I know in my heart she is going to be a very affectionate and hands-on mom. Vanessa and her husband Shane are going to be amazing parents and little Savanna is fortunate to have them both :)

Pictured below is Vanessa's sister Michelle and her newborn Chloe who is 2 months old!

Congratulations again Shane and Vanessa! Love you guys!

Climb For the Cure starts this Sunday Jan 10th!!!