150th Governor Ross Plantation Celebration

For those of you who may not have seen or heard, I have indeed dyed my hair yet again. I guess once you start changing it's hard to stop. I feel as though the sky is the limit. But I'm actually really liking my new hair color so it may stick around for longer than 5 months unlike the blonde. Nonetheless, this was my first appearance with my new deep auburn hair. It had just been dyed so it ended up looking black for a while. It has since calmed down, but the pictures from this event make it look incredibly dark. I kind of like it though...hmmm... anyway that's for another day.

I was asked by the wonderful Ron Breeding of Nemours to sing the National Anthem at the 150th celebration of the Governor Ross Mansion and Plantation. It was a great day filled with various vendors, exhibits, and even a corn maze! Unfortunately, I did not have the time to get lost in the corn maze so I figured I wouldn't even try to start it. Several people spoke at the opening ceremony about the impact agriculture has on our state. Our Secretary of Education, Dr. Lillian Lowery, and 39th District Representative, Dan Short, were in attendance. The handsome fellow in the middle's name is Caeden, and he was generous enough to give me his Governor Ross pin that you see me wearing in the picture below. Thanks bud!

It was great to see the excitement of the audience as I sang. One thing that topped off the whole experience was the true Sussex County flyover....a crop duster! After I was done singing, we looked towards the sky to see a crop duster give the National Anthem a proper ending. I guess there is a first time for everything. I can't say that I have ever experienced a crop duster flyover before. Definitely one to add to the books.

Of course, in true pageant queen fashion, I wore heals to the event. Poor decision! The entire event was in the grass and I punctured little holes everywhere I went. When I got in the van to go home, I realized I had a collection of leaves on my stiletto heal like a shishcabob! Gotta love the good ol' country. It was great to spend time in the fresh air and learn all about how agriculture benefits the state of Delaware and people everywhere. Thanks Ron for inviting me to such a lovely event!

Voting

So yesterday I voted and worked the polls all day in Dover. It was a crazy day, but I was thrilled to see that so many people turned out for a midterm election. Although not every race went the way I had hoped it would, I am still thrilled that people came out to let their voices be heard. One can only pray that they were educated about the candidates they were choosing.

It's a difficult dilemma, voting, because we always say that people should go out and vote, but what if they are uneducated about the candidates? I think the bigger message should be vote educated. Don't just vote because you remember someone's name or you are a part of a particular party. Vote because that person stands for something that you agree with and would be satisfied if they pushed legislation for it. I cannot stand people who complain but never vote, and I equally cannot stand people who complain after it was because of them that the particular person is in office.

It's tough to see so many campaigns walk away defeated, but I think so many wonderful lessons are simply in the journey alone. Great things come out of the worst of times and a light is able to shine its brightest in complete darkness. So although this is a rough time now for some candidates, I hope they know that it will just make their future victory that much sweeter in the end. Everything happens for a reason and I fully believe that. Congratulations to everyone who won and to every citizen that went out and voted! I'll see everyone at the polls in 2012!