So Long, Farewell

By admin  |  2010/06/18 09:23 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

I am truly blessed to have served as Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen 2009!  The experiences I have had this past year will forever be in my memory.  Serving as Missouri’s Outstanding Teen allowed me the chance to meet inspiring women like former Miss America’s Katie Stam, Kirsten Haglund, Jennifer Berry, and Gretchen Carlson.  It also allowed me the opportunity to forge new friendships with the other teen queens in Orlando and various organizations!

The biggest impact this title has had on my life is the difference I was able to make at the events I attended.  My goal was always to inspire and touch people’s lives. Yet, without fail, they ended up touching mine in ways that I will never forget.  Though too numerous to recount, some of my most memorable experiences include visiting several Camp Qualities across the state to talk and play with kids who have cancer; participating in a Dance-A-Thon for Children’s Miracle Network at Mizzou (I even played the air guitar with one of the honorary kids there); interviewing with KOLR Channel 10 news; wearing and passing out clown noses at the Springfield Cardinals game in order to raise awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; and singing at the annual Make-A-Wish Ride for Wishes.  In addition to these specific events, I also treasure the time spent in hospitals meeting and playing with the children.  They, and the people who work with them, will always have a special place in my heart.  Soon, I will pass along a beautiful tradition, but the impact will stay with me forever.

Representing Missouri in Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2010 in Orlando was one of the best times of my life!  Possibly the best part about being in Orlando, aside from competing and winning the Scholastic Excellence Award, would be, now I can say I know someone from every state and the Virgin Islands!  I never believed it when people told me some of those girls would become my best friends, but they truly have.  The memories from that week are priceless to me and I have a lifetime to reminisce about them!

As a young girl, I always loved watching Miss America.  I had no idea that I would sit in that same auditorium – much less sing and dance on the stage!  It was so great to meet up with all of my friends from Orlando again!  Performing in Las Vegas was an absolute blast, but the best part was cheering on Tara, who represented Missouri with poise and elegance consistently!

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged and supported me throughout this incredible journey.  I have had an overabundance of love and acceptance from the Miss Missouri and Miss Gateway family, which I know has taken me far throughout my year.

Finally, thank you to my family.  Without them, I would not be who I am today and this would never have been possible.  Mom, thank you for infusing determination for me to make a difference and for teaching me the perseverance it takes to follow your dream.

It is time now to come to a close.  This year has proved to me that the end is really just a beginning.  The end of a year that I never dreamed I would experience, and the beginning of a whole new outlook of serving others.  I will cherish this year and thank God for the opportunity and privilege He gave me last June.  May the Lord richly bless you as I have been blessed this past year.

Lauren

Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen 2009

“All That Jazz” – Prom 2010

By admin  |  2010/05/08 23:03 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

Dress? Check. Accessories? Check. Date? Check. Sounds like The Prom to me! At Kickapoo High School, Prom is for seniors only, so this night is even more special!  The theme this year was “All That Jazz”, so not only was it based off of the 1920′s Jazz era, but we also featured the Chicago skyline and other fun details!  Ironically enough, my date and I were both on Prom Court and I was so blessed to be named Prom Queen for the night!  The court candidates got to answer funny questions like: If you were a 1920′s mobster, what would your gangster name be? (My answer was “Mugszie McCreight, because I would smile in all of my mug shots”) haha. We had a great time and afterwards all went to my date’s house for a pool party!  In addition, we all pledged to have a Safe and Sober Prom Night! Make sure you do the same at http://www.safesober.com/.

Love,

Lauren

Women of Worth (W.O.W.)

By admin  |  2010/04/05 22:50 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

This past Friday I got to spend the afternoon with some great girls!  Jessica Sullivan, Miss Springfield, hosts a girls group at Hickory Hills Middle School in Springfield.  I was asked to come and speak to the girls about a topic of my  choice.  While there I got to know the girls a little bit than began talking to them about self-esteem, confidence, and how they can make a difference!  I encouraged the girls to believe in themselves, and then we did an exercise where you list the characteristics you’re most proud of in order to instill confidence :) .  This is one of the aspects that I consider most important in holding this title: encouraging teen girls.  Everyone of you have a chance to make a difference.  Whether its volunteering for a great cause, or simply smiling at a stranger to brighten their day, you can be an inspiration!

Be the encouragement. Love,

Lauren, MMOT

Mr. KHS

By admin  |  2010/04/01 22:30 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

Every year our school hosts the Mr. KHS (Kickapoo High School) Male Beauty Pageant!  The results are usually pretty hilarious.  Each grade chooses two or three guys to represent the grade in the pageant.  All of the participants are expected to attend rehearsals, prepare a talent, beachwear, evening wear, and raise money for the chosen charity for that year.  This year, the charity was the Stephanie Phillips Foundation.  A loved gym teacher and girls basketball coach at our school, Stephanie Phillips, has been diagnosed with cancer.  We are all praying for her in her fight.  Visit www.stephsgonnawin.com to find out more!  After viewing the soon-t0-be Mr. KHS perform his talent of cup stacking, I got to perform as well!  Other talents included: “singing”, stand-up comedy, and “cooking”.   That night we raised over $1,000 for the Stephanie Phillips Foundation and got to have a lot of laughs to boot!  Miss Springfield, Jessica Sullivan, was even asked to judge!  We had a great time and Congratulations to Brandon Helsel, Mr. KHS 2010.

Love,

Lauren McCreight, Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen 2009

Oscar Night!!

By admin  |  2010/03/08 18:06 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

The Oscar’s are finally here!  Most stars will spend hours prepping themselves for the big red carpet!  Meanwhile, in Springfield, MO, Isabella’s House was hosting a red carpet party of it’s own!  Isabella’s House is an organization for children living in need or in an abusive environment.  They take in children from these backgrounds for one year in order to help their environment become more stable and positive for the child.  This event was amazing to be apart of!  Jessica Sullivan, Miss Springfield, Alex Tummons, Miss Springfield OT, Allie Black Miss Branson OT, and myself sold raffle tickets throughout the evening to the special guests!  These guests were introduced, videotaped, and got to walk down a brand new red carpet as they entered the Juanita K. Hammons Fine Arts Building.  Isabella’s House did an exceptional preparing this event!  They had set up a photo background with a fake Oscar you could hold, great food, and so many signed posters (from recent movies like Twilight) and autographed guitars!  In addition, they had people painted gold and dressed up as an Oscar!  They even had performances and mini-shows during the commercials!  They did a fabulous job and I had a great time!  Just from selling raffles, we were able to raise over $3,000 for Isabella’s House!  The night proved to be successful for Sandra Bullock, The Hurt Locker, an, most importantly, Isabella’s House!

- Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen 2009

Miss Pulaski County Pageant

By admin  |  2010/02/28 17:44 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

I was so excited to participate in the Miss Pulaski Pageant in Waynesville, Missouri!  While there, I got to visit with my friends Tyana Washington, Lauren Capps, The Rutledges, and the Corbits — it was great to catch up with them!  We spent Friday night going through production and learning the opening number!   On Saturday it was “go time”! Miss Layla, the pageant director, did an excellent job of keeping things moving and staying focused throughout the show!  We performed a dance to “Telephone” by Lady Gaga to open the show choreographed by the talented Erika Hebron! At the conclusion of the pageant, everything had gone great, they announced Miss Pulaski Outstanding Teen, Kelsey De Vasure!  Then they surprised everyone by giving away two more teen titles: Miss Mid-Missouri, Leah Beth Parker, and Miss Tri Counties, Hailey Dodson!  Congratulations to these lovely ladies!  I had a wonderful time at the pageant and can’t wait to see you all at Orientation!


Love,

Lauren, MMOT 2009

My Visit with Savvy Shields — Miss Arkansas’s Outstanding Teen 2009!

By admin  |  2010/02/22 09:23 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

As some of you know, in Orlando, all of us teen girls became very close friends!  There were a few in particular who I know I will be friends with for life.  Savvy Shields, Miss Arkansas OT, is one of them!  We have similar personalities and both have a strong foundation in our faith.  For these reasons, and more, I am proud to call her one of my best friends!  I was so privileged to be able to visit her lovely town and perform at her local pageant, Miss Heart of the Ozarks!  While there, the production was so much fun!  They sang songs (even to introduce the judges), performed dances, and even came out into the audience to perform for a bit!  I performed a song before the show began in “pre-show”, and “14G” later on that night!  Afterwards, we went out to Denny’s where I chatted with all of Savvy’s friends!  I was so blessed to be in attendance and loved seeing my best friend again!

Love,

Lauren McCreight, MMOT 09

There She Is…Miss America!

By admin  |  2010/02/06 16:43 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

This past weekend was Miss America 2010!  I am left with one question: where to begin??  This week was an amazing time where I was honored to experience what this program is all about!

I arrived on Wednesday afternoon to beautiful Las Vegas for the first time!  My mom and I shared adjoining rooms with Miss Arkansas Teen, Savvy Shields, and he mom.  As we waited for them we went upstairs to get our badges for the week.  I recognized our former bodyguard, Lewis, with a girl going to brekfastwhose back was to me.  As she turned around I realized it was none other than Katie Stam!! That was only the first of a plethora of exciting events to come about!  After getting checked in we got ready for a photo shoot with Tony Bowls, and a television filming for a product called The Diva.  Meeting with “Sully”, one of the marketers for this product was awesome – we had a blast!  After that I was off to the second Preliminary Night where Tara would perform her amazing talent!

IMG_1529-1 On Thursday, the Teens practiced for their performance that night on the Miss America stage!  I was selected to sing the “Hoedown Throwdown” by Miley Cyrus with a few others while all of the girls danced to it!  That night, when we walked backstage where I saw none other Clinton Kelly from What Not to Wear!  The best part was that before going onstage I got to see Tara while she was lining up for her OnStage Question!  The performance went well and it was so invigorating to perform on that stage! IMG_1561

On Friday, all of the Teens geared up for an event planned by Miss Nevada’s OT, Jordan Ortis!  We were able to visit a CMN Hospital and visit with some children there!! After that, we stopped by the Las Vegas sign and the Eiffel Tower next to The Paris!  Jordan did a great job coordinating this event!  That night was ours free so Savvy and I went to see “The O” by Cirque de Soleil with our moms and her grandparents.  This show was absolutely amazing!!

Finally Saturday arrived!!  That morning I got to meet Gretchen Carlson, a IMG_1614former Miss America and a current anchor on Fox and Friends!  After browsing through the trade show and modeling beautiful gowns we started getting ready for the Final Night!  The atmosphere was indescribable and exhilarating!  Every girl on the stage had done a fabulous job of presenting herself and there was tension in the air as the top 15 was called.  The craziest part was when the television feed “cut” to Clinton and the producers did not allow us to see the “secret voting surprise” that Clinton revealed to the viewers.  We anxiously awaited the crowning!  Congratulations to the new Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron!  She certainly did a fabulous job presenting herself and I look forward to following her journey this year!savvy tara lauren

A big Congratulations to Tara Osseck, Miss Missouri!  She was a top ten finalist for the Quality of Life Award — the first Miss Missouri to be a finalist in several years!  Tara is a terrific Miss Missouri and I know that she will continue to make a difference in these final months!  I am so proud to call her my “older sister.”  Experiencing Miss America 2010 was an opportunity I will never forget – I am so honored that I got to be involved in it!

Love,

Lauren McCreight, Miss Missouri Outstanding Teen 2009

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Lake of the Ozarks Pageant

By admin  |  2010/01/15 16:30 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

Last Saturday I was privileged to attend and perform at the Miss Lake of the Ozarks Pageant!  As many of you know, Tara Osseck, Miss Missouri, was Miss Lake of the Ozarks 2009!  On Friday we had rehearsal and learned the opening number.  Saturday we had interviews- everyone looked so professional!  The time flew by and before I knew it the production was starting.  I had a wonderful time performing and helping emcee!  I loved watching Tara perform her talent for Miss America!  It was superb and I am so proud to call her our state representative!  I had a fantastic time at this pageant and look forward to the other ones that are to come!  Congratulations to Taylor Dean, Miss Lake of the Ozarks Outstanding Teen 2010, and Sydnee Friar, Miss Lake of the Ozarks 2010!  Everyone there looked radiant and I was elated that I could be apart of it!

Love,

Lauren McCreight

Dance-A-Thon at Mizzou!

By admin  |  2009/11/17 19:04 Posted in Uncategorized  |  Comments (0)

On Saturday I was up in Columbia again for a Dance-A-Thon forIMG_5714 Children’s Miracle Network!  I was unfamiliar with what a Dance-A-Thon was, and didn’t know what the day would entail, but the event this past weekend has proven to be one of my favorites!  To fill you in, this Dance-A-Thon is a major way to fundraise for CMN!  Different teams raise at minimum $200 to IMG_5712participate, some raise as much as $1,000! Then, on the Dance-A-Thon day, they meet and stand for 8 hours straight.  The idea is that they are standing for the kids who cannot.  During this time, they have food and activities!  Activities ranging from different themed dress-up hours, to group air guitar contests, and they even had Zumba instructors come in to teach aerobics for 20 minutes!  Some children even got to comeIMG_5722 and participate and were honored as well!  While there, I helped judge the air guitar contest and sang Taylor the Latte Boy!  I also got to pose for a picture with Alex, a 3 year old who can play a blow up guitar like no one I’ve ever seen!  Unfortunately, I could only be there for 4 hours due to traveling, and my feet were still killing me!  It was so encouraging to see these college students making a difference for children!  If there is ever a Dance-A-Thon near you, be sure to attend!

Love

Lauren

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