My Miss USA 2011 Experience Part Two- Thanks to Pat Smith, I'm Throwin on her Louboutins!

I woke up on June 4th with one goal in mind: to finish every part of registration in one day! I remember the whole registration process from teen, and the excitement of knowing if you finished up early, that meant some time to relax or sleep. I was dolled up in a leopard print dress sponsored by the beautiful Laura White from the Monarch School in San Diego. I started with going over all of my paperwork and judges bio, followed by hair and makeup for all of the online interviews and telecast interviews.

One of the lovely Rain ladies who did my makeup!

We Love Rain!!

Interesting story I am telling perhaps?

I enjoyed my time filming these interviews with all of the crew, especially for the online interviews. This years questions were interesting: Would you use online dating services, Should Evolution be taught in schools, How do you feel about a tasteful nude photoshoot, Make the sounds of: a cat, sirens and a slot machine. I had prepared myself for a fun, fluffy interview, and was hammered with some pretty tough questions. I remember turning to a guy named Derek and saying, "These are some hard questions, can't you ask me something like, "What's your favorite color?" He looked at me and said, "Probably shouldn't be saying this to the guy who wrote the questions." Haha, it was all in good fun, though! Take a look at my interview:

Next, I took a few pictures and filmed my spot for the famous Strike A Pose videos. I thought I was hilarious during it!

Next it was down to take my official photos: Evening Gown, Swimsuit, Portrait and Fadil!! I was extremely excited to take all of the photos. Thanks to MacDuggal, I had a beautiful dress to wear, along with a fantastic pair of Stefanie Somers earrings that matched the beading on my gown perfectly, and special thanks to Pat Smith, who let me wear her Christian Louboutins with my gown. (I had always dreamed of wearing a pair with my evening gown, especially after hearing that J-LO song. What a blessing to have Pat come into my life and help my dreams come true!)

I felt amazing! And I also felt amazing in my swimsuit portrait. I had been working so hard with Kent Paul and at The Gym to tone up and gain muscle, and I was so proud of the results.

And then came the Fadil Photoshoot! The theme was very similar to my Chi Shoot, just a little more glamorous. I felt like an old Hollywood actress!

And that was the end of registration day. I enjoyed getting to see all of the girls again that I had met in New York, on top of meeting the girls who were unable to make the trip! Those of us who finished registration early and were 21+ got to go to a pool party at the Palms Resort. It was nice to be able to sit in the sun and relax. That is a life I could get used to!!

Miss South Carolina and I

<3 Blair

Then & Now

It has been a blessing that I have been able to represent Colorado at both the Miss Teen USA pageant in 2006 and at Miss USA 2011. Both experiences have made such a huge impact in my life and are full of memories that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. I thought it would be interesting to look at what changes I have made since 2006, and I can say it has been quite the improvement. I know for me as I Miss, I was a lot more focused on getting into shape then  I was at Teen, and I am so excited with what I was able to do with the help of Kent Paul and The Gym. I like to think my fashion sense evolved for the better, too. I mean, I went from polyester blue dress with feathers as a Teen to drop dead gorgeous MacDuggal Red Carpet Dream Dress as a Miss! I think I am same fun-loving person that I was at Teen, with just a little bit more life experience and maturity! Take a look at these changes:

GOWN PORTRAIT (Haha, same pose, nearly same face!!!)

GOWN COMPETITION (Again, same pose and face, Hilarious!)

FADIL (Little more smiley as a Miss)

PORTRAIT (Over the shoulder!!!)

BIGGEST IMPROVEMENT!!!!

If only I could do it just one more time!!!
<3 Blair

My Miss USA 2011 Experience Part One- Chop it Off!!

I am finally back in the CO after an unexpected extended stay in Las Vegas. Post pageant, my mom had to be hospitalized in Vegas. When her blood work was done, they discovered that her level that shows if you are susceptible to blood clots was over 1000, when it should be under 399. So they kept my mom for two days, but she is doing great now. We are just trying to get her in with a doctor to see why her levels are so off! Fortunately, my family and friends were still in Vegas, so I was able to spend time with them! Though a stressful conclusion, we are now all back home, and I have some time to write about my Miss USA experience. First up, Part One: CHI PHOTOSHOOT

On my way to VEGAS!!!!

I was excited when I found out that I was one of the girls who would be a part of the Chi Photoshoot prior to the pageant. That meant that I had to be in Vegas June 1st as opposed to June 4th. When I first got to Vegas on June 1st, I was overwhelmed with excitement for the weeks to come. I had been pumped up preflight when I arrived to the gate, being greeted by a group of girlfriends all wearing neon colored bras heading to Vegas to party. I couldn't help but think to myself, "This is what Vegas will be like!" I flew in with one of my sister states Wyoming, who is an absolute hoot. When we arrived, I was astonished to see an airport full of slot machines and full of people. Vegas is literally like no other place I had ever been to! And so the Miss USA experience began, with drivers meeting us at baggage claim, there to help us with all of our bags ( a huge thank you to all of the guys who were there to help us out, especially Mr. USA!) We arrived at The Planet Hollywood, where we checked in and then it was up to us to decide what to do with are few days of freedom. The only point those first few days we had to have a chaperon was when we were going to and from the Chi shoot, otherwise, we could do whatever we wanted until June 4th. That first night, Wyoming, DC and I decided to venture out on the strip to get some dinner, and find a pharmacy to get some snacks and other much needed Miss USA items. 

Again, I had to say to myself, "This is what Vegas is like." People everywhere, questionable flyers scattered across the streets, weird guys trying to attach wristbands to you so you could come to their clubs, and waitresses wearing crop tops and chaps as they serve you food. Now I had been to Vegas once before, when I was 7, though, so I definitely did not remember it being like this! But it was still so exciting to know that I had finally made it to Vegas, after 4 years of wanting this moment so bad! That first night, my roomie DC, aka Heather, aka Selena Gomez, aka unidentified Disney Cartoon Character, aka, new best friend, talked about our excitement for the weeks to come.

Creeper=)

Roomies!!

My Chi shoot was on June 2nd. I was in the 10 am group to head over to the shoot. We were immediately glammed up from head to toe. The stylist thought that I would have longer hair then what I did have, so I spent about an hour getting extensions clipped and taped into my hair. The end result was this long curly, big voluminous hair with bangs. I was dressed in a red Sherri Hill Bandage dress with turquoise jewelry to accent. After a few hours, it was my turn to shoot with the one and only Fadil. I was super excited and ready to strike a pose. Feeling fierce, I started hitting my best poses. We were about one minute into the shoot when Fadil decided he hated the longer hair, and wanted them to pin it up into a faux bob. So back to hair I went, transformed into a very Dorthy Dandrige look. And it was love all around. Fadil loved the hair shorter, the stylist loved the hair shorter, I loved my hair shorter. I was so inspired by the faux bob look, that I decided to go find someone to chop off my hair in Vegas. So Day 3, my mom and I spent all day long trying to find someone who would do it. Here is my mom in Denver calling all these hair salons in Vegas explaining my situation and me anxiously waiting to here if someone would do it. Finally at around 6 pm, I made my way to Miykael Parrish Hair Salon. It was a shock to them to here I was in a beauty pageant and wanted to chop my hair off short, but agreed to do it! I was there until midnight getting my hair cut and transformed. And I loved the end results. I headed back to the hotel with my new slick and short bob hair cut, still full of so much excited. Going to bed that night, I could barely contain myself. Tomorrow would be the day Miss USA officially started. And that in 2 weeks, someone would be crowned Miss USA 2011 So Amazing!!

COULD IT BE ME????

<3 Blair

A Growing List of People to Thank!!

This will be an expanding list of people who have come into my life and given me so much joy and inspiration to continue on chasing my goals and have aided in making these goals come true. I wish I could do more (and I am working on doing more), but for right now, this is the best way for me to let you know that I am so appreciative of your support!

My mom, for being my biggest fan, for sacrificing so much for both my brother and I so that we could follow our dreams and goals and for being my biggest source of inspiration. You are truly my hero,

My brother, HM3 David, for telling me how proud he is of his baby sister. I am very proud of you too, especially seeing you grow and be successful in the Navy. Continue to work hard,

To the McKaskills, thank you for letting my mom and I come into your home and not once asking for rent or what the game plane is. Besides my mom, I know you guys are my biggest fans too! I love you so very much.

To TaRhonda and Ken, without you guys, I would not have the voice to speak out about homelessness in our country,

Kent Paul for more than just helping me get into shape, but also for bringing people into my life that could offer support for both my mom and I,

To Carl, for truly caring and wanting the best for me in life, 

To Amy, Yanni and everyone at Yanni’s for being amazing people,

To Chris Williamson for kicking my butt in conditioning classes,

To Erica Cobb for helping me in every way that you could help

To Pat Smith and all of her beautiful friends who have become my family, you are so wonderful and I am so blessed to know you and have you in my life,

To Beckie Nelson and mom, for sharing Beckie's fashion talents with me and for being a friend,

To Abi Ferren for letting me borrow such beautiful and amazing pieces,

To Allen Dye, thank you for being patient with me, I have your dress!! Let's meet up soon!

To all of the Pageant Fans out there, those who are online, on boards, on blogs, on forums, or just out there in the world, Thank you for your constant support of pageants. Without you, Miss USA would not be around anymore. Thank you for keeping the dream alive for all of us girls who grew up saying we want to be Miss USA one day!
To TheRoadToMissUSA for your constant coverage of Miss USA 2011. It was great to have all of the pictures up on Facebook and to be tagged in all of them! Thank you for your support of all of us contestants! 

To The Gathering Place family, I love you guys! I hope to continue working with you all!

To the Monarch School, I hope I can come back and visit one day soon! Keep dreaming BIG!!

To Kurt, thank you for being a part of my family's life for so long and for always hoping for the best.

To Richard Custer, thank you for being a huge supporter and wanting the best for my whole family! It is amazing to have your support and to all the fans on the Blair Griffith fan page, just WOW! I wish I could meet everyone in person just to say thank you in person! 

To the boutiques in Texas for shoes and clothing to help me look amazing at Miss USA!

To Tessa, Danielle, Roland, Jennifer, Justin, Mark, Jessica, Cassie for coming out to Vegas and watching the show and for being amazing friends,

To Emma, Christine, Abby, Ashley, Stephanye, Maerag, Jessica, Kerry, Hilary, and so many more other friends, THANK YOU!!!!!! I am getting around to individuals, just give me a moment!

To Kari Kisch for teaching me how to look so beautiful and for being such a huge support system to me,

To Christina Sacha, without you, I would not be Miss Colorado USA,

Mary Wolfgang, Errol, Kolby, Irene, Jennifer, Lisa, Mazzie, Jade, Renee and so many others from my Saks family, thank you for your support!

To Ryan Griffith for giving me spirit!

To Caley Rae, GIRL, you are going to rock Miss Teen USA!!!

To Craig, Denise and Libby, and everyone at Future Productions for just everything, I mean you guys seriously have done SO MUCH!!

To Chelsea Cooley and AT Dunn, for being supporters of everyone! You are such beautiful people inside and out and its amazing to meet those who genuinely want to see everyone be successful in life!

To all of my Future Productions sisters, love you guys! 

To Terry Thomas for being there when my mom and I needed help the most.

To Donna and James for helping my mom and I and for being a part of our lives for so long. 

To The Murrays for always showing concern and wishing for the best. You opened your home to me when you didn't have to, and I hope to always be in touch with you guys!!

To Sean Dooley, thank you for doing such a great piece on my mom and I and for being an important part of my life journey.

To Ian Wenger, thank you for following my story and for wanting to see nothing but success for me!

To Super_J2007, Prescious.Grady, whisper735, rsaenzsaucedo, darrellall, hannahjosmith, ronapigi, jillianwoods, gcl311 and other paypal donors whose information I unfortunately do not have. I wish I knew you all in person, and if there was any way I could even get your first names, that would be amazing. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

To Jordan Black, please can I come to your wedding! Thank you for being more than a friend to me for so long! I mean we go way back! Haha, thanks for defending me and just being awesome! Love you!
To Dr. Morgan and Dr. Presley and everyone at Presley Ortho in Salt Lake City Utah: Words cannot describe how thankful I am to you all! You have given me a gift to last a lifetime. I have received so many compliments on my teeth, and I am so grateful for you guys for showing so much love and support to me! Thank you!
To Carly with Pageant Update for your awesome coverage of festivities during the pageant and amazing montages, especially the map of all of our faces! Even since I was a teen, my mom and I always check your site for the latest pictures!
To Jane Dunn and all of the Jack N Jill Family for your aid and support. You have helped my mom and I out in more ways than you know!
To Wishes are Possible for your help! You blessed my mom and I with so many important things that it is beyond amazing!
To all of the amazing Miss USA 2011 sponsors and supporters: To Chi, Diamond Nexus, Australian Gold, OPI, Sherri Hill, The Planet Hollywood, Rain Cosmetics, and the city Vegas, plus so many more: Thank you!
To the Miss Universe Organization and everyone who works for them: I am so grateful to be a part of such a great organization full of wonderful people who make me wish I could come back again and compete just to hang out with all of you again!
To my chaperone Heidi! I miss you! You are such a wonderful person and thank you so much for being there to support of all us contestants!

And the list will grow................................................