Hello from Vegas! I made it safe and sound, and I’m having a ball already. On Friday, we had an arrival ceremony at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood where we got to feel like superstars as our names were announced one by one. The coolest thing was that I am one of seven finalists for the Quality of Life Award! The QOL Award is a scholarship that goes to girls who do a lot of work on their personal platforms (as you know, mine is Strength Over Silence: Rape Awareness and Recovery), so I’m honored to be a finalist. I have an additional interview on Saturday the 27th, and then the winner and two runners-up will be announced later that day. Wish me luck!

Today, we had a full day of rehearsals, and then we took part in a fashion show at a mall in Vegas. We got to walk the runway after coming up out of the floor in a giant glass box (I know it’s hard to picture…work with me here!) and then we signed autographs for about a billion people. It was so fun to meet some of the Las Vegas locals as well as tourists. After the fashion show, we had a VIP reception at the Aladdin, and now I’m back in my room blogging away.

Tomorrow should be fun… some more rehearsals, and then we get to go to a special screening of the new movie “Dreamgirls.” I’m so excited because I really wanted to see that movie, and I heard it’s great.

So I’m having a wonderful time, and I can’t wait to see what else Miss America has in store for me. I’ll definitely keep you posted!