Its The Holidays!

Its the holidays!! My absolute FAVORITE time of the year! Thanksgiving, Christmas,  then New Years.  The season to be grateful, and I thought I would talk about how incredibly grateful I am to be the 2015 Miss Orem Teen.  I am convinced Orem city is the best place to be.  This year as we have attended many events throughout the city I have been even more convinced.  Everyone is so kind and welcoming.  Attending an event, taking pictures with kids, serving others and the community makes my day. I am also very very lucky to be working with such incredible people; Jesse and her royalty, Kapri, Mcall, and Daisy.  They are all so talented and have such a passion to serve the community and share their platforms.  It is such an amazing opportunity that I have been given.  Thank you to all those who have been so kind to us and help us serve our amazing city! Merry Christmas!




         2015 Miss Orem Teen
                     Jacquelyn Jenkins

Veterans Day 2015

Veterans Day this year came at a time when we needed it most as Americans. Having Veterans Day to remind us that our freedom is not something to be taken for granted, and that it has been valiantly fought for by brave men and women, was perfect timing in light of the recent tragic events in Paris.

On Saturday November 7th, Jacki and I were able to perform and speak for the Veterans Day program. I was able to speak about what freedom means to me. After recently reading books about women living in Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran, I have more poignantly felt what freedom as an American means and loved having the opportunity to convey that in my speech. 

Following the program, we took pictures with vehicles from World War Two and the Vietnam War and met a few members of the family who owns them. It was incredible seeing vehicles that were actually part of events that I've only read about in high school history classes! It kind of hits you like a ton of bricks, that this was real life.

On actual Veterans Day, the royalty and I attended the program at the Orem City Cemetery honoring our veterans. The Mountain View and Orem High School bands played the military anthems while our veterans raised the flags of each branch of the military. We then listened to our key notes speaker: Vietnam veteran Rick Nye. Rick recounted several experiences of his platoon in Vietnam to the crowd. 

What's amazing about Rick Nye and all veterans is that not only do they sacrifice time with their families, but they also sacrifice their psychological well-being. Rick Nye has suffered from PTSD for decades, and is constantly on edge, and many if not most other veterans suffer from this as well. They deal with the memories, the nightmares, on a daily basis and they did and do it all for the United States of America. How easy it is to disregard the struggle they experience daily.

Today I am grateful for these veterans. So many suffer from repercussions they can never escape, some lost their comrades in battle, some saw things we can only imagine. They did it for us, and because of their service we do not have to succumb to authoritarian rule, or servitude to another world power. May we never forget!

Love,

Jesse Craig

Miss Orem 2015-2016

This is Halloween!

This past week was filled with fun, festive Halloween events! The first was Orem City's Trunk-Or-Treat! It was held at the City Center and hosted by the Police and Fire departments of the City. Even though the weather was cold, plenty of families lined up to go trunk-or-treating. The royalty and I had a blast meeting princesses, superheroes, vampires, and hobos!!

There were so many adorable kids that there are too many to describe them all! The Incredible Hulk was one of them, though. He was so willing to take a picture with us, and even though he is so tough and muscular, he had the cutest little voice when his mom told him to say "cheese!"

This family is one example of all the creative costume ideas that were at the event. Here we have a ringmaster, a clown, and an elephant for a cute circus theme! I hope I can have that kind of creativity when I have a family... :)

The next event was the Celebration of the Eagle event at UVU which honored boys and men who have worked to receive their Eagle Scout award, as well as helped others to achieve it. The royalty and I helped the recipients and their families check-in, as well as usher them to their tables. 

We then were provided with glorious food, I mean, it doesn't get better than a whole chicken and cheesecake. 

I also had the opportunity to perform my "Orange Blossom Special" which is always such a treat to perform.

Following dinner, we and the Provo Royalty escorted the distinguished Eagle Scout honorees onto the stage for their recognition. The event was a huge success on all levels! Orem City and the Tech Crew at UVU were phenomenal.

The following morning, Kapri and I woke up bright and early to help with the Haunted Half-Marathon. It was great to see so many volunteers on a Saturday morning, especially on Halloween morning! We poured apple juice and unwrapped medals for the first few hours, then were able to meet students studying at Rocky Mountain University. They were so great to talk to, and we bonded over funny college stories about professors.

When the runners arrived, we handed them protein bars, towlettes, water, and medals. Most of them were stumbling and dazed when they arrived at the finish, and who could blame them?! 13.1 miles of running will do that to a person!! They were all awe-inspiring. Some were running in full on inflatable costumes and I don't know how they did it, but I have so much respect for all of them!

This Halloween was one for the books, and I hope yours was too! Until next year!

Gratitude thought for the day:

I am thankful for Fall. Why? Pumpkin bread, colorful leaves, the beginning of a new semester, hot chocolate, pumpkin bread, football, haunted attractions, and pumpkin bread! Haha have a fantastic week!

Tea, Diamonds, and Shoes

A few weeks ago, the royalty and I had the opportunity to be involved in several activities with the Utah County Children's Justice Center. The Children's Justice Center is a place where abused children can meet in a friendly environment with doctors, detectives, and other people so that they don't have to tell their story more than once.

Kapri, Jacki, and I helped out at the Denim and Diamonds Fundraiser Dinner where the money goes to children in need. We specifically helped out with the auction by displaying the items and writing down the amounts bid.

The auctioneer was so cool, I mean, who else can pull off a cowboy hat and camo-suit first of all? He was also so friendly and hilarious.

The day after, I was able to attend the ribbon cutting for the new shoe store SoulKix off State Street. The place is amazing! You can bring in your own design and they will print the design onto shoes!

I was able to find some University of Utah shoes which was very exciting for me.

They also gave us a tour throughout the place and we were able to see where the magic happens.

For anyone contemplating a marriage proposal, I feel that these shoes could make for a creative way to propose. Just saying!

The following day we were able to participate in another event with the CJC: The Mad-Hatter Tea Party! There were so many kids there, as well as the characters from Alice in Wonderland.

Kapri, McCall, and I were able to help kids out at various stations throughout the party! There was the fishing booth, The White Rabbit Meeting, and face-painting! It was a blast and there were so many adorable kids dressed up in fairy and princess costumes.

Kapri and I were also able to try fencing. YES, FENCING! The instructor was really kind and went easy on us, but even still, that's another checked off item on our bucket-lists!

These events were a blast! I love my royalty and all of the opportunities we have to meet people and get involved!

What I am grateful for today is for God. With everything I have done that is deemed as a success in my life, God has been there EVERY step of the way. Anytime I've been preparing for a calculus test, a paper, or when I have events that push me out of my comfort zone, God is there. I am so grateful for him and his presence in my life.