Miss International Pageant '09 in Chicago!!

Where can I even start about pageant week at Nationals? Well...... the week started out on Sunday when I arrived in Skokie with my parents, on Sunday night we met up with my Godmother who lives in Chicago and ate a delicious Italian dinner in Niles. I have not seen her in 20 years, so it was great to be able to spend sometime with her. She ended up giving me a gorgeous Tiffany's necklace, saying that "Every girl should have something from Tiffany's". Monday was orientation where I got to meet all the girls in the Miss division. EVERYONE was a sweetheart! Tuesday we woke up bright and early and headed to the Boys and Girls Club in Chicago!! This was my favorite visit! We met all the kids and made crafts, played games, and signed autographs. With my platform directly relating to the Boys and Girls club, I was so excited that I was able to see another club outside of Texas. Then we ate lunch at the Navy Pier and walked around signing autographs for the kids on field trips for summer camp. From there 10 of us were selected to participate in a fashion show at the Water Tower Center in downtown Chicago. We were fitted for 3 looks at Betsy Johnson, Cusp, and Custo Barcelona. Then we had out hair done at Vidal Sassoon and make-up by Bare Essentials. After the show we were whisked away in 2 limos back to the hotel, just in time for dinner. Wednesday we went to the Skokie library to take a tour, it is an amazing library with SOOOO many amenities for its patrons. They have it set up with a similar layout as a Barnes and Nobles, I just had to ask where their Starbucks was........ they said that they were still working on that part! After wards we rehearsed and ate dinner with the Teen group. I was glad that I was there with my Teen Dymond (go Texas!!) and that we were able to share the experience together. Thursday was interview, with my time at 11:30, so I didn't have to get up too early! Then we had rehearsal and watched the Teen Prelims later on that night. Friday was rehearsal again and our Miss Prelims were that night. Saturday was rehearsal again and the Top 10 got to compete. The winner was Miss Southeast, Erin Golden, who is as beautiful on the inside as out. Sunday I spent the day with my Mom, Dad, Garee, and cousin Jacob. We went to eat the famous Chicago deep dish pizza, and went to the Navy Pier to just relax by the water. It was an amazing week, and I am so glad that I got to meet so many inspiring young women. After reflecting on my experience, I wouldn't change anything. One saying that I always remember is that "All crowns are different, yours can be made of rhinestones, or the growth of your heart".............

Good Luck!! from my SMART Girls class

This weeks class was all about how to carry yourself and act like a lady. We went over the proper way to walk, sit, and stand. I told them about the pageant and they all wanted to wish me luck (hence the signs....haha) There was a point when their hyper activeness kicked in, and I had to think of something to get their attention. I said "Girls! We are going to talk about............." as I thought of something to get their attention I said "BOYS" they all came running towards me and gathered in a circle to tell me all about their "crush" and who they thought was "sooooo cute"! Well it was a segway into future lessons, but I wanted them to know that boys are normal, but that they don't need for them to revolve around their whole lives, that they can do things for themselves first. I ended the day with signing some posters that I had made up. I always loved having posters on my walls when I was younger, and it is important that young girls have a positive role model to look up to!

Texas International Queens at the Children's Museum

This weekend I had the chance to catch up with my fellow sister queens Bonnie and Dymond, at the Woodlands Children's Museum. We had a "Queen for a Day" event where the kids got to make crowns and sit in the "princess" chair. We signed autographs and at the end, Bonnie took Dymond and I out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. Dymond and I wished her luck, because she is leaving this weekend for Chicago to compete at the Mrs. International pageant! Good luck Bonnie, you will do great! :)
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President Obama Proclaims July 9th as "Summer Learning Day"

National Summer Learning Day, 2009

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation:

"Like an athlete out of practice, a child who takes long breaks from learning can face academic setbacks. This problem is especially prominent during the summer, when students may lose more than two months of progress. Children must remain engaged to maintain and build upon their current academic achievement.

Learning loss can be especially pronounced among low-income children. Recent research suggests that unequal access to summer learning opportunities helps explain
the achievement gap between low-income and affluent students. This gap ultimately means that low-income students may be less likely to graduate from high school or enroll in college.

High-quality summer learning programs help children catch up, keep up, and work ahead. These activities provide students with hours of focused time for hands-on learning and creative projects. Participation can result in gains in writing, reading, and math skills. Through the arts, sports, and other extracurricular activities, summer learning opportunities also promote innovation and physical fitness. These health benefits are especially important because childhood obesity is at an all-time high and children typically gain weight two to three times faster during the summer.

Sustained public service can also dramatically impact summer learning loss. Students can challenge themselves and others through mentoring, environmental projects, and other meaningful volunteer work. Youth and their communities both benefit from these activities. Local opportunities for service can be found at: Serve.gov.

Families and community members play the most important role in the lives of their children. Demands at work and home mean that many parents have less time to spend with their children, but this time, care, and instruction is critical to children's academic success. Especially during the summer, parents should try to find time to read interactively with children. When possible, families should visit public libraries, tour museums and science centers, and explore the great outdoors. Parents can also encourage youth to keep a journal and to practice math skills through cooking and games.

Even though summer has arrived, student learning needs do not take a vacation. On Summer Learning Day, we highlight the need for more young people to be challenged during their time off from school. We also express support for local programs, communities, and families that help children grow through learning initiatives. Working together, we can help students remain engaged and return to school with lithe and limber minds.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 9, 2009, as National Summer Learning Day. I call upon all Americans to support students as they participate in summer learning. I encourage students, parents, educators, and the non-profit community to engage in summer learning activities so that youth return to school poised for academic advancement.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA"

Stand Up For Kids Announces Segway Off the Streets

"Stand Up for Kids" announced its collaboration with "Segway Off the Streets". The mission of "Stand Up for Kids" is to reach out to kids that are homeless, many are coming from abused households and they serve as a prevention and outreach organization. In the U.S. there are more than 1.3 million homeless youth. In 75% of cases it will only take two weeks for them to become involved in theft, drugs, or prostitution in order to survive. A man by the name of Mike Taylor will set off on a Segway, a small electric vehicle, on August 2, 2009 from Rochester, MN and travel 2,500 miles at 12 miles per hour to his final destination, Atlanta, GA where the National Headquarters of "Stand Up For Kids" is located. This very long journey, at a very slow pace, it will take him nearly two months but is for a very worthy cause. This is an amazing campaign, for more information about how you can help "Stand Up For Kids" and "Segway Off the Streets" (SOS Tour 2009) please visit www.segwayoffthestreets.org

SMART Girls Healthy Nutrition and Healthy Body Image Class

For the 3rd installment of my SMART Girls class we talked about nutrition and eating healthy, at the same time I wanted to discuss healthy body weights. Since the class is made up of younger girls I try to keep it light and fun. We started out by having a "tea party" with out the tea and just snacks. I brought snacks like mango, avocado, peanuts, peas, corn, green beans, pineapple, peaches, & strawberries. I brought them because a lot of the girls had never tried certain things and I wanted to make sure that they knew what it tasted like before they said that they didn't like it. If they still didn't like it, then we both knew that at least they had tried it. After that we played a game, I laid out about 30 different pictures of celebrities, and each of them were to choose 1 body type that they thought was healthy and 1 that was not healthy. Then we went around the room and discussed what they thought. There were a couple of girls that thought that the too skinny girls looked "healthy", but the majority of them had a good perspective. Here is a picture of some of my girls with their "healthy weight" choices!! :) Each week I let a different girl wear my crown and another my sash. I already have my waiting list and can't wait till our next class!

Jade Monfils featured in the Lewisville Leader and JC Penney Newsletter

I got a call saying that the "Lewisville Leader" ran a story about me in their city paper, my mom drove around looking for the paper in Lewisville and found it! I was also featured in this month's JC Penney company newsletter (you can click on both stories at the top to read). Back in April I ran into a group of JC Penney employees at the DFW USO airport event. When we were taking pictures I told them that I work at the home office as well, and they said that they would have to write a story about my recent win. When I got back to work I did an interview with them and they did a great job putting the story together. It is so great to have a company that fully supports what you are trying to do in and out of the workplace!!