Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association's Winter Wonderland Ball

Last night Hope & I attended the Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association's Winter Wonderland Ball! We had a blast dancing and visiting with everyone, from the little ones to the teens :)! From taking pictures to the YMCA, electric & cha-cha slides, Hope and I had a fabulous time. The event was a very special and meaningful one for all who attended and I am so thankful I had a chance to be there with them!

Thank you to DeAnna Alonso for inviting Hope & I to join!

Hope everyone’s staying warm,
Sydnee

Shriners Hospital for Children

This morning I visited Shriners Hospital for Children with Hope Driskill, Miss Missouri USA 2011. St. Louis is very lucky to have 1 of the 22 hospitals of its kind, operating to provide pediatric specialty care, innovative research & teaching programs for medical professionals. Patients up to the age of 18 are eligible for care—regardless of their ability to pay!

Hope & I started off the morning with a tour of the hospital and its amenities. My favorite part of the morning was visiting with the kids; they are truly inspirational! From tots to teens, these kids are awesome.

I am so thankful to have spent just a morning with them!

Thank you to Suzan R. Bland for having Hope & I out and for making our morning one to remember!

Love,

Sydnee

Miss Arkansas USA & Miss Arkansas Teen USA

This past Saturday my mom I packed our suitcases and headed for Bentonville, Arkansas, to watch Miss Arkansas USA and Miss Arkansas Teen USA. I spent Sunday morning and afternoon writing my literature essay; needless to say it was a huge relief when the clock hit 5:00 pm and it was time to get ready for the show!

Later that night, I got to visit with my VANBROS sisters: Miss Kansas USA Jaymie Stokes, Miss Kansas Teen USA Taylor Clark, and Miss Nebraska Teen USA Madison Novak. I even ran into an old friend, Sloan Roberts, who was Miss Arkansas Outstanding Teen 2008. Also, I got to meet Savvy Shields, Miss Arkansas Outstanding Teen 2009, who is best friends with a good friend of mine, Lauren McCreight, who was Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen 2009. Crazy how small the pageant world is!!

Congratulations to Adrielle Churchill, Miss Arkansas USA 2010, and Megan Burgess, Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2010, on a fantastic year! And welcome to the VANBROS family Lakynn McBride, Miss Arkansas USA 2011 & Mary-Kate Hartley, Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2011. I am so excited to get to know you ladies in the upcoming year!

Safe travels in the snow covered Midwest,

Sydnee

Meadows Images & the Haygoods

Hello Branson, Mo! Today my family and I as well as my childhood best friend, Sammy, traveled to Branson, MO for a photo shoot and to attend the Haygoods show! We pulled into Branson around noon and shot until 530 pm, making the show by 7!

Working with Marshall Meadows was a blast! We did multiple themes & outfits throughout the day; gown, crown & sash shots, cocktail dresses, a top hat & suspenders, etc. The moments captured were priceless: two friends of over a decade, mother/daughter, mom & dad. I had such a wonderful time that I didn’t even realize I had been standing in heels for multiple hours and would later pay the painful consequences! With my family, there is never a dull moment.

Here’s a prime example: being the snoop he is, my dad found his way into a Jack in the Box costume he found laying backstage. Needless to say those made for quite unexpected, but comical picturesJ.

Thank you to Allie Black, Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen, for assisting with the shoot. It was so nice to see you & catch up!

Marshall- you are so very talented. You have the ability to capture moments in time that are unique & create still memories that will last a lifetime. I cannot thank you enough for providing me with beautiful photos & a wonderful day.

After shooting, we headed down the street to see the Haygoods perform, where I was announced as a special guest. A family of seven boys and only one girl, they’ve been in the business for 18 years! The first half was a mix of all genres of music, while the second was Christmas themed. They were extremely entertaining and blew me away with their range of talents: vocal, guitar, harp, sax, piano, fiddle, bass…the list goes on! Thank you so much to the Haygoods for having me and for the awesome seats, located front and center to the runway!

Thank you again to Marshall for everything & to the Haygoods!

Love,

Sydnee

Shadowland DVD Release Party

Thursday night I attended the Shadowland DVD release party.  Shadowland is a movie that was locally shot in St. Louis, MO and received the “Best Feature Film” award at the Friday Night Film Festival among ten other awards! The original screenplay was written by Wyatt Weed and the film produced by Gayle Gallagher and Robert A. Clark. The movie revolves around a vampire named Laura, played by Caitlin McIntosh-Corry, Miss Missouri Teen USA 2000, who was awarded “Best Actress” by the Freakshow Horror Film Festival for her performance.  

At the release party, fans were able to get up close and personal with the actors and actresses as well as see real memorabilia from the shooting! The most exciting piece of memorabilia in my opinion was the vampire wings used in the film (which made for a great photo op!).

You can get your copy of Shadowland at Netflix, FYE, amazon.com, Family Video, Best Buy, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Walmart.com or at Blockbuster. Best of luck to Shadowland, its actors & producers in all their upcoming projects!

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shadowlandthemovie.com%2F&h=e1ef7

http://www.facebook.com/ShadowlandTheMovie

Love,

Sydnee

KCSMILE

Today, I had my first consultation with my new dentists, Dr. Ross S. Headley & Dr. E. Kennedy Rogers of KCSMILE.  Their offices are as gorgeous as the smiles they create; posters of the many Miss USA contestants they’ve worked with over the years filled every corner!

I am thrilled to have received whitening trays & gel for the coming year. Thank you so much to Dr. Ross S. Headley & Dr. E. Kennedy Rogers for donating their services to the VANBROS ladies! We all appreciate your generosity and are so thankful for the smiles you provide us with!

Hope everyone had a safe & blessed Thanksgiving!

Love,

Sydnee

Here We Go!

bless·ed [bles-id; blest]

 –adjective

       1.    Fortunate

I am very honored, humbled, and excited to have been blessed with the chance to represent Missouri in the coming year as Miss Missouri Teen USA.  After a weekend filled with six different pairs of shoes, five cans of hairspray, hours of rehearsals, nerves, Sally Hansen spray-on pantyhose, pictures, and multiple tubes of mascara (one for length, one for thickness and one just in case), I have an incredible opportunity and lots of new friends who really do want world piece too ;-).

Thank you to the sponsors who made this weekend possible as well as VANBROS and Associates Inc. for making this a fun, exciting and memorable experience.

Love,

Sydnee