Time flies when your having fun!

WOW! Like usual life has been super busy!  In the grand scheme of things we are now in the double digit days away from Miss Iowa Finals!  I can not believe that finals are only 99 days away!! Every other day I change my mind on if I am ready for not, I try to tell myself and convince myself that I am but I am grateful that I still have 99 days to be the best version of myself.

On a smaller scale this past week has flown by, I was invited by Irving B. Weber Elementary to teach gym class to 3rd-6th graders for the week.  I spent my mornings from 8:45 am - 12:05 pm teaching these elementary school kids how to dance and how to use dance as a form of expression.  I had an absolute ball with these kids.  I had some familiar faces from the dance studio and some hesitant participants (mostly the boys) but by the end of the week every class learned a short dance and walked away knowing some new moves and a smile on their face as I promised.  It was so fun for me to be able to share my love and passion for dance with those who have never experienced dance or unable to go to a dance class for any reason.  There were times when we danced together and time that I just let them dance around and express themselves.  I even saw kids dancing around the hallways when I wasn't teaching them!

Just a small portion of the kids I got to spend my mornings with!

Kids are so welcoming and made me feel right at home! 

Monday, I will head to Des Moines to the state capitol for Advocacy day for the March of Dimes.  I am very excited to speak with legislators and work with March of Dimes staff and volunteers to bring awareness to the March of Dimes and certain issues.  Stay tuned for updates!

XOXO-

Christy Scimeca, Miss Pearl City

From here, there to every where!

Iowa City to Davenport, back to Iowa City, back to Davenport, to Polo, Il to Schaumburg, Il, to Naperville, Il, back to Polo, back to Davenport, to Iowa City off to Cedar Rapids and back to Iowa City.  This was my crazy, event filled weekend!! It all started bright and early Friday morning when I travelled to Davenport to meet Jon for a workout session!  I thought for once he would show me some mercy since I had an appearance later in Davenport that day but… nope! No mercy was given, and I completed a tough timed circuit that consisted of some new exercises that really kicked my butt!  From the workout I drove down the road to the March of Dimes kickoff event for the Davenport walk.  To get ready for this event I spilt my getting ready between in the car and in the restroom of the hotel.  The Davenport kickoff event was a huge hit and it had a wonderful turn out of so many welcoming volunteers!  At this event I was able to speak to everyone who had attended and explain to them why I have chosen the March of Dimes as my platform and why I even had to chose a platform to compete in the Miss America system.  The crowd was so welcoming that I felt like I have known them forever and it was very easy to share my story with them.  After this I was able to pass out the awards for the top walkers, teams and organizations.  After both kickoff events I have been so overwhelmed by the passion and commitment of the volunteers involved with the March of Dimes! 

After the March of Dimes event I was back to Iowa City to pack for my shopping trip with the Muscatine board and a quick rehearsal at Nolte to get ready for our performance at this weekend's Titan's game against the Des Moines Barnstormers.  After all this, it was back on the road again to meet up with Ashley to carpool to our next destination.  We were quickly off and found ourselves at Kindra's house.  When the sun came up we are off again and this time to shop at Woodfield Shopping Mall.  While our shopping had some up's and down's we walked away with some great purchases!

The major down of the day… I broke the
 heel off my shoe. (Plus side, I HAD to buy new shoes)

After we finished shopping for the day, we stopped in Naperville to have dinner with my family.  I was very glad there was time to stop and see them. We then jumped back in the car, with full bellies and shopping bags, and headed back to Kindra's.  From there Ashley and I woke up around 6am so I could make it back to Iowa City for more rehearsals!  Most people's Sunday's consist of catching up on life and relaxing but mine always consist of Affect rehearsals, solo rehearsals and Titan Dolls practice.  I wouldn't change it for anything either.  I love being in the studio with my girls and doing what we all love!  

Lastly, Monday morning I was invited to tour the Jeff Murray laboratory.  Dr. Jeff Murray is the leading researcher in prematurity and it was wonderful to see the research that was happening right here in Iowa.  His research is helping the March of Dimes as well as the March of Dimes is helping him!  Below is a link to his webpage if you want to find out more about what he is doing! 

Dr. Jeff Murray Laboratory

Being a role model to so many young girls at the dance studio is what keeps me going.
I tell them everyday to follow their dreams, and I want to prove to them that you can chase any crazy dream you have.

XOXO-
Christy
Miss Pearl City

What a weekend!

It's Monday evening and I am sitting at work on a break before my last class of the evening  (It is now Tuesday night around 10 PM 11 PM and I am done teaching for the night; teaching classes, working out, making props and grocery shopping, basically life, got in the way of finishing this blog!) and all I can do is sit and reflect on what an amazingly crazy weekend it was.  The weekend started bright and early Friday morning where I headed to the March of Dimes: March for Babies Iowa City Kick off event.  This event was to kick off the walk, which will take place April 11th at 8 AM in Iowa City at Lower City park.  Earlier in the week, I had a board meeting where we secured the walk route, and I am very excited that it will involve walking in the community!  At the kickoff event we had a great turn out and were able to recognize the top walkers and top teams from last years walk.  It was great to see there motivation and learn their stories and why they walk.  It inspired me to reach for the goal of becoming a top ten walker and/or top team next year!! I can do this with your help, please consider joining my team and helping me raise money or donating to my page!

Miss Pearl City March of Dimes Team

After the kickoff event, I hit the gym and got in a great workout that Jon provided me!  I love the workouts he provides me when I can't make it out to see him, they work me out but allow me to do them at home if I need to as well!
From here it was time to volunteer at the University of Iowa Dance Marathon!  While I was a student at the University I participated in Dance Marathon my freshman year and while it was tough it was rewarding and I give a standing ovation to those who can do it year after year.  Dance marathon is a great event that creates so much awareness and raises so much money for childhood cancer.  I am glad that I was able to do my small part this year in not only volunteering at dance marathon but volunteering at the children's hospital when I can!  At dance marathon I split my time between answering questions for the dancers participating in dance marathon and helping the families recycle at the family dinner.  I enjoyed being involved in the family dinner because I was able to see the joy that dance marathon brings to the children affected by cancer.

 








Congrats to everyone who participated and organized Dance Marathon because Dance Marathon 21 raised over $2 MILLION!
From Dance Marathon I rushed off to Nolte Academy to run the first rehearsal for the Titan's Football Game that the Nolte Academy was invited to perform at on February 28th!  I wouldn't want to spend my Friday night any other way because those kids want to be there and they want to dance and they want to have fun!  We had a blast dancing and learning together.  From here I headed home where I met my family who decided to come out and visit! We spent the rest of our night enjoying each others company and catching up on the TV shows we all watch.

Saturday morning started early as I was off to Muscatine for my Miss Iowa dress appointment!! It was wonderful to meet up with the Muscatine board and be accompanied by my mom and brother.  We were welcomed, as usual, from Heather and Stacy the second we walked in the door.  It was time for business, and like anyone I was very excited to spend time trying on one beautiful dress after the other. In a shorter time than I expected we all unanimously decided on a dress!!

I still can't believe I have my dress for MISS IOWA!!

From Muscatine it was time for one more rehearsal in Iowa City before my family and I jumped in the car to attend the Miss Greater Des Moines and Miss Metro pageant.  This was the first time it really sunk in the I am Miss Pearl City because I would be sitting in the audience of a pageant for the first time!  I enjoyed watching the pageant and I DO NOT envy the judges because I didn't want to be the one who decided who was crowned because there was so much talent, grace and poise on that stage! Congratulations to Serica, Kelly, Sophia and Nina on their titles and I can't wait to get to know them better at Miss Iowa week!  

Pageant girls love selflies!

Sunday for me was filled with rehearsals! My first rehearsal started in Cedar Rapids with the Cedar Rapids Dolls where we were practicing for our first game THIS Friday night!  From Cedar Rapids I was back to Iowa City for dress rehearsal with Affect Dance Company.  We also have our first competition this weekend in Davenport! With that being said I have another busy weekend ahead of me filled with dance, but I wouldn't change that!  It's time for me to sign off as I have to put the finishing touches on a costume and finish making some props!  But as promised I leave you with a quote!

My life may be crazy busy but it makes me who I am!  I am a driven person and won't let anything get in my way of achieving my dream of becoming Miss Iowa.  I have the end goal in mind and I won't stop working towards it or lose sight of it.  Here's to more hard work!

Until next time-
XOXO Miss Pearl City, Christy Scimeca

 

Winter Festivities!

Hello again!
It's been a little over a week since my last blog post and a lot has happened since then! I last left you with excitement of the Snow White production! I was able to attend two shows of Snow White to admire both casts and all the hard work they put into creating such a marvelous show!

The first bit of exciting news that I can share with you is all the work I am getting involved in and started with my platform, the March of Dimes! I am very excited about all of this and can't wait to get more of you involved with me!  I met with Chris who is the State Director for the March of Dimes and we quickly got to know each other and clicked with our mutual interest of helping babies! We talked about all the events that are coming up that include; the March for Babies Iowa City walk kickoff event, Advocacy Day in Des Moines and the various walks around Iowa!  I look forward to being involved in all these events, hearing the stories of others, sharing my brothers story and making a difference. Another thing I have in the works that I am excited about is a sorority tour that I will be launching soon! I am not a mother of a premature baby, but I am a sibling and I am aware of it.  I am a role model and I can relate to women my age, whose next step in life is to start a family and if I can help educate women on the importance of taking Folic Acid during pregnancy and I can make then aware of the March of Dimes before they need it then I am going to do it!  Being a sorority woman myself, I look forward to not only revisiting my chapter of Alpha Chi Omega, but to also being welcomed in all of the chapters! Lastly, because of my personal story, passion and drive, Chris invited me to be apart of the State board for the March of Dimes so I can help make a difference not just in Iowa City or Muscatine but around the entire state! Look forward to my next blog post going more in depth of what the March of Dimes is and what they do, as well as mine and my brothers story!

The next big thing of my week was the Winter Festival in Muscatine.  Kristen and I were able to drive together and spend the day volunteering together!  This was such a fun part of the whole experience because volunteering with a friend is always more fun than alone! The first thing I did was color with all the kids that arrived for winter fun.  When it was 1pm it was time for the first activity of winter festival which was the golf ball hunt.  Kristen and I were able to hand out prizes to the kids once they found their share of golf balls in the snow!

I think we enjoyed the prizes more than the kids did ;)

The next event was the snow sculpture contest!  Kristen and I didn't know what to expect going into this competition but boy were we surprised!! There were 12 different teams that created such wonderful and unique sculptures!  The teams were only allowed to use themselves and the snow to create their sculptures and they had one hour to do it!  While being a judge was tough, a winner had to be picked.  

Kristen with the Eiffel tower sculpture that received second place!

Me with the whale sculpture that took home the grand prize and a pool party!

Also while we were there we tried our hand at the golf simulator!  Not going to lie when I tried I missed the ball not one, not two but three times!!  The fourth time though, I hit it out of the park, at least I think!  Let't just say if I try to golf again I will take off the crown, sash, and heels!  But I don't see myself turning into a pro-golfer any time soon.

Once again I had a wonderful time in Muscatine and was welcomed with open arms!  Before I go though, I want to take a second to thank all of our wonderful sponsor that the Muscatine board has secured us!! I have had a blast working out with Jon and can't wait to get two more workouts in with him this week! Jennifer keeps my nutrition fun and on point, we have a wonderful time video calling and discussing different recipes to try! She makes it so that nutrition doesn't feel like a chore and I don't get sick of eating the right way.  Lastly, Heather and Stacey at Le Chic have a wonderful way of making you feel apart of the family!  Kristen and I were able to stop by and see them during a break at the Winter Festival, even though it was a short visit it was sure sweet!! I can't wait to begin my wardrobe search with them shortly!  

Stay tuned this week for workouts, March for Babies Kickoff, Dance Marathon, Miss Greater Des Moines/Miss Metro Pageant and more!!

XO- Miss Pearl City, Christy Scimeca

The road will be long, but sometimes you have to make smaller goals so you can reach big ones! 

Time for a Show!

It really is hard to believe that I have only been Miss Pearl City 2015 for less than two weeks.  And it still hasn't hit me that the next pageant I will compete in will be MISS IOWA!  I don't think all this has sunk in yet because of two reasons, I have been preparing for this for a while now so hard work is nothing new to me and because my life is so busy already as it is that I just keep going at 100 MPH!  With that being said, it's show week at the Nolte Academy!

(Shows are at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts and are Friday night 7PM, Saturday 2PM and 7PM and Sunday 2PM and 7PM. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.coralvillearts.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=343.)

Show week is a fun, exciting, exhausting, stressful and wonderful time of the year that we get to experience more than once!! This time around the Nolte Academy is putting on a musical production of Snow White and it couldn't be any cuter! While rehearsals have been going on for months, these last two weeks have been for finishing touches. I was able to help out with making costumes for the animals in the forest, decorating sets and painting various sets and props.  Being a "dance teacher" is one of the things that has prepared me most in competing in pageants.  I put dance teacher in quotes because all dance teachers know we are much more than that.  I don't just teach dance, I sew costumes, glue on rhinestones, build props, create sets, encourage young dancers to audition for our productions, am a listening ear, a role model and the list goes on.  Being a dance teacher requires me to think of out the box and on my toes in and out of the studio, it also allows me to interact with people of all ages.  I've learned how to work on a team and rely on others which has helped me quickly adapt to working with the fabulous Muscatine board!

A side from this week being show week, I was able to get in a workout with Jon at 8 one 8 fitness where he kicked my butt and made me realize I can do so much more than I thought I could.  We work really well together and I can't wait to see all the personal goals I beat on the way to the Miss Iowa stage!  I was also able to catch up with Michelle and Jessica from Legacy Group Pageant Consulting.  We had a wonderful conversation where we recapped the Miss Muscatine competition, talked about my goals for Miss Iowa and all the things I am working on and doing with my platform.  I have dived head first into my platform and I have many things in the works that I can't wait to tell you about! The first exciting thing is that I was invited to join the Iowa City committee for the March of Dimes: March for Babies walk, we had a wonderful meeting and things are well on their way! I was then able to stay and chat with Andrea who is the Community director of the Hawkeye division of March of Dimes where we came up with all the wonderful ideas that are to come! I look forward to being more involved in the March of Dimes and hopefully making a difference!  The Iowa City walk is April 12th in Lower City Park and if you want to join me on this walk I would love for you to join my team! If you are unable to join me on the walk you can also donate to my personal page! 

https://www.marchforbabies.org/march/s_team_page.asp?SeId=2293027&si=&mfb2015=1&PersonId=

I am off for the day! I have another workout today and opening night for Snow White! Thanks for reading and keeping up! And as promised a quote, and my motto for the week =)
Miss Pearl City 2015, Christy Scimeca

Hit the ground running!

What a week! That's right it has ONLY been a week since I was crowned Miss Pearl City but it has been a productive one! In this past week I was able to meet so many new people and already have two appearances.  The first person I met on the Muscatine team was Jon Hunt from 8 one 8 fitness.
I am very excited to get back in the gym and training with him for the Miss Iowa stage!
To go a long with the killer workouts I am going to be doing, I was also able to meet Jennifer Lintz our nutritionist for the year.  She provided wonderful meal plans and ideas that will have me rock the Miss Iowa stage.  I am going to listen to every word she says as she has won herself three preliminary lifestyle and fitness awards at Miss Iowa.

My week ended with a few appearances, on Friday I was able to visit the Performing Arts Preschool at the Nolte Academy where I work.  It was an absolute joy to see their excitement and answer all their wonderful questions! We talked about the four points of the crown and they all got to try on my crown and see my wardrobe! 

Saturday, I was able to meet with Dewayne Hopkins, the Mayor of Muscatine, at City Hall.  We had a wonderful conversation on both of our histories and the history of Muscatine.  He explained to me all the festivities I should attend during my year and we discussed how I can increase the awareness of the March of Dimes in the community of Muscatine! I am very excited to work with him this year in making all my goals a reality.

Lastly, Kristen, Stacy and I were invited to help out at the Bridal Expo in Muscatine.  Here we were interviewed by a Muscatine Reporter and we helped behind the scenes of the Bridal Fashion Show.  All of the models were great and it was a joy to help them feel beautiful and get them stage ready.  My favorite part of the day was being able to get to know my Miss Muscatine sisters!  We had time to just talk and get to know each other, we helped others and we snuck in some time to hit the photo booth! 

If this was just ONE WEEK, I can not wait for this entire year!  Thank you for your continuing support and I hope you enjoy taking part in my journey!

XOXO with love, 

Miss Pearl City 2015

Christy Scimeca

PS as promised a little inspirational quote every time =) 

It all starts somewhere!

This past Saturday was the 49th Miss Muscatine pageant and I am very happy to say I am your new Miss Pearl City 2015! The day was a very big one for me as it was also my 23d birthday! Saturday started for me with waking up and getting in a quick workout out session at my hotel gym. From there I had a good amount of time to freshen up and get ready for my interview at 1:30.  I want to thank the Miss Muscatine board because I throughly enjoyed the judges and because of that my interview went GREAT!  From there I had downtime to just relax! I took this time to hang out at Ely's in downtown Muscatine with fellow contestant Jessica Erbst! Before we knew it, it was time to head to the middle school to run talent and get ready all before the show started at 7pm.  While we were on stage waiting for the opening number to start I remember looking at all the contestants and telling them I didn't feel like we were about to compete, but the curtain opened and the lights came on and just like that the show had started! My first phase of competition was on-stage question, from there I went on to lifestyle and fitness, talent and evening gown. The show really flew by and the competition was so tough I wasn't sure what was going to happen at the end of the night.  But hard work really pays off! I was delighted and honored to have recieved the title of Miss Pearl City 2015!

Now a little bit about me! My name is Christy Scimeca and I currently reside in the Iowa City area. I just graduated from the University of Iowa in May of 2014 with a B.A. in dance, a B.S. in athletic training and an entrepreneurial ship certificate in management.  In the Iowa City area I teach and choreograph at the Nolte Academy of Dance where this is my fifth year teaching.  I also work as a PRN athletic trainer in the area and am the coach of the Cedar Rapids Titans Dolls.  As you can tell I love to keep busy and I like to do a little bit of everything.  But none of this will keep me from giving my all for the next six months getting ready for Miss Iowa.

Lastly, my platform is the March of Dimes: Education on Prematurity and I can not wait to get more involved in this organization and help families in Iowa understand the severity of prematurity. I have chosen March of Dimes because both myself, my brother and new cousin
were born premature.  In another blog post I will explain my brothers story and how he has shaped my life!

Thank you for your support and for following me on my journey to Miss Iowa!!
Until next time,
Miss Pearl City 2015, Christy Scimeca

PS I LOVE inspirational quotes and will try to include one on every post!