Thanks for a great year!

TOP 15!!!!!

Brenna made the Semifinals!!!!!! Of course, I completely anticipated it, as she is absolutely gorgeous and had a phenomenal stage presentation! As for why in the world she was not called into the 10...I have no earthly idea. That's how things can happen (or not) with a subjective judging panel. What I know for sure is that Brenna had the most beautiful face of the pageant and she represented herself and the great State of Arizona with grace, class, poise and beauty-- that's the best anyone could ever hope for. She worked her tail off for this night, doing absolutely everything she could to maximize her beauty, physical fitness, interview skills, modeling skills and confidence. She left NOTHING on the table, NOTHING to chance, there was NOTHING she didn't do or should have done. And she did it all while maintaining her integrity, personality, and sense of humor!

There is so much more that I want and need to say, but as it's 3am, I feel it's probably best for me to leave it at this for the time being; Brenna--I cannot express how proud I am of you. Of your performance, of your drive, of your heart, of your personality, and of the woman you are. God has extraordinary things in store for you! Enjoy your success, and especially your Oreo Blizzards!!!

Love and Blessings,

Britt

Only ONE more day!

After coming in on that incredibly early flight, Molly and I made it over to the Arena in time to visit with Brenna during a break. Marcie and I made good use of our time by giving Brenna a foot rub! She was quite the princess (as it should be) sitting next to her Dad while her Mom and Director rubbed her feet. Such a deal!

Marcie and Bob have been working all week on the "stuff" the 30 AZ fans will be waving in the audience...look for them on the telecast!





















Emerald came in this afternoon, looking gorgeous as always, and we all had a chance to see Brenna for a little bit during rehearsal. We should have some new pics to post soon!

Thanks for everyone's support. Don't forget to vote for Brenna for Miss Photogenic on www.nbc.com. And tell EVERYONE you know to tune into NBC Friday for the MISS USA Pageant!

Blessings,

Britt

Brenna takes NYC!

I hope you had a chance to see Brenna on at least one show today! She started off with the Today Show, where she got some camera time as they were cutting to Al Roker in Phoenix! Then Live with Regis and Kelly, lunch at Mars 2112, then MTV's TRL and a segment for Inside Edition at the Tadashi showroom! Our girl looked amazing! I've also posted some MORE prelim photos. Tell all your friends to watch NBC on Friday night! It should be a BIG night for Arizona!!!!

Molly and I head to Baltimore at 0-dark-thirty tomorrow morning to support Brenna. We will try to take some photos at rehearsals and get them posted for you!

Blessings,

Britt

NYC Media Blitz!

We'll be traveling to New York City for numerous media events to promote this year's Miss USA Pageant. Be sure to catch us if you can! I'm listing the times we will be on air but remember this is eastern time, so check your local listings for the local time.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

8:30 am - The Today Show (all 51 contestants and Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005 appear for a segment with Katie Couric

9:00-10:00 am - LIVE! with Regis and Kelly (all 51 contestants)(waiting on segment time)

1:00-2:00pm - DaySide (area FOX news affiliate)(all 51 contestants)

3:30-4:30pm - Total Request Live on MTV (all 51 contestants and Chelsea Cooley)

I have also been chosen as one of 10 contestants to be featured in an exclusive dress fitting for Inside Edition at the New York City Tadashi Showroom! I'm not sure when it will air, but check your local area for listings and try to catch it!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

7:30-8:30am - The Early Show (all 51 contestants and Chelsea Cooley)

9:45am - NASDAQ visit in Times Square

This is an amazing opportunity! This is the first glimpse into the hectic schedule that the new Miss USA will keep. I'll be sure to send pictures of our adventure to the Big Apple when I return to Baltimore on Wednesday evening.

Love and Blessings,

Brenna

Happy Easter!

Hi Everyone! Brenna had rehearsals all day today and was able to spend the evening with her family (6pm - 11:30pm). I think it's wonderful for the Miss Universe Organization to allow the contestants time with their families on this holiday. Through a family friend, Brenna was able to schedule a nail appointment (yes, on Easter evening!) and hopefully had fun with her parents. The pressure's really on now, as they are in constant rehearsals, which often have very little to do with the contestants and more to do with the TV production crew setting lights, staging, timing, etc. They will have a fun break on Tuesday when they go to NYC!

I hope each of you had a wonderful, blessed Easter.

Britt

MORE updates and photos!

Hi Everyone--I get home after a 5 hour flight, update the blog with the prelim photos, and now I get a BUNCH of photos from Brenna! She should be sleeping at this hour! She really enjoys sharing this experience with all of you, so I will make sure I get this stuff posted!

In Brenna's words...

April 15- AM interviews, 2-5pm TV rehearsal, evening VIP event for Miss USA sponsors at the Lyric Opera House

Here are photos from the VIP event!

Thank you to Rosalie Michaels, Mrs. Arizona America 2000, for letting me borrow this beautiful BCBG gown for the event!

I have received so many letters and flowers this week. Thank you to Miss AZ Teen USA, Emerald, for the tulips; Stacey Kole and Hilary Griffith for the roses; Britt for the... beautiful not-yet-blooming purple flowers (sorry, I don't really know what kind they are. hahaha); and Trudy, Corrie, Ozzie, and Melissa for the amazing pink bouquet. My room smells sooooo good!

*******************************************************************************

Brenna also sent me photos from events of the last few days...
Rememer the post about the "no crab" table and the fun photos? Here are those photos...

And here is an upate on the 12th:

On Wednesday we visited St. Michael's, a town about two hours southeast of Baltimore, for lunch and shopping! In the evening, we attended a barbeque at the home of Ed Hale, one of the sponsor's that helped to bring Miss USA back to Baltimore. His summer home is near St. Michael's and we were able to take a 45 minute ferry ride to get there! We stayed there to watch the episode of Deal or No Deal on NBC which featured 26 of the Miss USA contestants and Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005. We had so much fun!

Brenna's reaction to seeing the house they were visiting!

more prelim pics!

Brenna's ss and eg presentation can be seen on the MISS USA website through this link: http://www.missusa.com/delegates/2006/files/AZ.html. Click on Video and you can watch her in SS and EG competition!

When I saw Brenna this morning, she said her interview went very well, and she feel really good about how she did. All the scores are in now, and we'll have to wait until next Friday to see if the judges see what we see in Brenna! She has done such a great job, and now she's got a TON of rehearsals with the TV crew, a quick trip to NYC to attend a book signing with Donald Trump, back to Baltimore for more rehearsals, then the live telecast! Please keep the messages coming! And don't forget to vote for Brenna for MISS PHOTOGENIC on www.nbc.com!

Brenna and Justin (aka Builtboy) after prelims



Brenna and Mom and Dad after prelims


Brenna and me after prelims

Blessings,

Britt

Brenna ROCKED Prelims!

Months of preparation, planning, working out, dreaming and practicing all paid off tonight. Brenna was truly amazing. I'm not just saying that because I'm her director. She was on FIRE! Such an amazing presentation in BOTH swimsuit and evening gown! The photos are from Bob's (Brenna's dad) camera, and he was not very close to the stage, but until we get the official ones, I thought you'd enjoy these. I'm so proud of Brenna, I just can't find the words. Her figure is flawless, and her swimsuit presentation was confident, sexy and full of that personality of Brenna's we all love. And evening gown -- perfection. She really glowed on that stage!

We had a chance to meet with her after the show, and she KNEW she nailed it. That kind of confidence is priceless, and she'll carry that over into Interview, which is tomorrow at 8:30. Then all her scores are in, and she can just relax and enjoy the rest of her MISS USA experience until next Friday!

You should all be proud of Brenna--she will put the Grand Canyon State on the MISS USA map!

Blessings,

Britt

Dress Rehearsal!

I just got back from Dress Rehearsal. The stage is beautiful, and the girls are fantastic! This will be a great show!

But enough about that, I know you want to read about BRENNA! Sorry, no pictures, but she looks SO GOOD! Her presentation in SS and EG was great, even though they had not had a chance to practice their patterns on the stage until dress rehearsal. She will really shine for the judges! And the judges have already seen all 51 contestants, in a quick "preview" this morning where each contestant walked into the room with the prelim judges and posed in both EG and SS. Tonight is when they are scored.

There were several ladies who changed their gowns from the official photos. DC went to a light green flowy gown, FL is wearing a gold silk gown, NY is now wearing a green gown with black lace overlay, OK's gown is similar on top but looks to be grey on the bottom with green as the inside layer (think Shandi's skirt), and SC is wearing a fully beaded white halter. You may have seen the gowns (if not, go to www.pageantgossip.com to see them all together), and some look better on stage, while others do not look as good on stage. Brenna's is perfect for her, she really moves well in it, and it really pops on stage.

The Preliminary competition is in just a few hours. The ladies stayed at the arena for dinner and to get ready. Please pray for a sense of calm and focus for Brenna as she prepares. There are camera crews all over the arena filming the experience for a "behind the scenes" show, crew members putting finishing touches on the stage and 50 other ladies preparing for this big event, so any quite time/space is rare.

Brenna asked that I thank everyone for their comments on the blog; she does get a chance to read them and they truly lift her spirits.

I will post after the Preliminary show tonight. There will be no announcements, but I'll let you all know how Brenna did. Of course, we all know she'll be superb!

MISS PHOTOGENIC voting has now opened, and YOU can help Brenna win that award! Simply go to this link http://www.nbc.com/Movies_Specials_More/Miss_USA/# or go to www.nbc.com and choose the 2006 MISS USA Pageant. You can vote once per email address, give this information to all your friends and encourage them to vote!

Blessings,

Britt

Evening gown photo

This is Brenna's custom Sherri Hill evening gown for competition. Doesn't she look amazing?! You can see all the evening gowns on www.missusa.com, and click on each state name for their photos.

I made it to Baltimore, as did Brenna's parents, and we are so excited to see her this evening after dinner. Tomorrow's the BIG day, and I hope to have some photos to share with you of rehearsals.

**UPDATE** I saw Brenna tonight for a few minutes, and let me tell you, THIS WOMAN IS READY! She's going to knock 'em dead tomorrow! :)

Britt

Off to Baltimore!

I'm flying to Baltimore and will see Brenna before the Friday morning Preview, Dress Rehearsal, and the Preliminary Show. I'll provide updates and photos while I'm there. Please keep the messages coming, as we're THIS CLOSE to the actual judging/scoring and every ounce of confidence and support, along with your prayers, will help Brenna tremendously. Can you believe we're finally at the point of Preliminaries?! She's been doing such a great job and has the best attitude. Brenna rocks!!!

Britt

April 11 from Brenna! (photos will be added later!)

We had another all day rehearsal today (9:30am-4:30pm) and the opening number is now complete! It took a while to get everything figured out because there are so many different parts to it that happen during the first 10-15 minutes of the show... but it's done know and all we have left to do is polish it! Tonight we went to a crab feast at a local seafood restaurant. I was a little worried about this one because I don't care for seafood of ANY kind. After talking with some of the girls I learned that I wasn't the only one who has fish-a-phobia :-)

I few of us decided to sit at our own table and boy did we have fun! We came up with a hand signal to show everyone that this was the NO CRAB table.


The rest of the night was just soooo much fun! We all had our cameras out and were taking picture after picture after picture. We were just being our crazy selves!!



After everyone else had finished their crabs, the servers brought out small chocolate éclairs for dessert. We noticed that the mallets to break open the crabs were still on the table so we decided to be completely silly and use them to smash the éclairs.


One of the videographers came over and documented the entire thing! I really hope they use it during the telecast...or at least on www.MissUSA.com.

I was back in my hotel room by 9:30 for another early night! We've been so lucky with our schedule lately that I'm a little scared for what's to come. A group of 30 (including me) departs for St. Michael's Island tomorrow morning at 10am for some shopping! My good friends NJ, AL, NY, and VA are coming along, too! What another fun day that will be! In the evening we will be attending a barbeque dinner at the home of Baltimore's chairperson for Miss USA. We will also be able to watch the broadcast of Deal or No Deal on NBC in which 26 Miss USA contestants were chosen to be the "briefcase girls" in this episode that was filmed in March. I wish I could have been one of them, but I had several important events that weekend.

My director and my parents fly in on Thursday and I cannot wait to see them! Our presentation show is Friday evening and I am so excited for the competition to start! Again, thank you all so much for your cards and letters. I really feel like I'm in a completely different world right now and they certainly help to keep me focused on my goal.

xoxo
Brenna

April 9 and 10

Sunday was another day of rehearsal from 8:30-4:45 pm. We then had 30 minutes to run up to our rooms and get ready for an evening with the Best Buddies program of Baltimore. Best Buddies is a non-profit national organization that pairs people with disabilities with a "buddy" so they may have regular interaction. My buddy was a 40-year-old woman named Kenice.

She was so fun to be around and kept telling everyone she met that she lived on her own in a one-bedroom apartment. I didn't want to ask her what her disability was because it didn't really seem like she had one or that it really mattered. I was able to have normal conversations with her like I would anyone else. When the buddies first got to the Wyndham we were loaded onto four "Ride the Duck" buses. The Ducks transition from buses to boats and we were able to drive them straight into the water! We were each given "quackers" that made duck noises and we had so much fun blowing them during the ride.

When our Duck ride was over, we were taken to the Baltimore Science Center for dinner and fun. We even got to lay on a bed of nails!! I could tell Kenice had a lot of fun looking at all the hands-on exhibits, especially the tornado simulation and the pulley ropes.

I was pleased to learn that the Best Buddies program has been in Phoenix for several years! The Miss Universe Organization has made Best Buddies it its official charity for Miss Teen USA, but Miss USA and Miss Universe are also able to participate in the fun!

That reminds me, during our tour of the Cover Girl Factory a couple days ago, we were able to meet Chelsea Cooley, the current Miss USA. I can certainly see why she won the crown last year. She is gracious, poised, humble, beautiful, and extremely well-spoken, everything a Miss USA should be. She is such a delight and I can't wait to get to know her better over these next ten days. We also met Carson Kressley, this year's backstage commentator! He came into one of our rehearsals and filmed some stuff for the telecast. He pulled me out of the group (glasses, ponytail, visor, and all) with Miss Louisiana USA and made a joke about one being very wet, the other very dry, and that we should stick together! He seems really fun, from what we talked about yesterday. Chelsea and Carson also joined us with Best Buddies!

This morning I had to wake up at 5:30 to reshoot some photos of my evening gown (not the Fadil Berisha photos) because the ones I took last week came out fuzzy. Two other girls were also there to reshoot. A little after 9am we left for Savage Mills for some shopping!!

It was a very cute shopping center with many different shops, galleries, and studios..not your typical shopping mall, but we had a great time nonetheless! We stayed for lunch then headed back to the Wyndham for rehearsal. That lasted from 1:30 until 9pm (of course we had a break for dinner). An early night?! What are we to do with ourselves?

On my way back up to my room I stopped in the hospitality suite where I had three letters and a package waiting for me! Thank you to everyone who has sent me cards and letters. I don't think you realize how much we look forward to getting them every day! Thank you also to my fabulous director, Britt, for the flowers I received last week. They make our room smell soooo good! The package I got today was from my awesome personal trainer, Justin Popovics, of Built2Win. I won training services with him when I was crowned Miss Arizona USA in November and we got right to work! I am so proud of how hard I have worked and am so grateful for Justin's support and encouragement. He send me the best care package stocked full of necessities: protein bars, protein shakes, snack mixes, band-aids, cotton balls, safety pins, water bottles, makeup sponges, vitamins, and so much more! It was like Christmas!

I get to sleep in until 7 tomorrow morning (I never thought getting up at 7am would be sleeping in...) and we have breakfast then rehearsal at 9:30. I think it will go until about 3pm then we have another event in the evening, though I'm not quite sure what that will be. I want to wish my boyfriend Jim a Happy Birthday! He's 23 today (April 11, as I'm writing this after midnight local time) and I am very sad that I cannot spend the day with him, but I'll see him when he comes to Baltimore on the 21st!

Until next time...
Love and Blessings,

Brenna

Brenna's dad rides 51 miles in honor of each MISS USA contestant!

Hi Everyone! I received this great message from Bob Sakas, Brenna's dad, and wanted to share it with you! Way to go, Bob!!!

Brenna, you and all of the Miss USA 2006 contestants have so motivated ME by your dedication, commitment and perseverance that I dedicated a 51 mile bike ride to you last Saturday.

It was a great day for a challenging ride and Mom and I continue to wish you the best. Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Dad

Brenna at the Cystic Fibrosis State Gift Auction

Hi Everyone! Brenna resent me this email she tried to send me last night. Photos and info about the State Gift Auction! In her words...


Brenna (in her original Kelly Nishimoto gown) and Jessica (NJ)

Tonight was wonderful! There were over 350 guests in attendance to benefit research for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Each contestant brought a gift from her state to be auctioned off during the event. My golf/resort package from the Wigwam Resort was up to $1100 last time I checked and the autographed bat and baseball from the AZ Diamondbacks went for $50. I wore a beautiful gown by new designer Kelly Nishimoto, who so generously let me borrow the dress for this event!


back of the Kelly Nishimoto gown

We have another all-day rehearsal tomorrow followed by a visit with Best Buddies of Maryland! We are going to the Science Center with our buddies for an evening of fun!

Love you all,

Brenna


Brenna and new friend Megan


Brenna and Jessica (NJ) with a Midshipman from the US Naval Academy

A message to Brenna from Mom and Dad

Brenna--
One week down, two to go. This week will be a real test for you ALL. You’ve partied, toured, been interviewed, photographed, not had enough sleep, been packed into a room with too much (but absolutely necessary) stuff, met so many new people your head is swimming with names and faces and most important of all - loving ABSOLUTELY every minute of it.

You are the BEST!! You have CHARACTER, you do what is right and honest. That’s the kind of stuff that pays off in the end. You will never forget this time. Make many memories. You’ll learn a lot about others and yourself. Some of the things you discover will be disappointing – but that’s reality, accept it and go on. Sometimes you just can’t do anything about it or make it right…. So let it go.

You KNOW how to handle disappointments and frustrations. You ARE a role model for others. You sure know how to make negatives into positives so you can get the most out of the experience. You are a GREAT PERSON and we BELIEVE you will do your VERY BEST. Let the “sun shiney” Brenna we know come through. You ARE PREPARED you are ready, GO DO IT!!.

We love you so much ! And needless to say (but we will) “Remember, the right attitude is very important!” We are very proud of all that you have done and are doing.
Love YOU much
Mom and Dad

Beauty with a cause

Hi Everyone! No update from Brenna today; I know they're deep into rehearsals and hopefully she'll have some time tonight to send me some photos. I wanted to let you all know that the State Gift Auction event last night raised over $140,000 in auction totals and sponsorships for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! From what I've been told, the ladies' participation in the auction really helped drive up the bids for this worthy cause. What a great event! ''

To see videos of Brenna's activities, go to this link! http://www.missusa.com/delegates/2006/files/AZ-vlog.html

Blessings,

Britt

More photos!

Official SS and Tadashi photos

Hi Everyone--I received ton of photos from Brenna this morning. She's exhausted, but they got to sleep in till 6:30 this morning and started rehearsals with Scott Grossman at 8:30. Since Scott choreographed our pageant, Brenna has a sense of familiarity with him and knows to pay attention! Hopefully she's having a blast learning the opening number.

***UPDATE*** since I posted this message, Brenna let me know that she is in the FRONT ROW for the opening number!!!! Way to go, hon!

She could not send me an actual update to post, but she asked that I share her schedule over the last few days with you. The photos coincide with the events.

April 4th - welcome dinner

Kim (AR), Katie ( ME), Leann (RI), Brenna and Tara (KY) at the Welcome Dinner


Tara (KY) and Brenna with Security


Brenna, Kim (AR) and Katie (ME) looking fabu at the Welcome Dinner

April 5th - 8a-4p remote filming with small group: horse breeding farm (this farm trains horses that have run in the Kentucky Derby! They got to see a foal that was born the night before and was running around outside for the first time when they arrived).



Then sail raising on a yacht in Harford County north of Baltimore, a lighthouse visit, McGregor's sponsor lunch, a visit with the Johns Hopkins University men's lacrosse team and the US Lacrosse history museum.


Brenna and her throne

7p-9p Orioles baseball game, 9p-midnight travel to Ocean City, MD

April 6th - 7a-1p Video Introduction shot for the live telecast on the Ocean City beach (they got lucky with GREAT weather!), 6:30p-9:30p dinner and luau party at the Carousel Hotel.


Jessica (NJ), Brenna, Leann (RI), Lauren (NV) and Tara (KY) at the luau

April 7th - 7:30a depart for Cover Girl Factory, 12pm arrive at CG factory for the tour where they saw how the products are made processed and packaged, lunch, then awards time where Brenna got to choose 5 CG products for having 50-100 friends sign up for the online sweepstakes! 2pm departure, 5p-6p dinner, 7p-9p Mikimoto sponsor event.


Only Brenna (with Allyson from ID) can look this good in a hairnet!


Brenna, Haleigh (AL) and Jessica (NJ) at the Mikimoto event


Brenna's next crown!


Brenna and Jessica (NJ) modeling rings at the Mikimoto event


Tonight is the State Gift Auction event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Brenna's gift representing Arizona is an autographed bat and baseball from the AZ Diamondbacks, and a golf/hotel package from the Wigwam Resort.

Thank you for all the love you're leaving Brenna on this blog. As rehearsals commence and we are less than a week away from Preliminaries, your comments mean so much to her and have an incredible impact on her disposition. Feeling everyone's support is awesome and invaluable.

Blessings,

Britt