Sharise's Service

Life is a Mountain

2009-09-19T00:53:00.000-07:00

So it is obvious that this blog has been neglected over time. I guess it is just a reminder that beauty queens are people too. Since the Miss Washington pageant occurred, real life has happened. Less appearances and more work. With the upcoming Miss Thurston County pageant coming up and the four contestants vying for the title, I realize that reflection time is necessary. I believe in this program so much, I have given my whole heart to it this year. When given great opportunity comes great hardship. There will be people that give you praise and there will be some that will turn the other way and abandon you. Through this year I have learned the value of believing in yourself. I have lived life to the fullest, sought every opportunity, followed my heart and trusted in God. Having those values makes awards, trophies and crowns minimal. You have to be stepped on a million times before you get to the top of your mountain. I am not at the top of my mountain. My mountain is a journey and my journey is life. I will continue to live life knowing that my experiences as Miss Thurston County 2008 will guide me through a mountain of success.

Miss Washington week

2009-07-11T00:55:00.000-07:00

Now that it is the day before Miss Washington finals I finally have time to write about my Miss Washington week experience. I arrived at the Holiday Inn in Renton at 8:30 with my director Wendi. I had so much stuff, garment bags, duffels, suitcases, baskets. After all the preparing the week before, I still ended up forgetting something. I left one bag hanging in the closet. Wendi, bless her heart, jumped right back in to her car and drove all the way to Tumwater to retrieve my forgotten bag in time for me to have my outfit for arrival at 10:30am. What an amazing person! This is a perfect example of the dedication, love and support I have received from Wendi throughout this year. Thank you Wendi! The arrival ceremony with all the contestants was held at the Renton City Hall. As we walked down the steps of city hall our names and titles were announced “Contestant #1, Sharise Williams, Miss Thurston County!”
Our days have been filled with long rehearsals to prepare for the production number. Our dances are so fun and we learned them so quickly. We are opening to “What you want” from Legally Blonde: The musical and our second half opener is to “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire, and yes the theme this year is Broadway!
On Monday all of us contestants went out for an appearance. To honor the Miss America Organization’s partnership with the Children’s Miracle Network we all visited the Seattle Children’s Hospital, a Children’s Miracle Network hospital. We went and played with Kids in the playroom and I went on a small tour with 3 other title-holders as we visited medical and surgical rooms to visit with the patients. This was a very good experience for me being able to visit with patients. With my platform I specialize in sensitivity for people with diseases and though they are in the hospital you don’t have to talk about why they are there. Sometimes they just want to talk about something else to get their mind off of the surgery they just came out of. So I am glad that the Miss Washington contestants could be there to brighten their day.
Tuesday we made an appearance at the Farmers Market in Renton. We ate dinner, danced, signed autograph cards and had a good relaxing time. Then we all went to the movies together, which was also very nice and relaxing considering all of the hard work we have put into our production numbers. We watched “The Proposal”. It was such a good movie and it made me feel good and happy the night before my interview.
On Wednesday was my Interview with the Miss Washington official judges. Since I am contestant #1 that means I was the very first interview out of all 18 contestants. I enjoyed my ten minute interview with the judges. I left that room smiling and that is what matters to me.
Later after interviews half of the contestants went on a field trip to the Federal Reserve. As special guests to the Federal Reserve Bank we got a special tour to where all the money is stored.
Last night was the first preliminary competition. The Beta group competed in talent and on-stage question and the Alpha group (my group) competed in lifestyle in fitness and swimsuit and in evening wear. The Miss Washington’s outstanding Teen contestants competed in their groups in their competition as well. What a fun night this was. We performed our opening dances for the first time in front of people. We looked so good and it was so much fun!
I just got back to my room here at the Holliday Inn in Renton after the second night of preliminary competition the night before finals. I competed in talent and on-stage question tonight. I can say that I am truly happy with my performance and hope that I made Thurston County proud.
I am so thankful for all of the positive support that I have received this week. Even in the midst of competition I find myself at peace. My roommate Cara Rudd, Miss Tahoma is a doll, a true friend. She has made this week fun and relaxing for me in our home/room at the Holiday Inn. Wendi and Kamarie have done a spectacular job in being there for me. Driving from Thurston to help me with small things, and even the wonderful gifts I received in my basket every day. Thanks to my mom for traveling all the way from Las Vegas to support me this weekend.

Friendship, Fun and Fashion

2009-07-03T01:07:00.000-07:00

In the days upcoming to my arrival to the Miss Washington competition, I am finally sitting down to update very my dated Miss Thurston County blog.
I had a great time at the South Sound Rotary Club auction a couple weeks ago. It was a fiesta themed auction dinner and money raised went towards support for children with cleft lip. I even got to dress up! Check out this beautiful gown that I borrowed from Proms by Weddings with Joy! Thanks again Angela for your continued support during my year of service!

On my way to the auction I needed to change into my dress to I stopped by Macy’s in the Capital Mall. I changed in the dressing rooms and I even got a make-up touch up by the lovely ladies at the Lancome counter. Thank you.
The next weekend was the Lacey Rotary Duck Dash. I had a quackin’ time hanging out with kids, giving out balloons, painting faces and singing.

Then came the Miss Thurston County Fashion Show : Send-off to miss Washington. This was an opportunity to show off my Miss Washington competition wardrobe and my talent piece. It was an amazing show featuring performances by the Miss Thurston County Little Sisters and former contestants. So many people to thank here! Thank you Wendi, for organizing this for me. Thank you Thomas for playing guitar so we can perform our original song. Thanks Brooklynne, Amberly and Katie for modeling dresses and Find The Cure. Thank you Kara-Ann for hosting, thank you Wes for being photographer, thanks Kamarie for attempting playing the music , thank you Teressa for volunteering, thanks Alicia for helping me back stage. Thank you thank you thank you!! Everyone!

The next day I had a car wash at the Yelm Jiffy Lube to raise money for the scholarship program. Unfortunately this day ended with $60, a French fry assault, a very rude melted milkshake and the pageant wavers. What a story this day was. I am so glad I had my best friends Samantha and Brittanie there with me to endure the hardship, as well as Teressa and her son and my lovely little sister who is always there for me. Ask me about this day and I will tell you! Haha

I had a radio interview with Kevin Huffer at KGY AM 1240. Kevin actually co-hosted the Miss Thurston County pageant the night I won the title. I always enjoy Kevin’s company and it was a wonderful interview. I even had my friend Samantha with me as my travel companion.

That weekend was the Lacey Mid-Day Lions Club Car Show. I was invited by my good friend Brooklynne Adams who was a contestant with me at Miss Thurston. We both had the opportunity to sing on the cute little stage. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon in the Health Screening booth. That was so great! I tested people for Diabetes, Glaucoma, high blood pressure, hearing and vision. What a powerful experience to relate to my platform and work with people. I felt like a real doctor! At the end of the day I got to be the trophy girl for awards and wave at the cars as they drove away.

The next weekend was Prairie Days in my hometown of Yelm. I had dinner with the Chamber of Commerce Teen Ambassadors and then I rode in a Corvette in the parade. Following the parade is a fun fair at the Yelm Prairie Park. I go to Prairie Days every year, but it was a whole new experience going as Miss Thurston County.

Oh Mushroom Fest! I went to the Hawks Prairie Rotary 1st annual Mushroom Festival for two days. I spent the afternoon selling mushrooms to people. How funny! I posted on my MySpace page that I was “selling mushrooms” and all my friends freaked out and were worried. Later I did finally understand the relation and that it sounded like I was selling drugs. No people! I was selling Crimini and Shiitake, not hallucinogens! Thanks Hawks Prairie Rotary for showing me a grand time at the Schroom Fest!
I also sang the national anthem at the Hershey Youth Track and Field State meet. I also handed out awards to the top finishers. Thank you Jeanette Sieler and Lacey Parks and Rec, for having me. Thanks so much Kamarie for being my travel companion and keeping me company as well!
My oh my what a month! Miss Washington is a week away and I am focused and excited. Wish me luck in becoming the next Miss Washington!

JDRF Diabetes Walk

2009-05-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

The JDRF diabetes walk was one of the best days I have had in a long time. What could be better than a fun day with my friends walking around downtown Tacoma for a cure for diabetes? The Juvenile Diabetes Research foundation is an organization that researches and aids patients and families of children with type 1 diabetes. I got involved with JDRF through Find the Cure Clothing. Find the Cure is a t-shirt clothing line that has found an alternative way to raise awareness of diabetes. $2 of every shirt sale goes towards JDRF. I love Find the Cure and I have been supporting them all year. I do whatever I can to represent it whether it’s wearing the shirts, handing out stickers or telling all my friends about it. At the diabetes walk I had all of my team members wearing a different shirt from Find the Cure. We were looking so good in our Find the Cure shirts!

The diabetes walk was held at the UW Tacoma campus in Pierce County which is the neighboring county to Thurston. My team raised $200 through donations. As a special guest I was given the opportunity to Help cut the ribbon, judge the team t-shirt contest and give a speech.

Through or the walk I had so much fun hanging out with my team. We had a juggler, a puppy, my little sister to name a few. Thank you to everyone who was on my team. It means a lot to me when I have friends who support such a great cause with me.

Spring Forum

2009-05-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

Miss Washington Spring Forum is a big weekend for Miss Washington contestants, directors and contestant’s families. I spend this last weekend at the Renton Holiday Inn with the other contestants, preparing for the upcoming Miss Washington competition this July. Everything was due on the first day including, contracts, resume’s, platform essays, talent music and pictures for the program book. Aside from all of that stress there were also fun activities and inspirational/education workshops to attend. We were entertained by Rick Brinkley who talked to us from the perspective of a pageant judge, which was really helpful and funny at times. We had workshops with our current Miss Washington Janet Harding as well as former Miss Washingtons, Briann Parriot, Kristin Eddings and Allison Porter who helped us with our platforms, nutrition, fashion and walking. It’s nice to be able to learn from former Miss Washingtons and hear their experiences as well as see their success. We also got to hear from Sam Haskell the Chairman of the Miss America Organization who spoke to us about his new book Promises I Made My Mother. It was especially nice to meet and chat with him as he signed a book for me. He even knelt down to take a picture with me (because I’m short). :) How nice! Haha!
We spent some time with our parents and directors, had a taco dinner/ karaoke night/ dessert auction all in one. We even had a bowl-a-thon at the very end where each contestant got together bowling teams and raised money for the Children’s Miracle Network. My team was the Red Team to support my platform Diabetes Awareness. Go Red Team!!

Thank you, Wendi Fernandez, Teressa Williams, and Amber Blevins for being travel companions this weekend and for all the fun times and support! Thanks to everyone, Peggy, Patti, Rick, Sam, Janet, Briann, Allison and many more who spoke and mentored the contestants. Thanks Dad and Alicia for being there to share this experience!

2009-05-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Since spring break I have been super busy. Obviously too busy to write and update you, which makes me sad. For a quick summary up to this date I shall fill you in. I visited Timberline High School and presented to the health classes about diabetes. What a fun group of kids!

I also spoke at the Hawks Prairie Rotary that week about my platform and upcoming community service events that I was participating in.
A couple weekends ago I had quite the weekend. I had spent the previous few weeks preparing and planning a fundraiser that would support the Children’s Miracle Network which is the national platform of the Miss America Organization. My good friend Michelle at the Blue Bottle Espresso in Yelm was so gracious to let me have an event at the coffee shop. I decided to put on a Karaoke Night to pair my passion for singing with my passion for community service. With the amazing support of the Yelm and North Thurston community I was able to secure donation items to raffle and use for my event. Music 6000 in Olympia let me borrow a professional karaoke system free of charge. Yelm Radio Shack let me borrow cords and cables to hook up the machine during my emergency crisis before the event. Puerto Vallarta, Casa Mia, Hair Inc., Grocery Outlet, Prairie Lanes, Keebler and my dad all gave me items to raffle off at the karaoke night to raise extra funds. While my guests were encouraged to sing, and did, I still was able to sing a lot of songs and do what I love, entertain. It was a night of fun and music with my community and some close friends who made the event even more successful and fulfilling. The HUGEST thank you goes out to anyone that was involved with the Miss Thurston County Karaoke Night! It means so much to me.

The next day was a huge day for my platform. It was the Diabetes Expo in Seattle at Quest Field. It was a Diabetes fair with vendors, activities, health screening, food, information, advocacy, events and family fun for people with diabetes and their families, all for free. I was invited to give a speech during opening ceremonies about my involvement with diabetes as Miss Thurston County and I got to cut the ribbon. It was so powerful for me to be there just talking with people who have diabetes and letting them know that I care so much about this disease even though I am not suffering from it. This event was through the American Diabetes Association which is an organization that I have been working closely with in regards to my platform. Please visit www.diabetes.org for information and help about this disease. I know that everyone is affected diabetes even when they don’t know anything of it. Make yourself aware so we can have hope for a cure for ourselves and our loved ones and have healthy lives throughout.

To wrap up that weekend I had a fundraiser at Safeway in Lacey off of Yelm hwy and College Street. They are always so generous about letting me sit outside of their store and ask for donations. In that one day I raised $90 towards the Children’s Miracle Network and Diabetes Awareness. Each dollar counts and I am steps closer to my goal of $500. Thank you, Thurston County.

That day I also had a photo shoot for Find the Cure Clothing. Find the Cure is a diabetes awareness clothing line that raises awareness with style and passion. I am so blessed to be a spokesperson and a model for this awesome t-shirt line. I truly believe in the mission of this clothing line and the young man’s story that started the whole thing. Kelly Kiernan your amazing! Thank you for letting me be involved and keep doing what you’re doing. You should check it out. $2 from every shirt goes towards diabetes research through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The next weekend I was given the wonderful opportunity to sing the National Anthem at the opening ceremony of the Nisqually Valley Home and Garden Show in Yelm. I am always thrilled to be a part of any big event in Yelm, my hometown, where everyone is welcoming and supportive of me and I see the improvements and hard work in this community every day. I am proud.

On Spring Break but still in school

2009-03-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

I am just winding down my spring break which means I have had the last week off from school. Unlike most college students on spring break, I spent most of my time in school anyways, high school that is. I visited Olympia high school last Friday, North Thurston high school on Monday, Rochester high school on Wednesday and Black Hills high school on Thursday. I was able to give a presentation about diabetes to the health and family planning classes. I also attended lunchtime and set up an informational table with Wendi, my director so we could spread the word to high school girls about the scholarship opportunity through the Miss Thurston County Scholarship Program. I can’t believe that less than 2 years ago I was in high school. I miss it. It was nice to go and visit with the students. I had a good time with them and the teachers were a pleasure to work with as well. Thank you Jennifer Bush at Olympia, Brad Quarnstrom at Rochester, and Bonnie Sinclair at Black Hills for allowing me to speak to your lovely students in class.

On Monday after Olympia High School, Wendi and I went around the community to a few of the sponsors of the program to thank them. We visited Plato’s Closet, Infernos Pizza, Minuteman Press, and the Olympia Grocery Outlet and gave them the program book with their ad in it. Thank you for your support of the Miss Thurston County Scholarship Program. Without you and all of our other sponsors the contestants and I would not have received such great scholarships.

At the Grocery Outlet
I also had the great opportunity to speak at the Kiwanis club of North Thurston, which was fantastic. I enjoyed the company of a group of people who really care about the people in our community. I had breakfast with them all at the Hawks Prairie Restaurant in Lacey at a bright and early 6:30am! The oatmeal was good, but the people were even better! Thank you so much!

The Safeway store off of Yelm Hwy and College Street has always been gracious in letting me fundraise outside their store. I am proud to say that I raised $200 sitting outside of the Safeway store from customers who donated to me walking by. Thank you so much to the store and to the customers in helping me raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network and for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I would also like to thank the Bellingham Grocery Outlet, where I work when I am at school, for assisting in my fundraising goals by sending me a check for $100!

Pageant-filled weekend!

2009-03-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

On Friday I visited the Boys and Girls Club of Lacey. It was a new club, but the same fun and excitement I get when I have visited the Tumwater club. I spent a couple hours hanging out with the kids, coloring pictures and playing games. One of the kids named Cameron even drew a picture of me when I wasn’t looking. It was so cute!

On Saturday my director, Wendi and I did a two-a-day pageant visit. We went to the miss Pierce County and the Miss Whatcom County pageant back to back. I know that the two are far from each other, but I couldn’t resist! I love visiting pageants and this is the last one before the Miss Washington Sweeper. Since I go to school at Western Washington University in Whatcom County and I was a former contestant last year in the Miss Whatcom County pageant, it was nice to go back and visit and see how much has changed over the past year. Congratulations to Jackie Mendez, Miss Pierce County 2009 and Chandler Batiste Miss Whatcom County 2009!

Hanging out with other title-holders at Miss Pierce County

Looking Good!

2009-03-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Wow its March already! With finals week coming up and all the excitement, I barely took a breath to realize. Last weekend attended the Weddings With Joy – Prom store opening, which is right here in Thurston County. It was so fun to spend the day trying on dresses with Miss Washington Janet Harding, Miss Moses Lake Samantha Przybylek, and Miss Colombia Basin Danielle Henry. Angela from Weddings with Joy is an amazing lady and was gracious enough to let us all borrow her dresses for the Miss Grays Harbor pageant that evening! Thank you so much Angela! I look forward to working with you in the future! If you have the chance you should drop in at Proms by Weddings With Joy on the corner of Lilly and Pacific Ave in Olympia by the Car Toys. There’s something for everyone!

Miss Grays Harbor was lots of fun! I always enjoy the time I get to hang out with other local title-holders. And boy did we look good in our dresses!!

This past Saturday I got to be a part of an event in my hometown of Yelm. It was the Yelm High School Dollars for Scholars auction. As a recipient of this same scholarship when I was a senior in high school, I am so thankful I was able to represent this wonderful program again. I spent the evening modeling a beautiful gold and stone necklace for people to bid on. I also acted as the “vanna” for the almost-live auction and it was lots of fun. Since Yelm is the hometown of our Miss Washington, of course I got to spend a little time with her too! I am always amazed at the amount of scholarship dollars raised at this event. Good luck Yelm High School Seniors! You deserve it!

Until next time
Miss Thurston County 2008
Sharise Nicole Williams

Endless Fun

2009-02-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy lately with school, work, and Miss Thurston County. I am glad I got to finally take some time to reflect. Last Friday I was lucky to be a reader again for Lacey Loves to Read, this time at Evergreen Forest Elementary school. Then after that I went to the Boys and Girls club one. We went into the big Gym and played a plethora of games together, including jump rope, wall ball, beach ball and basketball.
On Saturday the 14th I had lots of fun with the Teen Diabetes Advocate group at the Tukwila Family Fun Center! I got to have a fun filled day with pizza, lazer tag, mini golf and go-karts, while we got oriented with each other in preparation for Diabetes Day at the Capitol the next Monday. You will hear more about that later in this post! Thank you Alyssa Olsen for inviting me to this fun day with your teen group! They are a great group of kids that are going to make a great difference in diabetes awareness.

This past weekend was a very fun weekend for me. I was asked to be a model for the South Sound Wedding Event, a two day event of vendors and wedding preparation festivities. It was so fun to wear beautiful wedding gowns from Weddings with Joy and not actually get married. And I had a great time with the other models, who were actually affiliates of the Miss Thurston County program. I spent time with Mandy, a former Miss Thurston county and Leah, a future MTC contestant, as well as Molly, a lovely lady from Weddings with Joy. Thank you Weddings with Joy, for allowing me to be a part of this event and wear your beautiful gowns. It was a pleasure! I think I found the dress of my dreams!

Monday was a very important to me as Miss Thurston County and as an advocate for the American Diabetes Association. It was Diabetes Day at the Capitol! I am so glad that I get to be a titleholder in the county of our state’s capitol. I got involved with the American Diabetes Association in support of my platform, Diabetes Awareness. I was extremely honored to be asked to speak at this event. Not only was giving a speech a wonderful opportunity, I was able to meet with legislative representatives asking for their support in the fight against diabetes. I spent with affiliates of the American Diabetes Association and mentoring the youth advocates. I am so proud to see these teens taking action towards this cause at a young age. It shows the power of youth and a path to a brighter future for them and for diabetes. Once again thank you Alyssa Olsen for allowing me to a part of this, and everyone else who was there that day and made it a positive experience. I look forward to working with you in the future!

I Love Kids!

2009-02-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

Hello all! A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. I went to the Tumwater Boys and Girls Club again. I love going there and having the opportunity to educate kids and be a positive role model for them. We had a talk about Diabetes, which was an interesting conversation to have with a bunch of 5-12 year olds. They were very enthusiastic and had tons of questions and really contributed a lot of insight to the lesson. The funniest thing happened. The kids really wanted me to sing and so I sang a song for them, then they wanted me to sing like 5 other songs, then when it was time for me to leave they begged their Girl Scout leader to let me stay for their meeting. We had a fun singing competition where all the girls got to show their talent. Then we colored tickets to Hollywood and gave them to each other! :)

I went to the Miss Auburn pageant, which was a very fun night. The Miss Auburn pageant is the largest local competition in the Miss America Organization. There were 21 contestants! I had a lot of fun visiting with the other local title-holders. It was especially funny when the curtain fell on Miss Washington! I love watching pageants and it always touches me somewhere special when I see the crowning of that lucky girl!

This last weekend I had the honor of being a reader for the Lacey Loves to Read program. I was able to travel to 2 elementary schools and read the preschool class a story. Thank you Susan Joy at Pleasant Glade Elementary and Marie Koehler at Faith Lutheran for allowing me to come to your classroom. Your students were a pleasure to read to.

I am so excited for the next upcoming events and can’t wait to tell you all about it! Check out missthurstoncounty.com to view the appearance calendar.

Until next time,
Sharise Nicole Williams
Miss Thurston County 2008

pictures from vegas

2009-01-30T10:08:00.000-08:00

we can share a crown!

team Janet

my mom

Vegas! My weekend getaway!

2009-01-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the fabulous Las Vegas Nevada, home of the King, the overuse of sequins and the Miss America Pageant! Yes I am in Vegas just winding up my weekend adventure at Miss America and it has been a blast. But before I went to Miss America, I had a couple appearances that I’d love to tell you about.
I visited the Boys and Girls club twice in the past couple of weeks. They were nice enough to allow me to run the Healthy Habits program with the kids. I was really excited to do the Healthy Habits workshop because I could relate it to my platform “Diabetes Awareness”. I am always trying to find ways to educate the younger generation about this topic. The first day I made a power point with the kids about how “being healthy is being happy” and then the next week I shared with them my famous “sugar-less taste test” with cranberry juice. Each day ended with an insane autograph session and photos. Those kids were so full of character and such a joy to hang out with. I’m really glad that there are after school programs like the Boys and Girls Club that allow kids to play but it also takes learning outside of the classroom.

I also went to the Miss Kitsap/Poulsbo pageant a couple weeks ago. I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures but congrats to Heidi Nicks and Hannah Orando I look forward to running with you at miss Washington in July.
This weekend I spent in Las Vegas so I could support one of my favorite people in the world, our reigning Miss Washington, Janet Harding, as she competed for the title of Miss America. Although she did not come out with a new title, I am sure that our state is glad to have her back as a representative of our wonderful state. She did wonderful and I am so proud of her along with the many that came near and far to see her and those supporting from home.
My trip was the best I could ask for. I got to spend the weekend with my 2nd runner up at Miss Thurston, Brooklynne Adams. My roommates from college also were here to share this moment with me. I was blessed to be around Miss Washington supporters, directors, family and friends. But most of all I got to spend time with my mother, who lives here in Las Vegas and was so gracious to give my friends and I a place to stay this weekend.
I fly home today. I will be sad that my stay was so short, but I’ll be glad to be home in my peaceful surroundings. Vegas isn’t the place for me to live, but I would visit anytime!
Until next time,
Sharise Nicole Williams
Miss Thurston County

2009-01-06T12:36:00.000-08:00

So winter break is over and I’m back at school. I had my first class of the quarter today, Humanities and Expressive Art. I had one event before I went back to school and that was the Miss Washington Fashion show. I got to spent the day with Wendi, my wonderful director. The theme was “Shoe-la-la” and it was very entertaining and a lot of fun. At the fashion show we were given the opportunity to view Miss Washington’s wardrobe before she heads to Vegas to compete at the Miss America pageant. Miss Washington, Janet Harding’s wardrobe is to die for! Make sure you tune in to watch the Miss America Pageant on January 24 on TLC to see for yourself. I personally will be in Vegas watching the excitement for myself!

Wendi & I

with Miss Washington's Outstanding Teen, Tori Knight

Now I get to focus on school, but don’t worry I will be back in Thurston County every weekend for the next couple months! I’ll be super busy but I am so excited for everything! Be sure to check the calendar on missthurstoncounty.com for upcoming events!

Merry Christmas Thurston County!

2008-12-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Sorry it has taken me some time to post. I have been so busy these past few weeks, working and preparing for Christmas. And the snow! Oh my! Has it been crazy! I live in Yelm and I have been driving 45 minutes in the snow to work at the Olympia Grocery Outlet. I really love working there and the owners, Russ and Cyndi are so gracious letting me come back and work while I am on break. You should go there and snatch up some bargains! :) Thank you Russ and Cyndi for being so supportive of my endeavors in school, work and as Miss Thurston County!
A couple weeks ago I was delighted to be given the opportunity to be a part of the Tumwater Tree Lighting. It was an honor to meet the mayor of Tumwater, Ralph Osgood, who later in the day let me flip the switch to light the tree. I spent the day being co-emcee and announcing the musical performances and drawing raffle ticket winners. I even got to sign autographs with my new signature cards!

Last Monday I went to Yelm High School, the school I graduated from, and talked to the health classes about my platform, Diabetes Awareness. Thank you very much Mr. Clinton and Miss. King-Taylor for allowing me to speak to every period that day. It was really refreshing to be able to talk to high school students about my platform that I care about a lot. My little sister, Alicia was in two of the classes I spoke with. They asked a lot of fun questions, it was almost like I was in my pageant interview all over again! I learned from this appearance that I really like to do public speaking. I learned about relating my platform to different age groups. It was a really invigorating experience and I am grateful I had this opportunity to raise awareness of Diabetes in my community.
Due to the snow I hadn’t had any other events, but I did get teeth whitening from a sponsor of the program! Thanks Dr. Bailey!
It’s nice to have some time off on this Christmas Day. The snow is sadly melting, but at least people are able to revert back to normal and travel wherever life may take them. Merry Christmas! Check out this beautiful necklace my sister gave me!! It love love love it!!! Best Christmas present!

Home for the holidays

2008-12-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

Part of what excites me the most about being Miss Thurston County is appearances around the Christmas season. It is a season of giving, friendship and community. I love being around community members when there is so much love in the air. The decorated trees and bright lights are enough to bring smiles to these events that I have attended.
On Thanksgiving I attended the Christmas Forest at the Red Lion Hotel. The people at the St. Providence hospital did a wonderful job at putting together this event. At Christmas Forest there was a display of beautiful and inventively decorated trees. There was a masquerade tree, a princess tree, a sports tree, even an upside down tree. I also came to this event on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and painted children’s faces and did crafts with them. I had a great time with my little sister, Alicia who was my travel companion for this event. She is 16 and just got her license. It was cool riding in the passenger seat after all those years of driving her around.
In the passenger seat!
That Sunday I participated in the Olympia holiday parade. Although the weather was on the verge of rain and in the height of cold, it was a lot of fun. I got to ride in a new Mustang convertible GT with my pageant little sister, Mikael. It was so new it only had 20 miles on it when we got it. Thanks All-star Ford for lending it to us. We rode with the top down through downtown Olympia during the parade. I even recognized some of the kids in the audience whose faces I painted at the Christmas Forest kid’s day.

Mikael and I at the parade
The following Thursday I was honored to be a special guest at the Lacey Tree lighting ceremony. As a co-emcee I announced the arrival of Santa after the trees in Huntamer Park were lit. I was amused as I sat next to Santa as eager children came and sat on his lap.
Friday was the Panowics Jeweler’s “Men’s Night Out” which featured raffle prizes for men to get their significant others a wonderful Christmas present and enjoy some good food. I was able to be there to chat with the guests. I also picked the lucky winner of the raffle every hour. I greeted at the door with a few of the girls on the Tumwater dance team. They were a lot of fun and I enjoyed laughing with them. I wish them all luck as they compete in the state and national dance competitions.
Finally on that Saturday I got to be in the Yelm Christmas in the park parade. This event was particularly special because it is my hometown. Going through the parade and having my school friends, teachers, coaches and various community members waving and yelling my name made me realize what I love about the small city of Yelm. At the awards ceremony after the parade there was an intense surprise that I was so not expecting! As the mayor of Yelm, Ron Harding called me to the front of the audience, I was taken aback that he was presenting me with “Sharise Williams day” haha! Thank you city of Yelm for this extreme honor!
More pictures soon!!!!

Community Commuter

2008-11-10T00:47:00.000-08:00

What an amazing, eventful, couple weeks it has been! As a student at Western Washington University student I am constantly on the 3 hour commute from Bellingham to Thurston County. It is so worth it to drive 150 miles to see my family and to serve the community that I love. I estimate about 6,000 miles on my car before the end of my year-of-service.

Last Friday 11/7 I had an appearance at the Boys and Girls club “Born to Be Wild” auction. The special guests were from our local Harley Davidson. I enjoyed a night of fun and excitement while the Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County was able to raise $350,000 at the auction. Thanks Kristen for being my travel companion.

Last Saturday morning 11/8 I met Wendi at the Bridal Boutique in Tumwater. Omayra’s shop is beautiful and it had a plethora of beautiful dresses one of which she was gracious enough to give to me as the new Miss Thurston County. Thank you so much for the beautiful red dress!

That Saturday evening was the Miss Seattle pageant. This was the first pageant I visited as Miss Thurston County. I got to visit with some of the other local title holders and the lovely Miss Washington, Janet Harding. The show was fun to watch. Congratulations Devanni Partridge, the new Miss Seattle! I had a lot of fun with my chaperones, Trish and Alice, and Trish’s beautiful daughter Kylie. Thanks for keeping me laughing and for the Mexican food!

After a week of school and hard work I made it back on Friday 11/14 afternoon to meet with the Monica and Jesse at the Boys and Girls Club. I am so excited to start my 4 week program for promoting healthy habits, in January.

Saturday was a busy day volunteering for Operation Homefront. I spent all day stuffing stockings with goodies for our wounded soldiers. And when we ran out of stuff, A couple nice volunteers Valerie, Jenn, my chaperone Teressa and I went shopping to get some more! It was so nice to see all the people that showed up to help and support our troops.

Sunday morning I met Wendi, my director, for coffee. It was really nice to get to see her and tell her about my experiences. She gave me some good advice and we were able to talk about ideas. We then rode together to Jodie's house. Jodie is a Mary Kay representave that opened her home to Wendi and I so i could receive a gift of $500 in Mary Kay beauty products. Thank you so much Jodie!

I’ll be back to Bellingham shortly, counting down the days till I get to come home for winter break. I am awaiting all the fun times I will have during this holiday season.

Were all from Bellingham! Miss Thurston County, Miss Washington, Miss Whatcom County

Until next time,

-Sharise Williams
Miss Thurston County 2008

From that Crowning Moment

2008-10-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since i was crowned Miss Thurston County and I am still in shock that i was given such a great opportunity to serve this community. Today was my first official "appearance" as MTC. Other than my wobbly crown and getting stuck in the rain, today was a wonderful day for an appearance.

At 8am I had a radio interview with Dick Pust at the KGY studio in Olympia. I enjoyed my 15 minutes on-air chatting about my scholastic ambitions and my platform. Thanks to everyone at KGY for being so nice and allowing me to share my experience with their wonderful listeners.

After my radio interview I made a stop over to Dr. Harris's office. Dr. Harris was nice enough to sponsor free teeth whitening to all the contestants while we were running. As MTC i will still be receiving teeth whitening from Dr. Harris, so of course i had to thank him personally. We shared a complicated photo-op and a nice talk. Thanks for your company and my bright, white smile!

My Executive Director, Wendi and my chaperone, Bonnie (who is actually Wendi's wonderful mother) were of great help to me today! I don't know what a would have done without those two supporting me today. Thanks Wendi and Bonnie. I learned so much from you today. I know i will be learning more throughout my year-of-service.

I miss the good times I had at rehearsal with the other contestants, Amberly, Brooklynne, Katie, Jessica, Amber and Lindsey. Good luck throughout the year and I hope you come back for the next cycle. go for your dreams and never give up.

Until next time,
Sharise Nicole Williams
-Miss Thurston County 2008