Farewell Houston

What an amazing year it has been! And how fast it has gone by! In just four short days, there will be a new Teen Houston. Although I am sad to say goodbye, I am so excited for the girl who will become the next Teen Houston. A wonderful experience awaits her filled with meeting nexw people and learning about herself and the world around her. I hope it brings her the joy and confidence it has brought me.

Before I say goodbye, I must thank the many people who have been so supportive of me this past year:

• My family! - I must begin with my my parents who encourage me and allow me to pursue my dreams, my little sister who is also my Lone Star Princess and an all-around trooper and my Nini who inspires me!


• Sponsors - So many people work hard to contribute to the Miss Houston Organization. From gifts by Sakowitz Furs to the photography of Evin Thayer, LabLArts and Mark Matthews. From the skills of Maxwello Dental to the styling of Muzzie's and Wardrobe: The Boutique. And the artistic vision of Matthew Abraham and Morgan Harrel - hair and makeup is an art form! Thank you all so much for your help this past year!!!


• Sister Queens - With the largest delegation in Texas, our seven queens became very close. Teens Kate, Rachel and Taylor are always a blast and our gorgeous miss queens Candice, Ruthie and Rachel are perfect role models. Special thanks go to Candice Bennatt, my Miss Houston. She is like my sister (and always will be) even if I don't always lister to her. :-)


• And finally, Sheila Milner - My director knows exactly what to say and when to motivate me and I appreciate her knowledge and compassion. She has made this year so memorable for me. The words "Thank You" just don't express how much I have appreciated her. She is awesome!

This is my final post as Miss Teen Houston 2010. It has been an honor and a privilege, but now I must say farewell.

Signing off for now, I am Katerina Pasat.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time Flies!

It has been a long time since my last post but so much has happened. Right after the state pageant, my family traveled to Pennsylvania for vacation and family reunion. I got to go horseback riding, ride an Alpine Sled, watch the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates and ride roller coasters! Plus I spent quality time with my family!!!!

In the beginning of August, high school marching band camp began and I was at school every day for color guard. It's hard work, especially in the August heat, but so much fun. Our band did well this year and made it to the state finals in San Antonio. We came in 22nd!!!! Trust me, this is great.

Now that marching band season has ended, I'm beginning winterguard...and pageant season! I attended the Miss/Teen Cypress pageant last month and watched the lovely Elizabeth Gardner take the title of Miss Cypress and the extremely talented young Adrianna Banzhof become Miss Teen Cypress. I am looking forward to attending more of the prelims coming up!

Teen Texas Pageant!!!

I spent the last week in Arlington for the Miss Texas/Miss Teen Texas Pageant. What an experience! I have never been surrounded by so many amazing ladies, or survived on such little sleep! From rehearsals to preliminaries, backstage rush to dinner trips, it was truly an honor to be there.

One of the bonuses of this pageant was that it was the 75th anniversary of Miss Texas. Former queens from as far back as 1948 returned to the stage. Even two former Texan Miss Americas, Phyllis George and Shirley Cothran came back for the family reunion. It was very impressive to see how the Miss Texas and Miss America programs had changed their lives!

There were three preliminary pageant nights plus interview day where each contestant in both the Miss and Teen groups would compete in one event. For the teens that was Interview, Fitness, Talent, Evening Gown and Onstage Question. On the finals night on July 2nd, the top 10 contestants were called in both groups to compete again in their events. As we waited for each name to be called, I was stunned when they called out "Teen Houston" to the Top 10! I was so excited and I could hear my family screaming. After it was all over, I had placed 8th overall and received the alpha award for new contestants. I could not have asked for a better experience that will be cherished forever!

A huge congratulations go out to the new Miss Teen Texas, Madison Fuller. She is so gracious and talented and I know will represent Texas as a positive role model. And also congratulations to Ashley Melnick, our new Miss Texas who will be heading to Las Vegas for the Miss America Pageant. Go Texas!!!!!!

As for me, I will continue to be Miss Teen Houston for the next several months, making appearances and doing community service. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this experience. From my parents, to my grandmother, to my Lone Star Princesses Alison and Victoria, my sister queen Candice Bennatt and director, Sheila Milner and also the amazing Matthew Abraham and Morgan who made me look so pretty. It is truly appreciated!!!!!

Teen Excellence Awards

May has been a busy month! Getting ready for the end of school (and final exams!) and final preparations for the Miss Texas/Miss Teen Texas pageant next month. I also had a week's worth of tryouts for color guard at school. I was excited to make the squad again this year because it is so much fun!

One of the best appearances so far this month was the Teen Excellence Awards held in Clear Lake by Solutions for Teen Life. The event honored the at-risk teens who had recently completed their year-long mentoring program. I was extremely impressed by their accomplishments and was so happy to see their success.

Lone Star Princess Party

I attended a PJ Party for Texas Lone Star Princesses. The party was organized by one of the LSP moms, Heather Terpstra, as a way for the girls to meet before they get to Arlington in June. There were girls from several delegations including Houston, Harris County, Sugar Land, White Rock Lake and more. Through the evening, there was dancing, making flip flops and buttons and eating lots of pizza and cupcakes. These girls are adorable and I can't wait to see them again. A special shout out goes to my LSP's, Alison McClelland and Victoria Pasat. I love you!!!!!

Special Olympics

Today I attended the Special Olympics competition in Houston. This was truly a memorable experience and I can't wait to do it again. The athletes were talented, enthusiastic and very supportive of each other. Their joy was contagious as medals were handed out for their hard work in track and field events. There were so many dedicated volunteers who worked hard to organize a fun event for the athletes with not only sports but an athlete village with dancing, karaoke, awards, food and more. This program is so important and I was overwhelmed by how many volunteers came out to support the event, including many queens and Lone Star Princesses. The only bad thing was that my sister was not feeling well and could not join me. A huge thank you to Duc Nguyen for allowing me to be a part of it!

NAMI Walk Houston

I met up with Megan Clark, Miss Great Plains, in downtown Houston to take part in the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) walk. NAMI is an organization devoted to mental health awareness and advocacy. Since my platform concerns youth mental health awareness, I really wanted to participate in this event. Before the walk began, we were given the chance to speak to the group on why we were there and then we were allowed to cut the starting ribbon. It was a hot and humid Houston morning but Megan and I walked the three miles and worked up a nice sweat. Along the way we met some wonderful volunteers and walkers. The team from Gallery Furniture carried Capuchin monkeys that were adorable. We also walked along with Channel 13 news anchor, Sharron Melton, who is a former Miss New Mexico! I encourage everyone to take part in a NAMI walk if one is organized in your city!

Meals On Wheels Conference

The queens in our delegation had the opportunity to make an appearance at the Meals on Wheels annual conference at the Marriott Hotel in Sugar Land. The Meals on Wheels program provides home-delivered meals to people in need so this work is very important in the community. It provides a way for many senior, homebound and disabled citizens to get a nutrtious meal and to interact with others instead of being hungry and alone. It was a privilege to meet so many kind and committed volunteers at this event.

Ronald McDonald House

Following our visit to the Texas Children's Hospital, the group made its way to the nearby Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for families with children who are facing serious illnesses. It allows the kids to feel more comfortable and keeps the families together.

Again, I was so impressed with the facility and the families who stay there. They really do so much for the kids. One family was even having a barbecue while we were there. We talked to the kids, handed out autographs and sang and danced. It was a wonderful experience and I need to thank Duc Nguyen one more time for setting it up.

Visit to Texas Children's Hospital

Last weekend a group of queens headed over to the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. We were able to visit with patients on several floors. I was amazed to see how most of the kids were so positive and keeping smiles on their faces. They were really inspiring! It really is important to recognize the strength in these children and their families while they work hard to improve their health. A huge thank you goes out to the Southeast Texas director, Duc Nguyen, for organizing this visit. I hope to have the chance to visit again soon!

2010 Spring Meeting

I had the opportunity to attend my first spring meeting. Being the new girl, I really enjoyed meeting a lot of the other contestants and Miss Texas volunteers. There are so many wonderful people who work extremely hard for all of the girls. We also learned choreography for the state pageant this summer. Since I'm not a natural dancer, my moves still need a lot of work but I will be working hard the next few months to make sure I don't fall on stage!

I think the very best part of spring meeting was the karaoke party. Give 60 young women a karakoe machine and microphone and you have a night of great entertainment!!!!! The girls sang everything from show tunes to country to hits from the 80's. Great talent by all. My little sister is going to be a Lone Star Princess so she also enjoyed dancing with the big girls and singing with her fellow LSP's at the party.

Capitol Day!

Today a group of the Teen and Miss queens made their way to Austin to visit the state capitol. Teens wore blue and misses wore red. After getting photos taken on the capitol steps we heard from some amazing speakers including supreme court justices and staff from the Texas Music Office and General Land Office. We also had tours of the building and learned that there is still a lof of original glass, light fixtures, paintings and furniture from the 1800's so it was a great history lesson. It is also quite a sight to look straight up into the dome from the ground floor! I also got sick during the visit but I did not want to go home! Overall, it was a memorable day!

Visits to VA Hospital

Last Sunday a group of Teen and Miss queens headed from all parts of the state to Waco and Temple to visit patients in the VA hospital s in those towns. The Miss Texas organization chartered a bus and it was so nice to chat with some of the queens I had not met yet. Once at the hospitals were able to walk the floors visiting patients and staff and signing autographs. I also sang at the Waco hospital and had to admit that I really can't dance. One thing I learned from these appearances is that we all need to remember our veterans. They have done so much for us, sacrificing their health and their lives so all of us could live a better life. We need to honor them and keep them in our hearts.

February and March

The last two months have whooshed by! I have been keeping busy with lots of events including the visiting Houston Rodeo Cook-Off where I met many so many fun volunteers and tried a fried Oreo for the first time. I also worked at a nail painting booth for a middle school charity event and was even the emcee at a local children's pageant.

But this time of year is also very busy with winterguard season. Winterguard is a sport combining dance and choreographed spinning and tossing of wooden rifles, metal sabres and six foot flags, all set to music. Our school's guard has been practicing during the week days and competing on the weekends. I love it!

Miss America 2010

Today was very exciting! I was invited to participate in the Humble Rodeo Parade. It was a great turnout even though it was one of the coldest days of the year. I want to thank Diana Sitton (a USA pageant gal) for arranging to drive me in her super red convertible! I really appreciate it!

I had to rush home to be sure I was in front of a TV at 7PM to watch Miss America!!! There was a lot of screaming in my house every time Miss Texas, Kristen Blair, made it further in the competition. She made it to the Top 10 and sounded perfect in talent. I am so proud of her!!!! The new Miss America is Miss Virginia and she is very deserving of the crown.

Pageant-Filled Weekend

What a long weekend! I'm just now back to posting. On Saturday we drove to San Antonio to watch the South Texas preliminary pageant. Two of my favorite pageant friends were competing in Teen and Miss. The stage was very sophisticated and the contestants were very talented. Selena Affram won Miss South Texas and Megan Gibson won Miss Teen South Texas. Great ladies and I'm looking forward to seeing them again at state!

We then drove to Galveston where I was emcee for a local Mardi Gras pageant. I think there were several future Miss Americas there!!!!!

Houston Rockets Night

The Houston, Harris County and Sugar Land queens, mini miss queens and princesses headed to the Rockets game last Friday. The Rockets went up against the Miami Heat (and sadly lost), but we still had a wonderful time. We were able to meet fans before the game and sign autographs, and go out onto the court at half-time. Thank you Ms. Sheila for organizing such a memorable night for us all!

Texas Pageant Expo

On January 9th I spent the day in downtown Houston at the Texas Pageant Expo. The expo was a trade show for everything related to pageants. From workshops to contests to shopping, I learned so much. They had a walkoff contest and titleholder parade which was fun. A lot of my pageant friends were there and I also met a lot of new people. It was a great experience and I hope it comes back next year!

Maxwello Dental

One of the prizes for winning Miss Teen Houston is dental care from Dr. Letitia Plummer of Maxwello Dental. Dr. Plummer and her staff were so nice to me and put me at ease since I'm a big chicken about going to the dentist! After a good cleaning, Dr. Plummer provided me with custom whitening trays and after years of braces, my teeth look sparkly! Thank you Dr. Plummer!!!!