Finally!

Hi Everyone!

Holy busy. This past month has been totally non-stop!

First, I had the opportunity to crown one of the six winners at Sweeps! Congratulations Rebecca Zoz, Whitney Fricke, Stephanie Beltz, Tera Coleman, Liz Wong and Devon Stansbury! I am so excited that each of you get to join the Miss Ohio team this year! I had a great time visiting with old friends and seeing all the girls again. It had been awhile since I had been under the lights and close to "spray adhesive" so I had a great time seeing all the gowns and crowns again!

After sweeps I helped out one of my favorite former Miss Ohio's, Melanie Murphy-Miller. Sarah Hider, Chelsi Howman, Miss Ohio, Erica Gelhaus and I had the best time serving up apple dumplings and speaking with the residents of a small town to help raise awareness for Melanie's husband, Matt Miller. Sarah, Erica, Chelsi and I had the best time talking about the competition in June and our future trip to Spring Forum!

I celebrated a wonderful Easter with my family following that appearance and prepared for my upcoming week.

Thursday, after consuming a full blown, sugar-free Rockstar, out of paranoia of falling asleep at the wheel, I drove from B-W to Columbus to attend the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America State Conference the next morning. I woke up bright and early (even though I had only fallen asleep a few hours earlier due to the giant energy drink I consumed! Lesson learned.) and arrived at the Ohio State Fairgrounds only to be turned around because I didn't have five dollars in cash to pay for parking, apparently $3.57 and a few bobby pins wasn't going to cut it. So, I arrived back a few minutes later and walked in to my old territory and it was amazing that although, many things have changed, I still felt like I was home. I met my old state officer friends, walked across stage to be recognized as a special part of the organization and caught up with some of my favorite teachers! I had a great time and hope I can travel to Chicago with the group in July!

The next day, after driving back home to Mansfield, I headed down South again to the Miss Ohio Spring Forum! I loved seeing all my old friends and meeting all the new contestants! We enjoyed snacking on smore's, playing bingo (my new favorite game) and participating in team building and leadership challenges. Shannon O'Neill and I were part of the Blue Blades group and also got to spend some quality time together leading each other blindfolded through an obstacle course! It was such a blast to be back at camp and, like always, I had a fantastic time with all the girls!

After Spring Forum I traveled back to Baldwin-Wallace and hit the books. Finals were quickly approaching and my internship in the Office of Admission was in full swing. However, I did have time to squeeze in my first 5k! I participated in the first annual Bike'N'Hike sponsored by the brothers of Alpha Sigma Phi that benefited the Livestrong Foundation. My Alpha Phi sister's and I kept pace and as a group finished in, around, second place! I had the best time running in the rain and being with some of my best friends...in addition to benefiting a great cause!

With the Bike'N'Hike completed I finished up school projects and cracked open the books and FINALLY, finished the semester!

Now, after hauling every single possession I own back home, am heading back to Baldwin-Wallace and leaving for the state of Delaware on Monday. There I will be participating in an Alternative Summer Break opportunity and cleaning up the beaches of a state park in Lewes, Delaware for a week. I cannot wait to make a small, positive impact on the environment and make some new friends along the way!

I hope the spring weather has treated you all well and you are enjoying the beautiful sunshine! I hope to see you all soon, until then, I wish you all the best and God bless!

Ashley Warholic

P.S. "I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people, living ordinary lives." You were apparently, always, incognito. All my love goes to a woman who inspired me to be my best, Dorothy Warholic.