September

Hi everyone! I've been trying to keep this blog as updated as possible, but not a lot is going on in my life right now. I'm doing a lot of pageant preparation, though. I loved competing at Miss West Central/Crystal Lake, and I am eager to do it again! The pageant I am competing in is the Miss Northwestern Ohio Pageant in November. This pageant is important to me, because it's in Defiance, my hometown, and I want to be a proud representative of my area!


I've been working out a lot, and I am so thankful for my friends at college who have been so supportive and encouraging as I go through this process. I am a curious person, and I did the one thing everyone told me not to- read the discussion boards. People on there can be pretty derogatory against contestants, and while I was hoping to find encouragement, I found the opposite. I was bashed a lot for my weight, and that is something I have been self conscious of my whole life. I am working hard to improve my swimsuit body, and while I'm not where I want to be, I'm getting there, and I appreciate those who have been encouraging me!


As most of the contestants know, being both a student and a contestant can be time consuming, but I have been doing a good job of balancing my time, and I have gotten a lot of help! A big thanks goes to Courtney Monk, who is a close friend of mine and a strong competitor at Miss Ohio! She has been giving me advice and encouragement through this entire process, and while it will be sad to see her pass on her crown in November, I know God still has great things in store for her! Love you girl!


I have also been working hard preparing my new platform, C.H.A.R.M., which I explained in the post before this. I have been working on my bracelets, and so far I have a gotten a good response from them! Mostly, my friends at college have been the ones buying them, but I'm hoping that I can get more awareness for my platform as I continue to compete, and I have begun to raise awareness through the Facebook page as well.


Well, that's all for now, but I hope to keep updating as more things happen!


<3

CHARM

Hey everyone! Hope you had a great summer! Just a quick update from me- I have been re-analyzing and re-evaluating my platform, and have finally decided on a subject very important to me, and I just had it share it with all of you!!

When you hear the word "charm", what do you think of? Webster defines "charm" as: a trait that fascinates, allures, or delights.

For my platform, CHARM stands for Caring Hearts and Role Models.

Role models are very important to me. As a young women in high school and college, young girls from my high school, church, and community would always be looking at us "big girls" and wanting to be with us. Whether we know it or not, we are surrounded by little witnesses, who follow our every move and try to be just like us. When you make a bad name for yourself, that can be destructive. We must shelter the hearts and minds of today's youth in order to shape them into role models for generations to follow, and that's where CHARM comes in. Working with organizations such as Big Brother Big Sister and Boys and Girls Club, I want to stress the importance of role models and why we should all be careful of what we say and do, because you never know who is watching.

Along with this, I am making and selling "CHARM" bracelets, and all the money goes to Children's Miracle Network. You can get more information about that at http://charmsbynicole.blogspot.com/

Miss West Central Ohio/Miss Crystal Lake/VBS

Well everyone, I have officially completed my first pageant! It was such a great experience and I am so proud of myself for doing this! While I did not place or win any awards, I dd get lots of critiques, compliments, and encouragements from my fellow contestants, directors, judges, and audience members! Meeting the other contestants and going through this process with them was a great experience, and I know that the more I compete, the more friendships I will gain, possibly for life! I hope to see them competing again, possibly with me!

 

First of all, I want to say congratulations to the new Queens, Miss West Central Ohio, Elissa McCracken, and Miss Crystal Lake, Devon Stansbury! You both are such talented and beautiful women, and I am so proud of both of you! Good luck on your returns to Miss Ohio in June 2012!

 I also had the opportunity to meet the AMAZING Shannon O'Neill, a former Miss Ohio contestant who found her way into the Top 5 numerous times. She is such a remarkable woman and am so glad I got to meet her and know her better, as well as get some great ideas and tips for my own pageant performance.

 

I also got to meet Katie Stam, Miss America 2009. Meeting her was an honor, and getting a compliment on my talent from her ranks high as one of my favorite moments ever! I am in complete awe of this woman. Not only is she beautiful and talented, but she is a woman of faith, and definitely a role model of mine.

 

My favorite moment of the night however, besides meeting Katie Stam and the pageant itself, was after the show when people started coming on stage. My parents were not able to come to the pageant, but fortunately, my "pageant parents were. Courtney Monk and Alyssa Waldman have been friends of mine since childhood, and they both have competed at Miss Ohio. They have helped me so much along this journey, and I couldn't have done it without them!

 

Sunday was the Vacation Bible School Program at my church, and Free Christian Church of God has a VBS like no other! All week, they have 400+ kids in attendance each night, and not only do they have fun, but they teach the Word and instill faith in these kids' lives. On Sunday, there is a HUGE play put on for the congregation. It is usually a remake of a popular movie, only rewritten with a faith based message. I am a VBS program veteran, so I was very excited to see the show this year. The show was "Hooked on Jesus," a remake of the movie "Hook," starring Robin Williams. We did this VBS years ago, when I was in second grade, so doing it again brought back great memories! It was also great seeing close friends of mine perform in the show as well.

 Amanda as Jack Sparrow!

 Zack (Peter Can) and I :)

UNTIL NEXT TIME! :)

<3

Lake Festival

Devon Stansbury

Miss Ohio Ellen Bryan

Hi everyone! As I said before, I am getting started in the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program, and so I decided before I compete in a pageant, I should maybe watch one first! I have attended the Miss Northwestern Ohio pageant several times, but I was fortunate enough to be able to see the Miss Lake Festival pageant on Monday in Celina! I went with my dear friend Courtney, and we saw a wonderful show! Ellen Bryan, our current Miss Ohio did a fantastic job hosting the show, and congratulations to the outgoing Miss Lake Festival, Devon Stansbury! You were beautiful!

Courtney and I

The pageant was small, with only seven girls competing for the crown, but it was still a wonderful show! It was also great having Courtney next to me during the show, giving me ideas for my own competitions, as well as Randy and Sis close by with their own comments and tips. I have a lot of new knowledge to organize over these next few weeks!!

Congrats Jena!

Congrats to all of the girls who competed, and a special congratulations to Jena Sweigart who is the new Miss Lake Festival!

(Thanks to Courtney Monk and Daily Standard for the photos!)

First Post!

Hi everyone! If you are reading this, then hopefully you know me, but if not, I'll give you an introductory course!

My name is Nicole Elizabeth Baringer. I am 19 years old and am from Defiance, OH. I am a 2010 graduate of Defiance High School, and am currently a sophomore at Ball State University in Muncie, IN, majoring in Spanish and minoring in theatre.

I love to sing and play piano, as well as dance and act. Performing Arts have always been a huge part of my life,  and while God's plan for my life may not be leading me towards Broadway, I know He has amazing things planned for my life and my future in performance.

At Ball State, I am very active with Campus Crusade for Christ, and am part of the most amazing bible study on the face of the planet!! B*Stud 354 has literally changed my life; not only have I grown stronger in my walk with the Lord, but I have met some pretty amazing women of Christ!

This past year has been full of prayer. I changed my major at the end of the semester. I absolutely adore musical theatre, but my dreams in that career path were misplaced, and I didn't feel like that was what I was meant to do. I will always hold musical theatre at a dear place in my heart, but I have decided to move on. 

In high school, I loved Spanish (of course, having Ms. Martin, THE BEST Spanish teacher EVER helped that a lot) and I have decided to study Spanish in college. I have always dreamed of traveling to Spain- music on the streets of Barcelona, visiting El Museo del Prado in Madrid, the amazing Alhambra in Granada...what a beautiful and culture-filled country! I want to teach English as a second language to Spanish here in the United States, but I do want to spend some time in Spain, perhaps teaching music and enjoying the culture!

Another item on my heart that was full of prayer was the decision to enter the Miss America Organization. I have wanted to do this since I was a young girl, but was never bold enough to. With encouragement from two very dear friends, Courtney Monk and Alyssa Waldman, I have entered my first pageant and will be competing in a few weeks. My platform involves an amazing organization called Girls Inc, and their mission is to inspire girls of all ages to be strong, smart, and bold. I hope to keep my blog updated with any competitions and work I do within the Miss America Organization.

 

Here's just a little about me, and I hope to keep this updated as much as possible! Until next time!