August 8, 2010
I truly feel as if I am the luckiest girl alive! Each state in America is extremely blessed but I feel like Tennessee has the best program in the country. Team Tennessee is THE BEST EVER!!! I had an amazing week of vacation with my family but after that was over, it was back to work. I headed back to Nashville to work with Amy, Ms. Jane, Allison, and Chris to work on talent, resume, questionnaire, and all the other detailed questions and paperwork that we have to go over for Miss America. Let's just say that Team Tennessee knows me really well at this point!

My week in Nashville was spent working on Miss America prep along with some personal appointments. In the words of Gordon, the official Miss Tennessee hair stylist, "this beauty is natural...it said so on the bottle.” So many friends and family it takes a lot of time and effort to keep it together.

On my last day in Nashville, I had the opportunity to be on Fox 17 Tennessee Mornings Talk Show with Shane Tallant and Kelly Sutton. I had so much fun serving as an advocate for CMN’s Queen For a Day Event that was planned for later that afternoon at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Meeting and talking with everyone on the Fox morning show was an absolute blast, even though it was very early in the morning! I would like to send a very special thank you to Sherri Forrest for waking up incredibly early and volunteering her time to chaperone me to Fox 17. I had a blast getting to know Sherri and appreciate her being with me during my appearance. Thank you so much, Sherri, for supporting the Miss Tennessee Program and me!

After the Fox 17 Morning Show, I headed down to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital to help with Queen For a Day Event. I have now officially visited all five of Tennessee’s CMN Hospitals across the state as Miss Tennessee. It was a very special day for me! I have attended a CMN "Queen For a Day" in Memphis at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital before and LOVED being a part but this day at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital was incredible. I feel like these children were so touched by the event. Everyone involved in the planning and preparation at Vanderbilt Children’s made such an impact on these children's lives. There are so many wonderful volunteers at VCH and I enjoyed meeting all of them and witnessing their work in action. These precious children needed an outlet where they could forget all of their health issues for a short while. I had to be extra gentle and approachable because most of the children did not understand that I was not a doctor at first. Once the children were comfortable with me, I was able to introduce myself and explain why I was there with them at Vanderbilt. It was such a blessing to feel like these sweet children were able to "rest" in the special activities I was able to facilitate.

After my week in Nashville, I headed back to Jackson to get to work with Steve Roten! We both have been working especially hard to reach my goal. Miss Tennessee is so fortunate to have Steve Roten on our team. Thank you for all of your time and commitment, Steve!

Ms. Jane and I also had a great trip to see our favorite dress sponsor, Paige Carlton at Joann's of Union City. We found some FABULOUS cocktail dresses that I am going to love wearing in Orlando for America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant and at Miss America! I hope you will all be able to come to Vegas so you can see Joann's fabulous wardrobe that I will be wearing!

I can't believe another two weeks have gone by. I love my job more than anything! Thank you for this opportunity to serve the state.

Until next time... Nicole Jordan Miss Tennessee 2010

July 20, 2010
Two weeks ago, I had my first visit with the lovely Paige Carlton of Joann's in Union City. Paige and the entire Joann’s crew made me feel so welcome when I arrived. It was like a homecoming for me in Union City! Paige selected some fabulous dresses for me to wear during my travels and appearances across the state. I would like to send a huge thank you to Paige and Jared at Joann's for their hospitality and generosity. The Miss Tennessee Pageant is so fortunate to have a wardrobe sponsor who does so much for the program. I am looking forward to a long, wonderful relationship with Joann’s!

After meeting with Paige, I had to quickly get those wonderful gowns to Mrs. Pope so she could help me with my alterations! Mrs. Elizabeth and her sweet husband, Mr. Gilbert, welcomed me with open arms. They even cooked homemade vegetable soup for me! They are an amazing pair and could not have been more welcoming. I cannot thank both Mrs. Elizabeth and Mr. Gilbert enough for treating me like one of their own children. A special thank you to Mrs. Elizabeth for sharing her gifts and talents with the Miss Tennessee organization. She has worked on so many Miss Tennessee gowns over the years and I am thrilled to be a part of a true Tennessee tradition!

This past week, I had a special treat! I was invited to throw out the first pitch at the Diamnond Jaxx game in Jackson. My neighbor, that I used to babysit in Memphis, was very willing and patient to teach me the proper technique so hopefully I didn't embarrass myself! Even if I did, I tried my best! Thanks, Michael, for your help. I realize you had a tough job trying to work with me!

I also had an amazing time at the 4th of July festivities in Lexington at Beech Lake. It was so much fun to be back in Lexington, Tennessee, for my first trip since I won Miss Tennessee. I had a ball seeing all of my friend and supporters who cheered me on at the state pageant. It was a great way to spend the 4th! On Saturday, I helped pass out awards for the local pageant and on Sunday, they treated me like a queen. The City of Lexington had me arriving in style, complete with a police escort, motorcycles and all. Needless to say, I felt VERY special! Shortly after my arrival, I sang the National Anthem and God Bless America for the Opening Ceremonies of the July 4th Celebration. After the Opening Ceremonies, I signed some autographs, met even more wonderful people from the Lexington community, visited with friends and enjoyed the beautiful fireworks. Thank you so much to Tommy Whitwell for inviting me to the 4th of July Celebration and for serving as my host. It was such a memorable weekend! I cherish every moment Tommy and I are able to spend together. Tommy, I will always consider you not only my local director, but also my friend.

And last, but certainly not least, a massive thank you to Chris Chambers for assisting me while I was in Chattanooga for my travels. I appreciate all Chris is doing for me this year during my reign. We are incredibly fortunate to have so many wonderful volunteers in this organization!

I cannot wait for another week of exciting adventures!

Much love,
Nicole Jordan
Miss Tennessee 2010


July 15, 2010
So much has happened since my last blog! I started out with a media tour in Memphis. The amazing Ed Coleman had me extremely busy in my hometown all last week. It was incredible to be able to celebrate with friends and family in my own community.  The media tour included: Live at 9, KIX 106, the Q 107.5, meeting with the Memphis and Shelby County Mayors, a meeting with Volunteer Mid-South Hands On Network and a visit to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital.  Even though I have been able to volunteer with LeBonheur in the past, it was very special to be able to meet with the event coordinator, as well as visit with the patients, which is the reason I love my job so much.  The children I met at LeBonheur will remain with me in my heart as I continue to travel across the state.  They have no idea how much they impacted my life.

The next week, I got in my Chuck Graves Chevrolet and hauled all my belongings to the opposite side of the state!  I would like to thank Rodney Hullender for sharing his contacts and for organizing so many touching opportunities for me while I was in Chattanooga.  He went the extra mile to ensure that my visit in his area was absolutely incredible.  I began with a stop in Chattanooga for a CMN Hospital visit to see the precious children of TC Thompson Children’s Hospital.  After my life-changing experience with the children, I spoke and read to the kids at the Chattanooga Tree of Knowledge Learning Center. Next, I had an amazing experience at a camp called "Role Models" for young girls. At this camp, I was able to use the “Girl Talk” program I established in my hometown several years ago.  It was exciting for me to implement a program I developed myself in different areas of the state.  I was also able to use Miss Tennessee’s job as an example for these young girls, as well as incorporate my faith and testimony, and also sing for them. I had an AMAZING time and will never forget the young girls I met that day!

After Chattanooga, I was off to Knoxville for a CMN Hospital day and visit at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and then off to Bristol, Tennessee. I was fortunate enough to get to know and love Krisna Goodwin. Krisna was my host for my Kingsport media and CMN Hospital Tour.  We had a wonderful time being together and she graciously made sure I made all of my many appearances in Bristol.  I went on the air with two different radio stations in the Tri-Cities area and I was also interviewed on the Tri-Cities Daytime show.  That was a lot of fun for me!  I also visited the CMN floors at Kingsport’s Wellmont Health System, and spoke and visited with the local Boys and Girls Club. This was especially exciting to me since The Boys and Girls Club is under the umbrella of America’s Promise Alliance, my platform.

After my visit in Bristol, I was off to Kingsport to sing and be a part of the Miss Kingsport Pageant. I had a great time participating in the show, the Kingsport community does an incredible job supporting the pageant and I loved watching all of the talented girls compete for the title of Miss Kingsport.  It was the first local of the 2011 season so I was thrilled to be a part of the Kingsport tradition.  Melanie Lamb did a wonderful job as the local director and everyone on Melanie’s staff treated me like true royalty.  I cannot thank Melanie and the Kingsport Jaycees for all of their support. Congratulations to Jessica Larkin, the new Miss Kingsport, the first titleholder in Miss Tennessee’s Class of 2011!

After a wonderful week in East Tennessee, I had a long haul back to Memphis by 1:00 the next day to throw out the first pitch at the Redbirds game and also to sing "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch.  I didn’t realize until that day just how long the state of Tennessee is!  We have such a beautiful state and I am so honored to be able to travel across our great state and meet so many incredible people.  It was great to be home in Memphis and to be in front of the Redbirds crowd at the big home game.  It was a fun day!

I could go into great detail about how amazing my last two weeks in Memphis and in East TN were but I wanted to tell you that, more importantly, I have truly fallen in love with my job! As a local titleholder for three+ years I knew and understood the job as Miss Tennessee, but I couldn't possibly grasp the understanding of what the crown really means to people. To the disadvantaged or poverty-stricken kids, the Miss TN crown is a glimmer of hope and encouragement, and to the sick and ailing kids, Miss Tennessee is a ray of light that makes that one day in the hospital stand out.  We all know laughter is the best medicine!  And to all of the other Miss Tennessee fans, we need to continue to create awareness and education as to what this program is about. I have learned how to quickly enlighten people on the fact that I did not come to this job by wearing pretty dresses in heels, I came to this job to be a servant to the children and the people of my state.  While I am having a great time and thoroughly enjoy meeting many new and wonderful people all across the state, it is the children I look forward to seeing the most. Their smiles, unconditional love and very bright eyes make my day indescribably special.  It does not matter where they come from, or who their parents are, or what problems they are facing, they are all so loving and full of promise. I know I have a lot to learn and a lot to prepare for to be my best at Miss America, but I feel the best lessons I am learning right now are from these incredible children.

These precious children do love the shiny crown and because they love it so much, I have grown to have an even greater appreciation of the crown and what the title means to these children across our state.   It is truly an honor to wear the crown, but it is an even greater blessing to be able to share it.

Many thanks to those of you who make it possible for Miss Tennessee to travel across the state and make our program relevant.  This only proves to me that Tennessee is truly the Volunteer State and I thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart for this amazing opportunity!

With love,
Nicole Jordan
Miss Tennessee 2010


June 28, 2010
I really don't even know where to start! Exactly a week ago, my dream came true. Words cannot describe how grateful I am. Every bit of hard work, sweat, tears, and determination...it was all worth it. I am so thankful I never gave up. With this dream and opportunity, I am going to do everything in my power to serve the state of Tennessee, represent all the other contestants that competed and the judges that chose me. I will work harder than I have ever worked before and want to serve each and every one to the best of my ability in the state of Tennessee.

Love, Nicole Jordan Miss Tennessee 2010