Hello 2011!!!

Hi Everybody!

WOW! This holiday season has been an absolute whirlwind. Here we are, New Year's Eve already! I wonder what 2011 has in store for us? I am excited to find out! I have been spending my time this past week with friends and family, of course, but also planning and reaching out to the community to schedule appearances. Today I announced dance groups at First Night Burlington. This is going to be a wonderful, busy year!



Check out this interview from www.thepageantguy.com when you get a chance...

VIDEO: Lauren Carter – Miss Vermont USA 2011



Happy New Year!
~Lauren Carter

Happy Holidays!

WOW, can you believe that it is Christmas Eve already?! The Holidays certainly snuck up on me this year!  I had my last final on Friday and took a few days to relax for the first time in a long time.  It was wonderful.  Now I am visiting family in New Hampshire.  How wonderful it feels to sit by a fireplace!  Although there is one weird thing here... no snow!!!  Vermont was covered with fluffy white snow.  It feels like I am in a different country here!

Oh, and I have exciting news! My autograph cards finally arrived. 1,000 of them!  Let me know if you want one.

I hope you all take the time to relax with your family and friends this Holiday.  Sit down, look around, and take note of what you are grateful for.  We are all extremely lucky and loved.  Life is beautiful.  Breathe it in!

Happy Holidays.

Ecco Fashion Show

Hello All!

It has been an incredibly BUSY and wonderful week.  Between appearances and final exams, I have not been getting too much sleep!  On Saturday, I participated in PRIVILEGED, a fashion show to raise money for Northeast Heart Transplant Fund that was sponsored by Ecco Clothing.  What a great night!  Food, fun, friends, and fashion.  Oh, and a great DJ too!  My hair was teased BIG.  Like my neighbor Karla always says, "The higher the hair, the closer to God."  I met some great people and am lucky enough to be partnering up with Ecco as a sponsor for my journey to Miss USA.  Thanks guys!

Sunday I made an appearance at SD Ireland Cancer Fund's Holiday Sale.  Check out their web site to pick up some great holiday gifts for a good cause!  Their shirts are SO comfortable.  This morning, I woke up a 4:30am and headed to WCAX for an appearance on the morning news.  Then I had a final exam at 8:30am.  One more final to go!  I am a busy woman.  I like it that way.

I have included some photos from the night and will have more on the way soon.  Thanks for stopping by!
~LC

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Eco Friendly Fashion!

Hello again!

Let me start this off by saying that Vermont is a very environmentally conscious state.  Vermonters typically go out of their way to reduce their environmental footprints on the world around them.  This can be observed in the way we eat, travel, spend our free time. There is something called a Slow Food movement that is working it's way across our country, trying to bring meat and crops back from the monopoly of unsustainable farming that exists in some parts of our country and world.  Many Vermonters grow their own food and buy local food to help support environmentally sustainable growing practices with good working conditions and healthy products.  Vermonters spend more time walking and biking to destinations, and are keen on carpooling and public transportation when necessary.  We also spend our free time outdoors.   We play on mountains by ways of hiking, skiing, and climbing.  We kayak, run, swim, frisbee, dog-walk, ride horses, and farm.

In response to this Slow Food movement, some forward-thinking Vermonters are looking for ways to dress in a sustainable way that promotes fair wages and labor.  Upcycled clothing is a way of making clothes from older clothes.  Instead of just handing down clothes for reuse, clothes are taken apart and reconstructed into new and more current fashions.  This evening, I worked with the local designers and modeled some of these Upcycled clothes.  What fun!  I was also interviewed with designer Gyllian Rae Svensson on the channel 5 news about her clothing.  It was great to be part of such an interesting, educational night.

A fashion show observer remarked,

"Slow Fashion never looked so good. Miss Vermont 2011 in a beautiful midnight blue velvet frock with stunning lace accents." The dress I wore was made with velvet from the 40s!

Here is how YOU can get some Upcycled clothing:
Gyllian Rae Svensson, owner of The Bobbin in Burlington.

Rebecca Mack, cap designer for Flying Hen Studio.

Sarah Green, skirt & apron designer for Mountain Ash Design.



I love Vermont!!!!!!!!

Back In Vermont!

Hey Everybody!
 I am back in Vermont after a fun-filled weekend at the Miss Connecticut USA pageant.  I had a great time there with old and new friends.  I've included a few photos: one with the new titleholders and director Randy Sanders, one with Miss Vermont 2010 Nydelis Ortiz, and one with my fabulous little sister Caroline Carter.

I have a very busy week ahead with final exams and a ton of appearances, as I mentioned in my previous post.  Stay tuned!

~Lauren

Miss Connecticut Prelims & Such

Hello all!

What a busy week it was.  As you may know, I am a senior at University of Vermont.  I study Nursing, which is a wonderful career path if any of you are looking for jobs!  I absolutely love it.  I have class two days a week and spend the other two days doing hands-on clinical practice.  The semester is wrapping up, with one week ahead before finals begin.  What an exciting, busy time!

Despite this, I am managing my time well.  I am very organized!  Next week I have two fashion shows and an appearance with S.D. Ireland Cancer Research Fund. 
The first fashion show is Thursday.  As this "Upcycled Fashion Show" is described in the words of Bobbin store owner Gyllian Rae Svensson, "You take old clothes, take them apart and put them back together in a way that makes them more valuable and fashionable." Check it out on Facebook!
 The second fashion show takes place on Saturday evening in Burlington, with designers from Ecco clothing store.  Money raised here goes to Northeast Heart Transplant Fund. Check it out on Facebook!
If you want to know more about S.D. Ireland Cancer Research Fund, go to http://sdicancerresearch.org/ .

This weekend has been wonderful for me.  On Friday, I visited my awesome fitness sponsor, Katie Boyd.  I have worked with her since last year and am delighted to have her as a sponsor.  I spent the night with my supporting and loving grandmother.  I traveled to Connecticut on Saturday and attended their preliminary events.  It is great to spend time with Randy Sanders' team of fantastic workers.  They truly are a team!  It has also been nice to reunite with friends again and spend some time with my Mom and sister.  I will be attending the final event today as well.  Enjoy some photos!