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Finding Family Ties Far From Home

As a kid, I completely idolized my cousin Kari! Only three years older, Kari and I would spend summers together at our grandmother's house in Piggott, Arkansas, gobbling down Sonic burgers after a day at the public pool. Kari was always so much fun and thankfully, never minded playing with her younger, geeky and completely envious cousin.

Kari was sort of a nomad growing up...she's lived in Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Ohio and New York! Over the years, we've managed to keep up, no matter what the zip code or the time zone.

All that traveling must have stuck with Kari because she had no trouble landing a job as a professional jet setter. Working as a flight attendant for Continental Express Airlines, she met her husband, pilot Michael Panebianco...who hails from Chittenango Falls, NY! Kari's since retired from slinging drinks in the friendly skies and now lives in Ponce Inlet, Florida with Mikey and their two sons, Anthony and Jack.

Since summer in the South is such a sizzling scorcher (like the alliteration?) Kari spends most of her summer with her in-laws up here in New York. We managed to rendezvous this year on Lake George in Bolton Landing, NY at the beautiful Sagamore Resort...y'all have to check it out sometime, it's amazing!

It was a reunion almost nine years coming! With lives in different time zones, it's been hard to see each other over the years. But keeping up has never been an issue thanks to long phone calls, emails and Facebook.

It's just been a while since we've had a chance to pose for a picture together!

Which is a tragedy, especially for a family that's as photogenic as this...

Not that anyone wants to see my feet, but I had to share my cute summer pedicure nail design. Thanks Will Nails Salon in Clifton Park for keeping my tootsies twinkling!

Back home in the South, beauty pageants are a pretty big deal and I can't say I've really noticed many going on since we've lived in New York. But, if you've caught TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras then you might know what I'm talking about. Us Southern girls love our big hair, sparkly dresses and flashy smiles! Growing up, I competed in beauty pageants pretty much every weekend until I left for college, and even then I still did a couple here and there. I competed in my first pageant at only four months old!

For the record, the child beauty pageants I competed in were nothing like the ones showcased on T&T. My mother wasn't overweight, she wasn't forcing me to live out her unfulfilled fantasy and she certainly wasn't doing dance routines behind the judge's table.

I also worked in the television industry for nearly a decade and can attest to the tricks of clever editing. To put it simply, don't believe everything you see on tv, folks. I know several people that have appeared on the Toddler & Tiaras series who are normal, excellent parents and many of the pageants featured on the show were in towns close by, or where I've lived before. I also have pageant mom friends who have turned down the opportunity to be followed by TLC's camera crews because of the negative publicity associated with the show.

Pageants may get a bad rap, but they're something I would never change about my childhood. They taught me confidence, poise and how to put on liquid eyeliner! I loved getting my hair and makeup done, putting on a pretty dress and sometimes, winning a crown and trophy! I started competing at four months old, but I never took home a crown until I was 11! I don't have any pictures from my early days as a beauty queen up here in New York, but I did find a couple from my teenage years to share.

I didn't always win and that certainly made me a good sport. Learning how to lose gracefully is one of the best lessons in life. I never cried over not getting queen or placing as an alternate. Truthfully, my favorite part was spending the one-on-one time with my mother.

Pageants run in the family too...while we were in Missouri/Arkansas for the 4th of July, I had the chance to help my cousin Kayla get ready for the Miss Pollard beauty pageant. I actually won the title back in 1994 and it's also been a pageant several women in my family have competed in over the years.

There's just something fun about getting all fixed up!

Plus, it's a fun excuse to drag out the old crowns...

But the real beauty was Kayla! We were bummed she didn't make it into the Top 10, but she was our top pick anyway!

We're back South for the 4th of July this year at my family's farm in Fox, Arkansas...where our mascot "Foxy" is enjoying the triple digit temperatures with Tusk, the Arkansas Razorback! Happy July 4th y'all!

Finally had a day to enjoy at my apartment complex's pool! Seems like it's just starting to feel like summer around here. Now I completely understand why New Yorker's flee to the outdoors as soon as the snow starts melting...you have to absorb sunshine up here!

What sort of self-respecting Southerner-turned-Yankee would be caught dead at the pool without an issue of Southern Living? Not me y'all!