Miss America... Working to make my feet bigger

Going to Miss America was... seriously... life changing! Seeing the 53 most poised, driven, and intelligent women compete for the iconic title of Miss America reminded me of everything I love about the Miss America and Miss Missouri Organizations. Every night that week, the audience was dazzled by these women, and you all can share in that experience! Every night of competition is on Youtube. Check out the Miss America channel to watch all the preliminaries and the final night.

Ashley and me in front of the Miss America stage

From the beginning, my Vegas trip was an unforgettable one! Ashley Skinner, Miss Sikeston 2010, and I were scheduled to set off from St Louis to Las Vegas Tuesday morning, so we wouldn't miss the first night of preliminaries (when Erika would be walking in her evening gown!). Obstacle #1: Missouri got 4 inches of snow that morning. But, thank God for 4-wheel-drive! Obstacle #2: there was a four tractor trailer (non-injury) accident on I-70, aka my only way to get into St Louis! My parents and I (and the Miss Missouri board) were trapped on the highway until the accident was cleaned up in an estimated 3-4 hours.  Obstacle #3: I missed my flight. Ashley was able to leave on time so she could reserve our hotel room. Thank God for friendly people at Southwest Airlines! I was able to get my flight changed to later in the day, but I was still stuck at mile marker 186 with no way to get around the accident. Thank God I had friends staying in Columbia. Tyler drove on the access road to pick me up on the highway and drive me to the airport. Obstacle #4: the access road was across 4 lanes of traffic, both east and west bound I-70. Thank God that I have a family that's as crazy as I am! Dad grabbed my suitcase, I grabbed my carry-on, and we ran across I-70, dodging traffic and all. Thank God, that it all worked out in the end! I made it into Vegas and had 40 minutes to throw on a dress, re-curl my hair, strap on some heels and make it to the theater to watch Preliminary Night 1! Erika looked absolutely stunning in her gown and swimsuit (and really stood out in that blue!). Watch her here!

Night 1

Erika's introduction

Ashely and I spent Wednesday meeting some of our favorite people: dress designers Sherri Hill and Tony Bowls. We had a fabulous afternoon of trying on evening gowns and gushing about how wonderful the show was the night before.

Tony Bowls (and Allie Black, Miss Mo OT 2010!)

Sherri Hill!

Night 2 meant that we would watch Erika's talent. We could not be more excited to cheer her on. Erika is a gorgeous dancer. She has a mesmerizing way of pulling you into her performance, making you want to dance with her. She danced beautifully. Watch her perform!

Talent

Night 2

Night 3 Erika was going to answer her on-stage question, and Ashley and I were going to see the city. After spending the day site-seeing and (what else?) shopping, we shared a delicious dinner at the Paris Hotel and enjoyed the stunning views of the Vegas strip!  Onstage question was a breeze for Erika. She was able to share her platform of Asthma Awareness with the audience.

On-stage question

Night 3

There was no preliminary competition on Friday, and while Ashley and I were bummed that we couldn't see Erika or the other girls preform, we were excited for a night off! Every other night, we would get out of the show at 10 and go to PF Chang's for some Chinese. Needless to say, our 2:00AM bed time was wearing on us!

Miss America furniture collection... what little girl wouldn't want this?!

Saturday, we were ready to meet the new Miss America! We started our day at the Show Us Your Shoes Parade. Each girl decorated a DSW shoe and wore a costume that represented their state. We were able to share in the parade with our Miss Missouri board and Miss Jackson 2011, Mary Bauer and Miss River City 2011, Sawyer Powers. Erika and Phillip (her escort) proudly wore the red and white uniform of the St Louis Cardinals! Later, we were able to attend the Miss America press conference, were we met 45 previous Miss Americas. These women were amazing. As each one spoke, you could instantly recognize the poise and eloquence that is synonymous with Miss America. I think that these women are why someone once said, "they still got it!" because, they do! Then, we got ready for the final night of competition were we would learn who would be the next woman inducted into that most prestigious sorority of Miss Americas. Teresa Scanlan lives up to the reputation these former Miss America's have established, and I am excited to watch her represent our nation and the Miss America Organization during her year of service.

Parade

Final night

I had an absolutely BLAST! at Miss America. Thank you Mom and Dad for this most wonderful Christmas present.  Thanks to the Miss Missouri board and the Hebrons, for welcoming us into Erika's support group and sharing such a wonderful week with us. Thanks Phillip, for sharing your gummy bears and singing along to songs with us! Thank you, Ashley, for sharing a great week! You're the best!
Although Erika didn't win, I am so proud of her performance, and I am overjoyed that Missouri gets to keep her for her entire year of service! Walking away from my experience, though, I think I would change the phrase a "year of service" to a "life of service." That no matter what obstacles you face, or what crown you do or do not walk away with, or how long ago you gave up your title of Miss America, we, as present and past Miss America representatives, have a responsibility to uphold that reputation. A responsibility to be the best version of ourselves so we can better give and serve others with our God-given talents. Even when we put away our crown, we retain that responsibility. After my week at Miss America, I am more motivated than ever to fulfill my responsibility of a "life of service." Hopefully, as I work toward this goal, my feet will grow a little bigger. Because, now more than ever, I realize if I want to be Miss Missouri or Miss America, I have some big shoes to fill (be they DSW or not).