The Crowning Moment!

Hello from Gillette, Wyoming! I am so excited to finally be writing about this amazing experience. I am almost three months into my reign and much has happened in this wild journey! I want to share with you some of the stories from the week of the Miss Wyoming pageant.



As some of you might know, I was in Honolulu, Hawaii with my precious classmate and friend, Amber Abel finishing my last internship to receive my master's degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Wyoming. I moved to Hawaii on April 1, 2011 until June 17, 2011. I was blessed to have completed my internship at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific with an amazing supervisor! The staff there introduced me to a whole new level of professional practice and friendship! I made so many friends and had so many incredible experiences in Honolulu that I cherish each and every day.



On my last day of work, Thursday, June 17, my supervisor came to pick me up from my house to head to work. I was waiting on the curb with all my luggage as I said goodbye to my little paradise. I worked a full day then my sweet supervisor took me to the airport! Amber and our friend Hannah brought me dinner at the airport then I took flight at 9:30 that night! I arrived in Denver around noon on Friday and my long-time friend Jake picked me up to head back to Laramie! I had a hair appointment at 2:30 and somehow had to fit in a dress fitting before the hair appointment. After 3 months on Oahu, I was praying that my dress still fit as well as it did in March! One of my greatest supporters, Angela VerPloeg had my dress unzipped and ready for me as I rolled into Laramie at 2:15! I jumped into the dress, we zipped it up (hallelujah), I threw on my street clothes and literally jogged to my hair appointment down the street at Flux Studios! Angela packed the dress in my car and drove it to my appointment, only one of the examples of her amazing support! I made it to the appointment with Trina Wood, where she spent 3 hours with me transforming my hair and prepping me for the pageant! I went to bed that night, got up at 5 a.m. and drove the 5 hours to Sheridan to start the competition week!



Upon arriving at the doorstep of the WYO Theater in Sheridan, WY, I wasn’t sure I knew what I hadn’t gotten into. I have never in my life been a part of a pageant, but supported my long-time friend Alicia Grove, Miss Wyoming 2010 in June 2010 as she was crowned. I was able to see the amazing feats she accomplished during her year of service and witnessed the maturity and change in her as a result of the Miss Wyoming experience. She sparked the fire in me to consider competing. Alicia made huge strides in the field of Women’s Heart Health and I realized that I could do the same in the area of Traumatic Brain Injury. My brother, Jeremy, is a survivor of a Traumatic Brain Injury and his story is what carried me into the competition.



So, back to the front doors of the WYO. When I arrived, there were already 3 other beautiful women waiting on the steps. I was a little jet-lagged, tired from the 5 hour drive, but man was I ever excited to finally meet the women I would get to spend the week with! We all chatted nervously until we were let into the theater that would house the next Miss Wyoming. We headed upstairs to an old rehearsal studio to learn our opening numbers for the show. We changed into workout gear and got down to business! As some of you may know, I am a huge fan of choreographed dancing vs. freestyle. I was so excited to learn our dances and was able to pick up on the fun moves choreographed by Anna Nelson, Miss Wyoming 2009.



After finishing around 5 hours of dance rehearsal and informational meetings, it was time for us to meet our host families. The Miss Wyoming Scholarship Organization sets up host homes for contestants during the week of the competition, eliminating hotel costs and helping the contestants to feel as comfortable of possible during the wild week ahead. I was able to stay with a wonderful family in a gorgeous home in the hills of Sheridan with another contestant. The family has three precious girls and a whole menagerie of pets! Before we drove our cars to our host home (the last time we would drive ourselves anywhere all week), we were informed that we were not allowed to go anywhere without a chaperone. Since I am a runner, I asked if that meant I needed a chaperone to run in the mornings before we convened for practice and events. One of the executive directors of the Miss Wyoming Scholarship Organization explained that we were not allowed to go ANYWHERE without a chaperone. Fortunately, he agreed to meet me in the morning at 6 a.m. to run in the hills around my host home.



After learning all this, I hopped in my car to head to the host home. All of the sudden, the pressures of the experience hit me like a ton of bricks. My exhaustion caused by the 4 hour time difference, crazy hours of travel, 5 hours of dancing, the change from providing therapy to rehabilitation patients in an amazing hospital to practicing how to walk in a swimsuit, and the fact that I was not allowed to be “alone” for the next 7 days came crashing down. I called my friend Angela and told her, “I am just so tired!!” She helped bring me back to reality explaining that I had prepared for this, God wouldn’t have opened the doors for me to be back in Sheridan from Honolulu if I wasn’t supposed to be there, and that I desperately needed some sleep! I squared my shoulders as I lost cell phone service on the way to my host home and started praying.



As I woke up the next morning, I realized I didn’t have any long-sleeved shirts to wear running! All I had with me were 2 suitcases and 4 flat-rate shipping boxes from Hawaii (along with 8 dresses I had left in Wyoming before my internship) and I certainly didn’t need any long-sleeved shirts in Hawaii! My host “mom” let me borrow a shirt and Matthew and I headed out for a run! The host family suggested we take their dog with us to protect us from rattle snakes, especially around the cattle guards! Ahh! Don’t worry, we didn’t see any but you better believe our eyes were peeled! We ran for about 45 minutes and we were beat once we finished! I asked Matthew if he would meet me there the next morning and he responded by raising his hand in a dismissive gesture saying, “As long as you stay clear of the rattle snakes, I think you’re safe running out here by yourself!” It was too funny!



Since I didn’t have cell phone service at my host home except for in two VERY specific locations, I had to survive the week with barely talking to my most precious support system: my family. I knew they were praying for me and rooting for me all the while!



Throughout the week, we were able to practice like crazy, meet new people, and share the goals and expectations of the Miss America Organization. One of the wonderful experiences of the week was spending time with our ‘Princesses.’ These young girls were able to work with us throughout the week, getting to know us and the organization. My princess’s name was Bailey and she was a sweet girl who soaked up every moment of the week! One of my favorite stories from the week included my little princess. For the talent portion of the Miss Wyoming competition, I sang and used sign language interpretation in the song ‘Come Away with Me’ originally performed by Norah Jones. I love sharing my passion for sign language with anyone who will listen (or look). Bailey and I, along with the other contestants and princesses, were heading over to the soup kitchen to help serve lunch. Bailey asked about my talent and I asked her if she wanted to learn a little sign language. She, being the whipper-snapper that she is, picked it up right away and was quickly signing her name. I taught her how to sign, “Hello, my name is B-A-I-L-E-Y. Nice to meet you!” We practiced it back and forth a few times before getting to the church hosting the soup kitchen. As we manned the rolls, butter, and pie section of the buffet, I looked down the line to the people streaming in and saw that there was a woman using sign language! I saw with growing excitement that she was a woman with hearing loss, and nudged Bailey, directing her attention to the woman getting closer to our end of the buffet. I whispered, “Put down your roll and get ready to show her what you learned!” As the woman reached our station, I signed to her, telling her I took American Sign Language in college and had just taught Bailey a little sign language. I asked if she wouldn’t mind “listening” to Bailey for a second. She promptly put down her tray and focused all her attention on Bailey. Bailey put her hand to her chest, starting to sign, “My name is Bailey.” As she finished finger spelling her name, the woman signed, “Nice to meet you.” Bailey’s head snapped up to look at me, as a smile grew on her face. Bailey looked astonished that she had recognized what the woman had signed to her. She looked back at the woman, and signed, “Nice to meet you!” Bailey was so excited and put so much emphasis on each word she signed. It was that moment that her eyes were opened to the importance of being able to communicate with people, no matter what barriers stand in the way.



After the princesses left and the line had died down, we contestants had the opportunity to sit down with the people who had come for lunch. I headed to sit with the woman with the hearing impairment and asked if she wouldn’t mind if I signed with her! She was patient, kind, and we were able to talk for almost an hour! She explained to me that she had not had a conversation with anyone in Sheridan for almost an entire year because she had not met anyone willing to sit down with her and talk to her since she had moved there. She had wonderful stories, a deaf dog that she loved dearly, and led as an amazing example of patience and forgiveness. It was an incredible experience that will forever leave a mark on my heart. I immediately called my sign language instructor, Lucy Carter, and thanked her for opening the door for me to learn how to communicate in such a beautiful language! It changed my life and I hope that it had a wonderful impact on the woman at the soup kitchen, too!



One of my favorite stories from the week happened on the night of the competition. All of the contestants are set up at separate mirrors in the dressing room of the WYO theater. I was stationed next to Kendra Henderson, Miss Cheyenne Capital City. She and I had a ball together, getting closer and closer throughout the week. That woman changed my life! Throughout the week, she offered tips and small changes to wardrobe, makeup, etc that truly helped to enhance my performance. All the women helped to make each woman her very best. For example, I learned how to do my hair with a curling iron thanks to Amanda Jones and her incredible patience! About an hour before the competition started, I put the finishing touches on my makeup. I was pleased with my appearance but nervous as all get-out! I turned to Kendra and asked, “So, am I ready?” Instead of the excited reaction I was hoping for, Kendra looked at me with appraising eyes. She said, “Well, you look like you could go out for a night with the girls…which means you are NOT ready to go out on stage.” My heart sank to my toes as I realized I had NO IDEA what she was talking about! She let out a big sigh and said, “Although it kind of kills me to do this, I cannot let you go out on stage like that!” Then she came at me with an eyebrow pencil and liquid blush. A few minutes later, I turned to look at myself in the mirror and a feeling of horror knotted in my stomach. At first, I thought maybe Kendra had tried to sabotage me! My eyebrows were so dark compared to my natural look and the blush seemed so bright, making me look like a clown (at least that’s what I thought). Kendra laughed and told me that it was just right, maybe even a little light for stage. Just as I was about to wash it off, one of the executive directors walked in, looked at me and said, “Your make up looks great!” Imagine how my head was spinning by this time! This was just the first of the new experiences I’ve encountered in the ‘pageant world’! Kendra was one of my saving graces that evening and we still laugh about the moment I looked in the mirror!



The final story that I’ll share with you is the pivotal moment of the crowning. After I completed my evening gown walk, I exited the stage and had to fight tears welling up in my eyes. I was so overcome with emotion because I had never felt as beautiful as I did walking across that stage. I am so thankful for all of God’s blessings in my life and in that moment, I praised God for opening the doors that allowed me to experience that moment. I knew then that no matter the outcome of the pageant, my life had been forever changed.



As we lined up on stage for the ultimate decision, I realized that the crowning of Miss Wyoming 2011 would change the path of my life. I had just finished my final internship to receive my master’s degree in speech-language pathology and was looking for a job. I had been in Wyoming for 6 years and wanted to stay in Wyoming but didn’t know where my job would take me if I wasn’t crowned Miss Wyoming. It is difficult to describe the experience as I stood on stage waiting in anticipation as the names were announced for the runners’ up to the title. I was hoping and praying that I wouldn’t hear my name. BUT as we got closer and closer to announcing the next Miss Wyoming, I realized that my name hadn’t been called and there was a chance that either I BOMBED the areas of competition or…I MIGHT BE THE NEXT MISS WYOMING! Can you even imagine that wild moment of suspense?? As the first sounds of my name were called, I felt like I was going to shake right through the stage! In my head and my heart, I instantly started praising God with my all my heart! He helped me get through the week and I was overwhelmed with love, thanksgiving, and amazement! From there, it was a blur! The Miss Wyoming Outstanding Teen, Montana, handed me my bouquet (still in the water-filled vase) and I took my first walk! You can check it out on youtube! From this moment on, I was and forever will be Miss Wyoming 2011! What an amazing blessing!



Thank you for listening to my stories. As you can tell, I have many! I am working on filling in the gaps of the months passed since June 25. Please keep checking back to stay up on my wild adventure! Love you all and thank you so much for all your prayers, believing, love, and support!