Miss Arkansas Lottery Day!

Today was the second major step in my Miss Arkansas journey (the first being the night I won my preliminary title)! We turned in our platforms and resumes today which make up the application for the job that is Miss Arkansas, and the judges will use those as a first impression and a sounding board for our private interviews. For those of you that don't know, my platform is titled "Empowering Musical Minds" because I hope to bring awareness about the benefits that come from listening to music consistently and actively participating. It's crazy the physical health benefits such as faster recovery  time and pain relief from surgeries, as well as improved memory and function in your older years. At to that the focus and stress relief gained from listening to music, it's no wonder that music is a staple in my life and should be in everyone's!

Anyways, I've gotten mildly off topic. I have Miss Arkansas fever. After competing in 13 (!!!) preliminaries last year, I got a little spoiled about always having my Miss Arkansas sisters around and the confidence boost that is performing on stage. I'm having some serious withdrawals, because I won in October! I finally found a talent song I truly connect with just two weeks ago on the same day that I got my MISS ARKANSAS EVENING GOWN. And did I mention that it's the first evening gown that is all mine that I picked out and tried on? So, to wrap all of that all up, I'm stoked and ready to give my heart to the Miss Arkansas judges, and hopefully all of America if I fulfill my dream of becoming Miss Arkansas.

I also want to give a shout out to my Diamond State Princess Mary Camille Lambert and her parents Chris and Cristal Lambert for letting me experience not only the week of Miss Arkansas, but the rest of my time as Miss Petit Jean Valley as well!

So... the lottery. I knew that I wanted my last impression before finals on Saturday to be talent, because this is the first song that I just knew I was meant to sing. Going into the lottery, I wanted to be group C and one of the first to go so that I could enjoy the evening rather than spending the night filled with anxiety. I was the 5th or 6th to go and I found my perfect spot. You are looking at contest C34 out of 46 girls vying for the title of Miss Arkansas! Check out my facebook album that has some pictures for today.

For those of you that are coming to Miss Arkansas, remember that Greeks get in free on Friday and Saturday, as well as Cheer members I believe! Thank you so much for your continued support!

Speaking of support!!!!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO MY WONDERFUL SPONSORS.
It means the world to me to have been sponsored by my sorority- Sigma Sigma Sigma at the University of Central Arkansas.
I was also sponsored by George S. Mackey, CPA, and how fitting is that a future CPA was sponsored by a CPA? Thank you George and Alex for your support!

A Little About Me

Hello All!

I've never blogged before, but this will be my first year as a preliminary titleholder in the Miss America Organization! I hope that this blog will be a good way to keep track of my exciting experiences throughout the years that I participate in Miss Arkansas.

For those of you I've never met or my Miss Arkansas sisters I haven't gotten a chance to know yet, I want to give you some background information on myself.

Fun Facts:

• I'm frequently asked where I'm from, and the question baffles me every time. I simply cannot pick one! I was born in Sherman, TX and I lived there until I was nine. Then, my mom was offered the chance to be the sales manager for DirectBuy in Little Rock, AR (and she was the number one salesperson in the country for at least two years.... right mom?). From there, my mom and Nana opened their own DirectBuy franchise in Bentonville, AR and I attended school in Rogers, AR for 8th grade-graduation. My mom remarried and both of my parents ended up in Colorado. I, however, stayed in Arkansas and came to school here at UCA. I liked to make the sad joke that I had no permanent address for two years, because it was the sad truth as I bounced from friends and the UCA dorm (Farris Hall) my freshmen and sophomore year. 


• So, I just tell people I graduated from Rogers, but my hometown is Conway.  






Nala



Chai


• I owned a hedgehog named Spike, and I was allergic to him. So my roommate that cuddled with him frequently took him and paid my roommate with a ferret the amount I paid for Spike, and I took the ferret (Lily), because she was allergic! The ex-ferret roommate now owns a bearded-dragon and two leopard geckos (Shout  out to Shannon and Lori Beth!).
• I now own TWO ferrets (Lily and Chino) (Chino is short for Cappucino because he was coffee colored when we got him and he LOVES Starbucks coffee). I had a beta fish named Sprout, but he recently died. When I lived in the dorm I had Glo-Fish (guppies that had coral/seaweed injected in their eggs) in the dorm, but they all died except for the evil one Hallie had, and I sold Fiona the Glo-Fish with her tank. 

Chino

Lily

• I also have two cats, Nala and Chai. Nala thinks her name is "Kitty-Kitty" or "Big Kitty." Wes had a dog named Nala, but his roommate named Wes's cat Nala anyways. Now the cat stays with me and we both refuse to call her Nala. Chai really loves Chai tea. This whole naming-cats-after-the-beverage-of-mine-they-consume thing is probably a life long habit. 
• Side Note; Chai tea is currently my favorite beverage, and I pretty much consume it with milk just about every night before bed. IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO SEND ME A GIFT DURING MISS ARKANSAS, I prefer Oregon Chai that comes both in a liquid concentrate and a powder (purple and orange box)!
• My mom, Diana Woller, owns her own clothing-line and store named Diana Lynn Fashion (dianalynnfashion.com), and MAO/Tri-Sigma women get 25% off (MAO25)!
• Last but not least, my wonderful boyfriend Wesley Blakemore, attended every pageant I competed in last year and this year. Those of us in pageant land just call him Pageant Mom. 

Finally, the reason I've started this blog is to document my year as a titleholder... so with that being said....

I'M  MISS PETIT JEAN VALLEY 2015!! 

For those that have followed my journey or are close to me,  y'all know it was a long but worthwhile journey. I competed in one Outstanding Teen pageant at 16 (Miss Lakes of the Northwest OT, 3rd runner up) and was hooked, because I missed doing the pageants I had done with my mom growing up. I was bumped up to Miss the next year at 17 and a senior in high school. I did two preliminaries that year, and three the next without having my name called once. The third year, last year, I did THIRTEEN PRELIMINARIES and ranged between 4th runner up and 1st runner up (several times). While I was definitely discouraged at times, it was great for me to actually get to watch Miss Arkansas for the first time over the summer, and I had a blast at every preliminary getting to know some pretty incredible women. This year, I won the title of Miss Petit Jean Valley, which was my second preliminary! I know that God has a plan, and there was a reason that I needed to wait, and I'm so thankful for the support system that kept me going and continues to support me now!

P.S. I'm still getting the hang of formatting and what not, so I apologize for the somewhat randomly placed pictures!