Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Ad Pages...

Kellen and I worked on ad pages last night for like three hours.
That boy is the Michael Caine to my Sandra Bullock.

They came out so beautifully. Kellen is a true artist, you can't argue that a bit.

Here's an example:

Hostess Forms

I got all of them done at Katalyst yesterday!

Phew.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Oh, Thank God

Tracked down the dresses. I can breathe again. 

I had left them at the studio after all.

I almost had a nervous breakdown for a few hours there.

Form 205

I have to redo Form 205 since Seth isn't editing my music anymore.
Printed out the sheet and am just waiting for my dad to get back so I can head out to Newbury Park for my voice lesson and to get my coach to sign it. Hectic.

Also, I misplaced a bag with four of my dresses in it. Can't find it anywhere. 
The last time I saw it was last Saturday, at my photoshoot at Cornerstone Photography. 
I can't remember if I left it there, or if we lost the bag somewhere around the house.
All I know is I feel sick to my stomach about it, and I won't feel any better until that bag shows up. 

It's funny how clothes are the only things that get me genuinely worried...

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Miss Tustin

Miss Tustin took place on March 7th, 2009 and was the pageant of Starbucks and the "Prune" face.



The morning of the pageant, I went to the MAC counter and got my make-up done. The lady made me look SUPER glam and gave me fake eyelashes and everything. (Sadly, I've never been able to figure out how to put them on since then...)

Jillian met me at my house, my favorite Starbucks frap in hand, where we quickly threw on our dresses and rush over to Patti's. Kim was missing at this event, so it was just me, Stephanie and Jillian.

In the car, Jillian and I took myspace pictures in the backseat as we drove to pick up Steph (who brought us more Starbucks!)



Halfway there, Jillian's bladder almost exploded so we stopped at a gas station and we got the funniest looks as we ran through their convenience stand.

We met up with Doug and the Fullerton girls at a restaurant, where I ordered a salad since it was the cheapest thing on the menu. We all made our way to the High School where the pageant was being held and took many more pictures once we got there.





This was probably the most fun I'd ever had at a pageant. We all just meshed well and everyone was in a good mood.

Jillian and I had a secret agent moment when we went up to say our names and titles. We got up there, said what we had to say and then exited the stage, which we weren't supposed to do.
We wound up getting "shushed" by 20 eight year olds and had to sneak behind the stage to get back to our seats. It was epic. You have no idea.

LA/Culver City.

The Miss La/Miss Culver City pageant was held on February 21, 2009. We were specifically told to dress "tropical" as it was Luau themed.  

Outside the restaurant where we had dinner, we made a new friend:




The restaurant was a short walk from the small theater where the pageant was being held. After dinner, we walked back to the car and put on our crowns. My "Little" was unable to attend this pageant, so it was just me, Jillian and Kim. 

I wore a Betsey Johnson dress I got at the outlets for $25 and my new Steve Madden pumps. 

This pageant wound up being the longest one in history, coming in at nearly four hours. It also marked the last time my hair would ever be curly at a pageant event, in an attempt to make me look older. (The problem with competing in something where the majority of girls are in their twenties...)

Of course, we did the usual pictures and the guessing of who was going to take the crown. Of course, this time, we were biased because the past Miss VC, Jenny, was competing so we were all crossing our fingers for her. Sadly, she didn't win. 

As always, we went up on stage and announced our name and title, I was very proud of myself for not falling on my face and embarrassing myself in front of the entire audience.






I really don't remember too much about this pageant, besides being super annoyed that it took so long. 
I was really excited to get home because Trevor (my boyfriend) was home for the weekend and all I could concentrate on was getting home to see him. 

The second I got back to my car afterwards, I headed over to his house where I demonstrated the proper beauty queen walk and stance. I showed him how you're supposed to place your feet and taught him how to stand with good posture. 

I was very pleased with myself afterwards. 

Miss Fullerton Pageant

The first event I attended as Miss Santa Barbara County was the Miss Fullerton pageant on February 7th, 2009.


It was a total learning experience...

I wore a blue Calvin Klein dress that I got at Loehmann's. My little and I matched almost identically. Sadly, I was having major problems with the top part of my dress since it was strapless, so before we left Patti's house, she pulled out some handy dandy double stick tape which we stuck to my skin. It worked! (Only for a little while though...)
My hair was straight because for some reason, a guy asked to straighten it at the mall the day before, which I didn't complain about.

Patti and Sandy both came with us, with Patti driving Stephanie's mom's giant suburban (which made the ride quite comfortable...) It was a rainy day, and Jillian and I kept counting the rainbows on the drive there. We found an unusual amount, surprisingly. We took it as good luck.

We went to Marie Callender's for dinner and I had had the most impossible time eating my sandwich. I remember it fell everywhere, but on my dress, thank god. (Must've been the rainbow luck coming in handy...)

We pulled into the parking garage and were finally able to put on our crowns. I had no idea before this but you're not supposed to put on your crown in the car, only when you get there. Jillian and I tried to do it and of course failed, so Patti had to undo our clips and put it our crowns on the proper place on our heads. 

We finally got inside and I was amazed at the size of the auditorium. 10x bigger than the one we competed in. Chaya and Carley, the 2008 teens, met us all there.
It was the first time I had ever seen a pageant from an audience's perspective, so it was interesting sitting in the chairs and trying to guess who we thought was going to win. (I'm pretty sure Jillian and I guessed spot on.)

After the pageant, we had to get up and take pictures with the new Miss titleholder, Jessica. She played the piano beautifully and was the one that Jillian and I both were hoping would win the crown. 
 

Doug (the local photographer) even snapped a few of us up on the stage. (Much to our excitement.) It really is a well-documented organization. After my year is over, I know that I'll have hundreds and hundreds of photos in my crown. 

We finally left, with the protection of umbrellas, and made our way to the car. We took off our crowns and prepped for the drive home. (Uggs and blankets waiting in the car...) Due to the rain, there was a lot of traffic so it took quite a while to get home. Also, we had to drop Stephanie and the suburban off at her house in Calabasas. 

Overall, it was a fun night. A genuine bonding experience with the other girls.

The Beginning.

I was crowned Miss Santa Barbara County on January 17, 2009.


It was totally unexpected, since I only entered the pageant ten days before it happened. I had gotten a call from a friend who said that they needed people, and that he thought I had a good chance if entered.
I managed to put together all of my paperwork in a matter of hours and submitted it that night, when I went to my first meeting. 
The entire time, I couldn't help thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?" The pageant world just isn't exactly one I ever saw myself becoming a part of.
I've only ever competed in one pageant, Miss Moorpark, last April. This would be my second pageant and a whole new ballgame. 

A few sleepless nights later, a good chunk of which I was recovering from having my wisdom teeth taken out, the day of the pageant arrived. 
At first, we were under the impression that they would only be crowning one girl, but during rehearsal that morning we were told that if we raised a small sum of money, a second crown would be made available. 
A few of us girls scurried around backstage, calling everyone we could think of, and managed to fundraise enough money in a matter of a few hours. We were pumped up, ready to perform our best and knowing we had two chanced to earn a title.

There are five aspects to a pageant in the Miss America organization. Interview, Talent, Evening Gown, Physical Fitness and On-Stage Question. 

My interview, I did right after rehearsal the morning of the pageant. 
I ran home after we were done practicing, changed and ate a sandwich. It was unusually hot that day and I remember that made running in my heels difficult. I was #1 on the list, which meant that I would be going first in all areas of competition. I was nervous because I didn't think I would be prepared enough for my interview. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when the question the panel of judges asked me turned out to be simple for me to answer. Lots of questions about politics and about the empowerment of women (both subjects I like to talk about...)

For my talent, I sang the song "Glitter in the Air" by Pink. 

It's this gorgeous song that I heard a few days before the pageant, and completely sold me over. I adore Pink and I love her attitude about the business she works in. I loved the lyrics, but most of all, I thought that if I was able to bring the same attitude Pink has, I'd be able to do it well. I took a few singing lessons before the big day, so I felt prepared and ready. I'm so bummed I don't have a video of me singing it, I'd love to hear it. 


For the Physical Fitness portion of the competition, the contestant is required to wear a bathing suit. I had borrowed a suit for the pageant from the closet that the women from the pageant have, since I didn't have the time to go out and buy a new one. It was coral and a bikini, since their one-pieces made me look WAY too short. I wound up wearing a pair of heels that my boyfriend's mom had given to me, they were yellow with colorful accents, so I felt that they would add an interesting touch to the suit. 

This was the aspect of competition that I was NOT looking forward to, but the women involved in the pageant assured me that I'd only be on stage for ten seconds. I was scared to no end, and due to the lack of time to prepare, I wasn't able to hit the gym. However, I knew that the only way I'd be able to do it would be to put on the biggest smile I possibly could and to walk pretending my entire body was covered. 

Once again, I was called first, and the second I hit the stage I just tried to give it my all. It wasn't a matter of impressing the audience, it was just a matter of getting off the stage as fast as I possibly could. I kept reminding myself to walk as straight as possible and to just keep walking with the beat of the music. Once I exited the stage, I realized that the hard part was over. They were right when they said it wouldn't last much longer than ten seconds...

Evening Gown and On-Stage Question go hand in hand. 


I wore a dress I got out of the closet, a pretty coral one. It was easy to walk in, which was the most important aspect to me. Like the bathing suit, I just walked as best as I could with the beat of the music, except this time, I took my time a little bit more. 
After the walk, it was time for on-stage question. I got asked, "What do you think of prayer in schools?"I can't exactly remember my response anymore, sorry guys. 

After the question, previous Miss California's took the stage to entertain the audience while the judges' scores were being counted. All of us girls were so exhausted that we all sat down on the floor backstage, it was a long process and by that point, we just didn't care anymore. It was silent though, I think we were all sitting there secretly hoping and crossing our fingers that our name would be one of the ones called. 

Finally, we were asked to stand up and re-enter the stage. The teen contestants were placed in front of us, since their titles would be announced first. They started out the awards ceremony by giving out the general awards. (Audience favorite, Most photogenic, etc.)

I wound up winning Miss Congeniality and Miss Community Service.

Then it was time. The teens were up. First announced was Stephanie Harlow for Miss Santa Barbara County's Outstanding Teen, then Kim Bebo for Miss Ventura County's Outstanding Teen.

Then it was our turn. I felt both nerves and excitement. I wanted to win, but at the same time, I would've been happy walking away with the awards that I had already won. It was more than I had expected already.

Then the MC announced, "Our new, Miss Santa Barbara County 2009 is....." and I remember thinking to myself, "It would be so cool if I won!" Then he announced my name. My jaw dropped. 
NO WAY! I could hear my family, especially my mom, screaming from the audience. Kovena brought out a crown and flowers and I had to bend down so she could quickly place the crown on my head. It was unreal. No way was that happening. 
Then, Jillian got announced as the new Miss Ventura County and she got her crowns and flowers and made her way over towards me. We just kind of looked at each other and I looked back out for my parents and couldn't find them since it was too dark in the audience. 


The curtains finally closed and Jillian and I and the two littles were shepherded to the middle of the stage for pictures. Tons of flashes and smiles later, my parents were
 finally allowed backstage and I found my mom sobbing and my dad totally in shock. My sister wasn't able to be there, she was on a weekend excursion for school, and we all were desperate to get ahold of her. 


I was finally able to venture out into the auditorium where I was able to see and hug all of my family friends who had come out to support me. It was so nice and by the end, I needed help holding all my flowers and certificates. Every time I would put my hand up to feel my crown, I would feel this wave of shock go over me. 
This was the most unexpected night of my life. I never thought that this would happen to me, and on my second pageant!

Afterwards, we all went to a local diner where we had the after party and took more pictures with the new group. We ate and talked and just became more and more excited for what the future held for us. 


It really was a great night, totally unexpected. 

But you know what they say, sometimes the best things happen when you least expect it...


A Bit Belated...

I probably should've started this a good three months ago, when I was first crowned Miss Santa Barbara County. 

I kind of got this idea from Jillian, who is doing her own version of this. She reports on the events she's done and posts pictures, to keep her family up to date on what's happening down here. 

Jillian and I are the self-proclaimed "Oddballs" of the pageant world. It's definitely all new to me. The life of a beauty queen is certainly a path I never thought I'd be on and this is my way of embracing the idea a little bit more. 

I'll plan on informing you on past events and ongoing ones, letting you know what's happening on the road to Miss California. 

It's certainly not what I expected.