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...