Miss Essence 2012

As I continue my journey in the world of pageantry, I am able to add judge to my current role of contestant. This past weekend, I had the privilege of being a judge for the 37th anniversary Miss Essence 2012 scholarship pageant.

(Myself and Caitlyn Cook, Miss Conway, after the pageant)

Miss Essence is a scholarship pageant here at UCA produced by the SPBC (Students for the Propagation of Black Culture) and coordinated by the fabulous, Angela Jackson, who works here at UCA in the Student Minority Services department. Working with Mrs. Jackson up to the event and all through the pageant, I was so impressed with how organized, professional, and first-class the entire production was (plus they provided food for the judges)!

The pageant, which is modeled off of a Miss America preliminary with all the same categories of competition was so well put together, featuring six wonderful contestants, fantastic entertainment, and of course awesome judges. (Including yours truly)

As a judge, I requested the contestants paperwork and got to review them; reading each girls platform and resumes and formulating questions from them. I realized just how important your pageant paperwork is as I began to determine things about each contestant without ever having even met them.

Being on "the other side of the table" gave me a lot of insight about ways to improve as a contestant and things to be conscious of, especially during the interview segment (which was my favorite part).An added bonus was getting to see my UCA pageant sis, Caitlyn Cook, Miss Conway provide special entertainment for the event. I never get tired of hearing her share her phenomenal talent.

(Caitlyn, Fanchon Bone, and Myself)

Overall, I believe the pageant went very well. And, I wish my warmest congratulations to Fanchon Bone, Miss Essence 2012 and all the best as she prepares to compete in Miss UCA this fall.

Miss Crowley's Ridge 2012

Miss Crowley's Ridge 2012

This past weekend, I had the honor of passing along my title, Miss Crowley's Ridge, to another young lady who I know will represent this organization well.

Congratulations to Ashley Gage, Miss Crowley's Ridge 2012!!!

and

Congratulations to Kelly Welsh (younger sister of Courtney Welsh, Miss Three Rivers), Miss Crowley's Ridge Outstanding Teen!!!

I've seen Ashley compete several times and she has always had a sweetness and vibrancy for life that shows in every area of competition.

Before the evening competition for Miss CR, I had the opportunity to sit and talk with her and she has such a genuinely positive attitude. She is upbeat, kind, and personable and according to all accounts lit up onstage as well.

The pageant featured five amazing miss contestants and four wonderful teen contestants. Each did a wonderful job competing and I hope they all had as much fun as I did.

Kailyn and Myself before Interview

Danielle Hicks and myself before interview

Callie Ann and myself before interview.

Ashley Williams and me before interview

One of the things I love about this organization is that you get the opportunity to expand yourself and do new things. Although I'm not a "singer" by trade, during the opening and closing number, I had such a great time singing with Emma (Miss CR Outstanding Teen), Mason Magouryk (Miss Northeast Arkansas), and Haven Cagle (Miss NEA Outstanding Teen).

Ashley Gage and me before Evening Gown

Ashley Williams and me before evening gown

I also enjoyed performing my state talent piece and playing accompanying music for the teen evening gown competition. We were using a "Heart/Love" theme for the pageant since it falls so close to valentines day, so I played "Can you Feel The Love Tonight"

Hey, you can't go wrong with "The Lion King"

I got to wear this gorgeous dress generously lent to me by Laine Berry and The Royal We in Conway!

At the close of the pageant, I had a slideshow that played and reflected my year as Miss CR and then I returned to the stage once more to say our farewells and thank you's.

I chose to do my closing speech live as opposed to a recording because I felt like that was more personal and I really wanted to address people individually. The downside was that in my slight nervousness I did end up forgetting a couple of people, so I have attached a copy of my farewell speech. :)

If you are not on this list and you should be, let me know!

Farewell Speech:
Of all the words to describe my
feeling towards having been Miss Crowley’s Ridge this past year, the one I feel
sums it up the best is honored. I am truly honored to have been chosen to
represent this pageant and this area throughout this past year and throughout
the Miss AR 2011 experience.
It has been an absolutely unforgettable experience!!!
They say, it takes a village to raise a child, well it takes
an entire community of people to back a contestant through the pageant journey and
the experience of this past year would not have been possible if not for the
incredible support and love of so many people.
So, I’d like to thank:
First of all, I thank my heavenly father for giving me the
strength and motivation to go on this journey.
Thank you mother and daddy for your incredible support in
every way, this journey would not have been possible without you, you are my
biggest fans. Thank you for believing in me even when I didn’t believe in
myself. Thank you to my immediate,
extended, and church family for supporting and encouraging me throughout this
year, you guys rock my world!
I want to thank Marrietta Jerome and Eva Lee Graves for
initiating me into the pageant world and showing me what this system is really
all about; and another dynamic duo Peggy and Katie Smart, my awesome directors
during my year as Miss Crowley’s Ridge, I couldn’t have asked for sweeter more
devoted directors who also love to shop, what more could I ask for. Thank you
for your attention not only to me but the rest of my family and including them
in this amazing experience. That was your greatest gift to me.
Thanks to Somer Allen for being willing to share your
experiences and expertise as a veteran competitor. I truly appreciate your
advice.
Thanks you to Jeni Stephens for your help in preparing me
for Miss Crowley's Ridge, and for being a good, honest, friend.
Thank you to my former piano teacher, Judith Fairchild, for
helping me prepare the perfect talent piece for me.
I want to thank all of my sponsors from my community who
lent prayers and pocketbooks to assist me as I strove to represent this area
well.
Thanks to Shelly Kelly, and all the folks at Clark's Bridal
for your beautiful work, clothes, encouragement and advice.
And thank you to the
entire Miss Arkansas Organization for making each contestant feel like a queen.
This has been one of the best years of my life and in the
abundance of my gratitude; I am reduced to the simplest of expressions, thank
you, thank, thank you and enjoy the rest of the evening!

Blessings,

Bethany

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!!

We have made it, we have arrived in the year 2012!

There is something magical and exciting about the first moments, the first day of a New Year. One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie Anne of Green Gables when Anne say's --every day is a clean slate-- and that feeling of freshness, of new possibility is exhilarating which I believe is a part of the reason that we yearly make New Years Resolutions.

However...

For the first time this year, I have decided to approach my New Year's goals in a new way.

This year, I am making New years DECLARATIONS rather than RESOLUTIONS.

What's the difference, you ask?

Let's ask Webster...

RESOLUTION: the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

DECLARATION: a positive, explicit, or formal statement; proclamation.

In my mind, when I resolve to do something, that resolution comes from a place of human willpower.Will, as powerful as it may be, is human and therefore subject to error. My resolve may be weakened, attacked, or broken.

However, when I make a declaration, I am placing a word, a seed, an image into the universe invoking the power of my creator to make a positive change in my life, the lives of others, and the world.

So this year, I declare:

1. I will diligently apply myself to developing spiritual, financial, and physical fitness.

2. I will cultivate the relationships already in my life, and will seek to develop positive new relationships.

3. I will use my god-given gifts and talents to give back to others (Because I have been blessed to be a blessing!)

I have other, more specific declarations but I feel like these are fundamentally representative of the direction in which I am moving for this season of my life.

I hope you will take some time to dwell on, write down, and most importantly say aloud your New Years Declarations. There is power in the spoken word, so decide what you want and claim it.

May this be your best year yet!

Blessings,

Bethany

A Glimpse at my first year in pageants!

I have been meaning to publish this blog post for a while now, so... here it is:

A few days ago, I was honored to win the title of Miss Greater Jonesboro, a preliminary to the Miss Arkansas 2012 pageant.

The wining of my second title in the Miss America system has me reflecting upon my first year of involvement in the MA system which began Aug. 24, 2010.

I picked Aug. 24,2010 because it is a solid date that I can refer to, in truth, my journey towards my current involvement in the Miss America System began long before this point and when following a series of events can be traced all the way back to, well...my birth (and probably even before then)

(My pageant story is told in full on my website: www.wix.com/artisann010/miss-crowleys-ridge-2011)

But, I digress.

What happened August 24. 2010?

Well, on that lovely day, I competed in and won my first pageant. I became Miss Mississippi County Fair (yes, that's a mouthful) and from that day on, I have moved further and deeper into the world of pageantry and loved it more each step of the way.

So, rather than turn this past year into a novel length post, I will do a brief month by month recap of my first year in pageants.

August 2010

- I competed in and won the title of Miss Mississippi County Fair!

September 2010

- I competed in my first Miss Arkansas preliminary, Miss Northeast Arkansas and won 2nd Runner Up!

October 2010

- I competed in the Miss Arkansas State Fair pageant with over girls from all over the state of Arkansas.

side note: Met two future friends here (Latasha Briscoe and Kelsey Dow, I love both of you ladies!)

November 2010

- I competed in my second Miss Arkansas preliminary, Miss Lights of the Delta and won 3rd runner up.

December 2010

- I competed in my third Miss Arkansas preliminary, Miss Crowley's Ridge and was privileged to win the title!

So, without planning to, I competed in five pageants in five months!

After winning my title, the real work began:

PAPERWORK

APPEARANCES

FITTINGS

COACHING

FITNESS TRAINING

April 2011

- I was a guest performer at the Miss Greater Jonesboro Pageant

- I was a guest performer at the Miss Cotton Belle pageant

May 2011

- The Miss Arkansas Contestant Meeting!

July 2011

- Miss Arkansas' Outstanding Teen

MISS ARKANSAS!!!

- After many months of planning, working, saving, and spending, I had a fantastic time in my first Miss Arkansas week, July 10-16th. I met some wonderful people, including all 45 of the other contestants, learned a great deal, and truly enjoyed myself.

- At the end of the week, I walked away having developed new friendships, set new goals, and having been inspired by the people and the system I have the honor of participating in.

- At Miss Arkansas I competed (with group B) in:

Interview

Evening Gown

Talent

Swimsuit

Onstage Question

I won -

Alpha (or Newcomer) Talent

Overall Talent

Best Instrumentalist

and

Top 15

I still get emotional sometimes when I think about it. There is just no describing how thrilling it is to see your hard work pay off!

I could spend another entire blogpost saying thank you to all those whose assistance, encouragement, finances and expertise were lent to make this such a great experience for me, and I'm sure I will, but for now, thank you all sincerely, and I look forward to another great year in pageants!!!




God Bless,


Bethany

Beauty...inside and out!

This past week, I had the delightful opportunity to assist in a local community event that partners pre-teen/early teen girls and guys with local stores that give them the chance to break away from the norm of every day life, shake things up, and have a little fun.

I was asked to come, as Miss Crowley's Ridge, and assist with the young ladies who came into our main street store Me and My Sister/Merle Norman (Clothing, accessories, makeup...), in giving them makeovers! Let me say, over the next hour and a half, I gained a much deeper respect for the task our fabulous makeup/hairdressers at Miss Arkansas daily undertake in prepping us to look our absolute best.

There were 12 young ladies that participated and three of us doing the makeovers, so I had the chance to work with several of them and we truly had a great time. Talking, laughing, and me fixing my uh-oh's with my "MAGIC CREAM" (some skin lotion that was particularly adept at removing wayward mascara!

Here are some pictures of us:

This sweet girl was my second makeover to do and I was so happy that she was pleased with the end result; as was I.

This young lady, at 13, told me she was always used to doing her own makeup, almost daily, so I was a little nervous about meeting her expectations. However, when I was finished she was quite pleased! (and I was relieved, lol)

This lovely girl reminded me of my own sister, Mercy, as, even without heels on, she is just as tall as me! (Thanks goodness for that crown, giving me a couple extra inches!)

This sweet young girl, overheard me telling someone else who I thought their "Celebrity look-a-like" was and insisted I come up with one for her as well. So, I settled on Maggie Gylenhaal.

This young lady was my final charge, and biggest challenge. She, and it seemed her friends as well, didn't think she was the "type" for makeup. She told me

her favorite pastimes were skateboarding, playing the drums, and basketball. So, as I began applying her foundation, ten other eager faces crowded around wondering how this was going to turn out. And, my young muse, although she laughed it off, seemed rather skeptical as well.

However, in the end, we were triumphant, and everyone was truly delighted (and not surprised at all...of course)

As the event came to a close, I gave each of the young ladies homemade sugar cookies shaped like lips with a verse attached to the outside that looked like this:

It reads: Proverbs 6:8 ...I open my lips to speak what is right.

With this, I hope to remind each of these young ladies that beauty is not only found on the outside, but by what comes from the inside as well.

America - - - Miss America: A Celebration

As Independence Day grows close, I find myself reflecting on the correlation between our nation’s cause for celebration and the Miss America system. I know, I know, but hear me out:

What is America? America isn’t a person or even people; it isn’t a mass of land and rivers surrounded by oceans. America isn’t a government or a system.

AMERICA IS AN IDEAL

When you hear those five words: “The United States of America,” your heart swells with pride not because you know we have one of the most advanced and strongest military forces in the world, or because we have some of the most prestigious colleges and universities to be found anywhere, or even because we have been blessed with a contingent of freedoms some will never know. No, we feel that sense of impassioned pride because we know what America represents. Outside the buildings, the people, and the systems, we love our country because we recognize the incredible connotations that come with merely saying its name: strength, fortitude, hard work, opportunity, freedom…independence.

The Miss America system is similar in many ways to this image. For she, too, is not merely a single person, or even the scores of amazing women who have held the title of Miss America.

MISS AMERICA IS AN IDEAL

While Miss America’s history isn’t quite as old as our country’s, it has conquered many of the same challenges and struggles as our nation and is continuing to grow and change for the better. Although a single face may flash into your mind when you hear the words “Miss America,” you will probably also begin to envision a contingent of characteristics that the Miss America system embodies; Intelligence, Confidence, Beauty, Style, and Education. These are the characteristics that set Miss America apart and that inspire and empower the thousands of young women that strive toward that ultimate title and ultimate responsibility of representing our nation.

So, this Monday, as we celebrate together let’s remember the many years, prayers, and lives it has taken to establish those ideals we know as;

1. The United States of America

and

2. Miss America

God bless,

- Bethany

Although I only focused on one main correlation, there are many others:

(What are some parallels you see between our country and Miss America?)

W

UCA, Here I Come!

I rather frequently, and sometimes jokingly, tell my mother that all roads lead to Miss America and I suppose in some ways that mentality is parallel to the "red car" syndrome (you know, where you buy a red car and all of a sudden everywhere you go, behold, RED CARS!) Yes, i'm sure there is a more accurate psychological term for it, but I'm sticking with red car syndrome for now.

Anyways, once I began competing in the Miss America system, I began to frequently take note of things, people, and events that all had some affiliation or connection with the Miss America system. I've gotten now, where when I see a woman wearing a stylish dress in my mind I think: 'hmmmm, arrival? Interview?'

But, since the Miss America system truly promotes and believes in the pursuing of education, I feel it's appropriate to mention my recent admissions to and registration with the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

I will be pursuing my Bachelors of Music, focusing on Piano Performance, and minoring in Broadcast Journalism.

During the fall semester, I will be taking six classes including American History, Intro to Drama, and one I'm really excited about, French I (Oui, Oui!)

I look forward to continuing my never ending education at UCA and hopefully, in the process, I will develop that elusive collegiate ideal, school spirit.

Go Bears!

- Bethany