Top 6 at the Mrs. America Finals

Today is the DAY!! Rehearsals ran a little over schedule today. They were working hard on trying to perfect the opening number. Frit and Frat were stressed about the flow of the pageant, but I think they did an awesome job composing the pageant.

Before I knew it, I was in the dressing room counting down the minutes to be on stage. We were all taking pictures in our opening number dresses. These ladies are all unique and have something special to offer as Mrs. America. I don’t envy the judges' job tonight.

The show started with opening number. They gave away a few awards and then we changed into our state costumes. Alyssa won one of the costume awards! She definitely deserved it. It was finally time for the cut of 51 ladies to 12. I couldn’t believe when they called my name first. The rest of the Top 12 were MO, ME, AR, CT, CO, MD, WY, FL, IL, MI and TN. We all went quickly backstage to change in to our new hot pink swimsuits. I didn’t have much time before I was running back to the stage. My adrenaline was through the roof when I went back on stage. It is an amazing rush that I can’t even begin to explain! I worked it as hard as I could in swimsuit. We had more time between swimsuit and evening gown. I took my time and made sure I took care of every last detail. I felt confident walking across stage in my Frankie Couture gown! I felt like I did everything that I could do. Now it is all in the hands of the judges.

They brought the 12 of back on stage for the next cut. I made it into the Top 6!!! I joined IL, CO, CT, MD and WY. The judges could not have picked 6 more different and dynamic ladies. They asked each of us an on-stage question. My question revolved around my platform, Special Olympics. I spoke about my passion for volunteering starting at a very young age thanks to the values my parents instilled in me. I can’t tell you my exact question and answer. I am sure when I watch the video it will come back to me.

We went backstage and waited while they tabulated our scores. The competition was officially over for us! Our destiny was left for the judges to decide. They called the 6 of us back on stage again. My run for the crown came to a sudden end when the Top 3 were called. IL, CT and MD would now vie for the crown. I joined the rest of the ladies backstage. The time had come for them to crown our next Mrs. America. I was a little surprised when they called Mrs. IL first. I really thought she had it in the bag when they called the Top 3. Mrs. MD was first runner-up. The new Mrs. America is Shelley Carbone, Mrs. CT!!

I am definitely disappointed that I didn’t capture the crown tonight, but I am quickly reminded of the caliber of when who surround me. I am really going to miss these ladies when I return home. They are nothing short of amazing!!!

I packed up my competition clothes and headed to meet my family and friends. My parents, John's parents, Earl, Mary, John Morris, Audrey, Armando, Geneva, Elizabeth and her husband, Leigh and her family were all there to support me tonight. John ordered me a pizza and some french fries. I was immediately in heaven!!! We all said our goodbyes. John visited with me while I packed up all my things. When I finally laid in bed, I couldn’t believe it was all over!!

Preliminary Day

Today is preliminary day! We practiced on the stage in the morning. The risers left a lot to be desired, but everything else was great. You could feel the energy in the room. Everyone was definitely ready to get the show started.

My mom’s birthday is Wednesday, so my brother and I decided to surprise my mom with a day at the spa. Cheryl and my friend Mary joined her, while dad relaxed and the rest of the guys played golf.

Tamara and Frankie got me all ready again. John met me at my room and helped me carry all my things down to the dressing room. It is hysterical walking around with the huge yellow roses that go to my state costume!! I arrived in the dressing room really early. It was hard to sit in front of the mirror and not play with my hair and make-up. I do better when I don’t have time to fidget.

We started the show off in our swimsuits and sarongs. This allowed us to go immediately into swimsuit competition. It seemed like it took hours before I had my chance on stage and then in a blink of an eye I was done. We spend all those hours in the gym for those few seconds on stage. The next phase of competition was evening gown. I love seeing everyone’s gowns! It is one of my favorite parts of the pageant. The judges were excused after evening gown. The final part of our night was state costume. My state costume was made by a Mrs. Texas from a few years ago. She allowed Melissa to borrow it last year and I borrowed it this year. It took a lot of stress off me to not have to worry about this part of the pageant.

After the prelims were over, I was able to visit with all of my family and friends. They are so much fun to be with and Earl is always the life of the party!

Day 6 at Mrs. America

We spent all day today in rehearsals. Each lady had the opportunity to walk the swimsuit and evening gown pattern. We also worked on opening number. They divided us into groups according to our state titles. I was able to convince Frit and Frat to give our group one of the easiest dance steps we learned. I am glad we don’t have to stress about trying to remember the steps!

Mrs. World flew in today. We all had the chance to meet her and shake her hand. She is from Russia and speaks very little English. I can’t imagine how hard it is to be in a foreign country where you can’t understand what people are saying around you.

Mrs. America Interview

Today is the first part of the competition. Tamara Mathews did a phenomenal job on my make-up. I loved being able to sit in a chair and let her work her magic. If you need a great make-up artist, check out her website at http://www.letmemakeyoubeautiful.com/. Frankie Simmons-North did my hair and I loved how soft and natural it looked.

Interviews were 1-on-1. We went in as a group of 5. Mrs. SC, Mrs. SD, Mrs. TN and Mrs. UT were all in my group. I think each one of these ladies is beautiful from the inside out. The interviews were a little more informal than I was expecting. Each judged greeted me with a handshake and a warm hello. Some of the judges wanted to start the interview talking and some of the others let me do my intro. I tried to feel it out as I went along. I think overall I did a good job of showing them my personality.

We finished the night off with rehearsals. My parents and John’s parents arrived today. I was able to chit chat with them after we were done with rehearsal. They were all excited to be there and anxious to hear how my interview went. It felt wonderful to have them all there. I am blessed to have such a supportive and loving family!!!

Day 4 at Mrs. America

We started the day off sharing our state gifts with all of the ladies. I was amazed by the wonderful gifts the ladies brought to represent their states. My personal favorite was Mrs. Alabama’s. She gave each of us a bible with our state titles on them.

John made it Tucson today. He had an interesting trip out here. We booked his flight before we moved, so he had to fly from Dallas to Houston and then Houston to Tucson. On the last leg of his trip, the pilots were trying to avoid bad weather. They used so much fuel that they had to stop in El Paso to refuel! Let’s just say that he was very happy to be there.

Tonight was the President’s Dinner. It was another great reason to get all dressed up and have fun with all the ladies. We all gave a gift to the President of Loews Hotel. They need two tables to hold all the fabulous gifts from the ladies. I love how generous and sweet our class is!

MENC Fashion Show

Today was all about Music Education. We rehearsed during the day and then got ready for the Fashion Show later that evening. They divided us into two groups. One group was to model an evening gown of their choice and the other group was to model their state costume. I was thrilled to get #1 for evening gown. I really didn’t want to schlep my costume all the way down to the ballroom and back.

The Fashion Show was relaxing and easy. I was done before I could blink an eye. Sam and I helped Alyssa with her costume. She was one hot momma in her Indian headdress. After the show was over, we went out and mingled with all the guests. Tracy and Frankie had made it into town and were able to attend the show. It was great to have them there!

By the end of the evening, we raised over $21,000 for MENC. They are going to use the funds raised to give to Southern Arizona teachers for different projects that they have applied for. This is really an incredible organization to help teachers out!

Day 2 at Mrs. America

This morning we had to be up, looking fabulous in our swimsuits and out by the pool before sunrise. Most of us were fortunate enough to receive a little time cushion by going back several time zones. While getting up at 5:45 was early, it was really only 7:45 back home.

We had a wonderful breakfast and then headed straight for rehearsal. Frit and Frat were the perfect people to choreograph the show. They were full of life and happiness! We learned some basic steps and just enjoyed moving around and having fun.

In the afternoon, we went to an event off property. St. John’s had the red carpet rolled out for us and welcomed us with a glass of champagne. We spent the next 3 hours walking around the outdoor shopping center. We found a great deal on some adorable rompers at BCBG. We had to have them!!!

We had dinner at El Charro’s. It was great to sit at big tables and chit chat with all the ladies. Everyone has great stories about why they are at Mrs. America. This is a very dynamic group. I don’t know how the judges are going to select our new Mrs. America.