Twas the Night Before Check-In

IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE!!!

The big week has finally arrived and I could not be more excited! Clothes are stacked everywhere as I wait for the suitcases to be carted from Shawnee, healthy food fills my table, and garment bags flock the couches. I am absolutely elated for Miss Oklahoma week and will be updating nightly with the exciting events of the day. With the 40th anniversary of Miss Oklahoma – brought to you by the Kiwanis Club of Tulsa, it will be a year to remember!

Last night I had a wonderful send-off party with my Green Country family, friends and even a few sweet Girl Scouts I met over the past ten months! It was great to show them what Mi’Shell and I have accomplished this year and have a preview of the upcoming week. Tomorrow is a very big day with check-in, rehearsals and the Red Carpet Premiere.

Thank you to everyone who has made this year possible for me and who have helped me along the way! I could not have done it without your support and am bursting at the seams to get on that stage. This year I have a much different mindset, what I believe to be a more mature one. In years past I have set my sights on quantitative goals – making the semi-finals, winning a community service award, etc…. things I had no control over. I have realized that there is but one goal to have and that is to leave every aspect of competition knowing that it was the very best I have ever done.

This year, I just want to be the best “Britan” that I have ever been. Whatever that may bring, I’m ready for it! Looking forward to updating you throughout the week!

*Please keep Kent Parham in your prayers as it was posted on Facebook earlier that he was in a hospital gown. Not surprisingly, he made it look great and seemed to be in excellent spirits. I am unsure as to why he was there, but it looks as though he won’t have any trouble making it to practice tomorrow. Get better soon, Kent!

A Green Day in PreK

You may or may not know, but I am a PreKindergarten teacher placed at a Headstart by Teach For America. I am truly lucky to have a site director who is supportive of the Miss Oklahoma organization and allowed me to take a bit of time from teaching and visit a few of the classrooms!

I altered my platform program to focus on character, goal setting and bullying. My green jeans were all the rage – and helped them remember my extremely long princess name of “Miss Green Country.” The three and four-year-olds were awesome and I was thrilled to chat with a few of my potential students for the upcoming year!

Quotes of the day

“Do you ride a unicorn to school?”

“Where are your high heels?”

“How could we be nice and helpful?” “You need to get a boy to kiss you!”

Girl Scouts of McAlester

Being Miss Green Country has invited so many opportunities to travel through the most beautiful parts of our state. Eastern Oklahoma is just gorgeous, particularly in the early morning when the roads are quiet and the sky is filled with the clearest shade of blue. I came home to Shawnee Friday, setting off to McAlester Saturday morning to meet with the Girl Scouts.

An hour and a half of John Mayer’s live album kept me company as I pulled up to Life Church in McAlester. What an amazing church! I was told they recently added a second phase because the town of 17,000 just kept joining. The room I spoke in was the “Club 56” for 5th and 6th grade students, and even had light effects!

The Girl Scouts were fantastic! They had a busy day planned after I left with a father-daughter dance, hence the adorable dress! Each had some experience with relational aggression and stories to share as well. One mother also told of a time when she felt RA at the hands of a child.

While hosting a birthday party, one of her son’s friends said he wish he had known what their house had looked like because he wouldn’t have come to his birthday party. Her son then told his mother that they needed to get a bigger, nicer house. How horribly devastating that there was absolutely nothing wrong with their home, yet this young child still, possibly unbeknownst to him, degraded and embarrassed a kind family who was trying to celebrate a big event.

Relational aggression doesn’t just hurt children when they are targeted, but their parents feel the pain in their hearts as well. When I hear of stories like hers, I feel so blessed to speak with troops and schools across the state. When I was growing up, the term “relational aggression” had yet to be coined, and I do not remember any special visitors who spoke about bullying. It is an incredible honor to touch so may lives in the way my title has allowed!

Thank you, McAlester Girl Scouts, for welcoming me and recognizing the power you have against relational aggression!