Send a Little Love to Room 34

Imagine being five years old, and you are told your teacher is competing at Miss Oklahoma. She will wear a princess dress, she will sing, and she could become Miss America some day. I’m not sure if anyone can fathom what that might mean to a child, but I know of twenty sweet faces who want to see this unbelievable event with their own eyes.

Teach For America places corps members in schools which are located in low socio-economic areas. My students must apply and meet the criteria for Head Start in order to attend, making it little more than a dream to lavishly spend money for their families to attend Miss Oklahoma. At $10 a ticket, their brothers and sisters want to go as well – but around $50 a family, it’s a great expense.

I will be selling Scentsy to fundraise for my students and their families to attend Miss Oklahoma in June! Not only will they be experiencing the arts, but they are exposed to what could happen if they work hard and grow their brains. In 1993, Miss Oklahoma came to the Shawnee Public Library to speak and perform her talent. As a four-year-old, I cannot recall her message, but for the first time ever I thought the flute was kind of cool.

As I left with an autographed photo in hand, we saw Miss Oklahoma’s official car and of course I had to take a picture with it! Donning my best dance pose in curls and polka dots, I beamed next to her bright red car. Little did I know that I could some day be competing to wear her crown.

I know that if I can be affected in such a way, my students can and will benefit from the opportunity to see not just one Miss Oklahoma – but Miss Oklahoma from the past forty years, and a brand new Miss Oklahoma crowned. Please help me raise funds for my students to see Miss Oklahoma by ordering Scentsy from the link below. Twenty-five percent of the profits have been generously donated to me by David of DC Cake Appeal! Thank you David, and thank you to everyone for your orders!!

MISS OKLAHOMA SCENTSY FUNDRAISER

Whirlwind

This time of the year has really picked up! My capstone is taking up more time as we complete the execution and my weekends are filled with a thousand and ten different tasks. Since talent is something I struggle with after the great ankle injury of 07, I’ve found a tap class in Norman and have been attending for the past few weeks. It meets every Thursday evening and has not only helped my memory, but has broken in my tap shoes and strengthened my technique. I had not taken a tap class since high school, so I often forget what steps are called and it sometimes takes me a few minutes to correct my sounds, but it’s really nice to have the opportunity to better my skills.

Our tap teacher is like a character out of a book. With just a handful of “adults” (more like young college students) in the class, he often peppers his teaching with anecdotes of shows he was in or tales of famous performers. We dance to songs from “Pink Martini” and classic Broadway shows, never anything dating past 1980! At the end of every class, though the students always ask if we can do a wing combination, he insists we must end with buffalos. After class, I tend to stay for a while and run my talent selection for Miss Oklahoma since the studio allows a lot more space than my living room!

I met with Brian of Results Fitness USA again last week, and he gave me a new full body workout and increased my cardio. He took measurements to see the change in my body and I was really pleased with the results. Brian is very supportive and I’ll be back in three weeks to check in and change it up! Though I’m not much of a morning person, I’ve been waking up early to add in the changes and continuing to stay on top of my diet plan. It’s amazing how good chocolate protein bars begin to taste when you forget what real chocolate is like! He also sent me home with chocolate chip protein cookies which are just about the best things I’ve ever had in my life. Kimberly, my future roommate and former competitor, also gave me an awesome (though cheesy) idea. She said I’ll feel a little ridiculous, but I made a chart and get to put a sticker on the chart every time I complete my work outs, a healthy day of eating, and my weight routine. I LOVE stickers, so it’s just another way I’m trying to hold myself accountable!

I have had such great fortune in terms of sponsorship and ad sales for Miss Oklahoma and could not feel more supported by family and friends. Many people have contributed to making my journey successful and I can only hope to make them proud! I have to turn in ad sales next Saturday and have started designing the pages so I won’t be up all night like last year. I had no idea what to do or expect when making the ads in my rookie year, but I think I’ve got it down now! Also, ticket orders are due Saturday so if you would like to purchase a package which includes Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday prelims and Saturday finals, let me know! The prices are: $100 Bronze, $200 Silver, $300 Gold. Individual tickets are also available for $30 or $50, or if you’d prefer to wait, you can buy them at the door.

I’ve also met with my dance teacher a few times in the past week and am feeling wonderful about the changes we’ve made! She’s so much fun, and I appreciate that I am able to tell her what I like or don’t like, or what isn’t working for me. I got caught up on a cramp roll turn at tap class last week and had a scary twist of my ankle. It’s just a little sore, but mostly it just scared the pants off of me!

I’m working with several schools to schedule a date/time to speak to their students, but am still pursuing many other schools as well. Persistence pays off!! I have a great and timely message to share and am hoping to include schools outside of Norman too! Please let me know if you have a friend who is a counselor or principal at ANY elementary/middle school in Oklahoma and I will find a time to make it to their part of the state! I am determined to increase awareness of RA and help students suppress it within their schools.

Saturday is Miss Oklahoma contestant’s day! I’m not exactly sure how this weekend will all pan out, mostly due to my class schedule. I’m taking a Strategic Fashion Communication course and in addition to meeting every other week, our professor flies in from Hong Kong to teach us for an entire weekend. Friday I have class from 2:30-9:30, I’m missing Saturday for contestant’s day, and Sunday I have class again from 8:30-6:30. It will be a VERY exhausting weekend to say the least!

Contestant’s day is a lot of fun, even though it is a full day of pageant-related activities. In the morning, each contestant showcases her talent selection for approval and submits more paperwork plus the ad pages I have been working on. Somehow, I have the fortune of landing in the early group and will perform my talent fourth. The first group begins at 9 am and the second begins at 10 am. Afterwards, we are given information about the pageant, judges, and learn part of the opening number dance. Last year we learned about the theme during Winter Meeting, but this year Kent has kept it a secret. I’m really excited to hear about what he has in store for us! Later we will have lunch and draw for placement (the order we will compete in).

I’m most excited to see my pageant friends, particularly since we are all so busy and rarely get to spend time together. I’ll also be able to meet other contestant’s I didn’t get to meet at Winter Meeting. ALSO! Selby will be in town! YAY!!!! On a side note, my gown should be in within the next two weeks…I just can’t wait to get my hands on it! This coming weekend will be tough,  but the job of Miss Oklahoma is just as time consuming and exhausting. Since Miss Oklahoma is the goal in sight, I’m looking at this weekend as another challenge to conquer in preparation for the crown. Let’s just hope I can catch a little sleep somewhere in there!