Miss Rexburg 2013
Last weekend I drove back to Idaho for the Miss Rexburg pageant. Our current Miss Magic Valley, Kalie Wright, joined with me Saturday afternoon to head up to Rexburg. We arrived the AmericInn to get to know a few of the Miss Rexburg contestants before and after their judges interviews. It was so much fun to catch up with Miss Rexburg 2012-2013 Jessica Bracey and Miss Upper Valley 2012-2013 Makenda Bickmore. It feels like almost no time has passed since we were all competing together at Miss Idaho last June.
After interviews, Kalie and I grabbed some food and took a
trip to Walmart to pick up some fake eyelashes for the stage…. It never fails!
I always forget something whenever I travel!! After our quick break, we made
our way to the Rexburg Tabernacle to get ready for the show. I steamed some
dresses, ran through my piano piece a few times, and even had a chance to speak
to all the contestants before they started the show. When I look back at my
past pageant experiences, the best ones were not necessarily just times when I
won the crown, but the times that I was able to just enjoy, have fun, and be
myself! I think all of the girls that competed in Miss Rexburg Saturday night
were able to do just that – they looked so natural onstage and blew the
audience away! J
A huge congratulations is in order for Jennah Coray and
Lauren Parkhurst, our new Miss Rexburg 2013 and Miss Upper Valley 2013!!! I
can’t wait to see these beautiful girls again in two weeks at our Miss Idaho
Orientation! 1st Runner Up Tierney Warren and 2nd Runner
Up Jordan Hill did a fabulous job as well, and I hope and pray that these
ladies will continue to share their talents and compete. The whole group of
ladies at Miss Rexburg just had incredible potential! Lori Price surely knows
what she is doing when she prepares her girls.
Before wrapping up this post, I want everyone to know what
amazing titleholders Jessica Bracey and Makenda Bickmore have been this year.
Not only were they a blast to spend the week with at Miss Idaho, but they have
continued to represent Rexburg and the Upper Valley with dignity. Here is a
link to the Miss Rexburg’s Facebook Page and blog. You’ll definitely want to
check out Jessica’s Farewell video! It is AWESOME!!
As Miss Idaho preparing for Miss America in January, I
definitely had my fair share of discouraging days, and these ladies were always
so supportive by sending me facebook messages and texts exactly when I needed
them. I feel SO blessed to have become friends with Jessica and Makenda through
the Miss Idaho Organization, and I hope all of the girls that will be competing
for Miss Idaho 2013 in July will value this great opportunity to make some
incredible friends.
Talk to you all next week!
Whitney Wood
Miss Idaho 2012
Kalie and I met up with Jessica and Makenda at the AmericINN for interviews on Saturday afternoon.
We had so much fun catching up and laughing together!
We had so much fun catching up and laughing together!
With the Miss Idaho Falls crew! Here we have Miss Idaho Falls 2012-2013 Kaitlyn Anderson, our new Miss Snake River Valley Aubry Campbell, and Miss Idaho Falls' Outstanding Teen Mikaela Beck, who will be competing at the Teen competition at the end of this month! Welcome Aubry and best of luck Mikaela! :) And above us we have Heidi Brendle, the fabulous Miss Idaho Falls director, and her cute daughter Kaidence. I have so much love for all everyone in this picture!!! We have definitely made some irreplaceable memories!
Miss Idaho sisters forever! Here we have Kristina Nye, 1st RU at Miss Idaho 2012, Miss Rexburg 2012 Jessica Bracey, Miss Upper Valley 2012 Makenda Bickmore, (me), Miss Upper Valley 2013 Lauren Parkhurst, and Miss Magic Valley 2012-2013 Kalie Wright. Makenda and I would make for a lovely Christmas card... haha ;)
Jennah Coray is our brand new Miss Rexburg 2013!! Here she is with her "Dazzling Diamonds!"
Kristina Nye, our former Miss Snake River Valley and 1st Runner Up at Miss Idaho is
responsible for recruiting her roomie, our new Miss Upper Valley, Lauren Parkhurst!!!
responsible for recruiting her roomie, our new Miss Upper Valley, Lauren Parkhurst!!!
My road trip buddy Miss Magic Valley and I after the pageant! Love ya Kalie! <3
I have never seen Jessica without a smile on her face!! Her platform is Pay it Forward,
which she has done a fabulous job promoting throughout the year.
which she has done a fabulous job promoting throughout the year.
How cute is Makenda!? I LOVE this picture of her with her crown!
Our Miss Upper Valley 2012-2013 ROCKS!
Our Miss Upper Valley 2012-2013 ROCKS!
Miss Idaho Outstanding Teen Pageant 2013
Did you know a lot of Miss contestants have come from the teen pageant? The last three Miss Idahos, Whitney Wood, Kylie Koefed Bruneel, and Genevieve Nutting, all got their start at Miss Idaho's Outstanding Teen! And now you can come pick your "front runner" from the teen pageant and watch her grow in the Miss America System. Miss Idaho's Outstanding Teen is coming up on March 30th. Come see these young women compete for the crown! The event will be held at the Idaho Falls Civic Auditorium. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. You can pre-order with THIS form.
Miss Gem County Impacts Community
"But a milestone was reached in Miss Gem County’s calendar on March 7, where Wilson kicked off her Dancing Queens atrisk prevention program. Wilson’s ultimate goal as Miss Gem County is to provide an opportunity for preteen girls in this area to participate in a self-respect program without having to travel to Boise or pay a hefty fee. She couldn’t be more enthused that she has members from Sweet as well as Emmett.
Her mission is to inspire young girls to be goal setters, recognize their individual skills as well as the potential they have to contribute to society with those skills and to choose the direction in which their lives will lead. Be sure to attend Youth Appreciation Day in April to watch Dancing Queens perform a hula and Tahitian dance."
Special Olympics
The ceremony recognized all of the teams that were competing. Several speakers, including athletes, were invited to come and inspire everyone to work hard and live their dreams. There was also a push to end the “R” word; high school students showed their video creation that they took to competition. Sarah was there as a volunteer but was asked to be a co-host while she was there. "I was asked to cost host with our Bronco Girl on the spot by Janelle, the volunteer coordinator! She said, "You never know what you’ll be asked to do, but that’s part of the fun!"
For those of you who don't know, the Bronco Girl, Chelsey, is the girl who rides the bronco on the field with the football team during games – pretty awesome! Sarah said, "The excitement was the best memory I took away from my experience. Everyone was happy, giving hugs, cheering, and just plain excited and amped up for the games. Win or lose, those athletes made me realize that nothing can hold me back if I put in the effort and the attitude. I’ll definitely be volunteering with the Special Olympics again."
All of the athletes were very welcoming and they thought I was a real princess. I got a proposal and was asked to dance as well! I also met Tom, another volunteer. We had a lot in common and I had a great time with everyone. It turned out to be one of my favorite appearances so far. There is nothing better than being in an environment where no one is judging anyone, and everyone is supportive and loving."
Read Across America
Miss Southeastern Idaho, Kayli Schwendamin, took advantage of Read Across America just like Miss Tri-Counties. Kayli was invited to come and celebrate a day of reading with a local school. She spent most of the day reading Dr. Suess books with different classrooms.
But her time spent was more than just reading. She was in charge of organizing readers for the 22 classrooms at the school. And then afer all that work it was time for some play!
Kayli said, "I was able to go to lunch and recess with one class and started a huge relay race. We probably had about 20 kids running and cheering for everyone. They were so cute and it was so much fun!"