Pageant Judging!

First, I must say I didn't plan to take a full week off from the blog, but I was tired from my weekend of pageant judging (yes, pageant judging), and then my parents came to town for a few days. So, it's time to do some catching up...

Last weekend, I had the privilege of judging the Miss UG@ pageant in Athens.

Let me hit the "pause" button now to explain how I was even involved in this to begin with. First, I have been a LONGTIME fan of the Miss America pageant. Seriously, I've watched it every year ever since I can remember. (Also...I'm not a fan of pageants that just focus on beauty alone. The Miss America Organization, however, focuses more on personality, intelligence, and talent. "Appearance" categories like Evening Gown and Physical Fitness are given lesser weight in the score than Interview and Talent. That being said, I've never seen an ugly Miss America.)

Let's have a moment to pay respect to my favorite Miss America talent EVER:




Wait, I got distracted. Back to how I came to be a judge at this pageant...My friend Tim has been involved in the Miss America pageant system for some time--as a judge, field director, coach, etc. We go to the Miss Cobb pageant every year. Several times I have told him--somewhat seriously, somewhat jokingly--that if an opportunity ever came along for me to judge a pageant, I would totally do it. Several weeks ago, he asked if I would want to judge this particular one. I JUMPED on that opportunity in a half-second. And y'all, it was so fun!

First, I will say that this pageant was extremely competitive. These girls were eloquent, fun, beautiful, and talented. We did interviews on Friday, and I was blown away by how well these young women handled questions about everything from current issues to lighter topics. And the pageant itself on Saturday evening proved to be a very entertaining event. Choosing a "winner" was definitely not an easy task, but I think the young woman who won will represent the school well at the state pageant...and dare we hope she might represent our state at Miss America???? :-)

Other perks of the weekend included staying in a hotel room for two nights (I think every mom out there can appreciate the perk of staying ALONE in a hotel for two nights--no offense to my family, whom I love dearly), eating some delicious food in some very nice restaurants in Athens, being chauffeured from one place to another, and spending time with friends. (I knew two of the other judges--and they are both people I adore--so spending time with them was a treat.) I also have to say that the pageant officials who guided us through this whole process were amazingly nice and hospitable.

As soon as it was over, I told Tim to find me another pageant to judge, ASAP!

Here are some pics from the event:

Here I am with my friends Tim and Max (Max was a judge at this event as well):



Here I am with Tim and Ms. C, who also judged the event. (The three of us used to teach together. Mrs. C retired a year and a half ago, and it was SO good to see her again. She is the kind of woman I would want to by my aunt. You know, the kind who would take to you nice restaurants and to get your ears pierced.)


And last, but not least, here I am with the winner! Beautiful, talented, charismatic...I can't wait to see how she does in future competitions. (My only regret with this photo is that she is about half my size.)

So there you have it. The weekend was truly a wonderful one, and I hope I have the opportunity to do something like this again!