Well, five more days! Some last thoughts and thank yous

Hi!

Five more days! Miss Iowa week kicks off on Sunday with the “Show Us Your Shoes” welcoming event. The contestants move into their respective hotel rooms that day and get right to work that evening with a rehearsal! For those who aren’t really sure about what festivities the contestants are involved in during the week, I will be giving daily updates on here! In a nutshell, rehearsals, appearances and community service in addition to the actual competition. We will compete in preliminary competitions on Thursday and Friday nights to determine the top 10 ladies who will move on to finals on Saturday night. Exciting stuff!

These last couple of weeks have been filled with final preparations, shopping trips, wardrobe sessions, alterations, workouts and planning. I have been so blessed to spend time with my favorite family from Newton! They probably don’t know it, but Gia and Zayne (the kiddos) have been huge stress-reducers. Hanging out with them puts what really matters into perspective, things that are easy to forget about when you get caught up in something like becoming Miss Iowa or what have you. At the end of the day, this is just a pageant. Only one person can have the title on the 14^th, but in my opinion, that doesn’t mean that any one person is better than anyone else. The Miss Iowa Class of 2014 is so unique, and each girl has something different to offer!

I’ve been so busy lately trying to get everything organized and ready for the week that I almost forgot that it’s time to relax! So that’s what I’m doing this week to rest up for the next. I’ve worked hard and prepared myself to the best of my ability. From here on out, I can relish in the peace that you get when you let God have complete control.

If you’ve ever been in a pageant before, you know that it’s a team effort. I have had the support of so many people throughout this journey, and I’m so thankful for that. My family; my best friends Kati and Abby; Deana; Alisha, Shae and Phyllis; my Executive Director, Ashley; Michelle and Jessica with Legacy Group Pageant Consulting; my boyfriend Seth who is too amazing for words… Seriously, pageant boyfriends are super under recognized. They are the ones that have to hear about the ups and downs and deal with girls who are trying to get “swimsuit ready” but just want a piece of chocolate cake. That must be horrible. Sorry on behalf of all pageant contestants!

Well I’m excited for all of the new experiences I’m going to endure next week. The hard part is over, and now it’s time to take it all in and be in the moment! Whatever happens, every single girl is awesome, and there will certainly be no "losers".

Check back Sunday night for an update on “day one” and some pictures from the first event!

-Leah