Week 5 as Miss South Dakota was filled with anticipation. Monday evening I went out to the Bischoff’s with Georgia, Charleston, and Callee. Georgia and Charleston practiced walking their lambs (or their lambs walked them) to prep for the SD State Fair.
On Tuesday, Annie Woodmansey and I loaded Rosie and hit the road for Rapid City to celebrate our Miss South Dakota’s Outstanding Teen, Jessica Benson. If you are ever looking for a dynamite road trip buddy, call Annie. She is a DJ extraordinaire and snack enthusiast. Once we arrived in Rapid, we stopped by Riddles Jewelry to meet Mike Blank, the Manager, and send a personal “THANK YOU” for sponsoring the Miss South Dakota necklace.
Jessica’s trunk show and send off was so much fun. I was charged with emceeing the event. It was an honor to showcase Jessica and her numerous accolades. This was my first time being the official emcee for an event and am thankful for the opportunity to hone my “filling” skills. Thank you to everyone that helped plan and execute an event that represented Jessica beautifully. After the event, Annie and I were back on the road, blaring music and chugging coffee, to make it home by 2am.
On Wednesday, I took a short trip to Brookings to have lunch with Alex Bisson. Alex was Miss South Dakota 2008, the year I was Miss SD Outstanding Teen. I admire her just as much, if not more, as when I was 14 years old. After I won Miss SD, she sent me the most thoughtful gift. I received a large box with a red robe, embroidered with “Miss South Dakota” on the chest. This was the robe she took to Miss America in 2008, and she wrote, “I knew in my heart that one day you would be Miss South Dakota, so I’ve been holding onto this for you for 10 years.” It is a true honor to call her my Miss South Dakota sister.
Later that evening, I drove to Mitchell to visit the GEMS (Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior) at First Reformed Church. They shared a basketball routine to Mercy Me, in return for my piano performance of the song I am playing at Miss America. We walked around Mitchell to invite kids to Vacation Bible School and ended the evening with ice cream.
Friday was filled with #crownthecatlady festivities. Candice, the cat, and I took a trip to Craig Lee Studios for her first official photo shoot as Miss CAT South Dakota. She may have hated me the entire time, especially when I tried to put the crown on her, but it was only temporary. The love returned the minute she got back into Rosie (see photos for evidence).
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”