There She Is...

Last night, Country Music Television presented the 2007 Miss America Pageant, and some of the ladies from church were more excited than ever about this occasion because we were heading to a.... (Can you believe it?!?!?) MISS AMERICA PARTY! (For those who have taped the pageant and have not watched it yet, do not fear. There will be no spoilers about the results in this post.)

Tracy and I had talked about having a crazy party for a couple of years. And, we were finally able to have one. It was a really special and really fun night of "girl time", and Tracy was definitely the hostess with the mostest! We hope this will be our FIRST ANNUAL party, with many more to come!

After searching through our closets in our quest to find our most gawdy prom, homecoming, and bridesmaids dresses, it was time to add the necessary bling through jewelry and other accessories, tease and Aquanet our hair, and then apply Miss-America-1980's-style eyeliner, blush and lipstick.

As soon as we arrived at the event, we chose a state to represent and designed our very own state sash to wear throughout the evening. Here is the table, set up with all of the supplies we'd need for creating the sashes and crowns. Paint in silver, gold, pearlescent, and pastels with glitter, stars, beads and bangles. And, throughout the night, we ate the most delicious food. Tracy went all out for us... and then we pigged out - like none of the Miss America contestants could! Just delicious - complete with gold plates and napkins.
Then, the pageant was starting, so we had to get down to business during the opening introductions... trying to guess which contestants (of the 52) would be making it to the round of 10 finalists. Sister Sandy won by picking 5 of the 10 and received her choice of the beautifully wrapped and mysterious door prizes. (The first clue tag eluded to something that each contestant needs to keep lipstick off their teeth, and the prize was a small tube of Vaseline.) This picture was taken near the end of the night and does not do justice to the pretty setting that was created in the living room as we ate and watched Mario Lopez emcee. The contests and conversations continued throughout the telecast, while we attempted to pick the most beautiful gowns, best answers, what type of talent the last 5 contestants would perform, who would make the cut for the final 3, and who, eventually, would become Miss America 2007. Tracy provided everything that a Miss America would need...from eyelash curlers to hair spray...as the prizes, and it was a wonderful evening.

We were happy to be able to cheer on an acquaintance, as Miss Wisconsin (Meghan Coffey) is the good friend and baton twirling coach of church friends, Alexis and Melissa Malloy. Their mother, Sister Marsha Baker Malloy, wrote to tell me that the family was planning to head to Las Vegas to cheer on Meghan. While Meghan, unfortunately, did not make the top 10, it has been interesting to read about her experiences through her behind-the-scenes blog.

Here are the two most beautiful belles of the ball last night:












Tressa in her fancy dress as the self-selected Miss South Carolina and Abi donning her crown and wondering, "What in the world is going on in our house this evening?" (She probably enjoyed the snacks more than anyone!)

A highlight was being able to call Miss Tasha who was, sadly, away at school and who could not attend the event. But, after Tasha returned to her room after her night course, we were able to watch the pageant together while keeping her on the speaker phone. (We miss you, Tasha.)

As the evening came to a close, we knew it was time to leave but it was difficult to do so. It was wonderful just to have some girl time with good friends. Each of us was sent away with a pink and white rose as a token from the evening, and they were gorgeous - just like every little detail of the party. We were sad that more of our friends from church, playgroup, school, and work could not join us, but we were thankful for the special time. Besides, they can always attend next year... when we plan to have our Second Annual Miss America Party!

Original words to Miss America theme song:
There she is, Miss America
There she is, your ideal
The dream of a million girls who are more than pretty
Can come true in Atlantic City
For she may turn out to be the Queen of femininity

There she is, Miss America
There she is, your ideal
With so many beauties she took the town by storm
With her all-American face and form

And there she is
Walking on air, she is
Fairest of the fair, she is
There she is - Miss America