Happy Friday, beautiful people! I have a very fairy tale-like tale to relate to you this week. Just in case you thought dreams don’t come true, I have a story to prove that they do! I was honored to be a part of a memorable moment in a lovely young lady’s life. But let me stop carrying on so and just get to it!!!
When I was offered the opportunity to sponsor my friend, Briana, in a school pageant, I jumped at the chance. I always thought she was particularly beautiful, but you couldn’t tell her that. She has always been very modest, but she thought it would be fun to give the pageant experience a try. I promised to help her in any way possible. I became one of her sponsors and started studying up on the ways of the pageantry!
There was so much to be done! We had to shop for a dress for the opening number, an outfit for the casual wear round and, of course, that ever important gown. Many hours were spent scouring Fayetteville and Raleigh for the perfect dress. Just when we were ready to give up, we stumbled upon the gown of all gowns. It was magnificent! Briana wasn’t sure it was flashy enough for a pageant, but I assured her that youthful sophistication is quite appealing. Picking a color was a whole other tribulation! She finally decided on a lovely turquoise. We both left the store feeling like we had picked a winner!
The night of the pageant arrived in no time. I made sure to get to the school early, so I would have some time to help Briana practice. There is a lot to remember while walking on high heels trying to not fall down, so we went right to work. We were able to go on the stage to practice which was really helpful. I walked in front of Briana and had her follow my lead.
Roody had come along to the pageant with my wardrobe in her pouch, so she stayed close at hand. For fun she pretended she was a contestant in the pageant, but gowns and high heels are not conducive to hopping. She decided she would stick to being my wardrobe mistress and hopped off stage to take a nap while we practiced.
I stood with my shoulders back and head up and stepped so my heel and toe hit the ground evenly at the same time. I told Briana to note that my arms were not swinging like a pendulum – like my energetic mother does – but rather were moving ever so slightly at the shoulder and not at the elbow. Briana really had to work on that, so we paraded around and around the stage until she was looking like an old pro. Even though I knew Briana would have no trouble conjuring up a smile, I told her to make sure to smile at the judges and make eye contact with them. Even though there would be hootin’ and hollerin’ from the audience (mostly from me) she should always keep her focus on the judges. Even though she had to stay controlled, it would help her stand out from the others if she let her personality shine through – show some sass if the opportunity presented itself. With some very good practice under her belt, my friend was ready to have some fun!
I gave Briana a big hug and kitty kiss for luck before she left to go backstage with the other contestants. I trotted down to join my Mom and brother to sit in the special row designated for Briana supporters. We had really great seats, so even I could see everything happening on the stage. Briana’s Mom sat next to me and gave me one of the programs. She pointed out the listing of sponsors – there it was “josietales.com” in print below Briana’s name. How exciting!
Finally, the pageant began. There was music and dancing and each contestant introduced themselves. Briana smiled big and looked so pretty as she said her name into the microphone. Even though I had told her to look only at the judges, she couldn’t help but give her supporters a big smile. I caught myself smiling back and waving which was not helping her at all!!!
The first round was casual wear and Briana looked lovely. She took my advice about showing some sass, and playfully put her hand on her hip during one of her poses. I hooted and hollered – in a ladylike manner of course– as she walked off the stage.
There was a short intermission and then the gown competition . The girls all had beautiful gowns – though I was discouraged that hat wear was not acceptable! Briana looked stunning and managed to smile through the whole long parade across and around the stage. Our row whooped and cheered as she walked off. Now it was all up to the judges.
Rooody and I headed backstage to prepare for my participation in the entertainment. After the gown competition, the judges’ votes had to be counted so there was some time that had to be filled. After my Dogwood Festival and New Year’s Eve performances, I was known for my ability to entertain. Even those people who hadn’t seen me perform had read Mr. Rodger’s article about me in the newspaper, so I was quite the local celebrity. I had agreed to sing with some very talented students from the school.
While I usually play an instrument, they were singing to a track so I did some “yow meows” in the background. Our song was a rousing success and we left the stage to thunderous applause. I certainly was having a lot of fun!
When the pageant resumed, the announcement of the five finalist was made. One by one the finalists were called. When they came to the last spot, Briana was still waiting with the others. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and crossed my paws – all four of them. The final name called was Briana’s and I leapt out of my seat and landed on the poor lady in front of me, slid right down the front of her and into her purse. She was very nice about the whole thing and laughed as she extracted me from her lovely bag. Her daughter was also one of the finalists, so she understood how excited I was. I apologized and scampered back to my seat. Normally I would be afraid that Mom might be upset with my antics, but since she hooted and hollered as loud as I did, I knew she was excited too and understood my glee.
Next was the question round. Each contestant picked a rose that had a question attached. One by one they gave their answers, all very sweet and gracious. It was tough to tell who gave the best answer. There was another painstaking break as the final votes were tabulated. The pain was eased by the fabulous entertainment – me reading some of my catspirations.
The crowd seemed to appreciate my wit and wisdom and they gave me a rousing hand as I passed the microphone over to one of the teachers from the school who had a killer voice. She beautifully sang a song as all the contestants returned to the stage for the announcement of the winner. Since I was going to be helping with the awards, I stayed backstage and put on my gown that had been stuffed in Roody’s pouch. Roody helped me with my honorary sash and crown. Then we turned to wait for the results. The tension was building – get on with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First they announced the special awards. It was a good sign when Briana won Miss Congeniality. Of all the special awards, that is the most flattering. It means you have a nice personality as well as beauty. I thought Briana winning that award was very impressive! Then it was on to the main event!
They started with the fourth runner up – not Briana. Next, the third runner up – not Briana. Now it was really getting nerve racking!! Then they announced the second runner up – not Briana!!! Oh my cat, might she have won? There were only two contestants left – Briana and Angelica (both wearing turquoise dresses I might add) They went to the center of the stage and held hands. I closed my eyes, held my breath, crossed all four paws and my tail. They announced the first runner up – not Briana!! Oh my cat! Oh my cat! She won!!!!!!! I rushed out on stage, pausing to smile at Briana’s mom… and the rest of the audience!
I ran up to Briana and she scooped me up and swung me around. She gave me a hug and thanked me for all my help. I was so proud of her. The crowd applauded and the other contestants rushed up to congratulate her. I headed off stage to join Briana’s friends and family in the audience.
My Mom was very excited and was busy taking lots of pictures. I kept tripping over my gown, so I took it off and stuffed it back in Roody’s pouch – boy it’s convenient to have a kangaroo following you around! We all waited patiently for the celebration to subside so we could spend time with the new Gray’s Creek High School Queen. When she finally broke free I rushed up to her and we both squealed with delight!
Everyone was taking pictures and offering Briana congratulations. Mom told me it was late and time to head home. Tristan had been a good sport by driving us and sitting through a less than manly event – though, come to think of it, a young man sitting in a room full of beautiful young ladies couldn’t have been THAT bad! Mom had promised him large quantities of food from Cookout for his patience and he was looking a bit hungry. I went to say goodbye to Briana and congratulate her one more time. She handed me her trophy – boy it was heavy – and said that it was mine as well as hers.
I doubt I will ever win a trophy of my own, so it was fun to hold such a big, impressive one. Mom called to me and I handed the trophy back to Briana and said my goodbyes. As I left the auditorium, I looked back one more time to see my beautiful protégé just beaming!
Well, I hope you enjoyed my story – it’s a true one! I would consider going into pageant coaching – it’s very rewarding. - if they would just work hats into the process. Every lovely outfit I saw was screaming for a hat. I fear I cannot be a part of a process that turns its back on hats. Too bad – I could have been a force with which to be reckoned! For now I will be happy that I was able to give Briana the “Josie bump.”
Have a great week!
Love and kitty kisses,
Josie
When I was offered the opportunity to sponsor my friend, Briana, in a school pageant, I jumped at the chance. I always thought she was particularly beautiful, but you couldn’t tell her that. She has always been very modest, but she thought it would be fun to give the pageant experience a try. I promised to help her in any way possible. I became one of her sponsors and started studying up on the ways of the pageantry!
There was so much to be done! We had to shop for a dress for the opening number, an outfit for the casual wear round and, of course, that ever important gown. Many hours were spent scouring Fayetteville and Raleigh for the perfect dress. Just when we were ready to give up, we stumbled upon the gown of all gowns. It was magnificent! Briana wasn’t sure it was flashy enough for a pageant, but I assured her that youthful sophistication is quite appealing. Picking a color was a whole other tribulation! She finally decided on a lovely turquoise. We both left the store feeling like we had picked a winner!
The night of the pageant arrived in no time. I made sure to get to the school early, so I would have some time to help Briana practice. There is a lot to remember while walking on high heels trying to not fall down, so we went right to work. We were able to go on the stage to practice which was really helpful. I walked in front of Briana and had her follow my lead.
Roody had come along to the pageant with my wardrobe in her pouch, so she stayed close at hand. For fun she pretended she was a contestant in the pageant, but gowns and high heels are not conducive to hopping. She decided she would stick to being my wardrobe mistress and hopped off stage to take a nap while we practiced.
I stood with my shoulders back and head up and stepped so my heel and toe hit the ground evenly at the same time. I told Briana to note that my arms were not swinging like a pendulum – like my energetic mother does – but rather were moving ever so slightly at the shoulder and not at the elbow. Briana really had to work on that, so we paraded around and around the stage until she was looking like an old pro. Even though I knew Briana would have no trouble conjuring up a smile, I told her to make sure to smile at the judges and make eye contact with them. Even though there would be hootin’ and hollerin’ from the audience (mostly from me) she should always keep her focus on the judges. Even though she had to stay controlled, it would help her stand out from the others if she let her personality shine through – show some sass if the opportunity presented itself. With some very good practice under her belt, my friend was ready to have some fun!
I gave Briana a big hug and kitty kiss for luck before she left to go backstage with the other contestants. I trotted down to join my Mom and brother to sit in the special row designated for Briana supporters. We had really great seats, so even I could see everything happening on the stage. Briana’s Mom sat next to me and gave me one of the programs. She pointed out the listing of sponsors – there it was “josietales.com” in print below Briana’s name. How exciting!
Finally, the pageant began. There was music and dancing and each contestant introduced themselves. Briana smiled big and looked so pretty as she said her name into the microphone. Even though I had told her to look only at the judges, she couldn’t help but give her supporters a big smile. I caught myself smiling back and waving which was not helping her at all!!!
The first round was casual wear and Briana looked lovely. She took my advice about showing some sass, and playfully put her hand on her hip during one of her poses. I hooted and hollered – in a ladylike manner of course– as she walked off the stage.
There was a short intermission and then the gown competition . The girls all had beautiful gowns – though I was discouraged that hat wear was not acceptable! Briana looked stunning and managed to smile through the whole long parade across and around the stage. Our row whooped and cheered as she walked off. Now it was all up to the judges.
Rooody and I headed backstage to prepare for my participation in the entertainment. After the gown competition, the judges’ votes had to be counted so there was some time that had to be filled. After my Dogwood Festival and New Year’s Eve performances, I was known for my ability to entertain. Even those people who hadn’t seen me perform had read Mr. Rodger’s article about me in the newspaper, so I was quite the local celebrity. I had agreed to sing with some very talented students from the school.
While I usually play an instrument, they were singing to a track so I did some “yow meows” in the background. Our song was a rousing success and we left the stage to thunderous applause. I certainly was having a lot of fun!
When the pageant resumed, the announcement of the five finalist was made. One by one the finalists were called. When they came to the last spot, Briana was still waiting with the others. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and crossed my paws – all four of them. The final name called was Briana’s and I leapt out of my seat and landed on the poor lady in front of me, slid right down the front of her and into her purse. She was very nice about the whole thing and laughed as she extracted me from her lovely bag. Her daughter was also one of the finalists, so she understood how excited I was. I apologized and scampered back to my seat. Normally I would be afraid that Mom might be upset with my antics, but since she hooted and hollered as loud as I did, I knew she was excited too and understood my glee.
Next was the question round. Each contestant picked a rose that had a question attached. One by one they gave their answers, all very sweet and gracious. It was tough to tell who gave the best answer. There was another painstaking break as the final votes were tabulated. The pain was eased by the fabulous entertainment – me reading some of my catspirations.
The crowd seemed to appreciate my wit and wisdom and they gave me a rousing hand as I passed the microphone over to one of the teachers from the school who had a killer voice. She beautifully sang a song as all the contestants returned to the stage for the announcement of the winner. Since I was going to be helping with the awards, I stayed backstage and put on my gown that had been stuffed in Roody’s pouch. Roody helped me with my honorary sash and crown. Then we turned to wait for the results. The tension was building – get on with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First they announced the special awards. It was a good sign when Briana won Miss Congeniality. Of all the special awards, that is the most flattering. It means you have a nice personality as well as beauty. I thought Briana winning that award was very impressive! Then it was on to the main event!
They started with the fourth runner up – not Briana. Next, the third runner up – not Briana. Now it was really getting nerve racking!! Then they announced the second runner up – not Briana!!! Oh my cat, might she have won? There were only two contestants left – Briana and Angelica (both wearing turquoise dresses I might add) They went to the center of the stage and held hands. I closed my eyes, held my breath, crossed all four paws and my tail. They announced the first runner up – not Briana!! Oh my cat! Oh my cat! She won!!!!!!! I rushed out on stage, pausing to smile at Briana’s mom… and the rest of the audience!
I ran up to Briana and she scooped me up and swung me around. She gave me a hug and thanked me for all my help. I was so proud of her. The crowd applauded and the other contestants rushed up to congratulate her. I headed off stage to join Briana’s friends and family in the audience.
My Mom was very excited and was busy taking lots of pictures. I kept tripping over my gown, so I took it off and stuffed it back in Roody’s pouch – boy it’s convenient to have a kangaroo following you around! We all waited patiently for the celebration to subside so we could spend time with the new Gray’s Creek High School Queen. When she finally broke free I rushed up to her and we both squealed with delight!
Everyone was taking pictures and offering Briana congratulations. Mom told me it was late and time to head home. Tristan had been a good sport by driving us and sitting through a less than manly event – though, come to think of it, a young man sitting in a room full of beautiful young ladies couldn’t have been THAT bad! Mom had promised him large quantities of food from Cookout for his patience and he was looking a bit hungry. I went to say goodbye to Briana and congratulate her one more time. She handed me her trophy – boy it was heavy – and said that it was mine as well as hers.
I doubt I will ever win a trophy of my own, so it was fun to hold such a big, impressive one. Mom called to me and I handed the trophy back to Briana and said my goodbyes. As I left the auditorium, I looked back one more time to see my beautiful protégé just beaming!
Well, I hope you enjoyed my story – it’s a true one! I would consider going into pageant coaching – it’s very rewarding. - if they would just work hats into the process. Every lovely outfit I saw was screaming for a hat. I fear I cannot be a part of a process that turns its back on hats. Too bad – I could have been a force with which to be reckoned! For now I will be happy that I was able to give Briana the “Josie bump.”
Have a great week!
Love and kitty kisses,
Josie
"" In mah broad Aussie accent ""
ReplyDeleteYouse looked senseytional there Gal .....Luff ya in da Tiara
Maffew x x