Behind the Scenes at the United States Pageant! Day Two

Slowly but surely, I'll think back on our days in Las Vegas leading up to the United States Pageant! Here is day two...

See Day One

Friday, July 8, 2011

Virginia queens wearing Spring Street Boutique
dresses in Las Vegas at the United States Pageant.

6:00am Wake up for a morning workout. I ran down to the Palms Hotel, where I have stayed with my friends during past trips to Las Vegas, so this was not only a "walk down memory lane" but a "run down memory lane," ...made me laugh thinking of my great friends!

7:15am Returned to the room to get ready. My roommate Miss Virginia United States Ashley Smith was still sleeping. Correction, she was avoiding her alarm clock which continued to ring. Her ringtone will forever be stuck in my head. :)

8:30am We leave the room to meet our other Virginia delegates before pageant orientation. The Miss Teen, Miss and Ms are all wearing dresses from Spring Street Boutique in Charlottesville. Thank you Cynthia! It's a beautiful store, keep an eye out for us to appear in her commercial this fall!

9:00am We arrive at orientation at the Orleans Resort, and I finally get to meet the 2010 queens! I had been emailing the 2010 Ms United States Tristan Topps, and she is even more beautiful in person. She is the definition of statuesque and graceful! During orientation, the pageant director Lynda Samuels reviews the week ahead and answers any questions. The 2010 queens give us a few tips on how to have a great week. We also receive our Tony Bowls opening number dress! All pageant contestants wear the same dress, it's stunning! 

Miss Teen Massachusetts, Ms Florida and Ms Virginia participate
in a United States pageant orientation icebreaker activity.

11:30am Lunch time! We have very short breaks during rehearsal week in Las Vegas, but thankfully the hotel has some great food options (yes pageant girls EAT!) I'm on a low carb diet to prepare for the swimsuit competition, so I opt for chicken salads everywhere I go. We stop by the food court at Fuddrucker's, and oh my! I'm in love their Mediterranean Chicken Salad will become my staple lunch for the next week. We have a short pow wow with the Virginia queens and return to rehearsals! 

1:00pm Each of the age groups meet as a group to introduce ourselves and exchange gifts. The Ms. candidates brought the sweetest gifts, including a fur-trimmed personalized tote bag from Ms. Oklahoma, a ring from Ms. Minnesota, mints from Ms. Massachusetts. Each of  these women is stunning. They are mothers, business owners, entrepreneurs, fitness competitors, WOW!

My perfect bowling form.

2:30pm Choreographer Natalie Carson starts teaching our finals opening number to "New Attitude" which includes all candidates. The dancing is my favorite part! We also spend time on the "Parade of Gowns" which is the final presentation of all candidates. It's amazing all the planning and work that goes into 90 ladies walking around the stage!

5:00pm Dinner, then get ready for tonight's social!

7:00pm All the pageant contestants meet in the lobby before heading to the Orleans' bowling alley right upstairs. That's right! We're wearing evening gowns. This was so fun to get to know the other delegates and take some silly photos. If you aren't having fun, the experience really isn't worth it!

8:30pm Once we hit the bowling alley, the California team faced off against the Virginia team. Miss Teen Virginia United States Ashley Greenfield beat me by just a few points. :)

10:00pm Time to retire to the queens' suite and prepare for swimsuit photo shoots in the morning!

Stay tuned for the next blog which will include the swimsuit photo shoot by Joe Pier and Virginia queens hitting the Las Vegas Strip!