Cinderella's Closet of Elgin

No rest for the weary... in at 2 am Saturday after a long week and travel time, the afternoon of Saturday was spent in Elgin with the Junior Service Board for the second year. They grew by leaps and bounds in size, and in dresses, and made dreams come true for even more girls needing that perfect gown for their proms. Pink t-shirts ran from dressing rooms to girls, arms full of "potentials", and with each one you met, a sweet smile of thanks was returned - PRICELESS (I wish this had been around when I was growing up!) !!! Thank you Deb, Deirdre, Michelle, Elisabeth, and all the ladies of JSB! You are awesome! And now...for a nap!

Welcome Home!

We finally made it after a long lay over due to bad weather, and a massive spill on my part in one of the tunnels running to catch our plane...I lost skin and pride that afternoon...anyone who's seen the movie "Miss Congeniality" where Sandra Bullock falls, hair flying, etc...yep...that was me in all my glory. Good for a laugh now, except for the chiropractic needs...ice anyone!?! And it was wonderful to be greeted by that sweet sound of "Mommy! You're home! What did you bring me?!?!" That's love...

Finals!

Pictures are of my clients (and with Loni before Finals began):

NM - Michelle - for tan, IA - Nidia - for arm tattoo coverage, and CT - Jennifer - h/m for prelims, makeup for finals. They were/are simply beautiful inside and out (I've said that a lot, but it was really nice that these girls had hearts of gold that matched their physical beauty), and I was very fortunate to get to know them. Congratulations, ladies!!!

Prelims!

Loved the new venue! As it turned out Mrs. Nebraska's family sat right behind us, and they are from the next town over from where I lived when I was little! Now that's a small world! Afterward we met up with Andrea, our 2009 Mrs. West Virginia, and got to catch up quite a bit! We even learned some interesting things about her backyard wildlife!!!

Good Morning Ladies!

Breakfast is served and we prep everything to get ready to take care of our girls!

Hotel Shots

Mrs. America 2011

The Mrs. America Pageant was relocated to a new date and new location this year, held at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia for the taping of the show t be aired on Mother's Day. A few of our sister queens from our year were there to reconnect, and Loni (IA) and I went to provide hair and makeup services as well as tanning and tattoo coverage.

The Greenbrier is a lovely place that very much embodies the romanticism that goes along with pageantry, and the service there was impeccable. Everyone was treated like royalty, whether old or new! We met some very beautiful ladies that had hearts and spirits to match, enjoyed amazing food and shopping, and were excited to see the production - prelims and finals were both so well done!

Mrs. Florida was the lucky lady to earn the newest Mrs. America title, and she was another one that was beautiful both inside and out, but it was also an awful lot of fun to cheer on "our girls" we'd gotten to know that last week as well. Getting to see and visit with Florence Henderson again was also a treat. She gave Loni and I hugs and kisses the day we left! Whether she remembers you or not having been host for many years, she still makes you feel very important to her. :)

I'll have a couple posts for photos!

Driving up, our room, and our first Greenbrier meal!

School Program

Elena had her first musical school program when we returned from Spring Break...I think it was especially cute, not only because it was her first, but because she sang a song that I grew up on as a child myself...there was a jungle theme, called "Jungle Beat", and one of the songs was "I'm Being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor"...that was Eric's favorite, too! Elena even curtsied at the end! Too Cute! She was very proud that she got to go to school at night...that was "very important" according to her! ;)

Dinner on the Coast

We had a beautiful dinner on the water, and Elena was most excited about her "Fancy Dessert"! We had a very big day that day, and Elena was out in less than 2 minutes in the car on the way back to the hotel. ;) By the way...the pictures of me, and Eric and me, are ones Elena took. ;) We'll miss you, FL...see you soon!

Sunset on Sanibel

Munching at the Marriott and Mini Golf!

We had fun with lunch at the Marriott and mini golf today...thank goodness, no sun burns although it was quite hot...and found some fabulous sand creations! Loved the Huge Bird pirched on the pier!

Sunset by the Sea