Miss Congeniality 2012

When the chance came to sign up for this year's high school Homecoming pageant, Sian took the opportunity. She and several of her friends put their names on the list, and thus began a rush of workshops, practices, and shopping, which finally culminated in the pageant contest on a Thursday night.

Being frugal (or "poor Welsh peasants," as Husband calls it), the challenge was to find suitable formal attire that didn't require taking out a loan. Despite the horrific crowds, Sian located a lovely, full hot pink skirt on 50% off day at our favorite thrift store and paired it with a new cream cardigan from Rue 21. I thought the effect was lovely. But even more important than the clothing changes was the fact that her personality shone through during her interview and as she performed her talent, a piano piece. She, did, however, short herself on her bio, I thought. Her escort read it to the audience as Sian took her final walk around the stage, smiling and poised. Instead of touting all her many achievements, as most of the girls did, this is what she wrote:

"Sian is a girl who loves to use her imagination. She enjoys reading, writing, and both playing and composing music. She loves her family and enjoys the occasional ride on a flight simulator.

"Sian firmly believes that a life lived with no regrets is a life lived well. She loves trying new things and going to new places. Her goal in life is to be like her mother, whom she thinks is the most perfect, raddest mama in the universe."

What mother would not get at least a little teary-eyed at that?? She left out the stuff about her being Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, serving on the Seminary Council, taking AP courses, and still maintaining a high GPA. She also neglected the part about having played with the Chamber Strings orchestra on her violin. But I know that what Sian put in there about family and living well are the most important things to her, and I couldn't be more proud.

Though she didn't end up on the Homecoming Court, she did win the Miss Congeniality award. And when it was all over, her escort asked her to accompany him to the Homecoming dance.

Above: on-stage after the pageant finished. Below: Sian, her escort (in gray), and some congratulatory friends.

Below: Sian and her date leaving for the Homecoming Dance.

The great thing about that skirt was that it was so full she got to wear comfortable shoes to the dance and no one even knew.

Patting Myself on the Back

I've had a brilliant idea about how to store all my earrings for easy access. Now that my ears are pierced, I find I'm a bit of an earring junkie. That adds to my necklace fetish and my urgent need to visit the shoe department of any department store I happen to be in (and also all the thrift stores, too. Ladies, I found a pair of the most adorable purple suede Steve Madden booties for $7 a few weeks ago. That's right, bow to the master.).

The nice thing about earrings and necklaces and shoes is that they fit you no matter what your current dress size. Even if (when?) I manage to lose the chub, I can still wear those booties. And my appreciation for chunky necklaces and interesting danglies is not a wasted investment, either. I would certainly love to be forced to shop for a new, thinner wardrobe, of course, but that's in the future.

Anyway, my brilliant idea is neither expensive nor difficult to create, so I'm going ahead with it. Maybe this fit of creativity also produced what I like to think of as an incredibly well-written website yesterday. I was very proud of it. I try to write well on all my work items, but sometimes the brain juices are really flowing and I turn out a masterpiece.

I'd say this calls for a celebration with ice cream, but there's the chub issue. I'll celebrate by using the Total Gym when sitting in front of my computer gets to be too difficult to take.