I have never received more hugs than in Week 43!

 Monday, I headed to Cabot to speak at Westside Elementary.  The counselor scheduled the assembly differently, but I thought it worked great!  I first shared my “How Full is Your Bucket” assembly on making good choices to 2^nd-4^th graders.  As I changed into dance clothes, kindergarten and 1^st grade joined everyone in the assembly, where I danced and answered questions.  Normally, I speak to K-4 all at the same time, but I really appreciated this set-up.  

However, I still had a hard time connecting with the older elementary students during my assembly.  A former Miss Arkansas taught me the “Miss Arkansas Clap,” which is an interactive clap sequence that gets the kids’ attention and quiets them on the last clap.  In the assembly, I led the Miss Arkansas Clap more than normal and still couldn’t get all of the kids to respond.  I think the teachers noticed that I had a hard time keeping the kids under control.  After the assembly, the counselor stated she forgot to tell me that Westside Elementary is the international school in Cabot.  International students from all over the county are bused in to Westside, and the school has developed an atmosphere to accommodate 56 different languages!  They depend primarily on the students to mentor and translate for each other so what I thought was inattention was actually the students translating my message!  Mom and I noticed how friendly and supportive these students were because we have never received more hugs!  It was a very neat experience!  

I spent Tuesday at the Arkansas State Capitol.  Of course, PawPaw was there to meet me and celebrate National Tourism Week with the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department!  Bobby Glover, or my PawPaw, served in both the Arkansas House of Representatives and the Senate until term-limiting out.  One of the accomplishments he is known for is partnering with the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department to spread “The Natural State” as our state logo.  He was the one to change the Arkansas license plate to read “The Natural State.”  Although I was there to speak on behalf of Arkansas, they couldn’t help but acknowledge my PawPaw and his service to the state!

I was so thankful to see Jane White on Wednesday before my photo shoot in Russellville.  Jane is the Miss Arkansas make-up sponsor and has provided me with cosmetics throughout the year, along with makeovers for special events.  In Russellville, Miss Arkansas Outstanding Teen Ashton Campbell and I met Dr. Cooper to take pictures for magazine ads.  Dr. Michael Cooper gave both of us smile make-overs with durathins,  extremely thin veneers that do not require filing of the natural tooth.  As you can imagine, this was a very generous gift, and Ashton and I are always willing to promote him whenever possible!  We also took some fun photos together … I think you are going to love them!  Can’t wait to share!

Friday, I was delighted to return to Danville for the annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet.  I shared the microphone with Representative Tim Griffin after a delicious meal!  Three people in particular made the evening very special!  Emily Patton, Danville native and pageant friend, gave me a very heartfelt introduction to the audience.  Also, I reunited with Kara Hill, who has been following me on Facebook since last year.  She even gave me a dove necklace to match hers!  Finally, I had a great chaperone, Jim Collins from Arkansas Tech University.  Jim prefers to be called the “body guard” and kept me laughing throughout the entire night! 

I was so thankful to spend Saturday before Mother’s Day with my mom!  She drove me to Mountain Home and suggested that I take motion sickness medicine since we had a long, winding drive.  So … I slept most of the way.  Once we made it to the Baxter Co. Library in Mountain Home, we enjoyed the afternoon with mothers and daughters at the tea party!  We played my favorite game, “Name that Tune” with Disney princess songs.  I spoke, performed, signed autographs, and took pictures with the little princesses!  Then, my mom drove me home, which made a total of seven hours in the car.  Whew! 

Speaking of Mother’s Day, I would like to recognize my mom and grandmother.  Both women have always represented selflessness and service.  I am so thankful for the loving example they have set!

Next week will be crazy fun!  I am heading to Dallas and Washington DC, while also attending four appearances in Arkansas.  Forgive me if the next blog is a little late, but please pray for my safe travels!  Also, I am looking forward to the Miss Arkansas contestant meeting on Sunday!  We will announce to the girls what to expect for this year’s pageant, along with a few sponsor secrets!  Woohoo!!  Then, on Monday we will host the third annual golf tournament to benefit the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Foundation, the 501(c)3 non-profit foundation that granted over $70,000 in scholarship funds at last year’s state pageant.  Hope to see you there! 

In honor of the upcoming contestant meeting, I will leave you with advice about paperwork.  I suggest that you submit perfect paperwork because it is the judges’ first impression of you.  Have someone with advanced English skills double check your paperwork for typing and grammatical errors.  Also, make sure your resume and platform accurately reflect who you are.  Place your proudest accomplishments first when listing everything.  Then, when you are finally finished with the dozens of documents, contracts, and releases … treat yourself to chocolate.