Anyone who thinks that life as a Junior Miss is all fun and games has it all wrong; today was a productive but tiring day. This morning we got to sleep in until seven. As I rushed out the door finishing my breakfast (I was running behind as usual), I did not anticipate that I would learn a whole dance or peel and eat my first crawfish today; luckily for me, the day was full of surprises. On the way to Spring Hill Baptist Church for rehearsal, we encountered a road construction detour which made us late, but allowed me to see a little bit more of Mobile as we drove the alternate route. This is my first time in the south and I am constantly amazed by the geographic and cultural differences between Nevada and Alabama. As I looked at the lush trees and enjoyed the air conditioning, I laughed at the contrast between here and my hometown, Fallon, smack dab in the center of the desert with zero percent humidity. We Junior Misses have a colorful and busy schedule for the two weeks we are here, and today was definitely a work day. We started rehearsing at nine and danced until we ate lunch at noon. We learned the whole non-finalist number. After our jam packed schedule on Friday, I did not think I would be able to muster up the focus and stamina to dance all day, but somehow I made it. The non-finalist number is high energy and a lot of fun to perform. After three hours of brain and body work, we got to eat. For lunch, our host moms brought their daughters and we dined pot-luck stile at SHBC. As I piled my plate with every carb-packed food I could get my hands on, I noticed a platter of red crawfish and quickly moved past it and straight to my table. My roommate, Lauren from Louisiana, knows that this has been a week of many firsts for me and has been monitoring my activities to make sure I get the full southern food experience. My first grits, my first ochre and my first sweet tea would not be complete, she ensured me, without peeling and eating a crawfish. Lauren brought me one and my host mom, Mrs. Graham, snapped pictures as my host sister, Pasley, showed me how to get the meat out. Trish McEvoy representatives did a make-up presentation as we ate. With full stomachs and new make-up knowledge, we parted from our host families and headed back to rehearsal until five. We finished the day with the fitness, self- expression, opening and non-finalist routines under our belts. We piled into the vans and headed to the mall where we ate dinner and signed autographs. I met many Mobilians and even saw some of the boys that I met at the AJM Mardi Gras Ball. It was strange to feel like a celebrity and sign autographs for people coming from a place where I tell people I am Nevada's Junior Miss, and they have no idea what I am talking about. Although today was a full and exhausting day, it was also rewarding and fun. I am looking forward to a relaxing day at the beach tomorrow and challenge the other girls to get their game faces on for the sand castle building competition tomorrow. Dauphin Island, here I come!
