We arrived Saturday morning, right about the time early check-in was starting. We could have waited to check in on Sunday morning, but she really wanted to do the workshop that was being held on Saturday afternoon, to practice all the events. This workshop is really just a repeat of the workshop that was held at call backs in May, and wasn't completely necessary. But it was worth the $25 we paid, because it made her more confident that she was ready for the weekend.
Saturday evening was the Decades/Get Acquainted party to give the girls a chance to get to know one another. Everyone was supposed to dress up in clothing from another decade. Madison dressed up in a 50's-60's style that she pulled together Friday afternoon as we were packing. We really didn't have the time to give it much thought, but I think she did a good job.
It was so worth being there a day early for this one. Most of the girls didn't show up, but the ones who did, played som great ice breaker games, and got to know one another. Afterwards, Madison told me she felt so much better after getting to meet some of the other girls.
Sunday night was Formal Wear-their first big event. Here she is with her dad, who was her escort.
It was difficult to get good photos with the low lighting, but here she is on the screen:
and leaving the stage:
After formal wear, they had a small award ceremony for ad sales. Madison sold the most ads in her age division.
She got the Spirit of America trophy for participating in a number of optional events.
Monday morning, they did their personal introductions:
And that afternoon, they did their interviews.
At the finale, the whole group did a fun dance routine that they had learned just that afternoon. They only had about 2 hours to work on it, but they did a great job.
Then they did their final walk,
and it was time to announce the winners.
She won first runner up for Miss Personality, which was pretty exciting, because the winners were chosen by the girls, themselves. This was her first time at NAM, and a lot of the other girls already knew each other from previous years.
She placed in the top ten, and won lots of other prizes during the weekend. She also qualified for Nationals, which are going to be held in Los Angeles during Thanksgiving week. It sounds like a great opportunity, but we just aren't prepared to do it this year. Maybe next year, though, if she is able to qualify again.
But more importantly, she had so much fun, and walked away with lots of new friends.
And she's already planning for next year :)
Here are some of Madison's highlights from the pageant:
awww....i wish that i would have known you were in my town!! I could have dragged you to a few of my favorite places!
ReplyDeleteYour daughter is beautiful....i know you must be very proud of her. She has a smile that says she has a joyful heart...
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ReplyDeleteThank you, Isabel. She is a very happy girl :) I love Nashville. We lived there for several months a few years ago when our kids were all younger. My husband had a short term job there that was to last about 7 months. The first month we were in an extended stay hotel in Brentwood-I loved being there. Brentwood and Franklin has so much for families, and the kids and I stayed busy all day long most every day. The rest of the time we rented a house in the Englewood/Madison area. It was nice being near Opry Mills Mall in that part of town, but I missed being so close to everything else we loved to do. It's a great city, and I would love to live there again someday.om
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