The Night I Won

I have to admit that never in my life has an event made me lay awake until 4am in the morning when I had to be up at 6 the next day. However, this is what I experienced the night I won Miss Montana. Maybe I thought that I would wake up and find myself at the beginning of pageant week again, or more likely, it was the excitement and the possibilities of the coming year that prevented my brain from relaxing. My mother said the next day I was still running on adrenaline and it kept me from being tired. My first reflection of that week is that the pageant experience was better than I could have ever expected. Never have I been among a group of girls more beautiful, well spoken, and passionate than with my fellow contestants. Being chosen among all of them makes this position even more of an honor and I have great respect for each one of them. I tell everyone that having the pageant in a smaller community makes it a more important event. Everyone in town knows what’s going on and in some way takes part in the action. No matter where I went during the week, small group or large, EVERYONE knew who we were and smiled at us. The volunteers were so encouraging and understanding of our needs, and who can beat home cooked meals? I felt very welcomed in Glendive and am excited to return next year for another pageant week.