Went to the all ages show last night and it was something that was completely unique. The idea was really great and some parts were well performed. I loved the live music and the performers all did a really great job. I even got to see my coworker ( a total shock because I forgot she worked there...). There were some major transitional issues where the crowd didn't quite know what was going on and we were almost getting run over my staff setting things up. This could have easily been changed to just marking off areas so that we wouldn't have stood there. I wasn't a huge fan of the pole dancer and interpretive dancers but that doesn't mean they didn't do a fantastic job! Those just aren't my favorite things. I will definitely be going back for another even and will be getting balcony tickets and going when they have the 21+ performance and dance party. |
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I just ate something super delicious and I'm sure you all would love to eat some too! I just bought pasta (for the first time in about a year) and I didn't have any sauce... So I decided to google "pasta sauce with tahini" and found this awesome recipe from Cate's World Kitchen. You're more than welcome to use her recipe but I wanted to share my little tweaks for it. I'm definitely going to back to her site and scope out some more recipes!
Ingredients (makes 1 large serving):
I basically used whatever I had in my fridge. The process:
This was an incredibly refreshing meal! Plus it was warm and with pho noodles it took about 7 minutes to make from start to finish. This can also be made in bulk which is perfect for a college kid like me. Miss Washington is a crazy long day but I'm going to break it down for all of you who want to participate in such a competition. You arrive really early in the morning. Your face is set and your hair is in curlers. I spent almost 2 hours on my hair and make-up because I'm really inexperienced. I made sure to wear a button up shirt so I wouldn't have to pull it over my head and smear my make-up when it came to get changed and leggings because Day 1 is final rehearsals! I took a Über to get there on time and I promise you that 9am check in time means, 9am we get started and you should arrive EARLY, I was middle of the pack by arriving around 8:35am. Being there early provides and opportunity to hang out with the girls and if you don't know anyone really you can get to know your pageant sisters! When I arrived, there were girls rolling in their clothes and lining up through the double doors to check in and get started. The check-in process is super simple and we received the program book, cd, and make-up from IT Cosmetics (cruelty free but not vegan). I was incredible nervous to be there and I wasn't a part of the Facebook group (didn't even know it existed), only went to one rehearsal, so my arrival I felt like a loner. This was okay because it forced me to get out there and literally sit myself in a group of girls I remembered from rehearsals. They were awesome and it was wonderful to talk to others who were obsessed with the pageant like me. Then there was the first explanation of the day that included parents. It was pretty inspirational and I will keep the message David gave us close by because he spoke the truth very powerfully. The parents didn't quite appreciate it and those stage moms were not inclined to leave easily despite the pageant DIRECTORS giving them a count down to leave, like preschoolers. Afterwords rehearsals started and even with padding in my heels my feet became numb and very quickly. Rehearsals ran so long that I ended up only having about 15 minutes to prepare for my interview! We did opening number, then swim suits, and then evening gown. There was this weird sense of rushing to get ready for the next event while still having time to relax because there were so many of us (76 in total!). I was number 107 which meant I was right at the beginning of each event, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We didn't know everything and I wish there was documentation of our confused faces as we tried to remember our places for the final walk after evening gown. Luckily, there was also someone there who knew and could give advice and comfort. At the end of Day 1, we got dressed and waited for the buses to take us home. There were no visits allowed from friends and family except at the hotel lobby. That was for our safety and for fairness. There we roomed with a fellow contestant and it was nice to get to know another person from the pageant as more than just a fellow competitor :) I only had one problem and that was food. I could eat almost nothing because of my vegan diet. I was reassured that there would be food for me to eat but at dinner on Day 1 that wasn't really the case and I ended up eating a cliff bar and lays potato chips at the hotel for dinner that night. I don't blame the company because I don't think they really knew what it was to be vegan. I should have known from experience to just bring my own food. In fact I strongly suggest bringing your snacks (fruits and veg) for the pageant because meals are long in between because of the amount that has to be done to run the show! I'm a huge contest person and have actually won 2 contests and wanted to share these opportunities with you guys!
It's been a couple days and I cannot get over the pageant. It was simply one of the most amazing experiences of my whole life. It's rare to have an even that celebrates how truly amazing you are, but this is one of them! Now some may only see the beauty aspect of the pageant but that's only a portion of it. Sure, the finalists had some amazing makeup but what most of us didn't get to see is all of their work behind the scenes. How many of them work diligently in non-profits and have been preparing for months. I am so proud of all the women that went out on stage this past weekend. For me, this pageant was about celebrating the woman I have become. I have worked hard to succeed in in life and slowly but surely I am succeeding. My personal pride stems from: going back to school, losing 30lbs, vegan lifestyle, financial independence. I have lived in an unsafe environment, gotten out of it, and starting building my life over again. All of these things have been a huge struggle, mentally and financially. I struggle with depression, healthy lifestyles, school, and work but today I have a wonderful apartment, roommates, friends, boyfriend, etc. My family tries their best. This weekend I was able to celebrate me and I walked on to stage 100% confident in who I was. I hope to inspire other women to love themselves! I only planned on doing this once but I constantly strive to be better and with all my knowledge and understanding of how this works I want to try it again! I want a long time to prepare and to really get deep with in the program. I missed out on a lot of opportunities by deciding in August that I would be competing. I won't make any decisions till December at the earliest. I just want to thank Pageants NW and the Miss Universe Organization for making this experience so wonderful. I can't wait to see what's next for our brand new Miss Washington USA and Miss Washington Teen USA in this upcoming year! Last night I had a dream where I was at one of the newly built tent cities near the Ravenna neighborhood in Seattle and I was asking to take portraits and ask some of the homeless people questions (it was probably inspired by this post going through tumblr) and I was crying in my dream as I spoke to this young woman and about her background and struggles with homelessness.
After talking to some people I've come to realize that Seattle, and probably not just Seattle, has the tendency to just have police push the many homeless people from neighborhood to neighborhood. As someone who hates being yelled at for not giving people on the street, and boy do we have some mean ones on the the Ave that will do that; I know that, that isn't the norm. These newcomers to these streets are a community, you see it in how they interact with each other. I am deeply saddened when I see them because I haven't done anything to help them. Sure, some may be partaking in illegal society but there are driving factors in their behaviors that need to be addressed before we condemn. Leaving people on the streets is condemning them to an unsuccessful life. While I am passionate about reincarnation and that they will get to live a better life in their next body, that is not an acceptable reason for people to just keep walking by. I don't find it okay that I can have multiple pairs of shoes while some of them have none. I don't find it acceptable that housing structures are rotting when people could be living in them. We, as a society, have chosen money over others and that is seen when looking at homeless encampments. Now, I wasn't always this impassioned about the rights of homeless, in fact I grew in a neighborhood that made me very desensitized to this population. Most who were homeless regularly frequented the local crack houses down the street; they fought for their corner time (it was organized and scheduled), and some were pushy and down right scary to a little girl. I firmly believed that they chose to be there and they chose to have a life of drugs and dirtiness and if they truly wanted to they could give it all up and just go to a shelter if they really truly wanted help. I have since then learned so much about homelessness and the circumstances that bring people to the streets. What has opened my eyes the most was when I once thought I was going to be homeless. I had places to live but none worked within my budget and were compatible with my school and work situation. I didn't know what to do. Luckily, I had the resources to and supportive friends to help me make the best decisions that I could and that saved me so much heartache. There was that chance that if I didn't have them I might not have made it. This post is mostly a self-reflection but I ask any who read it to really think about the PEOPLE living like that and less about the stereotypes and even disgust you may feel toward them. They are real, not just blight on the sidewalk. I am going to look into how I can help with this as well; because for me, a dream is a sign you need to start reflecting and making change. To me, this dream is telling me to be grateful for what I have and start giving back. I am truly fortunate.
On the other side of that I was finally able to go to a workshop, Pageants NW offer workshops to help girls prepare for the pageants in advance which is unbelievably helpful. This one was "mandatory" and I'm so grateful that I went and for all the information. I was nervous at first to see everything I had missed. Luckily I caught onto the choreography quick and there were so many other girls like me who weren't "pageant people" and were also awestruck by the whole process. I met so many amazing girls that have so much going for them. All of them were gorgeous and then you talk to them about everything they are doing and it's simply astounding how people make time to do everything that these ladies do! Meeting everyone made me so ready for the pageant.
This is incredible. We getting to the last days of prep of the pageant and I still have SO much to do! Personal issues and my ankle combined with work and school has really taken a toll my energy levels. But I'm making today as productive as possible! I've bought 2 possible interview outfit possibilities and tried on some makeup that I know not to buy now. Now I'm using EVERYTHING in my fridge to meal plan for this week and rejuvenate my health. So excited to use my Tone It Up nutrition plan and other vegan food sources to find my meals, snacks and even treats! Inbetween I'll be catching up on my homework that is LONG overdue! These are the Kale Chips made from Oh She Glows's 6 Tips for Flawless Kale Chips and they are amazing! Maybe too much chili pepper but it's my first batch and they aren't burnt or soggy? Her tips are golden :) Also super excited to have used my new salad spinner! At heart I'm a radical homemaker! I'm supposed to be on a strict diet because of the pageant, I don't really believe in restricting because it leads to unhealthy mindsets but these days I'm eating a lot of vegan junk food. At most coffee shops in Seattle the only vegan item is a donut and so I've been having a lot of baked donuts. I also gave up coffee this summer and as soon as school started my coffee intake quadrupled! I know it's not the healthiest but when coffee is good, it's good. I love the taste now! I'm also working on cleaning up my lifestyle and got the book Skinny Bitch: Cutting the Crap Out of Your Life and I haven't read it at all except the intro and I'm scared. Luckily I've got this LAVENDER mint chocolates to comfort me. I love GMO free, fair trade chocolate.
I think everyone should thank their lucky stars that they aren't my boyfriend and didn't have to hear every single mope, complaint, and wallow I had about finding affordable vegan make-up in a variety of shades. Of course, there are many companies but I just wasn't finding companies that really "fit". Most I had to buy full size on shades I didn't know if I even wanted. Then, while going deep through the wormhole that is the internet I found "Shiro Cosmetics". Their "About Us" states: "Making nerds sparkly since 2010! Run by two rad ladies working out of beautiful Portland, Oregon." They are an indie make up company from Portland, Oregon. All products are vegan and 100% cruelty free. I love nothing more than not having to go through the hassle of cross checking ingredients. They now have Detrivore cosmetics on their page which aren't vegan but thankfully they make that VERY clear when you come across their cosmetics. I chose to order 18 samples of a variety of browns and then some. The shipping was so quick, but then again, Seattle and Portland are connected pretty well. After multiple uses I'm in love with "Cake" and will be definitely buying this full size, I believe "The Wandering Wizard" and "Attercop Attercop" will be used for my on stage make up! Definitely, strongly considering buying "Attercop Attercop" in full size the blue sparkles are awesome.
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MeganMiss Earth Pacific Northwest 2015 Archives
October 2015
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