Dawn Saves the Day

I can't believe it is already Miss Michigan week. I knew the time would go by fast, but the last 6 weeks have been a blur. In just 8 days we will have a new Miss Michigan, and for the first time today, I started to feel sad. I think I'm just really emotional right now for all kinds of reasons, but I'm ready for this week. I know it will be a ton of fun.

I left my house in a huge rush today. I'm completely disorganized and have already made a list of the things I forgot. I got caught up in the madness that ensued after I got a voicemail from SPIN Magazine saying that I won VIP tickets to the Rothbury Festival. My friend, Jen, and I entered a bunch of different sweepstakes, risking the security of our email inboxes to save a few hundred dollars. We actually just bought tickets last night, so the timing was a bit ironic, but I was able to cancel the order and it all worked out. Apparently, when you win expensive things you have to fill out all kinds of paperwork, which put a bit of a delay on my departure.

Regardless I got here in one piece (yeah right, you should see all of the stuff I fit in my car), and I managed to only forget replaceable things. The chaos begins tomorrow, and I plan to write each day, but I make no promises.

I ended my last post before I had a chance to write about my final two appearances. On Sunday I was scheduled to emcee a contest for the Douglas J Aveda Institute at the Royal Oak Music Theater. The contestants were all amateur aspiring stylists competing for a $15,000 scholarship to the institute. It was a pretty incredible competition with amazing prizes.

I was impressed with how much Douglas J supported the contestants and the emphasis they place on education. They teach thousands of students each year with 98% of graduates taking jobs in Michigan. I was really proud to be a part of such an incredible event with a thriving Michigan organization. Also impressive was the giant gift basked of Aveda products that they sent home with me.

The evening turned out very well, despite a rocky start. I debated whether or not to wear my dress to the event, or to bring it and change there. Since I planned to catch a concert afterwards, I threw a pair of jeans on and set my dress by the door. You see where this is going, don't you? As I pulled into a parking space in front of the theater, before I could even turn around to look in the back seat, I got that feeling in my stomach when you know you screwed up. Sure enough, the dress was still sitting at home in the very place I put it to make sure I didn't forget it.

My heart was pounding and I started scanning the street for a boutique before I settled myself down and started to think logically. I went in the building and introduced myself in a frenzy:

"Hi, I'm Gina, I'm Miss Michigan and I'm having an emergency. I forgot my dress at home"

(blank stares)

"I live in Ann Arbor"

(crickets)

"And this is all I have to wear (pointing to my jeans and hoodie)"

(short period of silence)

Then, someone finally chimed in with the $10,000 question, "So, what are you going to do?" We started brainstorming all of our options when someone said that there was a girl, Dawn, who had an extra size 6 dress with her. The brought the dress over for me to try on and I am not kidding when I say that this dress looked better on me than the one I had planned to bring. It was adorable and fit perfectly. I must have done something good recently to deserve that karma, because that was nothing short of a miracle.

Terri and I had a good laugh about it in the bathroom, which was a good place to be because I nearly peed my pants from laughing so hard. Let's just say that I had to be creative with my undergarments due to the wardrobe change. It made for a great story on stage (not the undergarments part, I left that out), which was worth the mini heart attack it gave me. I'm including a picture of Dawn, my fashion superhero, and I. Now she has good karma coming her way.

My very last appearance (before the 10 million this week) was with a group of young girls at a really cute little boutique in Gross Pointe called Wink. We had dinner, played dress up with my crown and banner, and then had some good old-fashioned girl talk. It was really casual and I enjoyed just sharing my life and thoughts with the girls and their mothers. I feel like I can provide a voice of reason to young people, especially girls, because I'm cooler than their mom and older than their best friend. I can tell when I say something that resonates with them and I really love those moments. It has motivated me to continue doing this type of work, in whatever available capacity.

That's it for today. It's late and I need my beauty rest.

gv