I want to apologize for taking my sweet time in updating you on the rest of my Sweetheart experience. I am absolutely exhausted after such a crazy week, and I couldn't bring myself to collect my thoughts before today.
So, I'm sure a number or you are anxious to know what happened on Sunday, but you are just going to have to wait for me to go through the play-by-play. I believe I left off on Saturday afternoon after the parade. By the way, I know I must have been tired from teh race because I forgot to mention the funniest part of the whole parade experience. I was riding along trying to ignore the muscle cramps in my hip flexors from lifting my leg to show my goofy shoes, when a couple approached out moving vehicle. The man had the digital camera locked and loaded (as Utah would say) while the woman thrust their tiny infant into my arms. I didn't realize what was going on until I noticed that the whole family was decked out in Michigan gear, including the baby. They loved my costume so much that they threw caution to the wind and handed their first born to a complete stranger while frantically snapping photos. Yeah, it was that good. The best part was that the driver of mycorvette didn't know that I had this baby in my arms and started driving off. This was by far the most bizarre experience I had all week, and it made the fact that my host family leaves their house unlocked 24/7 seem a little less of a big deal than I orginally thought. Apparently the city of Hoopeston is a very trusting community.
My apologies for not sending an update yesterday. It was a long day, and I couldn't muster up the energy. It started with an early breakfast (have you noticed a pattern yet?) sponsored by the Lion's Club, and then we went straight to a local elementary school. The kids were great and really funny. I have to be honest though, they are terrible at geography. Every kid who volunteered to point out one of our states on a map got it wrong. I bet if I asked them what time of year you harvest corn they'd get it right. Okay, in all fairness, we only visited kindergarten through second grade, so I guess I can cut them some slack.
Later we headed to the civic center (barn) to rehearse the opening number. The choreographer is a bit of a perfectionist, so we spent a lot of time making everyone's cane hit the ground at the same time. By the way, the theme of the show is "Puttin' on the Ritz," and every time the music comes on, all I can think about is that Ritz cracker commercial from the mid 90s. Anyway, here's the irony of the situation: we spent two hours working on this number, and then during the show we couldn't hear the music start and missed about 25 seconds fo the minute-long production. Needless to say, canes were flying and not one hit at the right time. The good news is, we looked smashing in our top hats, bow ties, and cummerbunds.
I have to make this one quicker than normal. My host family has their grandchildren for the weekend, and they are sleeping in the computer room. Sorry I can't send any funny pics today.
Thank you to all of you who have been sending me your warm thoughts, wishes, and prayers. It has been great reading all of my email.
So, today was the big day. Interviews count for 40%. I think mine went pretty well, but it was a tough one. These judges are serious Miss America folk and were not afraid to drill me. I actually went into my interview with a great attitude because...in the car on the way over to the interview location, I received a phone call offering me the job at Google!!!! It's official, I'm a working woman! I am so excited about moving back to Ann Arbor, and I can hardly wait to start. God is good. More on that later.
No crazy tour stories today, but I had a really great talent rehearsal this morning. I'm excited because I am finally allowed to use the runway to perform. Yay! We pretty much sat around the rest of the morning, except for the free massages, and then went to GQ for lunch. After my interview group finished, we headed straight back to Dairy Queen to celebrate the end of interviews and my new found Googledom with blizzards. Then we went to some local spots to use our gift certificates. One of the jewelry stores, Ungar's, gave each of us an Italian charm bracelet with two charms that were personalized to our states or bios. I have a letter "G" which is perfect and the word "Nana" because I talked about my Nana's spaghetti in my bio. Okay, so I didn't get it at first and thought it was a little weird, but the thought was sweet. I then purchased a few more to add to it along with a Hoopeston CORNJERKERS sweatshirt. It's hot. The hoody, not the weather. It has not stopped raining since we got here.
We just got back from a dinner sponsored by Women Who Make a Difference. I'm not sure exactly what they do, but apparently they've done some good. Dinner was a potluck donated by all of the little old ladies. Imagine 50 gramdmas bringing their best recipes. It was tasty.
Before I go to bed, I need to make a quick disclaimer. My sister wrote me an email questioning the genuineness of my enthusiasm for items such as beans, corn, and Pam. As quirky as it may sound, I am truly enjoying myself in this little gem of a rural community. This has been my favorite pageant experience to date, and I can't wait for some of you to get here and see it for yourselves.
Well, that is all for today. I'm going to chisel this makeup off my face and hit the hay. I have talent tomorrow night, and I need to rest these precious hands.
Sweet corn dreams,
gina
I am absolutely exhausted, so I am going to have to make this one short and sweet. We have interviews tomorrow, and I need my beauty rest.
We kicked off the day at McDonald's for a 7am breakfast (this rural life is way too early for my taste) before heading to the local radio station (country music, in case you couldn't figure that one out on your own) to introduce ourselves on air. Then we made our way over to the Con Agra plant where I learned everything I could ever possibly need to know about manufacturing cooking spray. I even got to take home a can of Pam. Between that and the beans from yesterday, I'm ready to start a food pantry in my bedroom. Anyway, the tour was really interesting, and we were once again donning safety equipment to enhance our best features (hair net, goggles, lab coats, you name it). Afterward, we took a picture with our adorable tour guide/Hoopeston native and ran off to Rossville where we went shopping at Gift Baskets by Wilma. The store was absolutely adorable, and the owners gave us all little heart pins (plus 20% off all of the earrings I bought). We went to the local bar for lunch. Seriously. It's called The Pump. Then we spent a long afternoon in rehearsals. It sill can't do the dance. I'm in the back for a good reason. The day ended with a community barbeque and ice cream social sponsored by the Wellington Lions Club.
I am now back safe and sound in my cute little country bedroom. My suit is ironed and everything is ready to go for my interview tomorrow (except of course those two miniscule details: opening and closing remarks). Everything is under control. Just need another coat of nail polish, and I"ll be set. For those of you who don't know, I'm waiting on Google to call me with the job offer of a lifetime, and it is making this week far more stressful than it should be. I'm hoping I get a call soon to relieve some of this tension. Of course, if it's bad news, I'm hoping they'll wait until it's over. Tomorrow is a pretty stressful day anyway. I have talent rehearsal in the morning and my interview after lunch. I'm hoping I will have more time tomorrow so I can send you all some more of those crazy photos. Hope all is well in the "real world."
Love from Hoopeston,
Gina
First of all, I just have to say what a ridiculously good time I am having. The stress of competing has been overshadowed by all of the pomp and circumstance in this little town. Hoopeston has to be the most hospitable town I have ever had the privilege of visiting, and I cannot say enough wonderful things about the people, the food, or the free Dairy Queen.
I arrived in Hoopeston yesterday around 4:30 and met up with the other girls who drove in before meeting everyone else for dinner at Miss Hoopeston's house. The weather was terrible, and it poured all day and night. We enjoyed a home cooked meal under a giant tent to avoid the rain, but my hair was still a frizzy mess by the end of the day. I am very comfortable in my host family's home and have settled in quite nicely after unloading the never-ending suitcases and garment bags last night. Miss New York is also staying here, and if you didn't know any better, you'd think we were old friends.
This morning started at 6:45 when our chaperone picked us up. We enjoyed breakfast sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce followed by a short rehearsal of the opening number. I'm not as coordinated as I'd like to think, and after I asked the choreographer my third question she said, "You must be the violinist." Turns out...I am, and I'm not ashamed of my dance skills or lack thereof.
After rehearsal, we headed out for a morning of tours. We stopped at the bean factory first. The funny thing was, we were required to wear earplgus (and hairnets and hard hats too) and therefore were unable to hear a work the tour guide said. I had to make things up in my head as we went along. Next, we went to a local farm where we learned all about corn and its impact on our daily lives. This was much more interesting, as I was able to acutally hear it. We had a chance to drive the tractors, but I declined due to the amazing photo ops. You will understand when you see the photos. :)
After lunch with the Rotary club, we went back to rehearse talent in the civic center (barn). Mine went terribly because I couldn't hear anything, and my hands were ice cold from the air conditioning. Yay! It's always reassuring to have a bad rehearsal. Later we headed to CVS for a few items and had some down time before rehearsal started again. We learned walking patterns for swimsuti (easy) and evening wear (some may call this one a tad complicated, but I will refer to it as a "corn maze"). The day ended with a community dinner at the Civic Center. Later on, my fabulous chaperone, Janelle, was so kind as to drive me to the track and watch me run so I could get a workout in. Safety first! Breaking news: Miss Utah and I will be running in the 5K race on Saturday morning before the parade. Anyone coming to Sweetheart should be sure to get up extra early to catch a glimpse of me in non-pageant form. I promist there will be sweat and maybe even tears if this weather doesn't improve.
I can't stress enough how happy I am to be here and how lucky I feel to have this opportunity. Stay tuned to find out about the rest of the week.
With love from Hoopeston,
Gina
It has been quite a while since I have written an update, and I thought it was about time. Not much has happened since April, just a few parades and Miss Michigan week! I can't believe it has come and gone already. It seems like the entire year was building up to that week in June, and now it's history. To recap: I won both the swimsuit and talent preliminary awards, along with both community service awards, the academic award, Miss Congeniality, and the title of Miss Michigan. No big deal, really. Except really I didn't win any of those. I was, however, first runner-up, and that's something to be proud of.
Two weeks before Miss Michigan, my mom called me to see how I was doing. I was at that doubting stage where everything seems impossible and I begin to wonder why I put myself through such stress. With her parental instinct, my mother picked up on the fact that I needed some support, so she decided to come to Michigan to help me for a week. Much to my surprise, my sister flew in from Los Angeles (missing a film opportunity) to join us. I told my mom I wasn't sure there'd be much for her to do (as if I really had things under control, ha), and a week later she was still gluing the last of a few thousand Swarovski crystals on my competition clothes. I felt like I was in a cheesy Lifetime estrogen fest where the mom and older sister drop everything they're doing to help the distressed party (me). I was so moved by their love and support, and it made me realize once again that the value of competing is in the process, not the outcome. I don't know what I would have done without them, and I feel so lucky to have such an amazing family.
My week in Muskegon was an absolute blast. Don't get me wrong, it was exhausting and stressful, but I had so much fun. My roommate, Tiffany (Miss Southwest), was amazing. We hit it off from day one and stayed up too late talking almost every night. She is such a beautiful person, and I was ecstatic when she was called into the top ten. I have to give another shout out to our Miss Washtenaw County, Ashlee Baracy, who I had the pleasure of sharing a dressing room with. This girl was sicker than a dog on Thursday night and somehow pulled herself together enough to perform an acrobatic dance and then went on to place 4th runner-up. And of course, a big congrats to our new Miss Michigan, Angela Corsi. She has worked so hard over the years, and I greatly respect her perseverance. Honestly, I could go down the line of contestants and say fabulous things about every one of them. Tjos was truly an outstanding group of women, and I am proud to be a part of the class of 2006.
I am writing to you from the comforts of my own bedroom, and I must say that I'm relieved to not be sleeping on an air mattress any longer. I returned from New Orleans earlier today and spent the afternoon relaxing before disinfecting everything in my duffel bag, including the bag itself. Some of the clothes I brought back were covered in mold, so I had to wash everything regardless of whether or not I used it. Now I am taking some time to reflect on this experience for some needed closure.
The saga continues as new zoning laws just released on Thursday have made some of the completed work of Hands On and other organizations obsolete. Some homeowners are now required to raise their houses in order to meet city code and thus qualify for flood insurance. This is information that should have been released months ago, before people ever returned to rebuild their homes. We are already fighting an uphill battle, and it frustrates me to no end that we're making it harder on these people than it needs to be. I am hoping that this setback inspires more cooperation and communication among homeowners, volunteers, and local, state, and national gonvernment; hoping being the operative word.
I know I've said this at least five times throughout the week, but I really can't even begin to describe the situation on the Gulf Coast. I have had the opportunity to volunteer in many different struggling parts of our country and also in a third world county, and I can honestly say that I have never witnessed need as great as it is in New Orleans right now. I'm not saying this to pat myself on the back, but simply to put this situation in perspective.
I'm going to start by saying that I do not think I have ever had a dirtier day of work in my entire life nor have I ever been so grateful for an outdoor shower. The day started with my assignment to breakfast clean up crew. Ordinarily this is not a difficult task since we really only ever have cereal for breakfast. However, last night a very generous person donated 180 eggs to the church we're staying at, and a crew of four people managed to cook all of them this morning. The best part was that they used two industrial sized iron skillets along with several other frying pans and untensils. I single-handedly cleaned up the entire kitchen, which took nearly an hour. Needless to say, the work crews left without me and somone had to drive me to the site later on. It was a really gross and unexciting way to start my day.
My project for today was to help gut a house in east New Orleans. I didn't get there until after all of the possissions had been removed from the house, but I'm sure it was disgusting becasue the water line looked to be about five feet off the ground. Actually, I'm sure it was disgusting because I saw the pile of debris sitting in the median of the road when we pulled up. I got to work pulling off molding and doors, making several trips to the median to dump waste. Then we all go to work tearing down drywall and pulling nails from the remaining studs. The walls were completely molded over, so when they would crumble and fall, we would get clobbered with green or black slime. Sometimes it was even orange, but only rarely. I would like it to be known that I tore down an entire wall in under 30 seconds, and I have the video to prove it. I'd like to thank Billy Blanks for helping me improve my front and round house kicks and also my sister for not caring that I stole her Tae Bo DVDs.
For some reason, we don't wear Tyvec suits to gut a house, only to mitigate mold, so I was covered by lunch time. I know what you're thinking right now, and yes, eating lunch while covered in mold is a challenging task not meant for weak stomachs. By the end of the day, we had created a garbage pile so huge that it spanned at least 50 feet. I'm not sure exactly how trash removal works in this city right now, but from the looks of things it doesn't actually work at all. Apparently no one has been by this particular house in over a month. They city is littered with trash and debris because there's really nowhere to put all the stuff people are throwing away. Imagine this: 80% of the city is said to be inhabitable (which I can attest to), so if all of those people were to clear their houses of everything they own (since it was all ruined by flood water) along with their walls, we can only wonder where the heck all of that waste will go. The problems here extend far beyond physical destruction. It really will take a quarter of a century to revitalize the area, and we can only hope that disaster doesn't strike again before that.
Two days in a row, what more could you ask for? It's actually technically Thursday since it's about 2:00 in the morning. Today was another amazing day in volunteer land, and I'm afraid my description will not do it justice. But alas, I will try.
I spent the day working at a food bank, which was really more like a giant tent in a church parking lot along with three PODS storage components. To give you an idea of how the operation works, it is run single-handedly by a woman named Deborah who is the most genuine and giving person I have met in a long time. She has battled three types of cancer, stomach problems, and several other serious health problems, yet she wakes up every day at 4:30 to make the two hour drive into New Orleans, five days a week to set up shop. She moved away after the storm to the closest place she could find, and now that her daughter is set in school, she doesn't want to move again. In addition to the grocery distribution, they serve a hot meal every day that is free to anyone who needs it. The operation is so well organized that it is hard to believe how few people are really behind it. At the same time, it was amazing to realize how many organizations came together today to make everything run smoothly. Between Hands On, Americorps, Second Harvest, New England College, and the church, we were able to distribute emergency food supply to over 400 families today. We also served hot meals to many of those people, including a group of contractors from Idaho who said they hadn't been paid for their work in the last month, but were afraid to quit because they might never see that money. There are some sleezy operations down here that are making conditions worse for a lot of people, and it's really sad to hear about.
When we arrived, the pods were filled with food, and my job was to help sort everything into bags that would be given out to families. I spent the entire morning loading beef stew, green beans, and spaghetti o's into paper bags. The bags were then moved outside the tent to tables where other volunteers were distributing them to the line of cars. I spent the afternoon helping load up cars and was floored by what I saw. At one point a Hummer pulled up in line, and I thought to myself, "If these people can afford this car, how could they possibly need emergency food supplies?" When I approached the car with the groceries, I immediately realized the error of my thinking. Everything these people could salvage from their homes was in that Hummer. It was all they had left. They probably used it to escape the storm and have returned to their destroyed home with no where else to go. It was heartbreaking. Later I saw another car pull off to the side of the parking lot and unload a propane stove to cook the canned food we had just given them. Deborah said that this is typical and oftentimes she arrives in the morning to find people staying inside the large tent. Apparently Wal-Mart parking lots are prime locations for camping vehicles for the night. The devastation is so far reaching that I'm only beginning to realize the true effects of such a terrible disaster.
Wow, it has been an intense 24 hours. I landed in New Orleans around 9:00 last night and was greeted by two very enthusiastic volunteers from Hands On. They were impressed that I could pack everything I need for the week, including a pillow sleeping bag and towels, in one large duffel bag and a small backpack. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm impressed by that. Anyway, I arrived at volunteer headquarters just before 10 and found a group of even more enthusiastic volunteers. We're staying in a common area of a church in the not so fancy part of the Garden District. Imagine a huge room with 80 or so makeshift bunkbeds and people everywhere. It's absolute mahem, and I'm loving it mostly because everyone is around my age.
I woke up this morning at 7:00am for breakfast and to get ready for my fun-filled day of work. I was assigned to the mold crew. If that sounds unapetizing now, just you wait. We headed out to the work site in a couple of vans. I can't even begin to describe what I saw as we were driving. As soon as we got off the highway, there was a giant strip mall with every store abandoned, and the entire parking lot was filled with debris and fallen lights. Once we drove into the more residential areas, I could see the line where the water had come up to on the houses. It was a good 4-6 feet off the ground. There was no one in sight. None of the houses are liveable; every one is covered in mold and severely water damaged. It was a complete ghost town. The house we were working at belonged to the police deputy who is living in a FEMA trailor on his front lawn while his family stays in Baton Rouge.
Before I could even walk into the house, I had to gear up in a Tycor suit, goggles, and a respirator. Let me tell you, I have never looked so good. Ever see the movie outbreak? Kind of like that only not as fancy and definitely sweatier. The house had already been gutted, and all that was left of it were the bare studs. We first had to scrape every bit of wood surface with wire brushes to get the mold off. Spores were flying everywhere, and I quickly developed an appreciation for that protective get up. We took a break for lunch to let all of the dust settle before we went to town on it with three shop vacs and barely enough generator power to run them. By the way, there really isn't such thing as electricity or clean running water in a large portion of the city. After we vacuumed, we had to wipe down every bit of wood surface with a disinfectant to get the last of the mold off. This is a really important process because if you don't do it then the people who live there will end up with all sorts of nasty health problems. To clue you in to the rest of the process, we'll have to let the wood dry out for the next day or so, and then we'll finish by painting it with a chemical sealant. Then the house will be ready for new insulation and drywall. It's basically like starting from scratch.
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