Sun Valley

During the weeks after I was crowned Miss Idaho's Outstanding Teen 2009, I recieved the opportunity to travel to Sun Valley, Idaho with Miss Idaho, Kara Jackson. I am an Idaho native and I have never been to Sun Valley before, so I was really excited. (For those of you who are reading this who are not familiar with Sun Valley, it is the home of the nation's first ski resort.) Kara and I were going to speak to some young women about goal setting, confidence, being yourself, our pageant experiences, and our preparation for our national pageants. Kara and I had been instructed to go to the Wood River Valley YMCA. What we found was a mansion that happened to have a climbing wall, pool, and gym. It was unlike any YMCA that I had ever seen. It even had a fireplace and snackbars! The place was absolutely stunning! We were escorted up to a room where we found four girls waiting anxiously for our arrival. They were so excited to see us. The director Suzanne, introduced us to all of the girls. Two of them were competative figure skaters, one played softball, and the other one was quite the artist.

Kara and I with the girls!

Kara and I sat at a table with the girls and a discussion ensued. The girls asked us many questions. One of their first questions was "Are pageants really like Miss Congeniality?" Kara and I proceeded to explain that the young women who are involved in the Miss America/Miss America's Outstanding Teen programs are very kind, genuine, intelligent, friendly, and outgoing. We also were able to talk about the Miss America/Miss America's Outstandng Teen organizations and the pageants themselves. It was at this point that we were asked to perform our talents. After our performances, we continued speaking to the girls about goal setting, confidence, being yourself, and general advice for the future in a type of question/answer discussion. After that, we all went to do a photo shoot. Kara and I taught the girls how to stand and different poses that they could make. We were in this beautiful park. The cotton was even falling so gracefully. It was like snow in the summer. I can truly say that it was picture perfect. The girls all looked so beautiful. Hollie Smart, the photographer, was stellar. The photos turned out simply lovely. Hollie Smart even took pictures of Kara and I! Here is the link to check some of the pictures out: http://gallery.me.com/tmsmart/100459. On our way back to the YMCA, some skate boarders asked us to sign their helmets. I even signed the bottom of a skateboard! How awesome is that!

Kara and I signing a skate boarder's helmet

Kara and I had a fabulous time. We felt like we really connected with the girls. There was such a spirit around them and we were so blessed to be able to speak with them. I know that we have influenced them in a positive way. To me, being around little girls and being an example to them is one of the greatest feelings of all time. Thank you YMCA!