Comfort Zone

Anyone who knows Macie knows she is not exactly a girly girl. She doesn't do skirts, can't stand pink and thinks cheerleading should be illegal. Imagine then, my surprise when she told me she wanted to be in a beauty pageant! Her interest was sparked by our neighbor who was crowned Mrs Missouri, then Mrs America and then took second in Mrs World. We followed all of her pageants and enjoyed watching her success yet I was still blown away when Macie decided that a pageant was something she wanted to try. Although I was hesitant, I agreed, thinking it would give her good exposure in front of an audience.

We found the Miss O'Fallon pageant with the help of our neighbor. She had been a judge and told us that it would be a perfect "starter" pageant. Macie completed the paperwork and then we set off to find her a casual outfit and gown and work on her talent. The whole way through Macie was really into it. She shopped(which she doesn't particularly like to do) and rehearsed her song over and over. Finally, it was pageant day.

Macie competed in the Junior Miss category ages 11-15. She comfortably strode across stage to introduce herself to the audience and judges. She sang beautifully, confidently belting out her song and engaging the audience. She walked in her heels(yes heels!) and her gown and answered a question with more confidence and poise than I probably would now! To say the least, I was amazed with my daughter! Amazed at this young lady unfolding before me so comfortable in her own skin.

When all was said and done, Macie won the talent portion and was crowned O'Fallon Junior Miss! We were in awe at this girl who was so cool, calm and collected. People work a long time to become that comfortable on stage and here she was doing for the first time like she was a pro.

In true Macie style, she was more proud of winning the talent portion than anything else. So unimpressed by the crown, sash and prizes, she immediately put on her flip flops and plopped down beside us in the audience to watch the older girls compete. You could even tell by the end that she was sort of over it. The older girls told her she was sure to "catch the pageant bug." Macie coyly smiled at them and squeezed my arm as if to say "No Way!" Not to say she wasn't proud of herself but she is just not one to get all caught up in it. She simply wanted to step out of her comfort zone and try something new. I just love that about her.

Here are the links to her intro, talent and question. You may have to copy and paste them into your browser. Hopefully I did it correctly and it will work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwGf1UtHyPk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk2LrAtr7b0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKbS99jZjaM