Hello, From Mrs. Marion County, Your Local 4th Generation Oregonian!
Last night I had the honor of making my first official appearance as Mrs. Marion County (Oregon). My platform, Type 1 Diabetes and JDRF (the research, education, and advocacy organization for Type 1), was one of a small handful of beneficiaries, of the 2019 Portland International Auto Show Sneak Peek Charity Benefit. With a combination of my love for dressing up and networking, as well as sharing my personal story of living with a loved one who has Type 1 Diabetes, my night turned out amazing. There were over 3,300 amazing individuals in attendance. I wore my Mrs. Marion County banner proud, and pinned onto the top of my banner, was my beautiful royal blue JDRF ribbon. I tell you what, I was so proud to wear that. I also worked the Will Call/Registration desk, which gave me the opportunity to visit with hundreds of people.
That leads to the point of tonight's blog post. I got asked so many questions about the pageant, and I was thrilled, and proud, to be able to answer those individuals that asked, with much confidence. Here is my compilation of the most asked questions about Mrs. Marion County last night. I listed them by the most asked.
1. Why did you choose to compete in this pageant? Great question. Competing as Mrs. Marion County, in the Mrs. Oregon pageant, gives me the opportunity to build my personal self-confidence, work out my whole well-being (mind, body, and spirit), make new girlfriends, and use my title and the notoriety that it has, to promote my platform. And, who doesn't like a little friendly competition?
2. Where is Marion County? This question REALLY shocked me. But, I answered, with a smile, a little wit, and then invited them to visit our county. All I can say is, people from Portland, think Salem is in another state (yes, that's being dramatic). My answer was usually, "You know, Salem, the heart of the Willamette Valley. It's about one hour south of Portland. Think Willamette Valley wine. But more importantly, Oregon agriculture." "OHHHH!" Was their response! Yes, people who lived in Portland, that I talked with last night, really had no clue. But that is okay, because I got to give a geography lesson. Oh, and as I was sharing where Marion County was with a random individual, they asked me if I knew what county we were in currently (you know, Portland). I am proud of the beauty and bounty that Marion County has to offer. I think, what was even more shocking to a few people I met, was when I talked about Marion County, is when I told them that I was a 4th generation Oregonian! Now, who can say that? I learned tonight from an acquaintance, that makes me a Unicorn!
3. What's your talent? Apparently, being a 4th generation Oregonian is naturally talented in itself. I explained to them that I feel blessed that the Mrs. Oregon system does not have a talent part of the contest. Phew! I mentioned that it was on-stage presence, interview, swimsuit, and on-stage interview.
4. Wow, swimsuit? With body-shaming being the center of attention and more awareness around that, how do you feel about pageants still having a swimsuit portion of the contest? Another, great question. Some pageants have chosen to not do swimsuits, some have opted for one-pieces. Other's have decided to have "fitness-wear." Still including a swimsuit portion of the pageant gives the married woman an opportunity to be confident in her own body, no matter what shape, size, color, or age, that she is. Many of us in the Mrs. Oregon pageant system are mothers and even grandmothers. We know that a healthy mind is important, but so is a healthy body. That doesn't mean you need to be a size, 0, 2, 4, or 6. Having a healthy body means, that no matter what shape or size you are, you care about you. That is what is so important. It truly shows on-stage, if a woman is proud of who she is, that you can tell she takes care of her whole self (remember, when I say "whole self", I mean, mind, body and spirit), and that she is confident in her own skin. And yes, all of these women I described above, compete together, on one stage, as a friendly, competitive, sister-hood!
5. How long have you been competing in pageants? I started competing in pageants around the age of three. My mom loved to put me in every little pageant, that the state of Oregon had to offer. I stopped competing right before I got married, at the age of 19. Oh, how I have built my personal confidence over time, because of pageants. I know, it has shaped me at who I have become. I am not afraid to speak up for topics that I am passionate about (platforms), I'm a natural saleswoman in my career (appearances and interview), and I easily can network or, "work a room", as we call it, in the networking world (camaraderie and interview). Do you see where I am going with this, pageants help build our young girls up, to be successful women in leadership!
On another note, sharing about JDRF was wonderful. So many people had not heard of the foundation. I feel blessed that I could be there and advocate for my son, and other's living daily, with Type 1 Diabetes.
That leads to the point of tonight's blog post. I got asked so many questions about the pageant, and I was thrilled, and proud, to be able to answer those individuals that asked, with much confidence. Here is my compilation of the most asked questions about Mrs. Marion County last night. I listed them by the most asked.
1. Why did you choose to compete in this pageant? Great question. Competing as Mrs. Marion County, in the Mrs. Oregon pageant, gives me the opportunity to build my personal self-confidence, work out my whole well-being (mind, body, and spirit), make new girlfriends, and use my title and the notoriety that it has, to promote my platform. And, who doesn't like a little friendly competition?
2. Where is Marion County? This question REALLY shocked me. But, I answered, with a smile, a little wit, and then invited them to visit our county. All I can say is, people from Portland, think Salem is in another state (yes, that's being dramatic). My answer was usually, "You know, Salem, the heart of the Willamette Valley. It's about one hour south of Portland. Think Willamette Valley wine. But more importantly, Oregon agriculture." "OHHHH!" Was their response! Yes, people who lived in Portland, that I talked with last night, really had no clue. But that is okay, because I got to give a geography lesson. Oh, and as I was sharing where Marion County was with a random individual, they asked me if I knew what county we were in currently (you know, Portland). I am proud of the beauty and bounty that Marion County has to offer. I think, what was even more shocking to a few people I met, was when I talked about Marion County, is when I told them that I was a 4th generation Oregonian! Now, who can say that? I learned tonight from an acquaintance, that makes me a Unicorn!
3. What's your talent? Apparently, being a 4th generation Oregonian is naturally talented in itself. I explained to them that I feel blessed that the Mrs. Oregon system does not have a talent part of the contest. Phew! I mentioned that it was on-stage presence, interview, swimsuit, and on-stage interview.
4. Wow, swimsuit? With body-shaming being the center of attention and more awareness around that, how do you feel about pageants still having a swimsuit portion of the contest? Another, great question. Some pageants have chosen to not do swimsuits, some have opted for one-pieces. Other's have decided to have "fitness-wear." Still including a swimsuit portion of the pageant gives the married woman an opportunity to be confident in her own body, no matter what shape, size, color, or age, that she is. Many of us in the Mrs. Oregon pageant system are mothers and even grandmothers. We know that a healthy mind is important, but so is a healthy body. That doesn't mean you need to be a size, 0, 2, 4, or 6. Having a healthy body means, that no matter what shape or size you are, you care about you. That is what is so important. It truly shows on-stage, if a woman is proud of who she is, that you can tell she takes care of her whole self (remember, when I say "whole self", I mean, mind, body and spirit), and that she is confident in her own skin. And yes, all of these women I described above, compete together, on one stage, as a friendly, competitive, sister-hood!
5. How long have you been competing in pageants? I started competing in pageants around the age of three. My mom loved to put me in every little pageant, that the state of Oregon had to offer. I stopped competing right before I got married, at the age of 19. Oh, how I have built my personal confidence over time, because of pageants. I know, it has shaped me at who I have become. I am not afraid to speak up for topics that I am passionate about (platforms), I'm a natural saleswoman in my career (appearances and interview), and I easily can network or, "work a room", as we call it, in the networking world (camaraderie and interview). Do you see where I am going with this, pageants help build our young girls up, to be successful women in leadership!
On another note, sharing about JDRF was wonderful. So many people had not heard of the foundation. I feel blessed that I could be there and advocate for my son, and other's living daily, with Type 1 Diabetes.
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