The week started off with moving in at the Bayou Suites, going to the press conference, and of course the DANCE REHEARSALS. For those of you who are unaware, singing is my talent for a reason. God wanted me to be a singer, not a dancer. BUT considering that I am aware of my stumbling feet and lack of "dance move memory", I can laugh it off, and SOMEHOW pull off the dance by Thursday night.
On Monday, we also went to Brookshires to raise money for Children's Miracle Network. Now before you go imagining a bunch of queens smiling at the front doors of a supermarket and batting our long eye lashes to get money, let me tell you what actually happened. All of the contestants were split up amongst numerous Brookshires in West Monroe and Monroe. We bagged groceries for, took pictures with, and chatted with many customers. Now, not to toot our own horn, but my local Brookshires DID win the award for raising the most money! 
Now, for Tuesday. There are three very exciting events that happen this day. One - the ULM luncheon. As you ALL know, I have great pride in the University that has given me so many opportunities. Especially considering that ULM is the reason I compete in the Miss America Organization. ULM always feeds us the best possible meal, thanks to Chef Joe :)
Secondly - the Dillard's Style Show.
What beauty queen do you know that would deny wanting to be in a style show? Most likely none. When I go to the mall, I NEVER make it past Dillard's. All of the money I have to spend on shopping immediately goes into Mr. Dillard's pocket. So, I loooooove the style show. My princesses and I definitely made a splash, though. As soon as we got in line, one of us knocked over a perfume sampler table. After we all made an effort to clean it up before we got caught, one of us knocked it over again! We all laughed so hard, that it was worth knocking over the table not once, but twice.
Lastly, everyone knows that on Tuesday night the contestants go to Dr. Jarrell's home for the current Miss Louisiana's farewell party. We know ahead of time that Miss Louisiana will have many guests there, and we all knew who five of them would be. Who you ask? The Miss Louisiana judges, of course! So, we all dressed our best, and headed off to Dr. Jarrell's where we hoped to make an impression on the five people holding the next year of one of our lives in their hands.
Now, for the dreaded Wednesday. Wednesday = Interviews. Interviews are bittersweet. On the bright side, you finally get competition kicked off and let the judges get to know you. The bitter side? You have to hope and pray that they will fully get to know you and your goals. There are two interview groups on Wednesday. Also, very bittersweet. If you are the morning group, you can get your interview over with by noon, but you must get up before the break of dawn to be ready and truly awake in time. So, take the afternoon interview you say? Sounds simple except for the fact that your stomach is in total knots all morning, and everyone in your group is silent the entire morning at rehearsals. After weighing out the pros and cons, I chose morning nausea and had my interview LAST. Sorry, but no pictures of interview. The judges got a little ahead of schedule, and well, girls were running around like crazy people.
After all of the stress of interviews is over, the contestants had a red carpet event at Orange Leaf frozen yogurt! We were are all exhausted by Wednesday night, but we were more than willing to lap up some yogurt!
Now, on to Thursday - Princess party and preliminaries began.
The princess party is one of my favorite events all week! Those girls mean the world to me, and I learn more from them that I ever thought I could! Each of them is so special in her own way. I would do anything for them, and can't wait to spend time with them again next year.
Friday...Preliminary night 2. On Friday, I competed in talent and on stage question. This year for my talent I sang "I Will Never Pass This Way Again" by Glenn Campbell. I was very lucky because I got to work with some amazing people who helped me make this song....ME! Singing is the reason I competed in my very first pageant where I was crowned Miss ULM.
I also received an award that means more to me that any award I have ever obtained. I was Louisiana's 2012 Miracle Maker Award winner. I was able to raise $6400.00 for CMN. Many people do not believe that the Miss America Organization contestants should be required to raise money for CMN, and by that, I am amazed. Those people have obviously never seen a child suffering with cancer in person. Maybe I just have too much experience with child sickness and cancer. Let me tell you. For starters, one of my childhood friends was diagnosed with cancer when she was in the fourth grade. You can imagine how traumatizing it is for a fourth grader to find out that one of her best friends has kidney cancer. Luckily, today she is 19 and cancer free. About two months ago my uncle passed away from cancer. While I was at M. D. Anderson I saw a young child walk out of the hospital room. I immediately began to cry and told my boyfriend that the reason I want to be not only Miss Louisiana, but Miss America, is because of children like him. Imagine being ten and helpless. We should all strive to be like those children who are fighting for their lives - strong and courageous. I can't understand why contestants who are wanting to be a role model and a leader do not want to help children who can not help themselves. We should ALL remember that being Miss America is not only about the clothes, the crown, and meeting people, but it is about using all of these resources as an outlet to reach out and help others. That being said, I was privileged to have had the opportunity to have been the CMN Miracle Maker award winner. 
Saturday can be described with only one word - stressful. The contestants spend all day hoping and praying to have their named called as a finalist. At about 8:15, I was called out as a semi-finalist! I strutted my stuff in a swimsuit, performed my talent, and walked as elegantly as possible in an evening gown. Then, at approximately 9:15, I was called out as a top 5 Finalist. I was privileged to be called 2nd Runner-up to the incredible woman, Lauren Vizza.
Not to sound cliche, but the girls I competed with this year are some of the most intelligent, sweetest, genuine, and confident women I know. I have learned so much from each of them, and would stand by any one of them on any given day. Thank you so much, to all of you contestants who have been such loyal friends.
Since Miss Louisiana ended, many more things have happened. I was crowned Miss Spirit of the Ouachita, and I will represent my hometown of West Monroe at the 2013 Miss Louisiana pageant. The next blog post will have all of the details up the Miss Spirit of the Ouachita pageant and my future appearances. The last few months have been busy, busy, and.......BUSY, and the next few will only be busier. Can't wait!
LOVE,
Jaden Leach
Miss Spirit of the Ouachita 2013
