Mrs. Utah Pageant Training: Chapter 1 (Reactions, My Core, Hair Extensions, and Zermatt Resort)

Here’s me after I got my Hair Extensions (Do I look like Ariel? Anne of Green Gables? Hit or Miss? Hmmm…) Keep reading below about why I got extensions, how it feels and what I think about them…

Reactions to My Decision to Compete in the Mrs. Utah Competition in May

After Monday’s 6am workout was over I broke the news that I was going to compete. I decided that I needed to “own” the experience in every way, so I announced it here, on Twitter (and yes, traffic has increased because of it), by email, by calling friends and family, and told a few neighbors. There were some raised eyebrows for sure and I’ve discovered “pageant” is a very loaded word filled with mixed emotions and opinions. I admit that I have reservations about it as well… (why must there be a swimsuit competition and what does that prove? etc.) but since I KNOW I’m supposed to do it, I’m putting my doubts and questions about it aside and moving forward with confidence and preparing seriously for it. In general my best friends have been overwhelmingly supportive and awesome about it, that makes me so grateful. Startup Princess readers and members have also been so wonderful and sent me many emails and comments which calmed my nerves and have encouraged me to keep moving forward. For those who don’t understand my decision, well, they’ve been respectful or silent, so that’s been good too… phew!

Sponsors

I was so excited when Startup Princesses Shabby Apple, Lemon Leopard, Today’s Mama, and Fabulash (eyelash extensions, so chic!), and Beth Graham Photography agreed to sponsor me for the pageant… we’re really trying to demonstrate that we have a supportive base of women entrepreneurs since my platform will be centered around that, so this is a great place to start. I’ll be contacting many more companies in the upcoming weeks… if you’re interested in trading advertising for product or for cash sponsorship, please let me know.

My Core

My pageant trainer and Startup Princess Fairy Godmother (Mrs. Utah 2004) Cherie Burton says that what makes you light up a room isn’t your dress, your make up, your hair, or any of that.. it’s your “core”, it’s who you are when you walk into that room. You are a walking advertisement for your life’s mission… It’s your confidence, it’s your feminine power and the way you can dominate with your passion, your joy, your love… it’s your REAL beauty. I’ve been thinking a lot about my core lately and writing about it in my journal, feeling and connecting to that inner beauty, my fears about my outer beauty/what I have perceived as flaws, and embracing the gifts inside and out that God blessed me with. I’ve enjoyed reflecting on this famous quote by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

My Sparkle

So how do you package your inner beauty so that what people see when they meet you represents your “core”, your REAL beauty? That’s been a big question for me. I’ll tell you what it’s NOT (for me), it’s not sweats, it’s not pj’s, it’s not a scrubbed face and my hair pulled back in a headband all day until it’s time to shower and get ready to go speak at an event… that doesn’t help me SHINE with my kids, my husband, and doesn’t show respect to myself or my God. So, thankfully, it’s time I embrace this gift and see that there is a measure of blessings for my confidence and REAL beauty when I exercise early and get ready for the day early…and even add a bit of “sparkle” to my day. I wore high heels around town with jeans last week for fun, a tad more make up and my favorite Tarina Tarantino dangly earrings (thanks Mom!) just because I was doing laundry doesn’t mean it has to be a slob day and I enjoyed it… I felt pretty and more confident and uh, yeah, not so darn embarrassed when Paul, our UPS friend came over to deliver a package.

I bought about 6 high fashion magazines on Monday too, I ripped out pictures of hair styles, dresses, make up, etc. that was a lot of fun… I never imagined that I’d have a reason to wear an evening gown, so this process is quite fun, waking the stylish princess within has been joyful and I feel the creative juices flowing of my theatre days when I wore wonderful costumes on stage. My challenges here are that I’m only 5’2″ and I’m seeking to find a stunning, fabulous wardrobe that’s also modest… I may have to have everything custom made.

On Monday my husband Matt suggested that I get hair extensions… he agreed with Cherie Burton, my pageant trainer that it would look great to have longer hair on stage and more feminine, etc. Unfortunately I had just cut my below shoulder length locks in January to a chin length, so considering a full head of extensions sounded ridiculous. I went back and forth on this decision for a few days thinking, who am I and what am I trying to prove here? Why can’t short hair win a competition? Why can’t I just be me? Then I had thoughts like, well, if I had just known, I WOULD have long hair for the competition and it would be my own… I just didn’t know and don’t have time to grow it now… also I considered how much more fun the competition hairstyles would be and the variety, etc. I decided to do it so I researched the best process of getting hair extensions done and who to have it done by and made the appointment…

The photo here shows my baby’s hair color and my new dyed hair on day 3 (still not washed), hers is what mine used to look like… we decided to go with a deeper bolder color for drama and effect on stage and to make my green eyes look more intense. Effective or not? You be the judge and let me know! I still have time to switch it up!

I got them 7am on Friday (isn’t that a tad early for a hair appt? only time they could fit me in for 2 weeks) I couldn’t sleep a wink. I really worried it would look awful and I was so anxious about it.. but I went and trusted my stylist. It took 1 hour to dye my hair, one hour for her to braid the hair and sew it in, and another hour to style it. It’s real hair from India.. (thank you ladies who grew it for me!) It hurt really bad when she was braiding my hair, so much that I was doing deep breathing akin to early stages of labor pain! Gratefully she’s the fastest braider in the west (usually it’s 4 hours). I had a headache for 2 days and it was painful to sleep on it the first night and uncomfortable the second, but in general I’m really pleased and happy with the results (although I am having a bit of high school flashbacks to when I was Anne of Green Gables in a play). I think it’s a tad too red, but we can add more brown to it later. It’s a bit high maintenance with how to style it, but it holds a curl really well and I’m rather surprised how good it looks on day three (the photo with my baby) At first I was very uncomfortable with my new head of hair… wanted to hide it the first day and pulled it back when I volunteered at my son’s school (they all asked if it was a wig!) That first day I had to really get out of my comfort zone and I had to get reassured it wasn’t horrible from my friends Leslie, Elizabeth, and Alissa… they all agreed it was great, even though I wasn’t so sure. Now I’m enjoying it more because of the ease of it, I wake up and it looks awesome. I didn’t mention that my husband LOVE LOVE LOVES it so that makes it worth it, because it is an investment. My stylist says it should last 8 months if I take care of it. Happy Birthday to me (March 15).

Fitness and Nutrition

I’m really enjoying my early mornings with Liz Rosenbaum, 5:30 am is the ideal time, even if it’s so hard to get up each time… but once I’m there and we’re focused and working hard, it’s so rewarding! I love starting the day out with Liz too because she’s so darn cheerful and supportive of me and what I can achieve. I still can’t get over how blessed I am to train with her and how convenient it is, only 4 minutes away. I’m doing Billy Blanks Boot Camp also for cardio and I’m supposed to do yoga at night, but I’ve been too swamped in the evenings with events to do that AND get to bed early.

My nutrition is rocking… I’m staying off sugar, gluton, dairy, and corn and potatoes, I’d say I’m 98% over the sugar addictions/cravings and don’t even crave whole wheat bread like I did the previous week. I’m eating lots of salmon, omega 3 eggs, and veggies… LOTS of salad too. I’m not drinking enough water, so I need to improve that this week. My skin is looking more vibrant and my green eyes are becoming noticably more clear too.

In general I’m loving the increase of energy, the extra “time” that exercising early affords me because I’m done exercising by 7:30am and can get ready before my kids get going. I love that my clothes fit better now… and I enjoy the “buzz” of my muscles at night when they’re telling me they’ve worked hard and they’re enjoying the workout too.

Our Zermatt Resort Getaway

FINALLY Matt and I got to celebrate our 10th anniversary (yeah, it was in AUGUST, long story, my son fell and needed stitches that night, other plans to celebrate fell through). We had a great time at the Zermatt Resort in Midway and since it was the first time my husband had seen me with my long locks so it was extra fun to surprise him when I picked him up to go out of town. I loved my TIME with my husband (those of you with kids know what I mean!) It’s so nice to be a “Mrs.”, not a “Mom” once and a while. Matt treated me like a Queen and I thought of all the things I can do to prepare for this competition, this is certainly the most important one! (BTW, I highly recommend the Seafood Buffet on Friday nights)

Wish me luck!

Today’s Magic Wand: Add a bit more sparkle to your routine… lipgloss or pretty earrings that make you feel beautiful. Try Loreal Infallible 6 hour lipgloss. They really DO stay on and feel so smooth.