National Make it With Wool Contest

I am very happy to say that I am home from a wonderful trip to Reno, Nevada.  I had such a great time and I am glad that I was afforded the opportunity to go.  Thank you Pennsylvania Sheep and Wool Growers.  Two days before we left, our flight was canceled due to the impending "Snowmagedeon" and it took four and a half hours to reschedule it!  So, we now had a connecting flight to our destination which was to begin in Baltimore, Maryland.  At this point, I had packed my bag, and little did I know, I would be able to fit all of my stuff in one small duffle-bag!  Forgetting about the possibility that I would be purchasing any souvenirs...  Let's just say, I am glad that Mom and Ashley left some room in their bags.  So, we finally arrived and managed to get a shuttle ride to the hotel, which was made up of two huge towers, and checked-into our room on the twelfth floor.  I was only going to be able to stay with Mom and Ashley for Wednesday night and Saturday night.  The other nights I was in a room with three other girls from other parts of the country who were also there for the contest.  

Wednesday came and went so quickly that before I knew it, Thursday was here and it was time to check-in for the contest.  Right away, I took my stuff up to my room and noticed that two of the girls had already been to the room with their things.  I was excited to meet them.  That night, before we all had to go to the rooms for bed, there was a meeting for all of the contestants, directors, and family members.  After the meeting, we all had an icebreaker game called "Never Have I Ever".  We learned a lot about each other, ran a lot, and it was safe to say that we were all tired after that game.   Earlier that day, I met a girl from Wyoming and I did not expect to see her walk into the room that I was staying in!  Then a girl named Marie came in, she was very nice, and finally, a girl from Kentucky arrived.  Her name was Gillian.  I had some great roommates from all parts of our great nation!  

So the first day of the contest was set to begin.  The first thing that we had to attend was a workshop called "Behind the Scenes and Seams".  It was about plays, what costumes they used, and all of the detail that was put into each costume.  It was a very educational workshop and I learned a lot.  

We also had a lot of rehearsal for the fashion show that was going to be held on Saturday.  Rehearsal was about all we did on Saturday, before the show.  For the show, we each walked up on stage with flashlights and stood there until a certain part of the song "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Stirling played.  We all turned on the flashlights and waited until the violin solo, we then turned off all of the flashlights and walked off in groups of three on each side.  Once everybody was off of the stage, we started the modeling.  I was second to go.  Everyone had to walk on stage to the microphone and say a fact about your state regarding the sheep industry and agriculture.  It was quite simple for me to come up with a Pennsylvania fact.  Mine was on the Farm Show.  I simply stated that, "My state's number one industry is agriculture.  We have the largest indoor agricultural event in North America which has a large showcase of sheep and wool exhibits."  After everyone went, we had the finale!  Again, we all walked onto the stage and a young, eight year old girl sang "Let it Go" to correspond with the theme "Frozen in Time."  The whole convention was a celebration of 150 years for the American Sheep Industry!  After the finale, we held the awards.  Even though I didn't win and award, I think that just being given the opportunities that I was given on this trip was an award in itself!  Hope you enjoyed this blog!  I'm already planning my outfit for next year! 

Me modeling my outfit for the state convention.

A few pictures from Nevada!