!!!

I got my first sponsorships in the mail today. This means that this is actually happening. I'm more than a little bit stunned. The pageant is far away enough that it's still not entirely real, but it's certainly getting there.

Also, thank you so so so much (thank you oodles, even) to the families that are sponsoring me so that I can live out my admittedly slightly ridiculous dream. Did I mention that you'll get your names in the program? That way, the entire audience will know you had the foresight to sponsor the winner!

Next Time, Check the Current Postage Rates

I found out at dinner tonight that my dear mother, oblivious to the change in postage price, stamped all but 5 of my letters with a stamp that was one cent short. Since we have yet to get anything returned to us, we're hoping the post office decided to cut us some slack. Regardless, I really turned up the melodrama when I found out. It's what Miss NJ USA would do.

The Procrastination Finally Comes to an End

I finally completed the list of who I was sending sponsorship letters to, and stuffed and addressed the envelopes, only to find my house seriously lacking in the stamp department. Luckily, my mom apparently had a hidden stash somewhere and offered to stamp and mail the letters for me. I yelled a "thanks mom!" as I ran out the door, borderline late for class once again. I hope she thinks that's an acceptable thank you.

Procrastination at its Best

The deadline for the first round of paperwork and the first payment is tomorrow. Want to take a guess at what I haven't done yet? (If you're guessing it pertains to the first sentence of this post, you'd be entirely correct.) But this is what the USPS has overnight shipping for, right?

I just printed out 17 pages worth of basic information forms, emergency contact papers, and contracts. In my 19 years combined, I don't think I have ever signed and initialed so many things as I did in that packet of papers. It sort of feels like I just signed away my soul, and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure that I didn't. There was a lot of small print and I was in a rush. But there's no time to worry about my potential loss of a soul now, I've got to get to the post office!

Just when I thought envelopes had a weight limit ...

Oh happy day! Another gigantic envelope just for me! (I'm trying to sound sarcastic here so that I don't have to be embarrassed at how excited I actually was to get more pageant information in the mail.) This one had a CD filled with paperwork that needed to be filled out, the program from last year's pageant and a few other miscellaneous papers inside. There's a list of payment and paperwork deadlines that I'll need to take extra care of, lest it get lost in the warzone that is my bedroom. (Does Miss NJ USA have to be overly tidy? If so, that's another thing I'll have to work on.)

Again, I've got to work on rounding up some sponsors. This is starting to feel more real, now that I have actual deadlines in front of me.

A Really, Really Thick Envelope

This is so much more exciting than getting accepted to college! (Don't tell the admissions office I said that. I'm working for them next year, and I don't think they'd appreciate that last comment.) I got a thick envelope in the mail today with the first round of official pageant information and forms to fill out. Oh, and I mustn't forget the check. And no, I don't mean they sent me a check (if only). I mean I have to send them one ... The first of many, I'm sure, since there's no way they can expect this $1095 to come in all at once.

I'll have to work on getting some sponsors, because there's no way my parents will pay for this, and I (starving college student that I am) certainly don't have that kind of money. I'm sure I'll procrastinate on this, but I wouldn't be doing things my way if I started writing sponsorship request letters at a reasonable time. And if I'm going to win this thing (which I am), I'm going to do it my way!

"So, tell me about yourself"

Since submitting my application, the pageant has sort of slipped to the back of my mind. At least it did, until today, when I finally received that phone interview I was hoping for. The woman on the other end was unnecessarily perky, and a bit overly enthusiastic, but honestly, that was probably to be expected. The interview was short, but she managed to ask two killer questions: "Why do you want to be in the Miss NJ USA pageant" (I should have been prepared for that one. Mental note: think up a better answer to that so I'll be ready for next time. I'm sure this isn't the last I've heard from that question.) and "Tell me about yourself." The latter wasn't so much a question as a terrifyingly vague command, to which I responded with my usual grace and poise "wow, talk about a broad question." (Mental note number 2: work on poise before pageant weekend.) I then proceeded to babble something about biology, pre-med, improv, and ADPi, and despite the poor rating I gave myself on my interview skills, the woman on the other end seemed not to mind. (I like to think she found my stuttering endearing.) The call ended with an invitation to compete in the Miss NJ USA pageant on October 17-19 at the Parsippany Hilton hotel.

I'll tell my mom right after I update my Facebook status. As usual, I have my priorities right in line.