August 6^th, 2009

First day in Florida

Air Tran was very generous to let me bring my gowns on the plane (all four garment bags.) All the other passengers were staring at my mom and I as we tried to find an empty compartment. My mom, my dad, and I were seated in the second row of the airplane but had to bring my dresses all the way to the back compartment.

Bag total: 3 bags

2 carry-ons

4 garment bags

Florida was very hot and sticky. I forgot what it feels like. It took me a really long time to get used to the A.C. inside and blazing temperature outside.

OPPS of the day: In Florida, we packed our luggage and ourselves onto a shuttle. It was such a whirlwind once we stepped of the airplane. We barely had time to breathe. Sitting down on the shuttle gave us a chance to catch up and make sure we had everything. We counted our bags… WE FORGOT ONE IN BAGGAGE CLAIM and the race started all over again. Luckily, about 20 minutes later, we returned to the airport and the Air Tran workers pulled my bag aside for the owner, me, to pick up

** You can tell which bags are mine. There’s a piece of duct tape with MINNESOTA on the front. It was easy to identify my bags. **

Walking into the hotel, it was beautiful. We were greeted by three of the other contestants, one being Miss Wisconsin’s Outstanding Teen, now Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. Regardless of the fact that I had just gotten off the plane, was in sweats, and had no makeup on, the girls were so friendly! It was a great way to start the greetings. Only 48 more girls to meet!

The rest of the night was very relaxing. My parents and I went out to dinner and walked around. Tomorrow, it officially starts and I couldn’t wait!