I've been so busy and exausted these days that I haven't really had a free moment to blog but today you're in for s treat! (sort of...) Well, each of the junior misses has written an article each night to submit to the Daily Journal and each night they choose one to print in the paper and those who get published become finalists for the Daily Journal Scholarship. I unfortunately was not chosen but I decided to post my article on here for you guys to read! Have a good night! :)

Southern Hospitality at it's best:

Throughout my time in Mobile, I’ve been convinced that once you’re a Junior Miss, the world somehow becomes smaller. Even the idea that the brightest, most intelligent, talented and well-spoken girls in all of the United States can all stand together in one room is just completely mind boggling! It’s like one big question and answer forum, from “Why do you call soda ‘pop’?” to “You’ve never heard of Chick-fil-a?!”. Any questions I’ve had about different areas of the country have been pretty much answered, and needless to say, many stereotypical ideologies I’ve held have been completely disproved! For instance, I found it fascinating that New Jersey’s Junior Miss lives closer to NYC than New York’s Junior Miss does! But one stereotype of the south that I was so happy to see was much greater than I expected was the traditional southern hospitality! To say that the Junior Misses were warmly welcomed into Mobile would be a true understatement! From the moment we were greeted by the ribbon adorned Azalea Trail Maids to being eagerly accepted into our wonderful host families, it was very apparent that good old southern hospitality was far from extinct. Being from Texas and considered part of the south, I definitely related to the “Yes ma’am, no ma’am” responses and similar common courtesies, but the gracious attitudes of the Mobile people towards the Junior Misses went above and beyond my expectations! The willingness of people to open up their homes to total strangers and the general appreciation of the program has been too spectacular for words. Everyone knows about the program and what its ultimate goals are and not once have I had to disprove the misconception that I am a ‘pageant girl’. I don’t want to say I didn’t expect the warm reception we’ve received because of course, being from the south, I assumed that everyone would be hospitable but I suppose being from my generation, I’ve gotten used to the casualty of things like, opening my own car door and carrying my own luggage to the car, but the compassion here has been such a pleasant surprise and it’s on another level than anything else I’ve ever seen. I’ve always believed that anyone can start a chain reaction of kindness by just one unselfish act and I know that the compassion and kindness towards each of the Junior Misses will start a chain reaction all over the nation, which is amazing to think about! So thank you to everyone in Mobile for reminding us all what southern hospitality is really about!