So, I’ve never been great with words (I chose to be a mathematics major for a reason) but putting my feelings over the past month in writing has proven to be my greatest challenge yet. I’m not usually one to follow blogs, but I remembered reading one of Miss Kentucky 2009, Mallory Ervin’s blogs and I wanted to share with you a few lines from her that truly embody my emotions….
“When they call your name you don’t believe it…it’s a feeling I don’t think I’ll feel again. It’s hard to describe what it feels like to be in the moment where your dream comes true. It’s kind of like falling, kind of like floating, kind of like drinking six red bulls in a row and trying to sit still. It’s like a ton bricks hitting you then bursting into glitter, or a moon-bounce on a trampoline. I try and try to describe it, how fulfilling it is when all those little dirt roads finally reach a destination…how fulfilling it is to have the opportunity to give and give and give every single day…but it’s just so hard. So here is my attempt. I would love for you to come with me through my dream this year…and if you want to, I would love for you to try and weed through my banter to figure out what it is that I’m feeling…because I want you to feel it too.”
Reading these few sentences still makes this experience seem dreamlike and she really does capture what I was feeling the night of June 26, 2010 and every moment since. Mrs. Beth gave me a journal shortly after I was crowned and I have tried to write every few days to make sure I don’t leave anything out of this special journey.
Rewinding back to the first moment I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to compete for Miss North Carolina, holding hands on stage, my heart pounding out of my chest, Brooke McLaurin’s exact words were “and the winner of Miss Fayetteville 2009, the young lady who will represent a wonderful community and continue on to the Miss North Carolina pageant in June, and possibly…Miss America…goes to contestant #5, Adrienne Core.” Now, flash forward a year and a half later- I’m holding hands on stage again, my heart still pounding out of my chest, and I look over at Brooke McLaurin waiting for her announcement. (By the way, I’m pretty sure this means we need her to host Miss America, right?) Every moment after this felt like the entire world had stopped in its place and I was running around in a blur. After taking picture after picture, smiling as big as I ever have, we left for the Coronation Reception at the Marriott. As soon as I stepped into the limo with my brand new business manager, I had to confess to her, “Mrs. Deborah, don’t be mad at me…but…I didn’t pack ‘the’ bag.” (Every contestant is told to pack “THE BAG” going into Saturday night with all the necessary items for spending the night in the hotel and be prepared to get dressed and ready for the WRAL interview by 6:00 the next morning.) Mrs. Deborah took a deep breath and graciously told me not to worry that we would figure it out and to enjoy the reception. (My sister left for Erwin about 1:30 a.m. to get my things…I’m indebted to her forever.) At the reception I was so warmly welcomed into a room full of smiling faces and was able to spend time with the judges, sponsors, family and friends.
Before I knew it, I was whisked off to my hotel room to meet with Mrs. Beth and Mrs. Deborah about my immediate schedule. As we were talking about the many places I would travel in those first few days, my first thought was “Yipessss, GPS!” During the Monday rehearsal before we moved in to Peace, my car was broken into and my GPS was stolen. As I turn to tell my mom we would need to purchase one as soon as Best Buy opened, Mrs. Deborah presented me with a brand new TomTom Roger Hawkins had donated. Thank you Roger for such a special gift!
After an hour of sleep, I was up and ready for my very first interview with WRAL and then brunch with the Miss NC board of directors where they handed me the keys to my brand new apartment.
My first day as Miss North Carolina concluded with a “flying” trip to Erwin to grab as many appearance clothes as possible and right back to spend the night in my new home. Over the next week, I had interviews with Bob and the Showgram, News 14 Carolina, WXII, Fox 8, and the Keith Larson show. I tried to link each of these to my Facebook so you could listen in. I had so much fun! I addressed the North Carolina House of Representatives and the Senate, sharing a bit about me and my platform. Like my crowning, the experience was surreal as they opened the large golden doors for both the Wake and Harnett representatives to escort me to the podium as each dignitary in the room stood from their seat to applaud. Our state representatives work endless hours making important decisions for our state. I was in awe at their encouragement and warmth!
Next, I was on the road to Charlotte, had a fabulous photo shoot with Lenn Long in gorgeous clothes from Jaime Estrada at Reign Fine Apparel. (Thank you so much Jaime for also sponsoring me at the Southport July 4th parade!)
The July 4th celebrations at both Fort Bragg and Southport were unbelievable and created an Independence Day I will never forget. During my first full weekend as Miss North Carolina, I was among approximately 75,000 people celebrating that special holiday. After all of the festivities in Southport, my mother, Mrs. Beth’s family and I were all invited to a delicious dinner at Mrs. Connie and Mr. Keith’s beach home. It never occurred to me or my mother as we enjoyed the end of the beautiful fireworks show from the deck and prepared to leave Southport that our plans were the same as thousands and thousands of other people also watching the fireworks. Long story short, after leaving Southport about 9:30 p.m., we FINALLY made it to Erwin at almost 3:00 a.m. To make it worse, my mom had to leave for work at 6:30 a.m.- she really does love me a lot!
The next week included having my talent music cut, which turned out to be very bittersweet. I really didn’t think cutting out 30 seconds would be that big of a deal, so I shared all my “great” ideas with Mr. Hubert about where we could cut parts to save time. After he completed all of my suggested splices he said, “Great – that took off about 8 seconds.” Whhhat? But as always Mr. Hubert worked his magic and we have a perfect 90 second song for Miss America!
The following day was spent with Jordan Chan and his wonderful team as we shared lots of laughs and had an amazing photo shoot! (Thank you to everyone who made this possible!) Next I hit the road to Winston Salem for an Autism Awareness event Friday night and golf tournament Saturday. Next up was the North Carolina Outstanding Little Miss pageant. I can tell you firsthand the “Outstanding” is taken literally. The theme for the weekend was Christmas in July and once we were in our pajamas for the slumber party, everyone exchanged Christmas gifts. Then, each of the contestants got to dress their mothers in a custom trash bag evening gown to be worn in their very own pageant that evening. After an entertaining show and a few [small] bites of delicious cake, everyone was off to bed to get ready for the big day. Each of the reigning queens and every contestant were such remarkable young ladies! (Congratulations to Ms. Pam and Ms. Melinda for such a successful pageant. Thanks for all you do!!)
Later that week, I visited Frox, which is a unique boutique located in downtown Dunn. Mrs. Melody Price has generously sponsored a portion of my wardrobe for the duration of my reign and guess what? She just happens to carry Joseph Ribkoff , the official wardrobe sponsor for Miss America. I have my fingers crossed that this is another good omen for January! If you are in the area, please stop by this spectacular boutique. She has the perfect outfit and accessories for any occasion.
While we are on the topic of great clothes, the next day I was off to Isabella Grape in Wilmington to pick out my dresses for Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. We made some great selections for the trip to Orlando and thank you so much Mrs. Connie and Mr. Keith for making this possible!
To wrap up, this past weekend I was invited to a Subway ribbon cutting at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Not only was this an exciting day for the hospital, but also for the entire state as this is the first Subway to ever be located inside a hospital in North Carolina. After the ribbon cutting, I was able to deliver cookies to some of the children that were in the hospital. Their remarkable outlook on life amazes and inspires me.
I will be honest, it was a stressful week spent perfecting all the extensive Miss America paperwork, selecting the perfect pictures, and sending off a final cut of talent music. All it takes for a reality check is to walk into the room of a sick child and see a small face light up simply because you want to sit down and spend time with them. The challenges they face each day are more than I could imagine and remind me to smile just as big as they do and enjoy every second of each day.
Finally, I want to share a special story about a friend. Paul is the brother-in-law of a friend I came to know during college. He has been diagnosed with the exact same disease my father had. As you might already know, my platform is The V Foundation for cancer research and I’ve chosen this organization after losing my father to cancer when I was only 18 years old. The same characteristics displayed by Jim Valvano – never give up – were demonstrated daily by my father, providing living proof for me that determination, perseverance, and enthusiasm truly do bring great rewards in all aspects of life. Since my dad was diagnosed in 1998, I have only known 3 other people to have or even have awareness of the disease, Multiple Myeloma. Paul’s sister, Sara, saw my interview on WRAL and was just as shocked as I was to make this connection. I truly believe every obstacle we are faced with throughout our lives is given to us for a reason and even though we may not know what that exact reason is, we can make the best out of any situation. Please say a prayer for our friend Paul and his determination to beat this disease. You can visit their website at www.prayersforpaul.org where you can donate to the fight against cancer and learn more about Paul!
As I’ve been writing and working, the movie Evan Almighty was playing in the background so I’ll leave you with a question from the movie to ponder…..
“If someone prays for courage, does God give them courage, or does He give them the opportunity to be courageous?”
Be courageous in all you take on!
All my love and best wishes,
Adrienne Leigh Core
Miss North Carolina 2010
Pictured with Members of the Golden Knights at Ft. Bragg’s July 4th Operation Celebration Freedom
@missnc2009 |