1st night of Prelims!

Hey everyone! Okay well, I have to write this on word and then will try to copy and paste it so that all of you can read it! The internet is EXTREMELY slow today, but I wanted to make sure that I kept all of you updated as to what is going on here in Fresno. It has been an exciting, and surprising, competition so far, but I am very excited about all that has been going on. Let me fill you in on the last two days…

Tuesday was our very first night of competition! Because I didn’t have talent that night, I got to sleep in and enjoy a little relaxation before dress rehearsal in the afternoon. Marina and I slept until about 9, and then woke up to do a quick workout to our favorite P90X video – plyometrics. It definitely got our blood pumping, and we were ready to start the day. After that we just hung out until 12:30 when it was time to head downstairs and walk across the street to the theatre. When we got to the theatre we ate some lunch – provided, of course, by our wonderful food mommies, Patti and Bernie – and then got ready for our very first run – through of the show; did I mention that we still had no idea how the show ran, and had never done the opening number from start to finish? Well it made for some pretty fun moments later on. The dress rehearsal went a little longer than anticipated, and was a little rough to say the least, which gave us exactly 30 min to eat, get ready – hair and make-up done – get dressed, and go downstairs. Okay, I think even for a normal person this would seem like a lot to do in such a short amount of time, but for a pageant girl, this is the equivalent of saying you need to run the 100 yard dash in 9.2 seconds, there’s no way it’s going to happen!!! People were rushing all over the place, makeup was flying, hairspray was becoming the air we were breathing, and clothes were being thrown all over the room, it was crazy to say the least. Yet, somehow we all managed to be ready and downstairs, some of us skipping dinner until later, and set to begin the show right on time; a miracle!

The show went extremely well, considering we’d only done all of this once, and everyone seemed to be happy with their competition. I was very happy with my evening gown presentation, and was glad that all of my supporters thought I looked magnificent. I feel so calm and so excited, all I am trying to do is be consistent, and hopefully that pays off in the end. Anyway, Miss California announces the winner in two categories – evening gown and talent - every night. Our Tuesday night prelim winners were Sharanya Makopadai – I know I TOTALLY butchered that – Miss Yorba Linda, and Rachel Berry, Miss City of Orange. Congrats to both of these girls, you were amazing!!

Whew, well after all of the excitement of our first night, it was time to see our family! I was so ecstatic to walk across to visitation and see everyone who had come to support me. Kati, Joe, PSZ, Aubri, Sammi, Mandi, my mom, and little brother were all there waiting, and I was so happy to get to talk to them and relax just a little bit more. They are all so great, and I feel truly blessed to have such wonderful support. Thank you guys for everything!

Okay well I said I’d fill you in on two days, but I have to get ready for a luncheon! I promise to write as soon as I get a chance. Tonight is swim night, I get ice-cream before J - long story, so wish me luck! I’ve been working really hard, and now it’s time to strut my stuff! Got to go for now, but I’ll right soon. Until then…

Always,

Saundra Combs

Miss San Diego Cities