Jordan's Miss Texas Week Recap

The week of the Miss Texas Pageant came and went so quickly. After months and months of preparations, alterations and hard work I went into the week of the pageant more confident than ever before. I always love getting to see and spend time with my pageant sisters. Also, because Miss Texas celebrated its 75th anniversary this year many of the former Miss Texas’ that I have looked up to and admired for so long were at the pageant participating in the festivities. I got to talk to many of them including Lisa Dalzell Spooner, Carly Jarmon Gil, Molly Simmons, Tara Watson Watkins, Morgan Matlock Hightower, to name a few and it was such a special experience that I will forever cherish.

I feel so blessed to share this year with my precious teen Lydia. It has been so special for me to get to be a part of her TREMENDOUS growth this year. Lydia, I am so incredibly proud of you. I love you so much!

Two moments stick out to me the most during the pageant week. The first moment came on Tuesday night following my evening gown and swimsuit competition when I was announced the preliminary swimsuit winner. For many years I have watched girls receive the prelim awards and have stood in awe of them. I was always just hoping that one day my name would be called to receive one of these awards. It was so special to be recognized for all of the hard work and dedication I put in to getting in shape this year. To me, this is truly one of the most precious awards I could have received because I set my mind to earning this honor and I accomplished it.

The second moment that stands out in my mind came on finals night. Not only was it such an honor to be called into the top 10 at the pageant but I also got to share the stage with my little sister, Reilly, and of course my best friend and roommate Ashley. Later in the evening when the top 10 was narrowed to 5 and my name was called there was no better feeling than the world than looking out at my family, pageant family, and friends cheering loudly for me and then running to my best friend, also in the top five, for a big hug (and maybe some tears of joy!). Ashley and I kept having to tell one another to “pull it together” and stop sobbing.

Later in the evening Ashley and I stood holding hands in a moment that seemed to last forever and finally Gloria announced that I was the first runner up and that my best friend was the new Miss Texas. Words cannot express how incredibly proud I am of her! All I remember is crying tears of joy as she walked down the runway thinking how excited/proud/happy for her I was… and then realizing I have no roommate for the upcoming semester!!!

I had such a great time during the Miss Texas pageant this year and made many memories that will last a lifetime. There is no way I could have accomplished all I have this year without a very special group of people and I want to take a moment to thank them for investing time, money, and love in me.

First off, my amazing family! Thank you Mom, Dad and Rei for always believing in me and supporting me in all ways possible. I love you all the way to Pluto and back!

My bestie, Ashley - No way I could have done this without you! It has been so incredible to share this journey with you!

Lyds - You are the best teen in the world. God truly blessed me this year by bringing you into my life. I am here for you forever and always… I love you dearly!

Alex and Chris - my secret parents. Words cannot express how much I love you two! You have helped me grow in so many ways the past two years and I know we will be friends forever.

Larkin- thank you for ALWAYS believing in me and helping me to achieve my fitness goals. I love you dearly and treasure our friendship.

Lisa - You are a BLESSING in my life. Not only have you helped me build so much confidence in my interview, you have made me believe that I can be Miss Texas. You are such an incredible friend and role model. I am so lucky to have you in my life.

The Dalzells- Thank you for helping me with my interview. Your mocks made me feel so prepared! I love you guys!

Ashley and Jennifer Lenz - Thank you for making me feel like a million bucks in my dress (which is just a little less than in cost right?! Haha just kidding!) P 90X is amazing… I love you both tons!

Micaela - You made my week INCREDIBLE! I have never felt so beautiful and put together in my life. I don’t know how you made my hair look so wonderful but I thank you from the bottom of my heart not only for your incredible hair and makeup skills but for your friendship and support and for always making me smile!

Stephen Yearick - My tap costume and interview dress were AMAZING! I had so much fun in New York with you and I look forward to working together again.

Shea Sullivan - Thank you for choreographing my tap dance to Instant Replay - I love performing. You are the best! I had a blast with you this year!

BeautiControl - You are the most incredible support team EVER. God has truly blessed me this year by bringing all of you into my life. I can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Courtney at Gypsy & Co. - I adore my cocktail dress. I felt so special in it. Thank you for your generous donation!

Instant Replay

Jordan channeled her inner DJ in her fast moving, crowd pleasing tap to "Instant Replay"

Teen Aerobic Wear

We couldn't be more proud of how hard Lydia worked this year one her physical fitness! I have never meet a teen who worked as hard and followed her plan like Lydia did! Again, a special thanks to Miss Irving Sponsor, Larkin Page Fitness for helping Lydia look so amazing!

Jordan WINS Physical Fitness!!!!

As much as Jordan wants to be Miss Texas, one award she REALLY wanted to win and worked her butt off for (literally) was Physical Fitness. Well all her hard work sure paid off when she was named the preliminary swim suit winner on Tuesday night! A special thanks to Miss Irving sponsor Larkin Page Fitness for helping Jordan make this dream a reality!!!

Irving Girls in Evening Gown

Both Jordan and Lydia looked STUNNING in their custom designed evening gowns from Miss Irving sponsor Lenz Boutique.

On Stage Question

Jordan did an amazing job with On Stage Question! Her question was if she thought raising the required minimum wage helped or hurt the economy.

You Can't Stop The Beat!

Lydia had everybody tapping their toes and dancing in their seats with her dance to "You Can't Stop The Beat" from the hit Broadway musical Hairspray!

Irving Healthcare Foundation’s TexasFest Gala

On Saturday May 1st, after 2 days of non-stop studying for my final exams, I took a break for the evening to attend Irving Healthcare Foundation’s TexasFest Gala. It was held at Eddie Dean’s Ranch in Dallas.

When Alex and I arrived we were greeted by a lady who had actually lived in Irving her whole life and competed for the title of Miss Irving many year ago! She was very excited to meet me and tell me about her experiences with pageants. We then proceeded to the silent auction where I was giving a computer that looked more like a small flat screen television. Someone briefed me about the machine and sent me on my way. The computer was pretty neat in that it kept track of all of the live auction bids and you could actually bid from the computer. There were pictures and descriptions of each item as well. Each attendee was given a “bidding card” and they could scan the card to check the status of their current bids. The only downside to this machine was that it was rather fickle and also that my arm got quiet a workout after carrying it around all night.

I think I played more with the computer trying to make it work than I actually got people to bid but I did get to talk to a great deal of people who were actually from Irving which was neat for me. They enjoyed hearing about my year as Miss Irving and about my upcoming competition in July. They all wished me luck and it felt good to know that the city of Irving supports me as I vie for the title of Miss Texas this summer! Diamond Rio also played a concert later in the evening, however, Alex and I left when the auction closed and made the long trek back down I-30 towards Fort Worth.

Toast To Life Gala

The Toast To Life Gala, held at Fashion Industry Gallery in Downtown Dallas was an event attended by over 800 people. Since it began in 1999, this event has raised over $2,100,000. Many of Dallas’ most prominent chefs showed up to cook up their “latest culinary creations” .

Additionally there was a huge silent auction as well as a live auction at the end of the evening. All of the proceeds went to benefit the Resource Center Dallas. RCD provides critical assistance to individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. They serve 12 counties across North Texas and provide services. They also offer many community programs including:

Health Insurance Premium and Co-Pay Assistance, Oral Health Care, Nutrition Programs, an HIV/AIDS Helpline, treatment education, and other services designed to empower and support community members living with HIV/AIDS. I sold raffle tickets for a trip for two to New York City and I had a great time talking to the attendees about my platform as well as the Miss Texas Pageant this July and all that I will have to do to prepare.

Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS - Passion 4 Fashion

The Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS is a non- profit organization based in North Texas that proudly supports AIDS Outreach Center of Tarrant County, Aids Services of Dallas and Resource Center Dallas. Each of these organizations are dedicated to providing life-saving and life-enhancing services to the thousands of people in North Texas who are living with HIV/AIDS. The Passion 4 Fashion event was held in Dallas’ Rose Room and was a fundraising event.

When I arrived I was whisked backstage into a dressing room full of models and given a gown to try on. Thankfully the first one I tried on worked and I was then taken to have my hair and make up done. The hair and make-up artists were so kind and it was a treat for me because I had no idea I was going to be getting all dolled up. Who doesn’t love getting their hair and make up done! After getting my hair curled and my make up fixed, I put on my sparkily silver Sue Wong cocktail dress, compliments of Saks Fifth Avenue, and made my way to the VIP lounge where I visited with the VIP attendees and sold raffle tickets.

People were so excited to meet “The REAL Miss Irving” (apparently there are a few imposters running around the DFW area! Haha). I hope to get further involved with their upcoming Lone Star Bike Ride. I really enjoyed this event and had a lot of fun getting involved with this great organization… and I didn’t mind wearing a designer cocktail dress for the night either!

Child Abuse Awareness Month

Hello all! I hope you have been great! As for me, I have been a very busy girl the month of April because April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Texarkana has had so many fundraisers and events to raise awareness which I helped out with. On Saturday April 3, I worked all day in the Rainbow Room organizing and sorting clothes. The Rainbow Room is an onsite emergency room containing new donated items. It serves the basic emergency needs of children and families through the Child Protective Services office. The room supplies social workers with any kind of materials needed for a case. It is commonly referred to as a Wal-Mart for case workers. The room contains everything from clothes to toys to cleaning supplies to baby cribs. Only new items are accepted as donations because abused children do not need abused things. All children want new trendy clothes. It was so humbling to see all the clothes and supplies and think of all the children in my hometown who will use these items.

In fact, I was inspired to organize a “Spring Cleaning Supplies drive“. My high school and a local elementary school are collecting house hold cleaning products such as laundry detergent, Clorox wipes, sponges, buckets, and mops and brooms. These are needed items to help children have a clean home to live in. If you are interested in donating please contact me at lidbid11@aim.com

On April 7, 2010 Texarkana declared Go Blue Day! At school I passed out blue ribbons to my friends and classmates to wear all day. We had several questions asked and many opportunities arose for us to raise awareness. Not only did I raise awareness in my school, but there was a huge fundraiser at Cold Stone Creamery where 25% of the proceeds were donated to CASA (Court Appointed Social Advocates). We released a hundred royal blue balloons into the sky in honor of the bruised and battered bodies of abused children. After watching the balloons disappear, my beautiful Lone Star Princess Allie and I enjoyed a giant bowl of chocolate chocolate chip ice-cream!!! It was to die for! I also signed pictures to all the children who came in supporting the fundraiser while Allie passed out blue ribbons. We had so much fun! A local radio station even came out and interviewed me. I had never been on the radio before. There were so many people and I was able to meet a local judge and several case workers who shared with me stories they have experienced with their job. Getting to sit down and talk with them was probably my favorite part of the day. As you can see it was such an exciting day, but more importantly it was a very successful fundraiser!

On Saturday, April 24, 2010 some of my Texas Highstepper sisters and I volunteered at a softball tournament benefiting Child Protective Services and the Rainbow Room. We worked in the drink trailer selling drinks, face painted and worked the jumping booths. I’m not a very good painter, but the kids seemed to love my designs, or maybe it was because they couldn’t see them! The weather was beautiful and I was able to talk to a lot of people about my platform, as well as sign autograph pictures. I only worked 7 hours, but the tournament went way into the night.

This Tuesday evening, April 27th is an event called “Ladies Night Out”. Different businesses in town will be set up to pamper the ladies who attend. All proceeds go to benefit CASA and Child Protective Services. I don’t know what all I will be doing, rest assured I will blog about it!

God Bless!
Lydia Knight
Miss Teen Irving