I don't know that I could ever hope to write about this weekend in an eloquent way without leaving something important out!

As many of my readers know, this weekend two new titleholders were crowned. I was absolutely thrilled to hear that Farahn Morgan was named the new Miss Mountain Empire. Farahn is what you can call a "spitfire" and has a wonderful personality! She was wonderful at Miss Virginia last year and had earlier been named 1st runner up at Miss Hill City/Star City.

I spent my weekend in Richmond helping out at the new local Miss Piedmont Region. There are so many times in my volunteer work with or for this organization that one can really be blown away by the dedication from people on all sides of the pageant. This pageant was directed by Sherri McKinney and Hester Fletcher, and if you have ever met either of these women, you know the commitment and love they have for doing this. Their passion was obvious during the whole weekend, and I was glad I got to see pageant production from "the other side".

The directors were wonderful, the judges were great, and the contestants were OUTSTANDING. If you have any doubts about the future of America, please spend a weekend with some of the ladies dreaming of becoming Miss Virginia. I heard stories this weekend of triumph over all odds, pushing through despite stress and grief, and I was just floored getting to talk to all of these women. I truly wish there had been a crown for every girl because they truly all deserved to be up on that stage in Roanoke.

Veronica Rohmoser is one very lucky woman because she easily just inherited one of the most fun and dedicated committees! I think every girl had a great time this weekend! Another one of my favorite things about this program is getting to know the younger girls, too! It was my pleasure to emcee the teen and preteen pageant. It's incredible what these girls do at such a young age! And of course, I got to spend my time with my favorite little girl, Olivia Fletcher, Miss Hill City's Preteen!