Dawn View;and Something Funny

The next two pics were taken from our balcony at the hotel on the morning we returned to Missouri. I'm not sure, but I want to believe that this is Mount Hood---but it could be another mountain.This is taken to the left of the last pic and a few minutes later. The sky color was a little deeper. There was a park directly across the street from the hotel. The tree tops you see were from that park. We were on the 7th floor.

This shot was just a few minutes later, and you could begin to see buildings and other structures. We caught the light rail train back to the airport right outside the hotel. We felt like we saw a cross-portion of downtown Portland as we rode along. I think it was only 20 or 30 minutes for the trip. Some areas it traveled pretty fast, but some areas [near other traffic] it was slower. I kind of enjoyed the ride!

Okay, I don't usually take a picture in the bathroom! But I just couldn't resist this one. Oregon is one of the 'GREENEST' states I know about! So they encourage Ecology in many ways. This sign is posted above the stool in the bathroom.

In order to conserve water---this sign tells you how to flush! You pull up on the handle for "liquid" waste[ number 1] and down on the handle for "solid" waste [number 2]. And now you know!!!

HUNGRY! and SO Tired!

After the Finale, we were all pretty hungry so we decided to eat at the restaurant in the hotel. Here is Erika coloring her menu /placemat while we waited for our order.

This picture "says it all!" about how tired everyone was. It was a lot of work in some regards, mainly for Madison and Karen, to get Mad to her 'appointments'/rehersals, and events on time and in the right outfit etc. And there was some 'let down' after it was all over, but I am so glad that Madison got to experience something like this. and I am SO glad that we got to be there to see it all!

Madison is coloring her placemat with Papaw looking on. We all de-stress in different ways. One of the ways Madison chooses is to zone in on some type of artwork. She has always loved to color and draw and has had great comments from her classroom teachers over how well she does with it.[If you want to see what she created for the pageant contest that won her a 'first' rating, check out Karen's blog.--there is a link to it from my blog!]

Tropies and Tears and Smiles

After the pageant we met Madison in the hall and took a few pictures. Her trophies are sitting on the floor in front of her. The biggest one is for her "First" in the Art contest, the second biggest is for her "Second" for the Resume' she wrote [all the girls were supposed to write one.] and the smallest is the one she got for being in the state contest. Each of the girls that made it to state got one of those.Karen had gone running back to the dressing room after the finale thinking that Madison would go there first. Madison had been smiling and talking with the rest of us but when she saw Karen come up to join us she burst into tears. I think it was a lot of things--being tired, relief that the stress was over,being happy that she went so far in the contest, and maybe a little bit of diappointment because she didn't win, too. But the tears didn't last long and she got her 'smile' back real soon.Erika was concerned about her tears and gave her a hug. She told her she was happy for her. Chris had found a rose on the floor that some one had dropped and had given it to Erika during the pageant. She decided that she wanted to give it to Sissy, too. So Madison is olding both roses .One last shot of them all. [ Jacob didn't come with them to Portland because he had an "End of Season" soccer tournament to play in that weekend.]

Pics From the Finale-Sunday Evening

Here are some pics I was able to get from the finale. This first one is from the dance routine that all of the girls participated in doing at the start of the program. The girl with the sash and crown is last years winner. Madison is standing to her left [to your right as you look at the picture].Here is a shot of Madison, with her tropy for being in the state pageant, as she is being introduced for the final time. The girls all rushed back to the dressing area to change out of their 'dance' clothes and get into their formal wear for the rest of the program.This is right after they announced Madison's name as being in the Top 10. I believe she is receiving her Rose for that in this picture.Here are the Top 10 waiting for the judges final decision. From these ten there was chosen 4th runner-up, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and the winner. Madison is standing in the center, and the girl that you can barely see behind last years winner is the one Karen says was the winner this year.

Madison didn't place in the top 5, but she was delighted that she had made it into the top 10! We were proud of her! Glad that she went as far as she did, and really proud of her gracious attitude throughout the whole pageant! And she still had that big smile!

The End Result!

I'm not sure...but I think this big smile is partly because all of the "sit still,"head up" is finally over!

Here is how the back looked. Remember, this is all Madisons hair . NOT an artificial "fall" or hair piece!

A side view [and she is STILL watching the cartoon show on TV]

The Tee shirt and hair bow are part of the outfit she wore for the dance number that the girls did together at the beginning of the show. She put it on before Karen started on her hair so she wouldn't mess her "do" up by putting it on. Karen warned her that they would have to 'go slow' and be very careful in taking the Tee off when she had to quickly change into her formal wear for the finale.

Time for a quick pose with Nanny and Papaw before we all went down to the finale. She always has had this great big smile! Love it!!!!

Gettin' Beautiful...

...takes time and patience! Madison's hair is so thick, that it takes a long time to get even a simple "DO" accomplished.

Karen pulled it all into a pony tail, wrapped a piece out of that around the 'pony' to hide the 'band' and then began to separate and curl her hair into ringlets. She tried using her curling iron but the curls were just NOT staying together. I suggested my [smaller bore] iron and that made a tighter curl.

Then each curl got sprayed with lots of hair spray!

Papaw and Erika were reading the 'funnies' together while all of this was going on [Madison was watching a cartoon show!]

Storm Warnings/ Storm Shelters

Have you ever been 'stuck' in a store like WalMart during a tornado warning, or a severe storm warning?
Several years ago I got to spend a half hour or so in the 'cooler' area of our local Aldi's store while a severe thunder storm raged out side. I was glad for the comfort of feeling I was in a strong safe place.
Last evening a friend and I stopped off at the WalMart in Warsaw for a 'comfort stop'. We had just dropped another friend at her house on our way back from a shopping trip in Springfield. It was a little dark with a few sprinkles when we went into the store. I decided to use the opportunity of being at a Wal Mart to pick up some vitamins etc. that I was needing. My friend and I were looking for one I wanted when an employee came up to us and asked that we would please move to the center of the store as they had been advised that a severe thunder storm was approaching. When we got to that area we could see that nearly everyone who was in the store was milling about in that area. We spent time checking out some merchandise in the area and just walking around in it. About 20 minutes into that someone made an announcement over the store speakers that we were 'in line' of a tornado that had been spotted in Oceola. I was a little more concerned than I had been, and then I was a little more concerned when I thought about where they had gathered everyone: middle of the store, no structural support that would keep the roof from crushing us all if it fell.
I wonder why that area was chosen!?!? Was there not some area of the store: offices, hall, even bathrooms, that would have protected us from flying glass but would have had interior walls to help support a roof structure? I don't know who writes their policy, but I think they should re-think it! I'm probably going to write a letter to Wal-Mart headquarters and maybe one to some state officials expressing my concerns and asking why they approve this policy. Maybe there is something I don't understand, but then ,again, maybe there isn't!!!