Miss America Show Us Your Shoes Parade

Okay, so something you all should probably know about me right off the bat is I love me some pageants...okay maybe, I am obsessed with them! Growing up I was in a few pageants here and there and truly loved every moment. My dream since I can remember was always to see the Miss America in person. Well, today that dream became a reality. 

My job currently has me in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania for another week and the group of women I am doing leadership development with has a dear friend (and sorority sister) that won Miss Idaho this summer. Since Miss America finally returned home to Atlantic City, New Jersey we are only an hour away. I was telling them all about the famous "Show Us Your Shoes" parade and we all agreed that we had to go. It was my first time ever to New Jersey and even though we were only there for about five hours, I already want to go back! 

Let me just tell ya'll...I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. I took 328 pictures over the span of a 2-hour parade and could not stop smiling. Not only did we get to see Miss Idaho, Sarah Downs, but we also got to see Miss America, the beautiful Mallory Hagan, herself. Needless to say, I was a little starstruck. After the parade I went and took a dip in the Atlantic Ocean. In case you arn't aware, a long standing tradition is that the morning after the new Miss America is crowned, she takes her first "official" photos running into the Jersey ocean. 

Take a look at some of my adventure today and let me know what y'all did this weekend!

Miss America 2013

With Miss Idaho, Sarah Downs 

My home state, Miss North Carolina