Hi
friends! I am so excited to post my first blog as Miss Arkansas. I
figured that the completion of my first two weeks on the job was reason enough
to share the details with all of you. I’ve always wondered what being Miss
Arkansas really looked like on-the-daily, so I’ve mapped it out for all of you
the best that I possibly could. These first two weeks were unique, in
that I was doing a media tour and preparing my Miss America paperwork.
Now, things will settle down just a little as I begin to consistently
prepare for the Miss America pageant and travel the state to make appearances!
Buckle
up because the first two weeks were CRAZY and amazing and full of lots of
goodness. Here we go!
June
17, 2017
I’ll
take you back to Saturday afternoon before finals. I went to my room
before we were heading to finals and got to spend some time in prayer and on
the phone with my director. …I mean it when I say that I have never felt
so much peace in one moment. I didn't know
I was going to win, but I knew in that moment that what God had for
me next was going to be GOOD, and there was a lot of comfort in that.
That moment was the perfect second wind for what was ahead.
That
night, they called the Top 10 and I was so excited to have the chance to
perform the phases of competition again.
Walking on stage with Dad was
the most special moment ever.
Once they called the Top Five, it all went
very quickly. When they announced the final result, I couldn't move. I
had to remind myself how to walk and remind myself how to wave my hand.
There were emotions of a dream five-years-hoped-for all in one moment.
I
only remember what I did in those few moments because of the video. I was
completely stunned….. Gold confetti. 80th anniversary. All the
family, so many friends… God is great. How did I ever ever ever
ever EVER question His timing?
So
they called my name. I shook my head "no" in disbelief for
about thirty minutes, first through the interview on LIVE KATV and then through
the first round of photos on stage.
It’s funny because as I reflect now
on that night, my favorite part was looking out into the crowd of people
standing on stage when initial photos were happening. It was all of my people
in one huge puddle around me, and JOY flooded my soul as I looked out and saw
the crying faces of the people who got me there. Favorite part -- so
weird I know!
Then
immediately my new Executive Director, Jessie Ward Bennett (she's amazing)
swept me backstage with body guard (woah) to go have a live interview in the pressroom.
I remember so vividly each step that I took and each person that I saw
from this point forward. I was soaking it all up like a sponge!
Next we went to the VIP room and I was announced as Miss Arkansas.
I was greeted at the door by my princess Asher Ray screaming “MAGGIE,
MAGGIE, MAGGIE,!” and she escorted me to
the red carpet and the Miss Arkansas photo backdrop. I stood in that spot for
two hours and took pictures. Everyone kept offering water, and maybe I
was sweating but y’all, I could've done it for FORTY HOURS BECAUSE I LOVED IT
THAT MUCH. I got to hug so many necks! I signed my first autograph, and met
some amazing sponsors. Once it was time to leave the party, it still
wasn't real at all.
My good friend that I competed with, Jade Collins,
came to my room and lay in bed with my mom and me while we watched the crowning
video and I ate a spoonful of peanut butter. I finally realized what
happened…kind of. I face timed two of my best friends and then
turned my phone off without even checking it so that I could sleep before the
next big day. (That was Miss Arkansas 2015 Loren McDaniel’s greatest advice to
me! Sleep that night!)
June
18, 2017
I
slept a solid four and a half hours, woke up and wrote in my journal, then
headed to get my hair and makeup done by my faves, Jane White and Lauren
Colclasure.
For my first meeting, I wore the white suit that I've
been saving for five years in hopes of wearing it on my first day as Miss
Arkansas. I’d purchased it for my competition interview outfit when I was
18, but ended up wearing something different. I have always loved it
regardless, so that was really happy when I got to wake up and put it on.
I signed my contract, met with the wonderful Miss America Prep Committee, and then met with the Miss Arkansas
Board of Directors. Next I went outside to take a picture with my new car
sponsored by Bale Chevrolet, then I started on headshots for official portraits
that will hang in the Arkansas Capitol and the Chamber of Commerce. Thank you
to Mr. Jerry Davis for the amazing portraits!
Next,
I got in the car and did a phone interview with the AR Democrat Gazette for
about thirty minutes. I met with two of my chaperones to start talking
logistics ... I took notes frantically like the write-everything-down girl that I am! For lunch I ate a
burger that my local director, Maegan Waldrip, brought me from the Capitol
Hotel…FRIES AND DIET COKE. My heart was so happy, oh my gosh!
After
that I went out to the Robinson Center steps to do my first television story
with KTHV 11.
http://www.thv11.com/news/local/22-year-old-maggie-benton-crowned-miss-arkansas-2017/450111953
Once everything on the agenda was complete, I got all of my
things organized and did a load of laundry, watched little parts of the pageant
with my sister, and regrouped. For dinner, I went to eat with my
chaperone Mrs. Mary Glover, and her daughter Kristen Glover Belew (Miss
Arkansas 2011) and her husband Barrett, and Barrett's Mom, Suzy Belew, who was
another one of my chaperones during pageant week. It was so great and I
got lots of good advice from Kristen. I
also ate some cheese dip and my tummy was happy.
I
came home and stayed up for a few hours to put a dent in text messages and lots
of other notifications. It was so wonderful getting to read things online from
family, friends, and others who were so supportive even though I didn’t know
them.
*Disclaimer:
I think there are two kinds of people in this world … those who do red
bubbles on their home screen, and those who don’t. I don’t do red
bubbles (notifications) on my home screen, so this has
been a major challenge!
It
still hadn’t sunk in when I started reading those text messages because I had
been going and doing everything I needed to do that first day. Once
I started answering those messages on Sunday night I started to realize -
oh my gosh - Miss Arkansas? Eeeeep!!!
June
19, 2017
The
alarm was set for 4:00a.m. with four fun TV interviews back to back until
7:30a.m. I have learned that I love TV interviews! The interviews have been one of my favorite
parts of these past two weeks, for sure. For each interview, I would change
outfits, and thank goodness for Mrs. Mary Glover because I don’t think I could
have pulled it off without her! She would drop me off at the door, I'd sprint
in, change, do the interview, head back to the car, repeat. Sounds crazy
but SO MUCH FUN OH MY LANDS!
After that, we visited a few of the
wonderful sponsors of Miss Arkansas. At Bale Chevrolet, the sweetest man
– Mr. Joe, escorted me to my new car. We took some pictures and worked
through some logistics.
Next
we went to Applause, a Little Rock dress shop, and picked up cocktail
dresses that I could take to Miss Tennessee that upcoming weekend.
I so enjoyed all of the glam and trying on the different dresses.
Thanks to Mr. Rusty Hart and Mrs.
Lori Hart!
After
that, we headed to see Dr. Rhys Branman. I walked in to the
clinic and he escorted me down the hall to an
amazing hydrafacial with Krystal. He was singing "There
She Is”. He’s the best!
That
night Mrs. Mary Glover and I grabbed some sushi and then I made some phone calls
about Miss America prep and other fun upcoming things before I turned in for
the night.
June
20, 2017
I
was up at 5:00 a.m. then on air with radio station The Buzz at 6:30a.m.
We talked sports, family, George Strait ... so fun! I loved every minute of it. I gave my
brother, “Bubba,” a shout-out because The Buzz is his absolute favorite.
After that, I interviewed on Power92, B98.5, and KARN. On
Power92 we did some Motown trivia and I loved that, too.
After
all radio visits, we went to visit our lovely jewelry sponsor, Jones and Son,
and I had the opportunity to choose a beautiful Henri Daussi band to keep in
honor of my year as Miss Arkansas! I picked the yellow gold with diamonds. So
that was super special! Thank you, Jacob Jones!
You
wouldn't even believe how nice and giving people have been!
I
ran across the street to visit another
sponsor, Buffie’s All the Rage. Buffie Mayo wasn’t there,
but I got a photo and headed back to see her a few days later. Love her
and all of the ladies at her shop! After
that we visited Tulips of Little Rock, Steamroller Blues,
Ethereal Nails and Spa, Advanced Aesthetics, Arkansas Aesthetics, and
Applause again to take gifts and take pictures. Kind of a random, fun
note: since my platform is about giving, every time I'm in town, I'll go
visit sponsors and take them a gift - a bag of pecans. Why pecans?
My grandpa, Pop, taught me to make homemade pecan pie, and my
great-grandpa on the other side of my family, was known for traveling
around with bags of pecans in his trunk to give as gifts to people when
he'd see them or meet them. I just thought it was a special union of
both sides of my family and a good sentimental small gift.
So we went and bought candied pecans, poured them in
cellophane bags, wrapped them with a little bow, and
delivered them to some sponsors. If you know me, you
know I loved that little detail of the day.
After
all of that, we ran by the Chamber of Commerce to see the Miss
Arkansas Business Office and meet some of the wonderful employees there.
That
night, I went to dinner with my new chaperone and the business
manager, Mrs. Leo Bryant, and her daughter, Sara Bryant. We
took the rest of the evening to get organized, answer emails, and work on some
scheduling.
June
21, 2017
I
was up again at 4:00am to head to KTHV Channel 11 for a TV interview. It
went great and I really enjoyed all of the people there. I visited a few
more amazing sponsors before heading to film a segment with one of my Diamond
State Princesses, Asher Ray. If you don’t know Asher’s story, she is SO
inspiring. She was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma Cancer when she was
three-years-old and she is a fighter, let me tell ya! For more details,
check out her Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/TheBrooklynProject/
She
didn’t know that I was coming to be in the segment. She thought it was
simply another interview about her journey battling cancer. Well, I
surprised her in the middle of the interview and had so much fun doing it! I
love that girl so much. Here’s a link to the story:
I
had that afternoon off which was so nice! I took an hour nap, and then
went to eat dinner with my sister. After we got home, I face timed my
friend Bonnie, worked on setting up some more social media, and went to bed at midnight.
June
22, 2017
I
slept until 8:30… so amazing! After I got
up, I finished laundry, and got my bag
packed for Miss Tennessee. Before I left town, I went to grab a shake at the
Nutrition Hub with my roommate from Miss AR 2013, Brittney, then headed to
Russellville to meet with our amazing smile sponsor, Dr. Michael Cooper. Dr.
Cooper is the COOLEST – I had so much fun meeting him and his staff!
After
Russellville, I drove back to Little Rock to pick up a Miss Arkansas Board
member, Dennis Horn. If you know Dennis, you love him. Dennis and I
BASICALLY DROVE THROUGH A HURRICANE to get to Jonesboro where I met my brother
and sister-in-law, my director Maegan Waldrip, and best friend Hannah at home for about
20 minutes. Mae brought lots and lots of supplies to leave in my trunk
since I'll be spending a lot of time in my car. I ran upstairs and packed up
ALL of the dresses that I could ever possibly want to wear on TV so that I
would have more things for NWA media tour. Then right before I left,
HANNAH ASKED ME TO BE A BRIDESMAID!!!
She is my best friend since I was three years old. I was so
excited!
After
twenty minutes in Jonesboro, Dennis and I drove to Blytheville. We
made it to Blytheville at about 10 p.m. and a Blytheville local
pageant director, Abby Whitener, was there with our dinner (thanks
Abby!). Some of the staff had stayed up late to "Meet Miss
Arkansas" so that was really fun! We ate and I played with Abby's
baby, Worth Whitener, and then went to my room and went to bed.
June
23, 2017
I got to sleep until 9:30! After I woke, I had
breakfast at Perkins in Blytheville. It’s a long time favorite – I used
to eat there when I held my first title, Miss Lights of the Delta in 2013.
It was so great, and Dennis and I sat there for about three hours doing
Miss America paperwork and drinking coffee.
At
about 2:00p.m. we left for Jackson, TN. On the drive there, I was on the
phone with some awesome volunteers working through different parts of the job.
Even then I was still adjusting, but loving every second.
Once
we arrived in Jackson, we got ready for the final preliminary night of the Miss
Tennessee Pageant and attended the pageant at 8:00. The show was amazing
and I met so many wonderful people! After the pageant, Dennis, Robin
Houseworth, and I headed to Denny’s for a late night snack.
June
24, 2017
I
got to sleep late, then went to lunch at this ah-maze-ing Mexican restaurant,
ran a few errands, and I did some more paperwork.
After
that I took a nap, then I made us protein shakes for dinner, and we went to
watch the crowning! Caty Davis was crowned Miss Tennessee and it was
magical! She seems so, so amazing, and I'm excited to room with her at
Miss America Orientation! After it was over, Robin, Dennis, and I went to the
VIP room and met the Miss Tennessee Board, Caty's family, and a few other
folks. It was really neat to hear her speak to them in that intimate
setting after the pageant! We got a picture together and then I left
after she finished her remarks. IHOP after because that's just what you
do after watching a pageant, right?! :)
June
25, 2017
Got
an early start, went to Starbucks, and hit the road. I dropped Robin off
in Blytheville, and drove with Dennis to Little Rock; then dropped Dennis off
and headed to my first appearance.
Pulled
up and parked out front, where Mallory, the
event coordinator, came and met me. She explained that it would
be an event where the Make-A-Wish kids and their families would simply be
celebrating the fact that they had all had wishes granted over the past few
years. She said I'd need to mingle, take photos, and speak on my platform for
about five minutes. Got it!
We
went inside and I started at the photo booth. Parents would bring their
kids over to take pictures and I enjoyed that so much because it was the
perfect way to meet everyone before going into the actual event. Those
kids immediately humbled me. What a PERFECT WAY to have my first
appearance -- I love nothing more than a good opportunity to hang out with
Make-A-Wish kids. You can't believe how amazing they are. I
traveled around the room, spoke with families, did art projects with the kids,
spoke on my platform and how it related to Make-A-Wish and then I
went home about three and a half hours later. It was so moving. I
could go into detail but it would be too much. Just wow…it was very
humbling.
After
that I ran to Buffie's store and picked up clothes for my photo
shoot the next morning. Buffie is so good at what she does! I
left Buffie’s, and my friend Michaela came over to see me.
(Love you, Mikay!)
June
26, 2017
First
thing Monday morning I got up and worked on some paperwork. Got
ready, and went to my first photoshoot with Kattie Hansen. You
can’t even IMAGINE how excited I was to have her take my official pictures
for Miss America! She did my hair and makeup, and picked three
outfits for my photos. We listened to music and played around with
some different styles. It was perfect.
Once we got everything that
was on the list of pictures that we needed, I left there and headed
to grab lunch. I got Zoe’s to-go and went to Dr. Branman’s to eat
lunch with him and Leslie Harmon just for fun!
When
I left there, I went home and repacked, then swung by Bale to get my car
checked before another big road trip. Once I was in the clear, I hit
the road for NWA for media tour NWA style. Once I got to
Fayetteville, I visited some friends and we grilled out. It was perfect.
I went from there to Aunt Tracee's to move in for a few days.
June
27, 2017
I
was up bright and early the next morning at 4:00a.m. to get ready for my first
Fayetteville TV interview that would be at 5:40 a.m. –KNWA.
KNWA went well and I so enjoyed my first experience back in Fayetteville.
It was my first time there since I graduated in
May!
http://www.nwahomepage.com/knwa-today/knwa-today-miss-arkansas-2017-maggie-benton/751800345
After I finished at KNWA I had an hour before my FOX24
interview, which would be in the same building, so I went downstairs and ate
some Waffle House breakfast (missed you Dad) and drank my coffee and answered
some things on my phone before changing and going back upstairs.
Side note: I wish I had a number count on how many outfits I’ve worn
since crowning. To be honest, I love it SO MUCH!
The FOX24
interview was SO fun that they let
me do a weather segment in front of the green screen, then I did
my own one-on-one interview, and after that I went on
their little pop-culture segment. Thanks FOX24 for a great
morning!!
http://www.nwahomepage.com/news/fox-24/fox-24-news-at-7-miss-arkansas-2017-maggie-benton/75180039
Up
next, I had two live Radio Interviews through phone calls to the
Jonesboro Radio Group. That was super special because I grew up doing
different interviews on Jonesboro Radio Group for different events in my hometown.
After
that, I took a 45 minute nap, then woke up and had a phone interview
with the Jonesboro Sun
newspaper. Lunch was my favorite protein shake
from Clubhaus (the Derek Special if you were wondering) before
I drove to Bentonville to meet more sponsors. Then I met with the
generous sponsors at Swanky Lash and Shop Label, a clothing
sponsor, before I drove back to Fayetteville. I pulled into
town and went straight to campus to meet with 40/29 in front of Old
Main to film a TV segment. Immediately after, I met with a
student for the Arkansas
Traveler interview. That felt so weird because just a few months
ago I was interviewing with the Traveler in my Student Government office at the
Union Building. It’s wild how much has changed in two short months!
Once
I left there, I went to meet the girls at Shop Maude and pick out
some adorable outfits for the next day’s photo-shoots.
That
night I had takeout with my mom, who was finally back in Arkansas after being
away for a week to celebrate her 30th anniversary with Dad!
June
28, 2017
Once
again I was up at 4:00 a.m. to get ready for TV at 5:45am at KFSM. I
loved meeting the anchor, Alex. She is my age, so we had a ton of fun! We had
two live segments, and she is a former pageant girl herself, so it was fun
exploring all of the details with her.
http://5newsonline.com/2017/06/28/miss-arkansas-maggie-benton-visits-5news-this-morning/
Left
there and went to Arsagas for breakfast with Mom – our favorite!
After
breakfast, I went to Old Main Lawn
for my photo-shoot with the Arkansas Alumni magazine. I adored every second of it! I also got a photo with Miss Arkansas 1999,
Brandy Cox, who is the Director of the Arkansas Alumni Association, and my
former boss when I was an intern there. After the shoot, we went to
the alumni house to interview for the article that goes with the
photos, and then I caught the beginning of their staff
meeting where they gave me a Life Membership to the Alumni Association! SO
excited about that!!!!
From
the Alumni House, we went straight to iHeartMedia radio
group, and did three different radio segments. The people there were
pros. I so enjoyed talking with them and seeing them do the amazing work
that they do for their community!
After
I left there, I got a smoothie, went straight to NWA Democrat Gazette. This photo-shoot was the definition of
“Giving Is a Gift” because it involved all of my favorite things, including balloons
and confetti. I was soooooo happy! I interviewed with
Ms. Becca for
the article as soon as we finished taking pictures.
After
that, we went straight to Citiscapes Magazine
in Fayetteville. The ladies there were so hospitable, oh my
goodness! I enjoyed some coffee and
interviewed for the article, then drove to the Chi Omega house and
took the pictures that would go along with it. That one was special because
I got to see some Chi-O friends and got to visit the house that I lived in
last year!
Immediately
after, we drove to Bentonville to shop at Shop Label one more
time. I wanted my Mom to see all of their adorable clothes. They fixed me up
with some great things to wear over the next couple of months.
I
left Bentonville and drove to Joplin, Missouri so that we
were halfway to our next destination.
June
29, 2017
We got
up early the next morning and drove to Kansas City. My
vocal coach for Miss America, Mr. Bill Wolfe, is there and we had
a super successful two-hour lesson.
After
that, we grabbed lunch at my fave KC restaurant - Gram
& Dun. Left KC and drove to Rogers to regroup. From there
we headed to Little Rock. On the way to Little Rock, I stopped in Conway to
meet a Miss Arkansas Board member, Lacy Glover, and got my key to the Miss Arkansas
apartment! She showed me around -- it is ADORABLE!
June
30, 2017
I
got up, did laundry, repacked, got organized, finished paperwork, got dressed
up, and headed to the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce. There I met with
some board members and Miss America Prep Committee members at 1:00 p.m. to
finalize my Miss America paperwork and put it in the mail! I took photos, signed autographs, and
picked up all of my newly-printed thank you notes. Thank you,
Wheeler Printing and Kelley Bales!
Once
that was taken care of, I went to Izzy's for a late lunch with
my sister. We love that place. I went home, finished laundry
and packing, drove to Conway and unloaded some more things in the apartment.
After finishing all of that up, I drove to Heber Springs
to spend my holiday weekend at the lake with my family.
Thank
you for following along with my first two weeks. It is impossible to
express how thankful I am for each and every one of these experiences. I
know that the Lord has huge things in store for the year ahead, and I can’t
WAIT to see what He does!
Love
you, Arkansas!!! So blessed by you.
XOXO,
Maggie
Day before yesterday I went to bed at 4:00p.m. and slept
until 8:30a.m. the next morning, oops! It feels great to rest up and get to planning
for my year as Miss Arkansas. I can’t
tell you how good it felt to get off of that plane and get in the car with the
windows rolled down, country music blaring – HOME! I missed the Southern air so
much. Now the best begins! I am ecstatic
to be home, unpack, and start planning the many ways that I will be the best
Miss Arkansas I can be. Lots of plans in
the works, and I’ll be sure to keep you all updated! Big hopes, dreams, and prayers for the rest
of this year. I love you all so dearly.
