It is now officially less than one month until I leave for Miss America! My time has been spent making appearances, preparing my interview, talent, and walking, and shopping! I feel so lucky to have the help of so many people. The saying "It takes a village to raise a child" is true, only it makes more sense for me as "It takes a community to prepare a contestant for Miss America." Thank you to all of the sponsors and individuals who have already done so much for me!

A belated congratulations is in order for our new titleholders! Miss Idaho Falls Cynthia Huntsman, Miss Southeastern Idaho Kayla Jepson, Miss Idaho Falls' Outstanding Teen Jackie Andreason, Miss Southeastern Idaho's Outstanding Teen Heidi Schwicht, and Miss Snake River Valley's Outstanding Teen Marissa McKinney. They put on a lovely show and it was definitely worth the drive.

I love attending local pageants and I LOVE appearances! I got to help with the Gem/Boise County 4-H Fashion Show with Miss Gem County Kim Ford, was a taste judge for two Cooking Matters classes through the Idaho Food Bank, attended a Rotary meeting in Emmett, was a video narrator for a grant application for community health equipment, and helped out at the Nampa Farmers Market with the University of Idaho extension program; we made seed bombs with the kids! Keeping up with a blog and social media is harder than I thought it would be, but I'm getting the hang of it. Be sure to "like" the Miss Idaho Organization Facebook page for all of the updates, including the Miss America Judges! This year there will be a separate panel for preliminary competition and finals night. CRAZY! Well, I'm off to a mock interview.

Until next time...

Sarah Downs

Miss Idaho 2013