From Proud Papa 06/08/2010
 
Emily, I know this is your Blog, but I’m gonna hijack it cause I have a few things I want to say to you as the final days to the Miss Tennessee Pageant pass.

On August 8th, 2009 at 7:00 P.M (or there abouts) 8 Beautiful and Talented Contestants took to the stage to compete for the first title of Miss Country Sunshine and the chance to compete in the Miss Tennessee Pageant In the end the emcee read. “Miss Country Sunshine 2010 is contestant number 6 Emily Hobbs” with those words from the emcee our journey began.

And what a journey it has been. I never thought a “beauty queen” could be as sweet and special as you are to me. You are my first “Queen” and will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve been totally amazed, as I have watched you these past 10 months. I’ve enjoyed nothing more than standing in the background watching as young kids come up to you, and how you have been able to make them feel special. I’ve loved watching you with these children and how they look up to you, want your autograph, even the adults are able to bond with you. Tears often filled my eyes as I watched both kids and adults with a smile on their face as they spoke with you, had their picture made with you, or got your autograph, even the “fan mail” made me proud!!

I never would have dreamt in a thousand years anyone would work as hard as you have, done as much with a local title—I can not even start to count all the “good” you have done using your title. You truly have become a role model

Emily, what I really want to say to you is I am very proud of you. You have worked hard for the Miss Tennessee Pageant, and I would like nothing more than for you to bring the title home and make Miss Tennessee History. God has a plan for you, right now we don’t know what his plan is for you on June 19th.  But we will find out then, and regardless of what happens on June 19th, I couldn’t be more proud of you. You have shown me what a titleholder should do, act and how to use the title to benefit others and help make this world a better place for all of us. You have set the standard for future Miss Country Sunshine’s I only hope they can live up to that standard.

Emily, as I have told you since you were crowned, and even to others that night I’m sure you didn’t hear. I was asked to get in the picture while they were taking pictures moments after your crowning (all directors do, I was told), and I said, “No, this isn’t my night, this isn’t my moment, this is Emily’s moment.” And it was, I didn’t want to make it “my night” because it wasn’t.

Next week will be your week, your week to shine! Go to Miss Tennessee and shine Emily, you are Miss Country Sunshine!

Proud Papa
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As I sit here at my computer, it is crazy that in only 5 days I will be leaving for the Miss Tennessee competition. These last 10 months have flown by and I am amazed I have accomplished everything in time! I am so excited, anxious, and ready to compete for the title of Miss Tennessee. This is something that is very important to me and I know I am ready.

The title of Miss Tennessee is so much more than a crown and sash for me. It is a job opportunity, my dream job. I honestly feel that God puts us on certain paths in life and this is the path for me. I want to make a change in this world and being a part of the Miss Tennessee organization allows me to do just that. Even as a local titleholder I have the opportunity to speak to children about being proud of whom they are and to be the best they can be. I also have the opportunity to volunteer even more with my platform, breast cancer research and awareness.

 I am so lucky to have these opportunities presented to me. This is why the title of Miss Tennessee is so important to me. It would be an honor to represent my state and community with this great honor. Pageants are something I enjoy, but it is everything outside the actual pageant that means the most to me. The events, volunteering, and being a representative of my community and the Miss America organization are the important parts of my job.

 Preparing for the Miss Tennessee pageant is a job in itself. It has taken several months of hard work to get where I am today. Of course this wouldn’t have been possible without my mom. She has been my “pageant assistant” along the way, as well as the rest of my family. My dad, sisters, and pageant mentors have helped tremendously along the way and I couldn’t have done it without them. There have been several ups and downs along the way, but I can safely say that with everyone’s help I am ready to compete!

I know the dieting; working out, studying, practicing, and planning will pay off and be worth it in the end. I have gained life experiences just by preparing for this pageant and can’t wait to make memories that will last a lifetime at Miss Tennessee. See you there!

 

Em
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Originally Posted 05/21/10   By Emily Hobbs Miss Country Sunshine 2010

A TOTAL OF 900 SHOES COLLECTED!

Thank you to my wonderful community for donating 900 shoes to Soles4Souls! These shoes are going to help Haiti, Nashville flood victims and others who are in need. 

Last Wednesday my dad loaded up the truck and sent Mom and I on our way to Nashville to the Soles4Souls warehouse. It was a rewarding experience to see so many shoes that people have donated to help others. Soles4Souls has been hosting drives and delivering shoes and bottled water to Nashville flood victims this week. I can’t show enough appreciation for organizations like this that are bettering our communities. These organizations couldn’t do it without volunteers like you, so thank you again!

There just happened to be a shopping center close to the warehouse so Mom and I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for Miss Tennessee gear. It was a very productive and rewarding day. Here are a few pictures!
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Originally Posted 04/22/10  By Emily Hobbs Miss Country Sunshine 2010

I recently had a wonderful weekend in McMinnville at the Fitness Fun Fair. The day was filled with activities to educate people about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and promoting fitness in fun ways. To kick off the event, I led a kid friendly walk to help raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. The walk was a success and the kids had a great time. I enjoyed other activities at the event that included a jump roping competition, food demonstration, and other entertaining fitness activities. Thank you to the McMinnville Civic Center for allowing me to be part of a wonderful event!

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Originally Posted 04/07/10  By Emily Hobbs Miss Country Sunshine 2010

I am so proud of my community for donating over 600 pairs of shoes for Haiti and Chili relief! Volunteers and myself spent Easter Sunday in my mother’s garage tying and packaging shoes to get them ready for delivery! The shoe drive is a wonderful success and I cannot wait to deliver them to the Soles4Souls warehouse in Nashville next week. I will post more pictures after the delivery! Thank you again to everyone who collected and donated shoes. This wouldn’t be possible without you.
Em
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Originally Posted 03/23/10 By Emily Hobbs Miss Country Sunshine 2010

I had a wonderful experience at workshop in Jackson a few weeks ago. It wasvery informative and helped me understand more about the Miss America organization.  I am excited to be in group C, which means I will be doing
swimwear Wednesday, evening gown Thursday, and talent on Friday. I am happy to be in this group and am working hard to be prepared for Miss Tennessee!

A few weeks ago I teamed up with Soles4Souls to host a shoe drive in my hometown of McMinnville. I am overwhelmed with the response and so proud of my county for donating so many shoes! The drive will continue until April 2nd so please bring your old or new shoes to the Southern Standard or a local school. The fundraiser is for Haiti and Chile relief, but this organization is wonderful about donating shoes domestically as well as internationally. So please donate at least one pair of shoes by April 2nd!

This past Saturday was the Women¹s and Children¹s Health Fair in McMinnville. River Park Hospital hosts this event with Three Star Mall and they had a wonderful turnout. There were several Relay for Life fundraiser  booths as well as a fashion show, parade of babies born at River Park in the last year and a performance by Bill Cathcart and myself. It was a great opportunity to spend time with my community and I enjoyed being a part of this event
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Originally Posted 02/26/10  By Emily Hobbs Miss Country Sunshine 2010

This last weekend I had a wonderful time volunteering my services for a fundraiser pageant. The proceeds of the pageants are for the Ronald McDonald House. The Director of the pageant, Susan Burks, recently had a little boy with a heart condition and they relied on the Ronald McDonald House for several months. Susan wanted to do something to thank The House for their support and I was more than happy to help! The pageants went great and it was a huge success! I was in charge of the contestants backstage and lining the girls up before they went on stage. It was a lot more stressful than I thought it would be, but I loved every minute of it! It was nice to be backstage for a change! It was also nice to see Miss Metropolitan, Lacey Alford, who was one of the judges. I know the judges had a tough time deciding and they did a wonderful job.

 

My niece, Lauren, was a contestant in the pageant. I enjoyed putting makeup on her and helping get her ready for the big night. She did great considering it was only her second pageant. I was worried she would be upset if she didn’t win anything, but she didn’t mind at all! She had a great time backstage and loved hanging out with the other girls. Each contestant received a tiara and had their picture made with a princess. She felt very special and loved all the special attention! Thank you Susan for having such a wonderful pageant and raising money for such a great cause!
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Originally  Posted 02/21/10   By Emily Hobbs Miss Country Sunshine 2010
A few months ago I had a wonderful photo shoot for some Miss Tennessee headshots. My dear friend, Stephanie Edens, agreed to a photo shoot in downtown Franklin. The lovely Lisa Proctor did makeup and Bryan Wood did my hair. They did such a great job, I couldn’t be happier with the results! Here is a sneak peak at a few of my favorite pictures. There are so many good ones, it is hard to choose
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Originally  Posted 12/08/09   By Emily Hobbs Miss Country Sunshine 2010

I am so proud and honored to be your first ever Miss Country Sunshine! Rob Farr directed a wonderful pageant and it was a great night of competition. I met several great girls, several who have since won a preliminary.  I am looking forward to The Miss Tennessee pageant and am ready for months of hard work to be ready for June! I want to thank everyone who assisted with the pageant and the people that are working so hard to get me ready for the state competition. Thank you to the 
wonderful judges for choosing me and giving me great pointers for improvement. I can’t thank my friends and family enough for supporting me during this year of hard work and all their advice. My mother and I are enjoying every moment of preparation!

  The first few months of my reign have been wonderful and I have enjoyed making public appearances and speaking to schools in Warren County. Some of my favorite appearances so far have been the barbeque cook-off competition, Dottie West Fest, the Christmas parade, going to schools, and of course promoting my platform and starting the Tree of Memories program 

  The Tree of Memories program is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society where you can buy a tree (3 choices for you to choose from) in honor or in memory of someone that is battling cancer, or has overcame or lost their battle to cancer. It is a great opportunity to raise money to find a cure for cancer and honor someone you love at the same time. If you are interested in buying a tree please contact me or Rob and we will be glad to send you an order form.

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Tennessee Pageant, Miss Tennessee Preliminary, Miss America Preliminary