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no one was "the most beautiful of all." We were just a bunch of ambitious girls up there on a wall of fame with dreams. It was the biggest photo ever and I started looking at all the other candidates from the remaining 49 states. Nevada was in the middle and there I was. There in alphabetical order were all the girls and their states they represented. When I arrived to Mobile, Alabama my host family walked me into the great exhibition hall where all the cameras were setting up for this nationally televised event. My grandparents jumped in too, and it was thrilling to think they would all be there with me for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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It was such a special event that my parents saved everything they could and bought plane tickets to go. I was seriously overwhelmed with all the attention and everyone's generosity. They made sure I had pretty jewelry and casual clothes to wear for the events during the day. It was hand-embroidered and had big wide panels, so unusual and very couture for the time. We picked out two pageant dresses and Alleta helped to select my performance dress which had a Spanish flare to it. The Junior Miss committee went with me on most of my excursions. I couldn't believe I was walking out with something beautiful in my arms that was donated to me. Honestly, I had really never "shopped" before and it was a breathtaking experience. So it seemed I was shopping almost every weekend in stores I'd never been in before. The most fun part of getting ready to go was the shopping!! There were a ton of local Reno stores who donated clothing and pretty items to take along with me to Mobile, Alabama. For Breck you had to do a hair photo shoot. For Kodak you had to prepare a photo album/scrap book of the Junior Miss experience utilizing their film. My mom and I had so much fun pulling this together and we invited a school friend and his family to join us for the dinner party. For Kraft you had to host a dinner party and document the event, complete with photography and original recipes (utilizing their products). The national sponsors were Kraft, Kodak and Breck. I decided to enter the national sponsor scholarship programs. It was a ton of work getting ready to go. With the average-size stretch in my hands, I dedicated my after-school hours to mastering the octaves. So I got up early before school and started learning it. It fit the time constraints, it was a more recognizable tune, and it was difficult. Alleta said we needed something more showy, more demanding. The first thing was to up the ante on my piano piece. (Someone talked me into cutting mine too, and looking back I wish I hadn't done that.)Īfter winning Nevada's Junior Miss, I had about two months to prepare for America's Junior Miss. It was 1976 and shorter hair had just come back into style. She was short, had a bubbly personality, a fun smile and a cute short haircut.
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Miss Washington had just walked out and I was next. So when I walked into my interview and sat down with a new panel of national judges at the America's Junior Miss pageant and they called me "Lenne" instead of "Lorie," I knew it was over. Admittedly, most of what I say just comes from experience. Today they still challenge my insights, but at least they listen. When my two kids were little, they'd say "but Mom, how do you know?" I'd joke with them innocently and say "the Holy Ghost told me" and we'd laugh. When I first started sharing my early morning thoughts, Tim would half-listen to me or maybe laugh a little bit. Some mornings I will wake up and tell Tim about a new insight that was revealed to me in the middle of the night. I have an unusual ability to read a person or a situation pretty well. But my other gift which isn't so obvious is the gift of gut instinct. My obvious gift would be the gift of music. They have an extraordinary thing going on. However, I do believe certain people have a gift that manifests itself through the Holy Spirit. Personally, I've never seen a supernatural gift or a miracle. Neither of us grew up with this and it is all-new thinking.
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This new little church Tim and I are attending believes in spiritual gifts.