Mrs. North Dakota International 2016 Crowning Moment!
Mrs. North
Dakota International 2016 – Ashley Rae Klinger
My
Crowning Moment
Hi, everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day
weekend! In this blog, I am going to attempt to share with you the moment in
which I was crowned and became Mrs. North Dakota International 2016. I will
admit, this wasn’t an easy entry for me to write, as I found it difficult to
explain a moment that seemed almost surreal.
Truth be told, receiving the crown was not necessarily my
ultimate end goal of pageant weekend. You may ask, as many already have, if
receiving the crown and becoming the new Mrs. North Dakota International wasn’t
your ultimate end goal, then why did you participate in the pageant? Well, the
answer is simply this; going into pageant weekend, I had three overall
intentions that I wanted to accomplish. First, I wanted to lead by example for
the women in my community and show them that life is about combining the
abilities we have with the opportunities around us. Second, I wanted to
advocate for The Cope Well Foundation and bring awareness to the emotional
recovery of cancer survivorship. And finally, I wanted to surround myself with
other like-minded, passionate women who were also trying to make a difference
in their communities. If, at the end of the weekend, I was able to fulfill
those overall intentions, then in my book it was a win-win and anything else
that resulted from the experience was simply a bonus.
Throughout the weekend, I made attempts to find a quiet
place where I could be alone with my thoughts. I used that time to remind
myself to stay true to who I am and to focus on my intentions and the overall
reasons ‘why’ I chose to participate in the pageant. There was one moment in
particular where I remember standing backstage and a sense of calm came over
me. In that moment, I knew in my heart that God had placed me exactly where he
wanted me to be. He already knew what the ‘end result’ of pageant weekend was
going to be. It was up to me to simply enjoy it and to make the most out of the
experience. That same sense of calm came over me a second time, and it was the
moment I was standing on stage right before they announced my name.
I remember them announcing the names of the second
runner-up and then the first runner-up. Right before they announced the name of
the new titleholder, I remember being at total ease with everything. I remember
looking into the crowd with complete confidence knowing that I accomplished
exactly what I set out to accomplish that weekend, regardless of whose name
they announced next.
Right before my name was announced, I remember seeing the
entire row of all my friends who came to support me. They were all sitting on
the edge of their seats with the look of anticipation on their faces. When my
name was announced, I remember them jumping from their seats, and I remember
thinking to myself ‘holy cow, this is actually happening.’ I remember being surrounded
by all of the wonderful women who were standing on stage with me, and I
remember seeing the excitement in their eyes. I remember my thighs burning
because I was trying to crouch down so my husband and the current titleholder,
Erin, could put the crown on my head. I remember by cheeks trembling because I
couldn’t stop smiling. I remember standing at center stage with my amazing
husband by my side who kissed me and whispered in my ear, “I knew you could do
it, I’m so proud of you.” I remember waving awkwardly to the crowd and wondering
if I was waving properly, as I had never participated in a pageant before and
wasn’t sure what I was even doing in that moment. And finally, I remember the tears
building up in my eyes because what had resulted from that weekend was proof,
yet again, that God’s plan for me is far greater than any plan I could ever
have for myself, and I look forward to making the most out of this incredible
journey that he has in store for me!
Until next time, continue to ‘make a difference’.
Ashley Rae Klinger
