Old memories...take a look

My best friend thought it would be a good idea to include little images for my past titles and competitions on my personal website www.sherriegearheart.com As I was going through the pictures it was so much fun. I even saw old pictures of my grandmother. I miss her so much. Seeing her face made me light up inside. I never knew how much those pictures would have an impact on me. When I have time I want to create albums for everything LOL To be fun I will include some of the images here.... but first I need to get some sleep...

I'm back. It is May 15th and here are some old pics so I can share some memories with you. To view which title I was competing for or held please visit www.sherriegearheart.com/page3 and scroll to the bottom of the page. Otherwise here are some snip-its! :D I included some frequent questions that I am asked most often.

The picture to the left is awesome because I was representing a title I won for all of my charity work. I completed over 1,000 hours of charity work and was given this title as an award. In this picture I am standing with my niece Cassidy Gearheart. She wanted to compete so I coached her and she won her first title. I see so much of myself in her. She is a natural speaker, memorizing her speech flawlessly, and of course she loves art like me too! ;) She was so excited to compete in her first pageant that she would actually call me to work on her speech!!! She had more initiative than most adults I've worked with. The day of the pageant she saw the stage and all of a sudden got sooo scared. I got down on my knees to speak with her at face level. I held her hands and gave her a pep talk and wiped away her tears. She then proudly walked up to the stage and said her speech! She WON!!! Love you Cassy! I was so proud of her. My other two nieces want to compete because of me now! Ha! They are such dolls. I will be training them soon :)

FACTS: I started competing when I was 17 years of age. I always wanted to compete in pageants but growing up in hard times never afforded me the chance to do so. Since I was an independent spirit I made ends meet by going to school full time, working full time, and spending every moment and opportunity I could on gaining experience in the pageantry industry. I thank God for my faith and determination that was instilled in me by my grandparents and my mother who struggled all of her life.

The picture to the left was taken in Florida. The only pageant I have competed in that was out of state. I won a free entry and was taking a trip to Florida to visit my mom so I thought what the heck, why not! Below is a picture from the talent competition. I was first runner up in the Citrus National Talent Competition. A tap dancer won. I sang Opera, Danza Danza Fancuilla Gentile.




WHY DID I START COMPETING? I was amazed by the women I saw in pageants because they were so put together. These well rounded women had talent, grace, poise, and a charity that they worked closely with. I myself suffered from low self esteem for so many years and I knew that by competing I could grow into the woman I always wanted to be. It was that vision that kept me going. As time went on I realized right away that as I was gaining self confidence I could help others do the same. I soon founded Miss Georgean Pageantry which includes pageant coaching focused on modeling and self esteem improvement. The other aspect to Miss Georgean Pageantry is a cover model contest focused on photogenic appeal and charity work. The winner is placed on Tiara Magazine which I founded two years after the start of Miss Georgean Pageantry. The coaching started naturally. I love helping others, I love teaching, and it feels good to do something great for someone else.  

WHY GEORGEAN FOR THE NAME? Georgean is my grandmother's name and it is my middle name. She meant the world to me and was still living at the time I started this new phase in my life. She encompassed everything a woman should be so I named it after her. 

She was so funny when I told her what I was doing. She said... You can't do that... that is MY name. LOL I knew inside how proud it made her. We had an unspoken bond that only grandmother's and grand daughters share. 

This picture to the left is one of the most important pictures to me. This was I believe the very last photo of me, my grandmother, and aunt Diane

together before my grandma passed away. This was an extremely happy day for all of us because it was the day before I won my title of Miss Northern Suburbs 2009 MAO. I tried so hard that year and finally won on my fourth try. When I walked through the door after my win, my grandmother said YOU DID IT, you finally did it. She had a big smile on her face and clapped for me. I miss her so much and her beautiful hands. The day after my victory I wore my Miss Northern Suburbs shirt and headed downtown with my boyfriend Jason to walk on the beach but first we captured a photo together with the three of us. I was so happy to share that moment with the two of the most important women in my life my grandmother and her only daughter Diane. 

DEFEAT: We all lose, but more importantly we learn. For every loss is an opportunity to grow. For every win is an opportunity to embrace our growth. I have lost many titles usually as a runner up but not always. What I learned was that something greater was around the corner. I learned that not every system was for me. There is always room for improvement no matter how much you know or how good you are. 

The picture to the left was my third try last year for a local MAO title for my chance at the Miss Illinois title. I lost and I was 1st runner up three times in a row that very year!! I was told by former judges of mine that they thought I was a seasoned pageant veteran and I wasn't. But it didn't matter because a week later I won the title of Miss Northern Suburbs. Things happen for a reason. :)

That is it for now! Be sure to go to www.sherriegearheart.com/page3 for a breakdown of the titles I competed for having lost, won, or placing as a runner up. 

Until next time, best wishes to you!
Sherrie Gearheart