I love cliches.

Time flies when you're having fun.

     I know what you're thinking. Here I am writing another post in a blog about my life, starting with a cliche. Real original. However, an expression becomes a cliche when it is so overused that its meaning has practically lost its value (sad, but true), but obviously it has to have some sort of truth behind it...or, a LOT of truth behind it to be referred to that often. So I guess it is true what they say, time really does fly when you're having fun!
I can't believe it has already been four months since I was awarded this honored title, and I have already had so many awesome opportunities to expand my knowledge, meet wonderful people, travel to beautiful places in our country, and promote my favorite fruit! My original goal was to write a new post following each of my watermelon adventures, but balancing this great new job, trying to keep up with my junior year at Texas A&M University, and my other extracurricular activities proved to be harder than I anticipated. Not to mention, I have a bad habit of procrastinating... However, I still want a special way for my family and friends to know what I've been up to since my crowning, so this will be an all inclusive post since then! (To the few of you who might actually read this, I promise this will be the only one this long.)

     My first adventure as the 2012 Texas Watermelon Queen took me to Biloxi, Mississippi at the beautiful Beau Rivage Resort and Casino for the 2012 Alabama Watermelon Association convention and pageant in February. It wasn't until after I boarded two airplanes, crossed state lines, hailed a taxi to the resort, and walked through the huge front doors that I realized this was actually happening! My life was changing, and an incredible new chapter of my life's story had officially begun. It was so great to be reunited with my extended watermelon family, such as the 2011 National Watermelon Queen, Whitney Conner and Ms. Eleanor, and to meet the 2011 Florida and Alabama Watermelon Queens, Katelyn Kelley and Anne-Marie Urrutia and the 2012 South Carolina Watermelon Queen, Katie Taylor, and all of the pageant contestants.
The first night was the pajama party themed president's reception. The night was filled with laughter, good friends, great food with watermelon (of course), dancing to the wobble, the cha-cha slide, and the watermelon crawl. I finally learned how, and you would think it should be some sort of requirement for the watermelon queen! There was even karaoke, and I had the privilege to entertain people with "the Box Brothers" singing, or attempting to sing, "Margaritaville" and "Sweet Home Alabama" with all of the other queens. Even though it probably would've sounded better without my help it was still a lot of fun.

Attempting to karaoke

If ya drink, don't drive, do the watermelon crawl.

     The next day started bright and early with a delicious breakfast, a crisis prevention presentation, the contestants' speeches who all did a wonderful job, the seed spit (which I need more practice doing) and the auction! All of the queens and contestants helped the auctioneer move everything along smoothly, and even had fun trying on some of the items and laughing together. While it was tiring being on our feet all day, it was worth it to raise money for this great association and help it to be such a success. The night concluded with the 2012 pageant. After dinner, each of the contestants modeled their beautiful evening gowns and waited anxiously for the results. I have to admit, it felt so much better to be on this side of the podium this time! We then honored the incredibly sweet Anne-Marie and remembered all of her adventures during her year as queen. The time had finally come for all of the contestants, and the title of 2012 Alabama Watermelon Queen was awarded to Amber Nolin. Amber is such a sweet girl and has become a good friend.

Congratulations Amber!

      My first promotion took place in March at a San Antonio H-E-B. Former Texas queen, Emmy Laffere was so great for setting up the promotion for me, and I was thankful to be able to share this special first experience with her and someone who knows this industry so well. It was a very successful day handing out nutritional cards, recipes, and samples of the delicious watermelon salsa to the store goers as well as stickers and coloring books to the children.

 

My favorite part, and the most special part of the day was when one of the employees came up to me and asked who I was and if I was going to run for Miss America. After I explained to him what I was doing there, and that I would compete at the national level next February, he asked for my hand and began to pray for me. During his prayer, he even proclaimed that I would be successful at the national pageant. It was such a special moment, one I will never forget, and I was so thankful for this stranger's kind and encouraging words. The rest of the day went by very smoothly and too quickly! That day was such a success that I could not wait to do it again.

I LOVE my job!

     The next adventure I got to partake in as queen was to the Florida Watermelon Association's convention and pageant in Tampa, Florida at the Renaissance Tampa International Plaza Hotel. Out of all of the trips I have taken to Florida during my life, which is A LOT, this was my first time visiting Tampa. The hotel itself was beautiful and conveniently located right next to the mall, which all of us girls enjoyed. I also got to meet more of the newly crowned 2012 Watermelon Queens: Laurel Higginbotham representing Georgia, Sidney Vieck representing Illiana, and Terra Tatman representing Mar-Del. All of these girls were so fun to get to know and spend time with. The patriotic themed president's reception occurred later that night. After a delightful dinner, Katelyn, who was recently crowned the 2012 National Watermelon queen, and all of the contestants performed their opening number and kicked-off the fun filled evening filled with dancing and entertainment from the extremely talented live band. So many people were out on the dance floor and it was clear we were all having had such a great time! 

'Merica.

Early the next day began with a wonderful breakfast, then followed with some presentations, the contestant's speeches, and promotion wear. After lunch, the seed spit took place outside on the terrace. Once again, I was a little rusty, but spat 20 something feet which wasn't a complete disgrace. 
It might be silly, but one of my goals during my reign as queen is to win a seed spit for the queen division! That's something to be proud of, right? And not everyone can say they've done that before in their lifetime. YOLO? 
Anywho, The auction followed shortly after, and once again all of the queens and contestants did their duty to present the auction items to everyone atending the convention, and to keep the energy up. It was another successful auction at the Florida convention and a record breaking amount was raised. That evening after dinner was the evening gown portion of the pageant, and all of the lovely contestants were escorted by special guests of the armed forces to walk the runway. Each of the girls looked beautiful! We then honored and remembered members of the Florida association for their hard work and dedication to this industry, as well as to Katelyn during her year as the 2011 queen. The time had finally come for the 2012 Florida Watermelon Queen to be announced, and the title was awarded to Christine Chaloupka. She was so excited to be the new queen and I knew would do a wonderful job representing this association, and to become not only a new friend but a sister queen. 

2012 Watermelon Queens. Congratulations Christine!

     My second promotion was sponsored by Mr. Jeff Fawcett of Bagley Produce in April in my hometown of McAllen for a Sam's Club grand opening. This day was extra special, not only because I was able to come home to my roots for a brief time, but also because Chef Joseph Poon, known for his amazing watermelon carvings, recipes, and sense of humor, was there as well. It was so much fun being able to spend the day working right beside him. 

The afternoon seemed to fly by talking to people about watermelon's nutritional benefits, versatility, handing out stickers and coloring books to children, recipe cards to parents, and most importantly slices of delicious, sweet watermelon to all of the customers.

 I even had the opportunity to tell people how to pick the best watermelon in store, and it's easy as 1-2-3! 
For those of you who don't know, you want to choose a watermelon that is symmetrical and free of any gashes, dents, or bruises. Next, you want to look for the buttery yellow spot called the "ground spot" on the bottom of the watermelon which indicates it had plenty of time to ripen in the sun. Last but not least, you need to pick up your watermelon and make sure that it is heavy for its size because watermelons are made up of 92% water! Follow these three easy steps, and you're sure to have yourself an exceptional treat! In case you were wondering.
 It felt so good to be home, even for such a short time, and I was so glad to have the chance to represent this industry and promote this product that I have quickly grown to have such a passion for.

     After the stress of finals had subsided, and my junior year had come to a close, the excitement had finally set in that I was going to Naples, Florida for my queen training in just a few days to kick-start my summer! Once again, I got to visit my second home state, but had the opportunity to go somewhere I'd never been before. After a long day of delayed flights, missed flights, sitting in the Houston airport for hours, and two plane rides, I finally arrived in Naples and would soon be on my way to the Naples Beach Hotel Resort and Golf Club. Sounds pretty swanky, I know. Since my coordinator, A.K.A. my mother and I, didn't arrive until late that night, I wasn't able to take in how gorgeous Naples actually is. It really was beautiful, and even though the forecast predicted 50 and 60% chances of afternoon thunderstorms all weekend, the sun was shining the entire time! 

Like I said, swanky

The first day of queen training began in typical fashion with breakfast, then onto business. It was the first time all of the 2012 queens were together. I finally got to meet Rachel Chavez the representative from North Carolina, who is so sweet and I got along with right away. The day started with media coaching with Gallo communications. This included a practice T.V. interview, and watching ourselves afterwards. (Did I mention I seriously dislike hearing the sound of my voice over a recording? Fortunately, it wasn't that bad.) This was extremely insightful and I learned so much from Carmine and Vanessa about the importance of knowing my platform, what my strengths are, and how to be the best representative I can be for this industry. After another delicious meal for lunch, the queens had image consultations with some of my favorite watermelon women, Ms. Jean and Ms. Brenda. They also shared with us some insight on how to look our best, the importance of keeping up appearances, and how we should always present ourselves. I took so much away from everything that day. 

 

That evening, a special dinner was prepared for all of the queens and our incredible sponsor for the whole weekend, Syngenta, outside the hotel. After an impromptu photoshoot with all of the girls on the beach at sunset, we got to sit down and enjoy each others' company and yet another fabulous four course meal. (I'm seeing a trend here....no wonder we had to have image consultations earlier.) As the night went on, other guests at the hotel were enjoying the live music and dancing, and while normally I would have loved to go out there and join in on these festivities, the next day was going to be a very busy one and starting especially early, so we decided to hit the hay early and rest while we could. 

All of the queens and the wonderful women who keep us in line!

Yes, this was the sunset and view of the beach at dinner. Sigh.

The next morning, I got to see the sunrise on my way to tour the Syngenta facilities. They provided us with a great breakfast there, and were then out to the watermelon fields to see how they are grown, to learn the importance of pollenizers, to see some of the different types of watermelon that are popular in today's market, to see the fascinating things we have the ability to accomplish through breeding, and my favorite part--TASTE TESTING. One of the many reasons why I love my job! I think it's safe to say that I now know a lot about watermelon, and feel much more confident about sharing this information with anyone who is willing to listen...or read. 
*Fun fact: Which has more genes? Humans or watermelons? For those of you who guessed humans, you are.......incorrect! Watermelons actually have 23,440 genes while humans only have 23,000.*
All of the men and women at Syngenta that took the time out of their weekend to educate us and spend their Sunday with us were so great, and I am so thankful to have had that opportunity to meet them and learn from them. After our day at Syngenta, and an awesome weekend in Naples, it was unfortunately time to say goodbye to my new friends and sister queens.  

Thank you Syngenta! And yes, those are yellow watermelons.

My only wish was that I could have spent one whole day lounging in a chair on the beach, underneath the palapa umbrellas at the hotel, with some sort of fruity drink in one hand and a good book in the other while listening to Jack Johnson or the like. My idea of bliss.


   Shortly after queen training, I had another great opportunity to tour the Sakata Seed facilities in Fort Meyers, Florida, courtesy of Mr. Jay Jones. My watermelon knowledge continued to increase as their watermelon breeder (that's right, I said watermelon breeder. Bet'cha didn't know that either) gave me the 4-1-1 on how a seedless watermelon is produced, the importance of green houses, hand pollination, disease resistance, and so much more! I got some hands on experience in this area by pollinating some of the young fruit myself. It was amazing to be able to see just how much time, thought, hard work, and T.L.C. are actually needed for each of these delicious fruits to prosper. 

Hard at work.

 My day ended with taste testing even more juicy, firm, sweet watermelon. Quite possibly my favorite part of the day. Surprise, surprise. Maybe one day I could get a job there...in the taste testing department...even though my opinion might be a little biased. 

Thank you, Dr. Guner!

After my time in Florida, I gained such an appreciation for all of the fresh produce that is made so readily available for us, and the many men and women who make that simple fact that we take for granted every time we walk into the grocery store possible. My next stop that day was to Immokalee, Florida where I visited the nation's smallest working post office, which is about the size of an old outhouse, got swarmed by mosquitoes, and got to see some Florida gators!

  

 

 Needless to say, my time in Florida was very well spent and I would gladly go back again.


Phew!
For those of you who may or may not have actually read all of this, I appreciate your interest and from now on, I promise to be more up to date with these posts, and keep the novels to a minimum.

Thanks, Gig 'Em, and God Bless!

 








    

The start of something wonderful...

     Last Saturday night, at the beautiful Omni Hotel in downtown Austin, the next chapter in my life began. After the auction, the speeches, the promotion wear, the interviews, and the evening wear, somehow I was crowned the 2012 Texas Watermelon Queen.
     After dinner that night for the convention, all we could do was patiently wait.  All of us girls were so nervous that we could barely eat the delicious food that had been prepared.  When the contestants were finally called back on stage to hear the results, my heart began to beat faster and faster.  While we waited anxiously for the results, I took deep breaths and tried not to expect anything for fear of being disappointed, and I told myself that whatever happens, it's in God's hands.  Then, the 3rd runner up's contestant number and name were called. Next, the second runner up's number was called, it was contestant number three.  That was my number.  Inside, I began to feel a tinge of sadness, but to our surprise, the name that followed wasn't mine.  I'm sure I stood there with a very confused look on my face, but when the name was called and the prize was given, I was still in the running.  After the little mix up involving our contestant numbers, the last contestant and I stepped forward waiting to hear who would become the 2012 Texas Watermelon queen. We held hands and supported each other, then heard what we had all been waiting for...
"your 2012 Texas Watermelon Queen is...contestant number three, Kimberly Duda." 
     When I heard my name called, I instantly began to smile and could not keep myself from shaking!  As my friend, and the 2011 Texas Watermelon Queen, Veronica Kraemer, handed me my beautiful bouquet of red roses, put my sash on, and crowned me, I could feel my heart welling up inside me, and I began to think of all the amazing adventures to come.  I was beaming with excitement.  I knew my life was about to change, and that this was all a part of God's plan.  It was absolutely the best feeling.  I then took my first walk on the runway as the 2012 Texas Watermelon Queen, and smiled with joy to my family, and my new watermelon family.
     I cannot say enough how extremely honored, blessed, and thankful I feel to be selected for this position, and in all that I do in the coming year (and every year after) I want to bring glory to my savior, my father, and almighty God.  He has drastically changed my life in the past six months.  In just a short time, I have experienced heartbreak, I have been forced out of my comfort zone, been put in challenging situations and difficult situations, and have had to cling to Him and His word every step of the way.  As I did, I began to notice how much easier things were becoming.  The heartache didn't ache as much, the unfamiliar and uncomfortable wasn't so intimidating, and the difficult situations didn't seem so difficult.  As I clung to Him and prayed to Him, He began to reveal things to me and guide me in the direction He wanted me to be, and it has led me here. 
When you trust in God and truly seek Him with all of your heart, you will find Him and all that he has in store for you.  And it is an incredible feeling.  

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
                                                                                                               -Jeremiah 29:11-13

     There comes a point in your life when all the cliches like, "Everything happens for a reason," "When God closes one door, he opens another," and "Somehow, everything's going to fall right in to place," are true. And I firmly believe that.