Thing #1

Miss Croatia will be wearing a statement necklace to Miss world pageant, which I will personally handcraft for her

And there's a reason this is the first thing you should know about her. The reason is simple. This is so exclusive SHE DOESN'T KNOW it yet!

You know it, I know it, the organizers of the Miss Croatia pageant know it, my friends, business mentors, fellow entrepreneurs, Craaloosh jewelry supporters, social media followers, even Shaun Proulx - famous Canadian radio&television host who recently interviewed Oprah (!!!) on his show, knows about it.

But… Miss Croatia still doesn't.
It'll be a surprise. Don't tell her. Pssssst!

Thing #2

She's very classy

During the talent show at Miss Croatia pageant, she sang Vaya Con Dios's song: „Don't cry for Louie“.
It was an unusual choice, but perfect for her jazzy, velvet voice.

I sat there on hotel Omorika’s terrace, just a couple rows from the stage she was singing at, admiring how flawlessly she wore those silk white carrot-fit trousers, when I somehow found myself feeling enchanted.

The night was hot. All the lights were dimmed, except one bright beam that made her eyes sparkly.

I wondered why is she so emotional singing this song. And why was I so emotional?
By the time she & Louie were plotting to burn the town I could barely see the stage from all the water filling up the inner corners of my eyes.

Finally - when she bowed, we clapped and lights came back on - the mystery was solved.
I realized the girl sitting next to me was smoking a cigarette. Or a few, judging by the size of a stinky fog choking me.
The girl didn't mind. She enjoyed her cigarette AND a fresh breeze created by the sea waves in front of the hotel's terrace.

Lovely. Just lovely.

Thing #3

She's very down-to-earth

Despite the fact I suffered partial visual impairment while she was singing, I could clearly hear the anxiousness in her voice.
She obviously loves to sing and has a beautiful voice.
She also has stage fright.

Which is not a problem at all - a couple of singing lessons with the right mentor is all it takes to scare the stage fright away.

Imagine if it was the other way around: if she was fearless and tone deaf. That wouldn't be pretty… This was.
It was actually sweet.
She's human.

And she's also brave enough to do something scary in the moment when she's expected to be at her best. No perfectionist go getter has this much courage.
They never have this much fun either.

When she was chosen by the judges to be Miss Croatia she shook her head in surprise and genuine disbelief. She walked down the runway and unconsciously shook her head a few more times. You can't fake that. She was honestly surprised to win.

Perfectionist go getters standing behind her were disappointed.
Apparently, so was the smoker-girl next to me, as she demonstratively stood up and left, never to be seen again.
Oh yes, the night was looking good…

Thing #4

She has a boyfriend

And she seems pretty happy.
Not that I asked her, but I did see the two of them kissing in the dark outside the hotel about an hour after the pageant was over.

While the guests were mingling at an after party on a boat docked by the beach, the two love birds were snuggling and whispering and taking selfies to perpetuate a night they'll both remember for a long time.

And no, I did not take photos of them. What am I, a paparazzi???
I'm a jewelry designer for God's sake!

I drove on and gave them some privacy.
So should you.

Thing #5

She's kind

When the pageant was over, Miss Croatia stayed on stage because all the sponsors wanted to take a picture with her. It's the standard procedure.

As the guests were slowly leaving, the stage became more and more crowded.
I tried to take a picture of her, and got real close to the stage.

Of course, the only pictures I could take from there were the pictures of everyone's shoes. And backs. Some legs. No pictures of Miss Croatia, though.

I decided it was now or never.
I was a VIP guest after all, what's there to lose?

I climbed on the stage and strategically used the fact that I'm pretty short and easy to miss in a crowd.
Also, years of going to rock concerts proved to be the perfect training for this.

I waited for the right moment like a wild cat watching her pray from the bushes.
And... wooooosh!
In a split second when no one was watching, I ran, stood next to her and asked: „May I take a picture with you, please?“
She looked down at me (literally, not metaphorically) and smiled with the warmest smile I ever saw.

I'm not making this up. She really is sweet, and so kind.
I mean, think about it – she had no idea who I was. I might have been an anonymous girl who loves beauty pageants.
And even though she was tired, excited, confused and overwhelmed by the fact that only half an hour ago she was just a model, and now she's Miss Croatia, she still said: „Yes, of course you may“.

Thing #6

She's a professional

There we were. Miss Croatia and me. Standing next to each other. Smiling.

It lasted for about two seconds when we both realized the same thing. There weren't any cameras on us at that moment.

She looked at me and asked: „Who's going to take our picture?“

Now, that's a professional model!
With everything happening so fast, she was still laser focused to her new role and knew exactly what she needs to do – smile, while looking at the at a camera.
(Don't worry, this post has a happy ending.)

I looked at her and proudly said: „My photographers“.

You see, I wasn't there alone. There were two photographers with me, documenting everything for a documentary we're filming about Craaloosh jewelry.
They just didn't notice me standing next to her until I took a few steps forward, still holding my hand at her waist, and yelled as loud as I could „TAKE THE PICTURE!!!“

They did.

Thing #7

She has what it takes to be a Victoria's Secret angel

There's one physical attribute all Victoria's Secret angels have in common. And Miss Croatia has it too.

You know the one I'm talking about, right?
Long legs.

That's right, it's their long legs that make all of them look so tall, slim and sexy.
And here's a photo to perfectly illustrate my point.

This is Miss Croatia. And that's me by her side.

You can't really see her long legs here, but notice how my head barely reaches her (o) (o)?
Well, there you go.
Told you.
Would she be a perfect Victoria's Secret angel, or what?

vesnapv