Welcome New Year 2015

As the year 2014, comes to an end, I have compiled my list of New Years Revolution for the new year 2015:

1.        Exercise and eat right.

2.        Graduate High School at the top of my class.

3.        Enter my first year of college with all of it paid for.

4.        Take a trip to New York and California.

5.        Spend as much time with my family as I can. It is my last year living at home…

6.        Rock the Interview, and the stage at Miss Teen USA.

7.        Do my absolute best at Miss Teen USA this summer.

8.        Finish my first semester of college with all As.

9.        DO NOT gain the Freshman 15 in college. Stick to the gym.

10.      Be a memorable Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2015, and one tough act to follow.

It's bittersweet to think that I have just finished the first semester of my Senior year! I am so happy to know that I have come this far and done this well, but it makes me tear up when I think about what I will be leaving behind when I do graduate. During the year of 2015, I will be graduating High School, I will be competing in MIss Teen USA 2015, and I will be starting my first year of college. Those are all big mile-markers in my life that I am looking forward to.

Some of the big milestones in my year of 2014:

·         Moving to Fountain Lake High School.

·         Competing in a national pageant, and placing 3rd runner up.

·         Turning 18.

·         Passing with high grades in all 5 of my college classes: AP Calculus, College Algebra, AP Biology, AP Psychology, and College Composition)

·         Killing my first deer with Daddy!

·         Making a new best friends.

·         Winning the title of Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2015!!

·         Being accepted to Baylor University.

Farewell 2014, you have been good to me. Hello 2015, I can’t wait to embark on the many adventures I

have planned!

Becoming A Healthier You

You know, I am 18 years old, and I am at the peak of my health! However, this does not mean that I should not maintain a healthy diet and workout regimen. Exercising and maintaining your diet keeps you happy, healthy, energized, and expands the longevity of your life! A healthy diet consists of lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean proteins. You should minimize your consumption of sugars, sodium, and saturated fats! While maintaining a healthy diet, you should exercise on a daily basis. The more intense the physical activity, the more calories you will burn. It is understood that if you have a busy life, you cannot set aside time everyday to exercise. So instead, you could choose to alter your daily routine to give you a little more physical activity, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

 

In all honesty, being a teenager, about to graduate high school, my schedule is very busy! I always have an appointment to make and homework to finish. I absolutely love my job! However, I must admit that keeping up with my diet and exercise can be very difficult at times. No matter what, I make sure I find time to fit it in. I bought a small calendar that I keep my scheduled diet and exercise regimen in. Not only do maintaining a healthy diet and exercising benefit my body, but it also gives me energy, and benefits my mood!

Confession: I LOVE brownies and cookie dough, Coca-Cola basically runs in my veins, and I am usually the last person to wake up early to get a run in. Trust me, I am 100% relatable when it comes to lacking motivation and struggling to eat right. Over the last year, I have learned that giving up the brownie won't break my heart, and running isn't as bad as I thought. Once I started working out and eating right, I had a moment of realization where I thought: “Dang! Mom was right! Eating right and exercising makes me feel 10 times better!” (Love you, Mom!) However, we do all have moments of weakness, and please don't beat yourself up if you have the cookie instead of the apple, just promise not to do it next time! We are all human! We will have moments of weakness! But just remember that YOU CAN DO THIS. You can stick to your diet and workout regimen!We are here to help each other... I call it accountability! I have to admit without someone to help me I couldn't have done it alone! Jeremy Crawford at Pulse Fitness Hot Springs got me prepared for my state pageant and is helping me prepare for Teen USA! Jeremy you are the bomb! You help keep me tight on track!!!

SO...With the new years coming up, I have written up a high protein diet for me to follow throughout the next 8 months during my journey to Miss Teen USA 2015! I know how tough it can be sticking to a diet and working out by yourself, so I have created a Facebook page that you guys can join- Be An Overcomer: Becoming A Healthier You. I will be posting daily words of encouragement! We all have weak moments where the ice cream is calling our name, so when those moments hit, go to the Facebook page for words of encouragement! The page will also have monthly schedules of the diet I will be following, as well as other diet suggestions, and workout recommendations! I hope you all have an amazing New Year’s! Happy 2015!

"Be An Overcomer"

As I sit down to write this blog, there are moments running through my head where I have had to overcome an obstacle put in my path. My personal platform: “Be An Overcomer” is about helping others overcome obstacles they have presented within their life. It could be anywhere from bullying all the way to college financial struggles. I know how hard it can be sitting at the bottom, looking up at the mountain of an obstacle sitting there, thinking: “How do I overcome this?” Well, you won't be overcoming it alone.

This idea actually came from the song by Mandisa: Overcomer. In the song she says “You’re an Overcomer, stay in the fight till the final round. You’re not going under, cause God is holding you right now.” When this song comes drifting through the speakers, my heart feels with this sense of rightness and joy.  As much as we hate it, life has a tendency to throw obstacles at us right and left. That does not mean that we can overcome them! Those obstacles will only make you better and stronger. They are all a part of the journey to who you are meant to be.

Over the past few years I have done a lot of work with Bullying prevention and I felt that the platform “Be an Overcomer” ties in well with bullying! I plan to continue to do much work with bullying prevention since it is near and dear to my heart but I also wanted to expand my platform to cover many other issues teens face today! Some of these issues include:  bullying issues, college financial struggles, the struggles of a bad home life or broken homes, academic struggles, or overcoming any obstacle you may have that gets in the way of you being the confident, healthy person God created you to be.

These are only a few examples of the struggles we face and have to overcome. The key word in that list is: OVERCOMING. You can overcome it. All you need is motivation and support. Always remember…”If God be for you, who be against YOU.”

BE AN OVERCOMER!

"I Believe"

Growing up, and still to this day, one of my favorite Christmas books was “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus.” This book describes the meaning of Christmas and Santa perfectly. Some might say that Santa was created as a motivation to keep young kids from getting in trouble too much out of fear of being on the Santa’s naughty list. Santa was created to remind us that, while he might not be physically real, everything he stands for is beyond real.

My favorite line from the book is: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.” Santa brings joy and hope to every existing child and thats what Santa is; he is belief, hope, joy, beauty, and so much more.

I was raised with the knowledge of what Santa really represents, all the while I still believed. I wrote letters every year, and would wake up and check under the tree several times during the night. Those letters were the joy, and me checking under the tree was the hope.

So every time I am asked the question: “Does Santa Claus really exist?,” whether it be from an adult or a child, every time I answer with: “Yes, Santa Claus does exist. He is love, joy, hope, beauty and belief. He is the belief that those emotions and feelings do exist.” These emotions certainly do exist, and their existence is a necessity within our lives to create a life of contentment.

Oh The Places You'll Go

The car is loaded and the GPS is set; I am headed home to Hot Springs, Arkansas! It has been one amazing weekend here in Norman, Oklahoma! It was such a joy to get to see my Vanbros family again, and to watch the crowning of the two brand new Vanbros queens! Congratulations to Cherokee Pierce on winning Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 2015, and Olivia Jordan on winning Miss Oklahoma USA 2015!

Having the title of Miss Arkansas Teen USA has given me the opportunity to travel to many different places! Three weeks ago, I was in Charleston, Virginia for the Miss Virginia Teen USA and Miss Virginia USA pageants. Two weeks ago, I was in Washington, DC for the Listen to Our Voices Symposium, and this weekend I was in Norman, Oklahoma! Next month, I will be flying to Miami, Florida for the Miss Universe pageant!

Traveling has opened up many doors and opportunities for me, as well as made me think about my future and where I would like to live one day. One of my goals with my title is to travel to as many different states during my reign. I want to see the amazing country that I live in! All the way from California to New York! I am up to 5 in just a few months!  

Dr. Seuss said in one of his famous books, Oh the Places You’ll Go: “You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights!” I am 18 years old, with the most amazing title. I can go anywhere and be anything, and having the opportunity to travel so many places has really shown me that. Through traveling, I get to see so many amazing sights! I would love to live in New York, or Los Angeles, and I hope that sometime in the near future I can take a trip to those places! I know that there are so many places my life will take me, and that is an adventure I am beyond excited to be starting.

My Christmas Mission

Today I would like to reflect on my Salvation Army Angel Tree experience. At the beginning of the week, I went to the Angel Tree in the Hot Springs Mall, and chose four sweet Angel’s to provide Christmas presents for. My initial intent was to go pick out one or two kids to provide for, but upon arriving I noticed that there were several Angels left. My heart sunk at the thought that some may not get provided for. When I asked the Salvation Army workers how they provided for the Angels leftover, I was told that they use money donated for the Angel Tree kids to go out and provide for the remaining ones. I then decided to pick four angels to provide for.  

Getting the opportunity to shop for these sweet Angels was a life changing experience for me. I was like a kid in a candy store, picking up toys and playing with them and trying to decide which I thought they would like this best.  Then imagining the look on their faces on Christmas morning when they woke up. And knowing that something I did helped bring a smile to someone else’s face.  Knowing how many sweet children there are in need breaks my heart. Growing up, I was blessed to wake up to tons of toys from Santa every Christmas. If I had that opportunity, why shouldn't those Angels? I want those kids to have wonderful memories of Christmas morning just as I did.

As I have gotten older and matured, I have found that tons of gifts from Santa are not something I need nor desire. I find more joy in providing for others, than I do waking up to tons of presents myself.  But isn't that what the true spirit of Christmas is? Putting others before first!

So as I head out to a local church to pass out food baskets for Christmas I want to encourage you to go out and give to the less fortunate this holiday season... one small act of kindness can give someone so much love, joy, and happiness this Holiday season. There are so many out there who don’t get a Christmas dinner or presents at all.  Through the past few years during the holidays I have volunteered at a food shelters serving meals, volunteered at  toy drives,  participated in blanket drives and shoe drives, rang the bell for the Salvation Army, and picked angels off the angel tree.  I have made it my Christmas mission to show compassion for others put the less fortunate first. What's your Christmas mission?

"Let It Go" - Lessons learned from a Disney Princess

This morning, I had the opportunity to play Elsa at a Christmas event at St Luke’s in Hot Springs. I owe a huge thank you to Stacy Webb for giving me that opportunity! I was able to take pictures and intermingle with several Frozen fans. Being able to interact with the children, who were in absolute awe of Elsa, Anna, and Olaf, was a blessing.

  Being a girl, I absolutely love princess movies. Each story holds its own secret message, and while the kids don’t quite realize what they are being taught at the moment, I can honestly say that Disney has taught me a great deal over the past 15 years. As I reflect on my morning as Elsa, I would like to express the emotions and realizations I have had while watching the Frozen movie.

 Disney has created some pretty outstanding princess characters and  I am sure most of you are familiar with Disney’s “Frozen”, but for those who are not; Elsa and Anna are two amazing sisters with a bond that can withstand anything.  When Elsa runs away out of fear of her powers, and traps the kingdom Arendelle in eternal winter. Anna follows after her to not only save Arendelle, but to save Elsa as well. Elsa looks poised, regal and reserved, but in reality, she lives in fear as she wrestles with a might secret- she was born with the power to create ice and snow.

I can’t help but relate what I learned from “Frozen” back to my “Bullying” platform.  I feel as though the feelings that Elsa is wrestling with are similar to the feelings that victims of bullying have also felt. When you are bullied or put down because of a quality you posses, you feel as though you must hide that quality, and you begin to feel embarrassed or ashamed. Elsa learns that you have to embrace who you are and let it all go.

In her signature song from the movie, she says: “…don’t let them in, don’t let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know…” Often times this is how the world makes us feel; like we have to conform to a standard that others set. You should always be yourself, and never fear the judgment of others. Elsa learned to “Let it go.” I believe that we all should too. Don’t let the judgment and bullying of others cause you to conceal the real you. You are unique in your own way and that is something you should always embrace.