Week number two... Check!

What an exciting week I have had! My first appearance, fun-filled Christmas festivities, and traveling to the Miss Oklahoma USA and Miss Oklahoma Teen USA pageant in Norman, Oklahoma, were all such fun experiences that I can hardly wait to tell you all about.

To start off my week, Miss Kansas USA 2013, Staci Klinginsmith, and I got to sign autographs (my very first autograph as Miss Missouri Teen USA!) and speak about Image Skincare products at the Image Skincare Customer Appreciation event at the Westin Crown Center hotel in Kansas City. There were around 200 guests, and it was so much fun to get to meet all of the fabulous ladies of Image Skincare and learn more about this wonderful product. Image Skincare is the official skincare sponsor of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, and I cannot wait to receive my basket full of skincare goodies when I arrive at Miss Teen USA.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I had an absolute blast at the Mayor's Christmas tree lighting in Lee's Summit on Friday. It was so neat to see Downtown all done up with beautiful Christmas lights and festive decorations. I got to hand out glow sticks to all of the kids as they came to get their free Christmas cookies and hot chocolate. There was even a contest for the best light-up costume! It was so adorable to see all of the kids arrive dressed in Christmas-themed costumes and from head to toe in lights. There was a choir of elementary school kids that sang joyful Christmas tunes, and later in the night Santa came riding in on a big yellow fire truck! It was great to see everyone come out to get in the Christmas spirit despite the wind chill of below freezing (I was just thankful for no rain!). The holidays are definitely my favorite time of year :)

Saturday morning, we were off to Oklahoma! The six hour drive from Harrisonville to Norman was totally worth it, because when my mom and I arrived we got to sit in the VIP section to watch the Miss Oklahoma USA 2014 and Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 2014 contestants compete in the preliminary competitions.  I loved getting to see all of the different swimsuits and gowns the contestants wore. They were all so stunning, and the theatre was just overflowing with personality and confidence. The show was amazing, and all of the girls looked so fabulous! It was also so nice to meet some of the 2013 titleholders and to be reunited with my sister titleholder, Erica. Congratulations to Brooklynne Young, Miss Oklahoma USA 2014 and Brooklynne Bond, Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 2014!

When I woke up the next morning, a big snow storm had come in over night! There was ice everywhere, and snowflakes the size of quarters. Kind of strange for the weather to be colder in Oklahoma than in Missouri! Luckily, the storm cleared out around one o'clock and I was able to get to my appointment with Brian Attebery, the official fitness trainer for Vanbros. I had been looking forward to this, because nutrition and fitness is something I am very passionate about and have always found interesting. Brian gave Erica and I food and workout plans, and showed us how to do each exercise correctly to get the maximum results. He also explained to us the science behind what eating certain foods at certain times does to your body, as well as the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. I found it very interesting as well as motivating and inspiring! I am so excited to see the results of following Brian's program.

I could not have asked for a better second week! I am so blessed with such amazing opportunities and people in my life. I am looking forward to the weeks to come. Tomorrow I will be visiting the KU Medical Center with Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013, Alyssa Klinzing, to do some crafts with the kids there and learn more about becoming an ambassador for her organization, Aly's Red Wagon. Stay posted to read all about it! :)

Pinch Me... I Must Be Dreaming!

Wow, time sure does fly! I can hardly believe it has already been a week since I was crowned Miss Missouri Teen USA 2014. It seems like just yesterday I was waking up at the crack of dawn for a fun filled day of rehearsals and competition with my fellow contestants from all across the great state of Missouri. Pageant weekend was definitely one I will never forget, and little did I know that after all was said and done, my life would be changed forever.

The very next day after I was crowned, I signed the official Miss Missouri Teen USA contract with my wonderful director, John Vannatta! I also got to do a photo shoot with the amazing Rachel Imdieke, with hair and makeup by Aquilla "Q" Vang! They have both been previous titleholders themselves, and it was really neat to get to work with them. My sister queen, Erica Sturdefant, and I spent all day moving around to different locations to get the perfect shots. Despite the freezing cold weather and blisters on my feet, I had a blast and will never forget my first day as the new titleholder!

 

 

I am going to start off by telling a little bit about myself! I am a senior at Harrisonville High School, and there I serve as President of Students Against Destructive Decisions, Secretary of my senior class, a member of National Honor Society, and a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Throughout my years at HHS, I have played on the volleyball, soccer, and basketball teams. Sports have always been a very big part of my life, and I am so thankful to have had the experiences I have had with these teams. After graduating high school in May of 2014, I plan to attend a University and work towards obtaining a degree in Broadcast Journalism as well as Dietetics and Nutrition. It has always been my dream to have my own healthy cooking show on the Food Network... Move over Rachel Ray! ;) I have a love for nutrition and I look forward to inspiring others to be the best they can be by living a healthy lifestyle.

I entered my first pageant about two years ago, and instantly I had caught the "pageant bug". Right away, I knew that my ultimate dream was to walk across the Miss Teen USA stage. It feels amazing to know that all of my hard work and dedication has paid off and now I will be living the dream in just several short months! Pageants have taught me self discipline, a hard work ethic, interview skills, how to carry myself with grace and poise, given me more self-confidence, and taught me that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I know that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to, and I want to inspire others to feel the same way!

This year is going to be the year of a lifetime, I can already tell! I have LOTS of things listed that I want to accomplish this year. I plan to do a lot of volunteering all across the state of Missouri, and while doing so I hope to inspire others to get involved in their community. I have recently developed a passion for self esteem of teenagers, and I plan on traveling to schools to speak about the importance of healthy relationships, self respect, self esteem, and anti-bullying. My ultimate goal for this year is to inspire young people to dream big, feel confident with themselves and to never doubt their abilities.

I am BEYOND blessed to have this amazing opportunity given to me, and I am so excited to see what this year has in store! Stay posted to read all about my appearances, volunteer work, and upcoming events. Also, don't forget to "like" the Miss Missouri Teen USA Facebook page, follow me on Twitter at @RealMissMOTeen, and follow me on Instagram at @missmoteenusa. :) It's going to be one great year!