Miss Volunteer America Pageant

They say accessories make the outfit...and thankfully, I have Gary Tom making sure I never miss 💎
Gary, thank you for being more than a sponsor – you've become a genuine, sassy, selfless friend. Thank you for ensuring my every outfit has the perfect finishing touch of sparkle, and thank you for sharing your passion for fashion with MVA. You're quite the pageant guru, jewelry master, and might I say fairy godfather! Couldn't imagine this journey without you!

Thank you for surprising me with a basket FULL of ear-resistible earrings. LOVE LOVE LOVE 🤩

Hope to see you soon, we'll continue to bond over our mutual coffee obsession!
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Serving up pancakes & patriotism! 🥞 🇺🇸

On my wonderful trip to Missouri over July 4th, I joined the Miss MO Volunteer Pageant to make breakfast for the residents of Ronald McDonald House St. Louis. This global nonprofit provides a "home away from home" for families with seriously ill/injured children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.

It was a sunny-side up morning as us ladies assembled breakfast sandwiches, washed a variety of fruits, added a questionable amount of chocolate chips to the pancakes, and served families with a smile. It was a wonderful start to a day of celebration, reminding us that patriotism isn't only something we feel; it's something we do, as we look after our neighbors ❤️

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Cannot believe the Queen's Ball was just a week and a half ago!

What an amazing chance to dance, laugh until our cheeks hurt, pose for approximately 2,850 photos, and celebrate a sisterhood that proves the beauty of this organization. Every titileholder walked into The Carl Perkins Civic Center carrying something bigger than a suitcase: hundreds of volunteer hours, thousands of dollars raised, and a selflessness that's immeasurable. Saying goodbye was hard...much harder than walking down those stage stairs in 6 inch heels 🥺

Celebrating at the Queen's Ball felt like an exhale of gratitude because, while I wanted to do well for myself, all I truly aimed for was to make my team proud.

My walking coach was my mom, constantly telling me, "Move those hips I gave you!" and "No no no don't do that, that looks weird" 🫣 My fitness coach was YouTube, following videos like ab workouts in my hotel rooms. It wasn't perfect, but turns out that's all you really need...and, of course, that village that never stops believing in you. Like sweet Aurie, who wore a pair of my handmade heart earrings from a St. Jude fundraiser last spring to "bring me luck for finals". Like Donna, who always stands up to wrap me in the biggest hugs. Like Diane, who told me it's okay to be myself in interview...and a pun or two was acceptable. Like Billie Bedsole and Mark Johnson, who embraced the Volunteer organization with generosity & grace. Like Mike. Like Mark. Like Larissa. Like so, so many others.

So, my thank you speech? Easy. Because every time I felt nervous, exhausted, or wondered if I was enough, I'd open the note on my phone listing every person I was doing this for. I wasn't celebrating me, I was celebrating us! 💙

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