I finally made it!!!

I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since the Mrs. Florida America pageant. It feels like it was just yesterday that I began this amazing and life changing journey. If you know me, you know I had been preparing for the Mrs. Florida pageant for a little over a year. I made the decision when Parker was just shy of a year to return to the pageant stage. There are many reasons that I felt the urge to be in the spotlight again. For one, I have always said , "once a pageant girl, always a pageant girl." I swear there is something in our genes that calls us back to the stage after we swore we were in retirement. Maybe it's the feeling of hard work paying off. Maybe it's the chance to feel absolutely feminine and beautiful for a weekend. Maybe it's the smell of pageant hair spray! I don't know exactly what it is, but I do know it was calling me back after 6 years off. I told my family that I really felt in my heart that I had 1 more "big" pageant in me. Plus, I was carrying around PLENTY of extra baby weight and I knew I would need motivation to get it off. What could be more motivating than having to wear a swimsuit on stage and be judged in it?!? So in April of 2012, I called up my awesome friend and trainer, Patrick Diver, who once got me in the best shape of my life back in 2006 when I last competed for Miss Florida USA. I knew if anyone could help me shed the weight gain of my 9lb baby it would be him! So we met twice a week for 12 weeks via Skype and worked really hard to start transforming my body. Once I started to see results, of course I was addicted again! (More fitness info to follow in a blog at a later date =)) Needless to say, all of the hard work and sacrifice paid off on April 27, 2013 when I was crowned Mrs. Florida America 2013! It is still so surreal to have that title attached to MY name. After 15 years of chasing a state title in 2 different states, I finally captured it!! It is truly a dream come true. For those of you who have been part of this journey at any point in time over the last decade, this one is for you. Thank you for believing in me and for pushing me to always be a better version of myself. Thank you for being a constant cheering section through the good , the bad, and the ugly, and for reminding me that when it was meant to be, my time would come. Well, my time is finally here, and I promise to make you all proud by representing all of you at the Mrs. America pageant in August. I guess it doesn't get much "bigger" than that does it? Mission Accomplished =)