a.k.a the greatest week ever!
Hi friends!! Now that I have been home for a while, am fully unpacked and back to the real world, I can settle in and write about my week competing at International Junior Miss in Orlando, Florida!
Now, for those of you who don’t know, I have competed in pageants for a while, back in MA I competed for years before being the National American Miss Massachusetts in 2017.
When I moved to Idaho, I had set a goal back in 2019 to compete again. While it took me a few years to achieve that goal, I did and it was well worth the wait!
On November 19th I set off for Orlando, Florida with 4 suitcases, one crown box and one gown bag (it had 3 gowns in it.) I arrived Saturday night, unpacked and was excited for the week ahead!
Sunday morning was check-in! I was so excited to get the week started!
Little did we know when we took this picture, that Faith would go on to win the International Junior Miss title! A very well deserved win!
Later that night (Sunday) we had kick-off and the Neon Party! The best part about competing in pageants is always meeting all of the other girls!
On Monday, I was able to have a relaxing morning, followed by the Red Carpet Correspondent Competition and then a rehearsal later that evening! Each rehearsal and event has a different theme which is always so fun to plan the outfits out!
On Tuesday we started the day with the gift exchange, each queen brought 3 gifts, one for the outgoing International queen, one for the incoming International queen, and one for another state queen. Carrington got my gift!
Later that day, I competed in the spokesmodel competition, where I spoke about defining your own success, and how WHO you are and HOW you make other people feel is what matters most.
Tuesday was my brother’s birthday, so we had a nice dinner together that night. I was so lucky that my Mom, Dad and brother all were here this week too! We had so much fun together!
Then that night we had THE fashion event of the year!! The Ashley Rene’s and Ashley Lauren’s Under the Sea Ball!! It was so much fun seeing all the amazing outfits, and spending time with these amazing women!
Wednesday was our free day! My family and I went to Epcot! Epcot is one of my favorite parks, I just love all the countries and the different food, as well as the atmosphere!
Thursday, which was Thanksgiving was a super busy day!! I was up at 5:30 a.m. for hair and makeup! For all of the required competitions I got my hair and makeup done by Makeup and Maskara and her crew! It was the best decision I made, because not only did they do an amazing job, but they make you feel so good about yourself!! It was one big hype session in there!
Thursday morning we had interview, the first required competition of the week!
The interview was so fun, all of the judges were so nice! We had 3 minutes with each judge, there was a total of 6 judges. My favorite question was Do you have any regrets with your pageant journey? My answer, I only wish I started competing sooner.
I then had an amazing photo shoot with Imagine Studios! Check out some of these shots!
I just love these photos, it was a great addition to the pageant week!!
Later that afternoon, we had the car drawing! One lucky girl won a brand new mustang convertible. I unfortunately was not that girl.
Then we had the Thanksgiving banquet! I so admired the planning and thoughtfulness in hosting this event for more than 1,000 people! Truly amazing!
I love my family SO MUCH! They are the best part of my life!
Friday, we had our final two required competitions, formal wear and fun fashion!! Here are a few of my favorite stage shots, which I’m obsessed with!
I know it may be silly, but I was very proud of myself after this! I worked with Kailyn, my coach, for months preparing for this pageant, and I told myself I wanted to just do the best that I could do. I didn’t want to compare myself to the other girls, I didn’t want to be sad or disappointed in myself when the week was over. I just wanted to do the best for me. I can confidently say I did that, and had a ton of fun!
Saturday was the final day of the pageant! We started with the pajama rehearsal in the morning, and I was so sad that the week was almost over!
The final pageant was that afternoon!
I wish I could explain in words what it felt like with these girls. I mean this when I say that every single one of these girls is going to change the world.
I was honored to be a part of this group of girls, each one so smart, so talented, so kind, so nice, so supportive, and just so amazing. The support we all showed and continue to show for each other is what this world needs.
When we were on stage and they were announcing the top 12, of course I was a little disappointed that my name wasn’t called, who wouldn’t be. But, at the same time, I was so happy for the girls whose names did get called. I was thrilled for them!
Because pageants aren’t like other competitions, every single one of those girls could have won that crown, and I mean that. And just because your name wasn’t called doesn’t make you any less worthy than the others. We all worked so hard, we all put ourselves out there, and we all did something that most are afraid to do.
And at the end of the day, there is only one girl who walks away with that International Title, and I am so happy for her! But, what I took away from this week was friendships, memories, life lessons, confidence, and fun!
I think that unless you push yourself, and do things that are hard, and surround yourself with people who are better than you, you will never grow, and that is my ultimate goal in life, to never stop growing, and learning, and pushing myself to be the best me I can be, all while supporting everyone else!
Everyone has their time to shine, and I will be supporting the girl whose time it is, knowing that when it’s mine, she will do the same!
I am thankful, grateful and truly so so lucky that I got to experience this week. I will remember it for the rest of my life!
I was honored to win Best Personality at the final pageant!
Thank you to International Junior Miss, National American Miss, and the IAM Pageant Powerhouse for this amazing week, and for helping me become who I am.
Elizabeth Joy Hadley 