Pretty Pretty Princess

My sweet little princess, Jessica, I know that I have talked about her so much in the past - but I am so proud of her.  This week in Special Families, a branch of the Little Rock Families magazine, was featured in an article and on the front cover!! 

Needless to say I am so proud!  She is so involved in Special Olympics!  In fact, the entire time that we were taking pictures for this magazine (at North Little Rock High School's track) Jessica would not stop running the track.  I bet she ran 10 laps around that track!  She is so sweet and adorable.  I love spending time with her.

In fact, this weekend I had the opportunity to play Miracle League baseball with her.  Miracle League is a baseball organization for children with disabilities.  Buddies come out and help these children play baseball every Saturday and give the parents a chance to sit down and just watch. 

This is an incredible opportunity for kids to break the uncomfortable barrier that is sometimes put up between them and children with disabilities.  I had so much fun!  I encourage you to find a Miracle League field near you and just show up.  We had probably 5 kids at the game I was at this weekend that did not have buddies.  Just think about that - there are 10 games every Saturday.  And 5 kids per game - that is 50 kids on Saturday that did not have a "friend" helping them play baseball..

So get out and help!  Just look at how much fun I had! 

I have posted a couple of cupcakes on my other blog Miss Cupcake Queen so go check them out and let your mouth water!  They are some good ones today!  Just to get ready... I am posting one of my Miss Arkansas videos from last year!  I can't wait for another fun week at Miss Arkansas this year!  Get ready!

I hope you are having a blessed day!

1 Corinthians 10:31

Whether therefore you are eating, or drinking, but whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.

Be Charmed today! 

Abby

Enjoy my little video! I can't wait!

May Meeting Weekend

Guys - I have had a very long weekend, but it has been fun and well worth it.  It started off flying in on Friday night..  I was kind of excited because I had gotten a purse for Baylor to use that way he wasn't in a really hard cage.  I think those hard cages are so impersonal and mean ( no offense).  Well, I thought that it would be nicer.... Until I saw Baylor's poor face under my seat in the first flight on Friday afternoon!  How pitiful is that...


So yes!  My dog is a spoiled rotten baby and so I opened (sneakily) his purse the next flights and allowed some breathing room.  Of course, nobody can argue or reprimand me for doing this - because in order to do so they have to tell me that the sweet little face on my dog has to go away... which none wants!  haha -

I LOVE MY DOG!!!

On Saturday morning, I got to opportunity to go and model at a real photoshoot with Tony Bowls!  An international designer!  My hair was crazy high and the dress was amazing!  I hope they turn out good - and I am sure they will.  It was so neat being there though - I thought I was in New York City ( i even had a hair and makeup artist, who was amazing!!)

On Sunday - we had May Meeting.  For non-pageant people, that is where we turn in all of our legal paperwork for being Miss Arkansas.  We turn in everything from Photo Releases, to head-shots, to competition regulations.  It is so fun to see all of the familiar faces and so great to meet so many new faces!  It is a great time to mingle and say hello and catch up.

The pageant world is so different than what most people think it's like.  It is filled with friends, laughter, and tons of memories!  Don't let anyone tell you we aren't real friends.  It might start out superficial, but I can honestly say some of my best friends have been made through this system!

Laura Leigh came to my meeting and I was so happy to have her there with me to help me out!  One of the things that we have to do at May meeting is choose our number in competition.  It is so nerve- racking... I don't know why?  But the thought of wanting a particular spot in the lineup and not having your name called - and then someone else gets the spot you wanted, and then you have 45 seconds to find a new one!  It is crazy.  I got C 45!  Which is exactly what I could have asked for!  What that means is I will be competiting on Wednesday night in Swimsuit, Thursday night in Evening Gown, and Friday night in Talent!  And then Saturday night is TOP TEN!!!!

GO TO MISSARKANSAS.ORG - for more information.  (You can even watch it online)

On Monday we went to the Miss Arkansas Golf Tournament and Children's Hospital.  

Here are some of the pictures from the day:

Meet Ros - she is a hoot and by far one of my funniest Miss Arkansas friends!!!

I have a sweet relationship with this sweet friend!  Maegan and I argued all day about whether the Women of EEE or the Women of Chi Omega were better...

She figured out very quickly that the Women of EEE, with their exclusivity are much better and way more prestigious :)  

These are the blondes in the group!!  LOVE THESE GIRLS and we had such a fun time!!!!

Hope you enjoyed the blog!  Check out MissCupcakeQueen.Blogspot.com and see my Cupcake Countdown to the CROWN!!!

Charmed,
Abby

Empowerment

of course I am procrastinating today.  Today is my first final of my spring semester of Grad school and needlesstosay I am freaking out.  I just want to crawl back in bed and ignore the changing world around me because it comes and goes too fast.  As I end this semester and look ahead to the incredibly fast summer approaching and the next and possibly final semester at Baylor.  I am saddened by the end of a journey and I don't want it to end - and so I am contemplating the reason why I even leaving in the first place.

I have recently gotten an incredible internship for the 2013 year.  Yes, the entire year.  But it is an incredible internship and I would love to take the job - however, is that where God wants me.  Is that where I need to be?  Dean McKinney at Ouachita Baptist University always told me that you go where you want and God will use you there.  Those are wise words to live be because so many times I think we get caught up in the mindset of "What if I don't go where God needs me to go."  - Who cares!  He is the God of the Universe!  He will use you wherever you are.

Having said that - where do I want to go!  I have no idea.  It's times like these that I envy the married couple.  The way they are able to make decisions together and they have someone to travel and to work and to eat with everyday.  On a tangent (because I am good at those!):  I was watching The View the other day and the guy on there said that most people say "I Do" to the current situation - but fail to look to the future to the different circumstances that can pervade their life and marriage.  Take for instance cancer, children, miscarriages, deaths etc... They don't think about these factors - instead they focus on the 'honeymoon phase'. 
ANOTHER TANGENT:  This weekend I witnessed the sweetest marriage that I have seen since the last wedding I went to - Natalie and Ben Tsch... haha I don't know how to spell their name :)  I saw two people madly in love with each other.  You could tell.  It was amazing and the love of two people was there BUT the love of Christ shown through.  They did it right.  The preacher, as the father of the bride walked Jessica down the isle, said God created marriage as a gift and so the father brings forth his daughter as a gift.  WOW.  what symbolism in that statement and in that marriage. 

I want to be in love - one day.  I take for granted the freedom and independence I have right now.  However, I know that God is doing a good work in my life.  And so ONE DAY - i will meet this man that I will live forever with.  And it will be awesome.  Until then... I will love my life at baylor.
 this is Ashley and i at the Academic Banquet the other night - More pictures to come!









I love getting books on Amazon A.) they are cheaper and B.) they come at random times and so it's like Christmas morning!!  I can't wait to dive into these short stories! 

 I know that you know Baylor Basketball has won the National NCAA Championship... But one thing you might now know - is that these are the girls I see and spend my days with... And they are so much more than some girls in jerseys playing with an orange ball on a wooden floor - they are funny, sassy, and some of my funnest friends in Waco.   

Meet Odyssey Sims - second from the right



Jordan and I (far right) - My favorite one - she is hilarious!!  And always gives me shout outs around the campus... I love Baylor and I don't know what I would do without my athletes and how much fun they are!

  Do everything with Joy and the mindset that God is using you!!Be Charmed today and Have a Blissful afternoon :)