"I am not telling you it is going to be easy, but I am telling you it is going to be worth it"

Art Williams, the man who spoke this quote, was a very smart man when he said this.  This quote applies to a lot in life and specifically to my past, current and future Miss Iowa prep.  Preparing for Miss Iowa is not all sunshine and rainbows like it may appear to be.  Now when I say that I don't mean it is all bad but getting down to the wire it is definitely hard.  

There are only 38 days until a new Miss Iowa is crowned.  I don't know whether I want to look at 38 days as a half full or half empty situation.  For my mental stability I will force myself to look at it half full.  There ARE 38 wonderful days (and 912 hours) until Miss Iowa and a lot can still be done in those 38 days.  Some of those things on my list that are just for Miss Iowa will be; intense workouts, meticulous nutrition, multiple interview conference calls and mock interviews per week, talent rehearsals, rhine stoning my talent costume, packing for the week, a few March of Dimes events and appearances and several fittings. That is just to prep for Miss Iowa, that doesn't even include the craziness of recital that always finishes up May. The weeks to come at the Nolte Academy will include a full week of pictures, the last week of classes, tech week and then three full days of shows.  After recital, I will have a week to catch up on sleep and mental stability to then get ready to embark on a full week of Miss Iowa activities in Davenport.  Looking now at my calendar at the next 38 days, there isn't a single day that is blank.  I am both thankful and stressing out about that.  I will just keep repeating " I can and I will do this".

No matter what happens in 38 days, I know I have gained an immense amount of life skills and experiences through this process.  Yes, it may be hard.  Yes, people may think I am crazy.  Yes, there are moments that I question why I do this.  And yes, I would do it all again in a heartbeat.  No part of me wants to quit or give up, and these are the moments that make us stronger and keep us chasing our dreams.

As I said before, preparing for Miss Iowa is not all sunshine and rainbows, but neither is life.  We learn to embrace the storms that get thrown at us so we can appreciate the sun when it does shine or cherish the rainbow when we catch a glimpse of it.  Those are the moments that make life special.


I absolutely can not wait to shine on that stage June 11th, 12th and 13th and give it everything I have.  I can only control myself, my preparation and my performance.  From there it is out of my hands, it is out of my control, but again that is life.  There is only so much we can do. But on that stage, in that moment it will absolutely be worth it.

Until next time,
Miss Pearl City 2015
Christy Scimeca