rhinestones for some, a voice for another

It does sound silly when I say it out loud.

"I do pageants!"

It just sounds silly for this to be my dream. I understand why people see this world of pageants as shallow and demeaning. I see how other people look at it as "dumb and pretty women."  Pageantry is hard to understand and some girls in pageants still don't understand them. I know how silly it sounds to say this is my dream and to admit that over 10 pageants later I haven't won once. I haven't ever been first runner up even. It sounds silly, because it is.. but this is what I long for and dream of more than anything. I don't want just the rhinestone crown, the embroidered sash, or the prize package. Those are just bonuses. If you just want to collect some crowns, the Miss USA system is the wrong place to look. It's hard and it's work and if you get your hands on a crown, use your voice and year wisely because dozens of girls are waiting for that opportunity. I am one of them.
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In case you don't know me, Hi I'm Carly. I do pageants, which is silly. I will admit, I started doing this years ago because I just wanted a crown. Now that I'm 18, and have done more pageants than I can count on my hands.. I want far more than that. I want to be a voice. I will admit the crown is a pretty cool thing to have, and some crowns are cooler than others. The Miss Teen USA crown that our Texas girls Karlie Hay and Danielle Doty got to wear had a good message and story behind it. The interlocking circles were a symbol of friendship because a Miss Teen USA is committed to being a voice for anti-bullying. Miss USA and Teen USA state and local crowns may not have a meaning behind them, but thats the beauty of it. The girl who wears it makes her own legacy for it. Thats apart of my dream, to leave a legacy. What better way to leave one than by being a title holder? If only it were that easy. I envy girls who win on their first try because I have to accept that I will never be that girl, I am far past first tries. Thats kinda sad, but also relieving because our Texas state queens typically win on the 3rd, 4th or even more years of attempts. Or at least thats how the legacy has always led. I am not going to lie, chasing this titleholder dream is exhausting. I am still trying to get back to normal life after competing at Miss Kemah Teen 2018 and that was two weeks ago. I had a realization after that pageant. I wanted to leave a legacy, one that had more than one soul purpose or platform.. because why should a titleholder only support one cause? I wanted to tell people about Creating Your Own Success (which is my main platform). After Miss Houston Teen 2018 I made a post where I said,  "Success is not about reaching the top, but how far you ran to get there." That sentence became the main message of Creating Your Own Success. I wanted to encourage others to chase their own dream and discover their passions despite who is against them or how often they may have faced failure. No one can chase your dream for you. I also encourage people to minimize their use of plastic, but if you're going to use it? At least reuse it! I even donate a lot of old gowns to a non-profit called Angel Gowns to have my dresses made into smaller ones to donate to hospitals for babies who don't live past infantry. (Check out the contact page on my website if you ever want to donate or minimize plastic in your life!)

So anyway, I know a lot about pageants. I know once you give a girl a crown that people start listening to her. I wanted a crown because I wanted a voice to talk about all these things I do and more!  It wasn't until after Miss Kemah Teen 2018 that I actually realized how many of you are inspired by me. I cannot thank all of you enough for the support and prayers you all give me. I am so happy to have so many people follow my page, my blog and my journey. As well as support ALL the girls we have in Texas. I personally have officially aged out of being a teen in pageantry, but I'll be back one day. I couldn't give up on this dream, because that is not the legacy I want to leave for you all. I want to create my own success and one day share my success with you. The Road to Miss Texas USA is long, but not impossible. The word itself says I'm possible.

2 Chronicles 15:7

Lots of Love, Carly.