StandOut Camp

StandOut Camp

     I met so many wonderful girls there.  StandOut hosts many retreats for different types of people but the one I attended was a retreat for the 2011 Miss and Teen USA state titleholders.   I flew from Las Vegas Nevada  to Virginia  where the camp is located.  The last plane I  was on also had Miss Idaho USA, Miss Idaho Teen USA and Miss New Mexico USA.  Miss New Mexico USA was so friendly and told me she was taking me under her wing since her sister teen couldn’t attend.  Our group was one of the first groups there and we were met at the airport by Miss USA 2005 Chelsea Cooley Altman and Dr. A.T. Dunn.  They made us feel really welcome and in no time we were all talking like old friends.  When we got to the camp I went straight to my room to take a nap.  I’m not really good about sleeping on planes and had started my trip to the camp the night before.   I roomed with Miss Idaho Teen USA, Miss Illinois Teen USA and Miss New York Teen USA.   When I woke up a lot more teens and Miss USA’s were there.  From there the weekend retreat was really fast paced.  I couldn’t believe all that we fit in.  I rode a bull! (staying on for 35 seconds.)  We went roller-skating and played hockey.  (These women are fierce in a game of hockey) I even got to stand up on a horse.  We fit in some pageant stuff like mock interviews and walking and topped off the weekend by going snowboarding.  I finished up the weekend hanging out with Miss Colorado Teen USA Caley-Rae Pavillard who is an absolute sweetheart.  I will always remember the moments I had with my sister titleholders.  My top moments of the weekend were~Sharing a McFlurry with Miss Texas Teen USA~she is so nice.  Miss California Teen USA and I holding each other up while roller-skating (too funny! The pictures of us skating don’t even do justice to how funny this was to watch)~ Miss Wisconsin Teen USA and I laughing about absolutely nothing all the time and Miss Colorado Teen USA and I sharing the spiciest hotdogs around.  My only regret is that it didn’t last longer.  I really can’t wait to see all my new friends again at Miss Teen USA. 

My dress appointment with La Casa Hermosa

     I’ve started looking at dresses for my big day at Miss Teen USA this summer.  I wish I could share with everyone some of the ideas for the dress but I need to keep that a secret for now.   My appointment was with Robin Fleming with La Casa Hermosa at Planet Hollywood. She has amazing taste and has designed gowns for Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss America!  She also sketches her ideas for these dresses like a famous artist.   My family got to the suite where we were to meeting up with Robin and I couldn’t even believe it.  The suite was huge with curved windows looking out onto the strip.  Robin had her assistants there and there were racks and racks of designer gowns all lined up and color coordinated.  It was a rainbow of fabric and beadwork.   My mom even said “It’s like the best dressfrom every store.”   The gown I wore to run for Miss Nevada Teen USA was made by a dress maker named Bobbie Strawn and stoned by my dad and me because my mom was allergic to the glue.  I love the dress and really put a ton of work into it.  I still can’t believe I get to have a gown sponsored by Robin Flemming! It makes me feel like a princess to just get to pick the gown and leave the hard work to someone else.   Whether I win, place or just meet a lot of new friends I’m getting a gown that was made just perfect for me and I’m so excited about that.   Robin offered my dad and Maureen my state director some champagne and then we got down to trying on dresses.  Robin’s assistants brought several dresses into the back suite and I started trying on dresses with my sister Queen Sarah.  About halfway through the appointment my mom came running back to the area where I was zipping up a dress and whispered “Ashley!  Ashley! Oh wow Ashley It’s Sherri Hill!!!”  Sure enough I came out to show everyone another gown and Sherri Hill was standing there.  I’d seen her name on advertisements in dress magazines and I was in a dress store once and they had a Sherri Hill gown.  I tried the dress on just to say I had tried on a Sherri Hill gown before.  I think Robin and Maureen know everyone. :O) Four hours later and every color of fabric I could have imagined I think I really have been able to rule some things out and also come away with a lot of ideas and knowledge about what looks good on me.  How do I pick a gown when everything is so pretty and more than I expected.  I’m going to have to really rely on the professionals because to my eye just about every dress I tried on was “The Gown” 

The Great Santa Run

Saturday December 4^th   The Great Santa Run

     The Great Santa Run is put on every year to support programs for people with intellectual disabilities.  The race was expecting more than 14,000 Santa-suited runners to see if we could get entry into the Guinness Book of World Records over teams in England, Ireland, and Australia.  People came out in force to run and walk dressed as Santa.  This was so much fun.  I ran into so many people that I know and it was really fun to see how everyone put their personal stamp on Santa.  People even decorate their wagons and strollers with Christmas cheer.  The mayor Oscar Goodman came out with his showgirls and is just as popular with the locals as Santa.  There was a ton of live music and I even danced the Cha Cha Slide. (no pictures  included) hahaha   I think I even spotted an Elvis Santa.  I can’t wait to see who I see out there next time getting their Santa on.

My First Interview outside of pageant night.

My dad is a Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force.  My mother is from San Diego California and my dad is from Hartford Connecticut.  I was born at my dad’s first duty station in Alaska.  I then spent 8 years with my family stationed in Germany at Ramstein Air Base.  We’ve been stationed here in Nevada for 3 years and this is where my dad is going to retire.   I was so excited to get back to America after spending from age 5 to 13 in Europe.  It was fun traveling the world and I know I was lucky to get to see so many places but nowhere beats the United States.  It’s like the best of every country I’ve been to and I see that every day as I meet people here in Las Vegas.  I remember the last time my family went to Paris, France.  It is only a four hour drive across the border from the base we were stationed at in Germany.  I thought “Wow, I better take a good look; I won’t be seeing this again.”  We only flew back to the United States as far as New York after those 8 years.  My mom said we had seen so many countries that we needed to see some of the amazing things in our own country.  We saw the Statue of Liberty, Niagara Falls, The Wisconsin Dells, the Corn Palace, Mt Rushmore and Devils Tower  on the drive across the United States to get to my dad’s new duty station at Nellis Air Force Base Nevada.  We drove straight to the Las Vegas strip and I saw it.  The Eiffel Tower.  I knew it then.  The state of Nevada really does have it all.  I knew I was home.   

     My first interview outside of pageant night as the new Miss Nevada Teen USA was given to the Air Force network through public affairs on Nellis Air Force Base.   My whole family ran around the house picking up things for them to bring in the video cameras.  We had lots of stuff lying around from the pageant the night before.  They set up the lighting and equipment and had me sit down.  One of the first questions they asked me was about the charity that I stand for.  For anyone reading this please pass the following on.  Autism Speaks is not just some charity that I latched onto because I wanted to win a pageant.  They raise awareness and fund research for Autism.  There is no known cause or cure and the percentage of children that are born with autism is rising.  My brother was diagnosed with Autism.  He is only a year younger than I am and I really feel like it could have been me in those shoes.  It was an amazing interview and I really felt like I got to say what I wanted to get out there.  I finally feel like through this title I can have a louder voice for my community.   The Air Force motto is “service before self.”  I’ve been raised with this motto and I live the values and commitment that I have witnessed being a dependent child of an Air Force dad.  I will treat this title with the respect and hard work it deserves.  I will make my state and Air Force family proud.  A link on my Miss Nevada Teen USA Facebook page has a link to the full article that the Air Force did.

  

My First Photo shoot as Miss Nevada Teen USA!

November 15^th 2010

     My first official photo shoot being Miss Nevada Teen USA was really amazing.  I woke up that morning and jumped out of bed.  My first full day as Miss Nevada Teen USA.   EEEEEKKK  I still get chills thinking it.  I got out of bed because the phone was ringing at six am.  The second I walked out of my room my dad handed me some flowers that had come.  My mother was on the phone with the Air Force.  My family is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base here in Nevada.  She got off the phone and told me that public affairs for the Air Force wanted to do a story on me later in the day.  My mother had Georgina Vaughan 2009 come over and do my hair and makeup for the photo shoot.  She made my eyes look so beautiful.  I then went to the Hilton and the director of the pageant a Ms. Atwell was there with her staff.  It was the most amazing place to have my pictures taken.  I felt like a movie star.  They even had a hotel room that I could change in. They even had candy on the bed.  My dad showed up and I told him “how come you don’t put candy on my bed in case I get hungry?”   He just laughed at me.  The photo shoot was so glamorous.  I got to wear several different gowns and it was a dream location.  I am so lucky that I get to do such things.  I keep thinking “What am I going to do to pay back all the wonderful things that are coming my way.

And Our New Miss Nevada Teen USA is Ashley Brown!

  November 14^th 2010!  The day my dream came true.  I became the new Miss Nevada Teen USA!  Words cannot express the joy I felt at that moment.  I could see my mother sitting in the audience a few rows back.  My dad was pacing by the exit with my little sister.  I stood there with the other girls holding hands.  I wanted this so bad but I could tell by the hands squeezing mine that there were girls that wanted this just as badly as I did.  I couldn’t believe I could see my mother in the audience.  I always thought the stage lights would be so bright that I wouldn’t even be able to see the judges much less the audience.  I stared right at my mom’s eyes in the audience and we didn’t break eye contact.  All I thought to myself over and over again was “please please please  let it be me, please I want this so badly.”  A song started to play on stage.  It was the song my mother dedicated to me and we practiced my formal walk over and over again to in my drive way.  It went…“When I see your face, there’s not a thing that I would change. Girl Your amazing, just the way you are” My mom smiled so big.  They announced the second runner up and the girl next to me almost broke my hand squeezing so hard.  The first runner up was called and I kept thinking “please please please.”  I heard it.  I really heard it.  I can’t remember how it was exactly worded but I heard it loud and clear.  Ashley Brown is our new MISS NEVADA TEEN USA!!!!!  My mother and I locked eyes as the crown was put on my head.  She was screaming hysterically “Shake in Bake Pancake!”  I won the Super bowl and the lottery that day.  It was the best day of my life.

Being the best me I can be.

I’ve never worked for something so hard in my life the way I did to obtain my goal to be Miss Nevada Teen USA.  I saw those amazing girls on TV and I would think to myself “I can be one of them.”  My body type was always thin but my mother said that if I was serious about competing I would have to be a title holder that the state of Nevada could believe in.  I couldn’t just go into the Big Interview and say that I eat right and workout if I wasn’t doing those things.  I wanted to be genuine because that’s who I am.  I cut out all fast food and soda over the last year and you know what?  I don’t miss it.  I haven’t had any fast food unless I was just stuck in a situation where I couldn’t avoid it since I started on this journey and I don’t really crave it.  Being a teen I haven’t always been comfortable walking around in a swimsuit .  I used to wear shirts over my top.  The afternoon I walked out on stage in my two piece swimsuit I was proud.  I didn’t just look my best but I felt my best because I hadn’t crashed dieted to compete in this pageant.  I had been exercising and eating right all along.  The night before the pageant there was this amazing party for the current title holders that were leaving.  They had these amazing gourmet cupcakes that many of the contestants eyed but avoided.  I walked straight up and picked out one of the best ones.  No guilt at all.  I take good care of myself and can have the occasional treat even the night before the most amazing pageant.