Continuing with CrossFit

Wow, I can’t believe Nationals are only a few short days away; it has been an awesome year as the 2013 National Miss Amazing Miss Queen, and I hope everyone has a wonderful time at Nationals this year!

This week, I wanted to give everyone an update on my Crossfit training. It is going awesome, and I love it! I am doing things that I never thought I would ever be able to do in my entire life, which makes me so proud. I actually just signed up for my first  5k; I am doing it with my trainer on October 18th, and I am so excited! During the 5k, I will be walking 3.1 miles. I know I can do it with training, as I am already walking over a half-mile. Just last week, I just started leg pressing with 200 pound tire. Check it out below!

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Nationals Tips from Queen Tiffany!

As promised, this week I will be giving some tips for those of you who are traveling to the National Miss Amazing Pageant in just about a week! (These tips definitely also apply to anyone interested in participating in pageants of any type!)

• Most importantly… BE YOURSELF! Don’t try to be somebody you’re not; the judges and audience want to meet the real you!

• Get to know people, and be social at Nationals! Make a point to get to know, or at least speak with, everyone, including your fellow contestants, your Buddy and other Buddies, and the judges!

Making friends at Nationals!

• If you are performing in the optional Talent Showcase, just do your best and show off your skills. As you are not judged on your talent, this is all for fun!

• When dressing for your interview, you certainly want to look nice, and I would suggest wearing a skirt, dress, or business suit, but, more importantly, you should use this outfit to show your personality. Wear something that makes you feel confident!

• At your interview, remember to make eye contact with the judges and show them your personality by being yourself. Nerves definitely get to everyone, but try not to let yourself become too nervous and keep your confidence high! Answer the questions as clearly as you can, and remember that the judges just want to learn more about what makes you amazing!

• During your walk with your escort and the Evening Wear portion of the pageant, smile, smile, smile! Strut your stuff, and make sure you’ve practiced your pageant wave! Stand or sit up straight with your shoulders held back, and look at the whole audience, rather than just looking straight down the center. Try to make eye contact with everyone!

Confidence and personality are key in Evening Wear!

Always remember to have fun at Nationals; I know I certainly did last year! Everyone at Miss Amazing is a winner already! Congratulations and best of luck to those of you participating; I know you will be amazing!

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A Year in Reflection

With the 2014 National Pageant coming up, I would like to use this week to reflect on my year as the reigning Miss Amazing National Miss Queen. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend this year’s Nationals, but this past year has certainly been a wonderful whirlwind for me, and my title has allowed me to do and experience some pretty neat things! My top three highlights from my year as Queen are:

1. Actually winning the National title itself! Being crowned last year was such a special feeling, and I am so proud that I will always be the 2013 National Miss Queen! I plan to wear my tiara even after my reign comes to an end, because I will always have that title!

2. Seeing myself on the Today Show. They came in and filmed parts of the 2013 National Pageant and happened to capture my talent, martial arts, on film. I didn’t even realize that they had done so, so I was grinning from ear to ear when I saw myself on television breaking a board! That was definitely something to cross off my bucket list.

3. Planning my own news interview for Fox 2 St. Louis News. The station heard about my National title, and I Facebook messaged Margie Ellisor, one of the co-anchors, asking if she wouldn’t mind promoting my National Queen Facebook page and this blog. She did one better by inviting me to the studio for a live interview! Everything happened really quickly following this invitation, so I was very impressed with myself for figuring out what I wanted to say on my own!

Other highlights of my year include learning how to fundraise, which allowed me to go out into the community and get to know people. It was a perfect job for me as I am very social, and can  reach a wide variety of audiences through newspaper articles and speaking engagements at my college and at other schools. I hope to one day become a motivational speaker, at least part-time or just for fun, so these opportunities were perfect for practicing and refining my speaking skills.

My whole goal in life is to inspire others all over the world with whatever I am doing; I am so thankful to Miss Amazing for helping me to do so and look forward to continuing to inspire people even after my reign comes to a close.

Stay tuned for next week’s post, where I’ll offer a few Pro-Tips on the National Pageant itself for those of you attending this year! Worried about your interview or another aspect of the pageant? Let me help alleviate your nerves!

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Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Everyone’s favorite mascot, Fredbird!

This is definitely another busy week! I am going to two St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, one today and one tomorrow. The Cardinals have a promotion going on this week where they are selling tickets for only $4, so my friend and I decided to go two days in a row. We even got good seats, so I hope I’ll get to see my favorite player, Yadier Molina! He has been my favorite player ever since Pujols left. I also can’t wait to see the new Ballpark Village, which is filled with a bunch of restaurants and shops. (All Cardinals themed, of course!) What’s your favorite part of being a member of Cardinal Nation?

On Friday, after all my baseball fun, I am going to the Crawford County Fair in Cuba, MO to see Jason Michael Carroll (again!) I am so stoked; he is definitely the best country artist ever! I am really hoping that I get the chance to talk with him again this weekend.

I also want to leave you with a brief update on last week’s post: CrossFit is going great; I am starting to lose weight and get stronger! It definitely takes a ton of commitment, but you can do it, too!

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A Week of Soreness: Starting CrossFit!

Wow, am I sore this week! I started exercising with an awesome new personal trainer a couple of days ago, and she is helping me begin CrossFit Training, a new type of workout where you do several different, high-intensity exercises throughout one workout session. With CrossFit, I’m doing tons of things I’ve never done before. For example, I am currently working on a modified pull-up, where I use two rings to pull myself up rather than the bar that is typically used. We’re building up to a regular pull-up! I am also working on getting better at walking up the stairs. My quads and hamstrings are pretty weak right now, and I am also trying to lose some weight, so we’re really working on strengthening my whole body.

My trainer is also helping me start learning how to practice CrossFit in the pool. My balance is a lot better in the pool, and working out in the water puts much less tension and strain on my muscles, so this type of workout typically leaves me far less sore. In the pool, we work on walking up and down stairs, throw a weighted ball back and forth, and even try to run!

As far as I know, there are not a ton of disabled people who have taken up CrossFit yet, though I have seen some YouTube videos of other people with Cerebral Palsy using this type of training to exercise. It is definitely an intense workout, but, if I can do it, so can you! Once I get really good at CrossFit, my trainer and I are planning to make a YouTube exercise video for others to follow!

In addition to my new workout, I am also trying a new diet! Five days ago, I began the Paleo Diet, during which you eat a lot of protein and very few sugars or carbs. (Fortunately, I get one “cheat meal” each week, when I can eat whatever I want!) It seems to be working really well so far, and I plan to stick with it for as long as I can while I work towards becoming stronger and thinner.

Have you tried CrossFit yet? Feel free to share any tips that have worked for you!

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A Week of Celebration and Conversation

My college graduation party was this Saturday! Family and friends joined me to celebrate, and close to fifty people showed up! The open house lasted from 2-7PM, so we had people in and out throughout the afternoon and evening. Some guests even traveled fairly far to help me celebrate my graduation. One of my friends from school showed up at the party; it was so nice that she made that long drive all the way from Edwardsville, IL! A cousin of mine from Kansas City, MO, and her family were also able to join the party. Those of you who know your Midwest-geography know that Kansas City is pretty far away from St. Louis (nearly four hours!), so I’m very glad they could come! The party itself was a barbecue, and a lot of the guests took advantage of our backyard pool and went swimming. It was so nice to see and chat with everyone, and I can’t wait to share some party pictures after I’ve gotten them developed!

The party was not all smooth sailing, however; about twenty minutes after it began, I got up to answer the door and fell, hitting my head on the wall and cracking it open in two places. Thank goodness my mom is a nurse and was able to dress my wounds. I didn’t need stiches, luckily, but it is definitely a little sore! Talk about dramatic! That incident certainly ended up being a topic of conversation throughout the night!

The day after my graduation party, a friend of mine who I haven’t seen in almost four years returned from a mission trip to China and ended up staying with me for two days before heading back to Truman State, her school. Fun fact: she told me you can get a Starbucks Mocha for only fifty cents in China, so make sure to check that out if you’re ever visiting! While my friend was here, we finally got to a chance to just hang out and catch up. I had really missed our wonderful conversations! We also saw Maleficent, the new Angelina Jolie film. I loved the twist ending. (I won’t spoil the surprise for those of you who are still going to see it!) I’m so glad I got the chance to catch up with friends and family over these past couple of very interesting days!

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Radio Star Tiffany!

Tiffany being interviewed by Buzz, the head radio host of Sirius XM The Highway!

This weekend, a friend took me to Nashville, again… two weeks in a row! I would move down there in a heartbeat! We arrived in Nashville last Thursday night, and, on Friday morning, we went to a little diner called Noshville. The food was really great, and I asked a receptionist there if any stars ever came to the diner to eat. It turns out Reba McEntire, Hayden Panettiere, a star of the hit television show “Nashville,” and Taylor Swift all frequent the restaurant; it is especially convenient for Taylor, whose penthouse apartment is right across the street! Friday afternoon, we went to Sirius XM The Highway, which is a satellite radio station located on top of the Bridgestone Arena. We were there for what is called Happy Hour, during which fans are able to come in and hang out in groups of about twenty. I was interviewed on the radio show, so listeners all over the United States and Canada heard me talk about being in Nashville to celebrate my college graduation. I also was able to share what I majored in during school and what I would like to do as a career. It was so cool being interviewed and just being in the studio and seeing all of the equipment; definitely something to check off my bucket list! I also took a picture with the radio host.

Loving Nashville!

Later Friday night, I went to a concert at the Grand Ole Opry, which is like the Holy Grail of Country Music. If you go to Nashville, you definitely need to either go to a concert there or just take a tour! On Saturday, we went shopping in downtown Nashville all day, and, that evening, we went to Music Row and took pictures of all the different record label buildings. For dinner on Saturday night, I met up with a friend of mine with whom I went to college. She lives in Nashville now, and it was really nice to see her, as we hadn’t been together in nearly a year and a half. Sunday, we went on a tour of the Grand Ole Opry, and I was able to get a picture of myself on stage in the Circle, which is where all the stars stand when they play there. (I’ll post that when I finally get it developed!) I got maybe a total of ten hours of sleep the whole weekend, but it was definitely worth it!

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JMC Fest!

Wow, where to start? This weekend was definitely the experience of a lifetime! I traveled to Nashville with a friend from Tennessee, who, like me, is a huge fan of country artist Jason Michael Carroll. This weekend, the Country Music Association, or CMA, Fest was held in Nashville; we were able to go to three of Jason’s shows, so, instead, we called it JMC Fest! On Friday, we went to the filming of the live DVD shoot he was doing to help promote his new album, set to be released next month. (Make sure to check it out!) It was an experience I will never forget. The shoot was at Ocean Way Studios on Music Row, and before it began, he and his band did a meet-and-greet backstage. I also got to meet several people from his management team and connect with other members of his fan club; we all hung out and took several pictures with Jason. He and I even took another goofy picture! The DVD shoot itself was so much fun! In between songs and takes, he and the band were telling jokes and having fun with the audience. It was so cool seeing all of the cameras and lights. We were there for nearly five hours!

Adding to the collection of Tiffany and JMC goofy pictures!

After the shoot, I got to hang out with Jason and the band for a while longer; we even took a selfie. We were some of the last people to leave, and Jason got some of his band members to help me down the steps in my wheelchair! I told them I felt like a queen, and the picture is priceless. Later that night, I had a front row seat to see him play at the Wild Horse Saloon, which is a really famous spot for concerts in Nashville, and the following day, I saw him play on the Riverfront! Then, before making the trip home on Sunday, I went to the convention center and got to talk to him for a few minutes. While there, I also met country artists Ashton Shepard and Trent Tomlinson. I can’t wait to see Jason again next month at the Crawford County Fair in Cuba, Missouri! This Thursday, I will be going back to Nashville with my friend to celebrate my graduation. Needless to say, I LOVE Nashville and country music! What are your favorite memories from trips to Music City?

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Songs, Signings, & Selfies

This has been one eventful week! On Wednesday, one of my friends and I saw country music artist Eric Paslay in concert. One of our local country radio stations invited him to play at a venue called Wild Country in Collinsville, IL. The concert was awesome! It was the first time I had ever seen him play live, and I was able to sit in front so I could see well. Eric played a couple of his new hit songs, like “Friday Night,” but what really surprised me the most was learning that he actually wrote Jake Owen’s hit song “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” and Rascal Flatt’s hit song “Rewind!” Eric even played both songs at the show. Right as the show ended, before he walked off stage, he gave me his guitar pick; that made me feel so special! Shortly after the concert, he took pictures and did a signing with all of his fans. The venue let me go first because there were so many people in line; this made things a lot easier, as it was hard for me to get through with my wheelchair. Eric was so sweet! I got his autograph, had my picture taken with him, and told him thank you for the guitar pick. The radio station even took a picture their camera to put on their website! We stayed for another half an hour, and, as we were walking out, Eric was also walking out to his tour bus! He ended up taking another picture with me, because the original one I took with my camera didn’t turn out; this time we took a selfie! I was so happy! This Thursday, I am leaving for my first of two trips to Nashville this summer, so I am totally stoked! I’ll give you a sneak-peak of next week’s post: it will be titled “JMC Fest!” Stay tuned to find out why!

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College Graduation, 8 Years in the Making!

It has been a busy couple of days, to say the least! I graduated college on Saturday with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication! After eight years of college, I finally achieved a major dream of mine by getting my college degree! It has taken a lot of hard work and determination, but I finally did it. 

I loved college, and I already miss it, especially my friends and teachers! Luckily, I will still get to see them fairly often. Graduation was exciting and bittersweet. Many of my friends and family came to support me, and several of my friends actually graduated with me! When I put my cap and gown on, I just took a deep breath. I felt like a weight had been lifted!

The next few weeks are going to be very exciting. I am going to Nashville for a few weeks, and I’m planning a big graduation party to celebrate! I am also working really hard to find a full time job. I know that, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything, even if you have a disability! That is what I try to tell myself everyday. By no means is it easy; I have had to overcome a lot of adversity in college, and still face obstacles on a daily basis, including all of my physical challenges with my Cerebral Palsy and other learning disabilities. Don’t let it keep you from following your hopes and dreams! Many more exciting things are happening soon, so stay tuned!