Authenticity Trumps Perfection


    Over the holidays, I read somewhere in a magazine a quote by this past years Miss America, Laura Kaeppler that really stuck with me & turned out to be not only a game changer in my pursuits of pageantry but also in general. Now I've looked everywhere for the quote & cant seem to find Laura's exact words, but it went something along the lines of this:
"So many girls try to be perfect but that's not what it's about. Everyone has flaws and it is impossible to be perfect. My greatest advice is don't try to be 100 % perfect, rather strive to be 100 % authentic."

    Now I probably completely butchered her words, but that was the gist. Something the Lord has been showing me so far this year is what it means to trust Him as He empowers me to be who He has created me to be. As I wrote in my last post, this season has been drenched with the pursuit of being authentic-who I really am- the good, the bad, the ugly- and championing exactly everything the Lord has made me to be in Him with no shame. So here is a little insight into my journey thus far. Much of being me, the real me, has suprisingly involved waaaay more trusting in God than I would have ever anticipated. What I have discovered as I have decided to accept Gods call on my life to be who He has created me to be is that this endeavor of authenticity is scary. Bringing all my insecurities to the surface, this practice is not one of comfort and within just the past few weeks I have noticed this endeavor requires my willingness to loose things if it means being someone I am really not, even things I dont want to loose. It calls me to be able to sacrifice that which could do with or without the real me. It's been freeing, but man has it been hard!
     I have realized the weird tendancy I have to revert to this composed polished image of myself and how easy it is to not share all the facts, but to deliver to people the generic problem-less cookie cutter version of myself because theres no risk involved... no risk of loosing anything. God's been showing me that I love applause, and if I cant reap that, then general approval gives me more comfort than His presence, and He's been letting me know that just wont do. My fear is rejection. My tendency is to put up a front- keeping the story clean cut, short& to the point, saving the drama for your mamma, & avoiding sharing any details that might cast a shadow over my capabilites or credibility. Simple, normal, safe- that identity doesn't cost anything..., but broken, baggage, sinner, redeemed by Jesus' blood& sustained by His grace... now that's a pricey reputation. Those words describe who I am, but they are not easy to spit out because I've learned that people like me are viewed as too risky to trust, to lead, to marry, to invest in, etc. But as much as I have been tempted to revert to a perfect portrayal of myself, God has been making it evident this season that He has quite a different plan& He has been relentless in settling for nothing less than authenticity from me. And though uncomfortable at times, as well as scary, I am beginning to see why. Emerging through a reoccuring theme that keeps playing out in the big things He's doing in my life lately, I am noticing a bigger picture agenda piecing itself together. God is validating my entire existence through this authenticity run and it has been beautifully wrecking my world. It all came together 2 weekends ago after winning Miss Collierville 2013, my first TN pageant title.
    As I sat in my room Sunday afternoon, I was letting all that had just happened Saturday night soak in, and a scripture verse hanging next to my bed caught my eye as well as my heart. Proverbs 3:5-8 had never encompassed such heavy meaning until that very moment.
 "Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh (soul) and refreshing (medicine) to your bones." 
    Climactic moment for me... now let me tell you why. As perfect and awesome as my ideal of what I should be is, the Lord has shown me how dumb I am by illustrating how much greater what He has for me& who He has made me to be is in value to His kingdom than anything I could ever conjure up myself. I realized this through a series of events but mainly through a few pageant pursuits I've done recently in particular. As I mentioned, over the holidays I read that blurb of advice Laura Kaeppler gave to girls in pursuit of being Miss America and it stuck with me because not too long before I went home for Christmas I competed in a pageant before Miss Collierville. And let me be the first to say what a wonderful experience it was. I met so many beautiful people and made so many new friends; I had an incredible experience, but I did not win. Placing first runner up, tying in swimsuit, and winning overall interview was great, but in all honesty I didn't sign up to get certificates. I wanted a crown. In fact, I wanted a crown so bad I was willing to compromise who I really was in order to get one. 
     Now pageants are just like sports. And just as in any other sport or organization, there are certain tactics and principles one can adhere to in order to get guaranteed success- the "works every time" stuff. I call them pageant tactics. In fact... in life we kinda have these tactics too. The front we put on by the clothes we wear, the information we choose to share, the way we decide to portray ourselves. Everyone has some degree of "works every time" methods to either fit in the world they live in or to just catch a few awesome opportunities here and there, like networking. This past year I used my pageant tactics to the best of my ability when competing for Miss Texas and for Miss Memphis, but I didn't come home with a crown from either. Now for a pageant girl not winning a crown after competing a few times and giving the best you know how to give can make her pretty antsy and it did me. I thought to myself, 'What am I doing wrong? Are my tactics out of date? Am I not good at this anymore?' After having a pretty solid track record in pageantry from consecutive wins since I got in the game at the age of 16, with the only losses being state, I had become puzzled and discouraged because I was not used to coming home crown-less. And as prideful as that may sound, I was genuinely confused. Loosing my first local last year and then another this past year made me doubt who I really was and what I had to offer. Was I loosing my touch? No... I was loosing me. 
    In the pageant world you hear a term called pageant patties- girls that have been in the system for too long and its evident because they look and act like the pageant girl stereotype- talking to them is almost like talking to a robot- very fake, no emotion, and way too crown hungry. Anyway- I was growing a bit too crown hungry and was loosing sight of the whole reason I was in pageants and made the idiot move of changing my talent from speed drawing to singing when competing for Miss Memphis so that I would be more liable to win a crown. Somewhere over the rainbow I caught word that only singers get crowned in Tennessee and I was no longer a fan of being left empty handed on a stage again so I caved. Now I can carry a tune, but I am no Whitney Houston. My real passion is art. Always has been, always will be, but my speed drawing talent wasn't cutting it where I was competing. I wasn't even on the radar. 
     I was so frustrated with the fact that my hard work, potential, and talent was not getting noticed, not being recognized, and that my creative skills I knew I had were not being appreciated. I had hit a point where I felt like no matter what I did I wouldn't be good enough and what ended up happening was I began equating my worth with the reactions and ratings of what others thought of me rather than what God thought of me. I forfeited the uniqueness that God created in me to exude so that I could fit some ideal image I thought would win me a crown. And what a waste, because I didn't even win playing the role of my ideal. And how often do we do this on a daily basis? Can anyone relate to this rut I kept finding myself in? I believe the Lord left me empty handed for good reason and now looking at all His goodness He has been showering me with lately, I can praise God I lost because it was taking one for the team. God is making me authentic and that win wouldn't have fit in His agenda of teaching me how to be authentic! And more than that... He is helping me realize why I, not my ideal-but me, the real me- exists, my purpose, His plan, and the value of my authenticity to it. God wasn't going to award me a crown for being something I'm not... He's smarter than that.
     So two weeks ago I won Miss Collierville performing my REAL talent- the talent I have been performing for 5 years: speed drawing. I developed this unique talent in 2007, & I nor anyone else had ever heard of at the time. A little background as to the blood, sweat, and tears that make this talent one that is not easily placed on the shelf is due here and to clarify why I believe God has designated this to be apart of me practicing authenticity. This talent and I go way back. I entered the pageant world at 16 winning with a jazz dance but after explaining my true talent (Art) to my first board of directors, they handed me a piece of computer paper and a picture of Jennifer Berry, the Miss America at the time, & told me to draw her. About 12-15 minutes later they checked on me and found a complete realistic portrait drawn and shaded of Jennifer Berry's face that I had free handed right there in their living room. They looked at me with amazement and said this will be your talent. We got with my high school art teacher, a close friend of ours, and pitched the idea to her to see if she could help us make sense of such a talent and if it was even possible. Her first response was: "It's impossible Jessica." 2 minutes, 1 blank canvas, and the pressure to create not just any image, but a good image out of thin air before a stadium full of people was what I had to do. We couldn't see it happening either, but my art teacher agreed to help us figure out a way. For 6 months I practiced a self portrait drawing, numerous practices, critiques with art people and theatre teachers to make the talent a reality. Choreographed just like a dance- 8 seconds per eye, 10 seconds to draw the nose, 5 seconds for the mouth etc. I labored day and night trying to conquer the impossible. As people caught word of what I was trying to do, it hit the newspapers! My school paper, the local newspaper, magazines all over town: "Local pageant participant competes with Unusual Talent." It was so cool. I was actually getting to perform what I loved, my real talent, and people were impressed by it. Then at my first teen state pageant I placed 14th overall and won the Genesis award for the top non finalist with the most points. I had done my true talent and I achieved the impossible. So i guess you could say I was pretty spoiled having had people gawk and awe at me and my art skills my first year in the gate of pageant world. 
     The Lord called me to compete in my first Miss pageant in 2009, and although it was a fiercer competition than teen and the talent time limit was shortened by 30 seconds- a true hindrance for a speed drawer- I had expected to atleast do okay. The Lord helped me through all of it, pushed me, and called me to even explore other medias. I learned how to paint a picture of the girl who is the basis of my platform, Kayla, at a much larger scale than ever before and how to start with a different image (three crosses) and transform it into her face. It was a phenomenal accomplishment and I had grown so much, but I didn't receive much recognition for my work at state that year. It was my first year in Miss and in Texas and I wasn't really as concerned with winning, as I was in sharing my story, so the effects of not being recognized didn't really phase me, although it did feel weird. I took some time off pageants for about 2 years to focus on school but still spoke to chapels, schools, and churches, sharing my message and performing my talent until around this time last year. I decided to jump back in the game one last time.
      I caught word my talent needed a little "oomph" so I drew Kaylas face upside down and threw the canvas in the air and caught it right side up at the end. I thought it was awesome, but apparently the judges were not as impressed and I lost my first local placing as first runner up among 16 contestants after having never lost a prelim. I was confused. I heard it was my talent that caused my loss. Thus, my skepticism about my talent really set in, but it didn't just stop in talent- I began to doubt everything about myself. I began to wish I could do something else, look like someone else. I caught word I needed to draw a more recognizable face, but was conflicted with my conviction to draw Kayla so I had more opportunity to talk about her story and what God had done. The reality of how unique and different my talent was faded in comparison to the numerous critiques I received on what could make it better and I began to loose my passion for speed drawing- this talent I used to be so proud of became what I felt like was holding me back. I grew ashamed of it because I saw how it made me so different. I stuck out like a sore thumb and I didn't like it anymore because all I could associate it with was loss. I lost sight of what I really had going for me- the reality of my talent- the fact that I just drew a full fledged picture, shading and all & upside down in 90 seconds! Not impressive enough? I was completely missing what was in front of me. I can say that now as I have been reminiscing on all that has been done to develop it, but I was truly clueless and discouraged in this season. So when another local came around, Miss Texarkana (my hometown& the place my talent was born), I decided to give it one more try. My family and I decided my talent didn't need a gimmick so I drew Kayla right side up & normal, and glory be to God- I won. As we prepared for state my board of directors found that in order for the judges to know how to judge my talent they were going to need a visual reference. We thought perhaps I had lost the previous pageants because the judges didn't know how to judge it. So, we blew up a picture of Kayla to set next to my canvas at state and reworked all my paperwork so that I could share her story in interview. Looking back now, man-it was such a blessing to get to share Kaylas story and draw her face at Miss Texas, I even got to share her story with a reporter from ABC that was doing behind the scenes stories for Miss America- it was a great opportunity, but I came home empty handed once again- not even on the radar. I didn't understand what I was doing wrong. And once again I received more critiques on how I would have done better if I could have done my talent in these different ways (ways I had heard and tried before but didn't work). Thus, my heart became calloused towards my talent and I didn't see any other way of getting further by continuing to perform it. I knew I could still draw Kaylas face when I spoke at schools and shared her story, but I just couldn't see myself reaching the next level with it. 
     So this past year as the 2013 prelims commenced I made the decision to bloom where I was planted, here in TN, in order to speak to more schools and to sing for the talent portion of competition so I could actually win. I did my research, got with local title holders to find out the 411 on the climate of the pageant world here, what gets crowned, all that stuff. I worked hard studying, resolving all my material to the best of my ability, and after hearing that in TN only vocalists are crowned in addition to being told I could carry a tune this past summer as well as in conjunction with my discouragement and frustration of not being able to figure out why my drawing talent was a "problem", I just decided to change my talent and sing. But yet once more, I didnt bring home a crown. All my work in every other area of competition was recognized and I got to talk about my faith more than I ever had in any other pageant, it was amazing. But I thought to myself- "God am I just not talented!? Do you just not want me doing this pageant thing anymore?" Unbelievably I got numerous comments this time about how if I had done my speed drawing talent I would have done better. Can you imagine the frustration I was experiencing? But something happened to me after that pageant- something deep within me didn't feel right. 
     After Miss Memphis, a nagging feeling came over me about the reality of what I had put on the shelf in order to win a title I wanted so very badly- this amazing talent I had in my back pocket the whole time and didn't use because I had yielded my worth, my authenticity, to the opinions of others out of the belief that my ideal was more worthy of a crown than what I actually had to offer. Talk about a pitt in your stomach. As I caught word of Miss Collierville, I was honestly almost too exhausted to even consider it. I thought about it over the holidays, and was leaning towards competing but was unsure. And thats when I stumbled upon Laura Kaepplers quote. I went to Passion and it was like God unleashed a fire hydrant force of information. Gosh He really put my butt in check by helping me see the big picture that I not only need to quit being scared of being me, but to quit thinking about "me" all the time because thats not what this life is about. And just as I expressed in my last blog post, though God called me to this season of being unashamed of who I am, it's not because I am so awesome, but because He is so awesome through my insufficiencies. So I decided I would compete for Miss Collierville. 
     My title as Miss Texarkana 2012 came to an end, and as it came time to pass on my crown, I was revisited by that deep pit feeling again. My last night as Miss Texarkana I had the option of performing whichever talent I wanted and this time I couldn't part with the idea of getting to perform my art one last time. As I drew for my farewell talent performance, something deep within me felt fulfilled, a feeling I was too attached to to let go of, a feeling I forgot I had for this talent, and I nearly cried as I my little fingers drew that little girls face that night, a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time. I had never had more fun drawing Kayla before an audience than I did that night. I realized that that black chalk belonged in my hand. I am an artist. This is my real talent and it is freaking awesome! It hit me like a ton of bricks that this is what I seriously love to do & how did I ever part with it? So in realization of the conflict of my passion with the rumor of what gets crowned in TN, I called the Collierville director to perform both of my talents for him so he could give me advice on what I should do. And what confirmation God gave me after finishing Kaylas portrait in my studio for Ed, the Collierville director, as he responded that he didnt even need to hear me sing after seeing that & thats what I needed to do for my talent. A both refreshing and encouraging response, I got ready to do my real talent. And here is where trusting the Lord came into play. God reminded me of what he had given me and gave me confirmation that this was the way and to walk in it but never have I encountered my flesh trying to take the reins like I did the couple of weeks leading up to the pageant. 
     My insecurities from performances past found their way to my head just a few days before the pageant and I became convinced my talent needed a gimmick to be able to win this prestigious title. I worked intensely to try to orchestrate this new vision I had for my art talent, unable to part with this new routine. I had become uttlerly convinced that only by this version of my talent would anyone even consider me for this title, but God knew otherwise. As I prepared, I began to notice tension with my time, schedule, music and other things weren't working out but I was determined to get it to this new level I believed it neeeded. Although I worked tirelessly to see it happen, I believe the Lord was literally frustrating my plans and for good cause. A few days before the pageant I broke down in tears because I couldnt part with the thoughts of my talent not being good enough again. I prayed to the Lord for His help, but what I didn't realize was the Lord was helping me, just not the way I thought He should be. A couple of days before the pageant I shared my heart with a friend of mine about the frustration I was having and how difficult it was to trust the Lord with this mediocre offering of myself in this pageant when I knew the degree of excellence that would really win. I believe the Lord spoke through him because what he said hit me like a ton of bricks. He said: 
"If you could take the same attitude of excellence that makes you inclined to want control of stuff-- if you would apply that to how you trust God and your relationship with God, do you know how awesome that would be?! Give it your all to trust God and instead surrender with excellence to His plan!" 
     What a game changer his advice was. I've never been calmer or more free feeling in any pageant I have ever participated in. Loosening my grip on the whole thing, giving it to the Lord, deciding to go with my normal routine of my drawing talent, even though in the back of my mind I was scared of loosing again worked & thats what God wanted me to do all along. He wanted me to trust Him. My friend was right. I needed to have placed all that energy into trusting God instead of trying to make my way work and when I did, great things took place. I was crowned Miss Collierville February 2nd, 2013. And what's funny is that the portion of competition I was most worried about, I actually performed my worst and was still crowned. God taught me something- He is the boss. He makes 2+2=4, He picks the colors for the sky and grass, He makes my lungs work and my heart beat, He places every star in the sky where He wants it to go, and He chooses who gets crowned in pageants, even if the girl doesn't finish the nose on her speed drawing portraitAll that stress, worry, and toil was a waste of my energy.
     The thought of loosing a pageant after competing authentically was scary because it would be me being rejected and that thought made it difficult to trust God. But God had to take me through that experience and risk of loss and rejection amidst my authenticity to experience the win and the affirmation I now feel. All my personal facts and information were all artsy and true. I was completely myself. And come pageant day God gave me a peace through my friends advice that made me okay with being me, even if being me cost me the title of Miss Collierville. But it didn't. God wanted to show me that. Afterwards I went to eat with my family and they were telling me about how everyone in the audience was freaking out about my talent and how amazing it was. It was like medicine to a bruised heart hearing a different kind of feedback like that. God taught me something huge through that. He purposely allowed my talent portrait to be the worst I have ever done just to prove to me His sovereignty is where I need to place my security- his sovereignty in how He's made me and in His ways. 
     Yesterday, the newspaper article above was published on the cover of every Collierville paper, headlining: "Texas Artist Wins Collierville Crown." And can I just say, I have never been more happy to be a speed drawer/ artist in my whole pageant career. I will be the only girl at Miss Tennessee with my talent once again, and this time Im so pumped to have that privilege. God is teaching me to be authentic and to trust Him! Glory be to Him!!! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding..." this is what won me the title of Miss Collierville. As much as I thought I knew it all and knew what needed to be done, I really didn't. His way is so much better than my own understanding. And in the end- what medicine it was to my soul! God wanted to show me what He knew I needed to see. That in Him, I will always be good enough, crown or no crown. What healing that brought my bruised heart and peace it has given me for my future endeavors. As I attempted to go my own way and achieve perfection, God corrected me and showed me I need to be authentic, real, and unashamed, trusting He has made me who I am for a reason. This is why Proverbs says- 'May we not be wise in our own eyes, but rather fear the Lord...' because we are to fear God, respect the reality that He knows what He is doing, not fear man or depend on our own understanding. And when we trust Him, play our part authentically, no facade, we get out of the way to where He can do the great and mighty things He planned for us all along. This is why that passage caught my heart Sunday afternoon after the win. 
     Our wisdom will never be greater than the Lord's- our way, these pageant tactics, the "works every time" stuff- if we put our way above His, we miss out on experiencing the real genuine affirmation God has for us when we are who He has created us to be. I have a ton of flaws and I mess up alot, but who doesnt? I love art, I do pageants, Im kinda gangster at times, kinda dramatic at times, but ultimately I know I belong to God. I am not perfect but He is daily reversing the presence of sin within me, using me to expand His kingdom. I am not perfect, but Im okay with that because I serve a God who is. And as far as being authentic... I'm realizing its an invitation to experience His grace. Being authentic- being real with yourself and with others about who you really are (the good, the bad, the ugly)- when in scope of how grand He is, brings about a humility that not only overwhelms your heart with gratitude and love for this God who showers upon you goodness and mercy despite your inequity, but transforms you and draws you nearer to Himself because you realize how good He really is in light of how wicked and insufficient you really are. His grace is seriously and so beautifully unfathomable. And all these things He has been teaching me to understand this has just made me fall madly in love with Him all the more. I was never called to be perfect, just simply called to be willing and He will do the rest. I am glad the Lord frustrated my ideal and left me with no other option than being authentic at Miss Collierville because it worked and it has been one of the greatest wins I have ever had. Why? Because I know I wasn't playing the role of anyone else when they put a crown on my head that night. I believe the Lord knew I would feel that way and He knew I needed that. And that is the beauty in the God that I serve. His power overrides my insufficiencies, He knows what I need even when I don't know I need it, His blood not only covers my screw-ups, but redeems them and makes them victories. He takes my weaknesses, my circumstances, my inadequacies- all the things that I imagine would disqualify me from being of worth- and He says, "I know better than you, follow me!" Then makes me qualified, & uses me anyway. Perfection was never in my job description. Thats Gods job. Rather I am the object by which His perfection consumes, tears to pieces, embarrasses, humbles, corrects, reconstructs, and consecrates for His glory. My job is just to be authentic, fully yielded to Him with all I can muster in trust, so the world can see His magnificence. He knows the way, He's in control, and we get to see His power if we will just get out of the way... and who knew that would mean being authentic. Thus, may we not sacrifice our authenticity in order to make the image of ourselves great, but rather own up to who we really are so that we may make Christ all the greater. May we give God the glory He is due by being real with people so that they can see His awesomeness. May we not go the way of self-righteousness like we do not need Jesus' grace- no one is helped by us pretending we are perfect- rather may we fully delight in the fact that because of Christ and what HE has done, we are all we ever need to be- even if we are insufficient, because His perfection qualifies us. Authentically me for His glory, wretched, messed up, a little cra cra at times, and completely in need of His grace... yep, that's me... and no crown/title/position/opportunity can even come close to the majesty and prestige of that very raw authentic identity I have in Him. He is my guide who makes my paths straight even if all I can muster is crookedness. Praise be to God. I authentically belong to Him and am so glad that in Him I am all I ever need to be. 



Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

"Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”- Luke 18:9-14


"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone."-Romans 5:16-18


"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."-1 Peter 5:6-7

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About Me

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Welcome to my blog! My name is Jessica! I’m an unapologetic woman of faith in Jesus Christ. My heart beats for Gods Word, Girls Ministry, Art,& as an overcomer of poverty, I have a fierce passion for serving at-risk youth. I’m the CEO & founder of The Birds Nest Co., a multidisciplinary arts business& virtual store that sponsors my official ministry,UNBOUND, which is focused on freeing at-risk girls from poverty, but is fervently dedicated to empowering& serving all at-risk youth in the name of Jesus Christ. UNBOUND meets real needs among the under-served youth of our nation as well as gives others the opportunity to join the movement. It is my hope as a writer, speaker,& artist to bring glory to Jesus name, to teach His Word to girls with excellence, &raise funds, equip,& empower disadvantaged children to overcome poverty at an outrageous level. It’s through The Birds Nest Co.& UNBOUND Ministries that I am answering the call God has placed on my life to set the captives free. UNBOUND is the message the Lord has called me to speak& the mission He has put in my heart to serve. This blog is the host of my journey.Thank you for visiting& God bless!

Upcoming Events/ Appearances

  • March 2016. Speaking & Speed painting. Made4This Girls Conference. Nashville, TN
  • December 6, 2015. Speaking & Speed Painting. Mount Pleasant Christian Church. Greenwood, IN
  • November 8, 2015. Speed Painting. Skyline Church. San Diego, California.
  • November 6, 2015. Speed Painting. BSM Sports Conference. Houston, TX
  • October 23/24, 2015. Unbound Campaign Launch. Nashville, TN.
  • September 6, 2015. Speaking, Speed Painting, Guest Judge. SOCO Pageant. South Haven, MS
  • July 1, 2015. Featured on A & E Country Bucks. Wednesday 10/9C
  • March 7, 2014. Community Ambassador. Lexington Chili Super. Lexington, TN
  • March 15, 2014. Miss Tennessee Workshop. Jackson, TN
  • March 16/19 2014. Speed Painting/ Speaker. Journey Church. Jackson, TN
  • March 22, 2014. Photo Shoot. The Birds Nest Photography. Memphis, TN
  • March 26, 2014. Volunteer. Make A Wish Foundation-Mikes Day of Giving. Bellevue, TN
  • April 6, 2014. Speaker. Lexington Methodist Church. Lexington, TN
  • April 12, 2014. Speed Painter and Ambassador. FedEx Family House Gala. Memphis, TN
  • April 20, 2014. Speed Painter. Adventure Church. Columbus, OH
  • April 27, 2014. Speaker & Speed Painter. Relay For Life. Lexington, TN
  • May 10, 2014. Wedding Stylist. The Birds Nest Co. Memphis, TN
  • May 17, 2014. Wedding Stylist. The Birds Nest Co. Memphis, TN
  • June 14-22, 2014. Miss Tennessee Pageant. Jackson, TN

Past Events/ Appearances

  • March 4, 2014. Goodwill Ambassador for CMN. National Pancake Day. IHop- Searcy, AR
  • February 26, 2014. Meeting with Mayors of Lexington/Henderson County. Lexington, TN
  • February 25, 2014. Spokesperson. Kids Kan Event for Mid-South Food Bank & Fox News-Memphis. Germantown, TN
  • February 21-23, 2014. DNOW Group leader. Bellevue Baptist Church. Memphis, TN
  • February 15, 2014. Visiting Titleholder. Miss Banana Pudding Festival Pageant. Centerville, TN
  • February 8, 2014. Visiting Titleholder. Miss Dyersburg Pageant. Dyersburg, TN
  • February 1, 2013. Celebrity Guest. Princess Tea Party & Crowning Ceremony. Arlington, TN
  • January 25, 2014. Miss Lexington/Henderson Co. Pageant. Lexington, TN
  • December 22, 2013. Speed Painting. Faith Baptist Church- Christmas Program. Memphis, TN.
  • November 27 2013. The Birds Nest Co. Virtual Store Launches.
  • November 27-December 11, 2013. The Birds Nest BFA Gallery Show. Memphis College of Art. Memphis, TN.
  • November 22-23, 2013. Speaker/ Speed Painting. Dallas Church Girls Retreat. Dallas, TX
  • November 15, 2013. Photo Shoot. The Birds Nest Photography. Memphis TN
  • November 1-3, 2013. Interior Designer. BN Interiors. Austin, TX.
  • October 26, 2013. Photo Shoot. The Birds Nest Photography. Memphis, TN.
  • October 4-5, 2013. Speaker. Church on The Rock. Texarkana TX
  • September 2013. Launched The UNBOUND Project with the U.S. Dream Academy-Memphis. Memphis, TN
  • July 2013. Interior Designer & Artist. The Birds Nest for Bellevue Baptist Church. Memphis, TN
  • June 2103. Miss Tennessee Pageant 2013. Jackson, TN
  • May 2013. Host & Coordinator. CMN Talent Show Fundraiser. Collierville, TN.
  • May 2013. Meeting/Award Ceremony with the Prince of England, Miss America 2013, & Governor Haslam. Nashville, TN
  • May 2013. Speaker & Speed-painter. Bellevue Baptist Church. Arlington, TN
  • May 2013. Ambassador and Spokesperson for Collierville Parks & Recreation. Fishing Rodeo. Collierville, TN
  • April 2013. Speaker. Crosswinds Elementary School. Germantown, TN.
  • April 2013. Speaker. Girls Ministry. First Baptist Church. Collierville, TN
  • April 2013. Ambassador. Volunteer Mid-South. Memphis, TN
  • April 2013. Spokesmodel for FedEx Family House Gala. Memphis, TN
  • March 2013. Host for The Southern Women's Convention & Model for Cache'. Memphis TN
  • November 16, 2012. Speaker. Happily Ever After Girls Ministry Event. Bellevue Baptist Church. Memphis TN
  • October 2012. Speaker. Freedom Girls Conference. Heritage Baptist Church. Texarkana TX

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