In all the craziness and excitement of my preparation for Miss USA it's not often that I get to spend a weekend with my family! But this weekend I did! We headed to Vail, Colorado for one of my dearest friend's wedding! It was one of the most beautiful, elegant and fun wedding weekends I've ever been to and I was so excited to share it with my family and amazing friends.
So what does this wedding weekend have to do with my Miss USA journey you may wonder? Well let me tell you :) As I headed to Colorado little did I know I would learn something at the wedding that I would take away with me during my preparations for Miss USA!
At the beginning of the gorgeous reception the bride's mom and dad took to the microphone to congratulate their beautiful daughter and give a few words of wisdom. The Compton family are dear friends of ours and I truly respect and look up to both of Elena's parents. They are such gracious, humble people and I enjoy every minute I get to spend with their family. While her Dad spoke of all the craziness leading up to the big day and all the planning that had gone into the event he said something that really hit home with me. He said, my biggest piece of advice to all of you is, "Dream Big and then think small."
Since I was a little girl I've always been a big dreamer and my parents always taught me to aim high and set high goals and expectations for myself and then work hard to get there. To this day I still try to do that. Every morning when I wakeup I try to think what I can do to better prepare myself for Miss USA, be a good Miss Massachusetts USA and make my state proud. This quote reminded me that while it is important to "Dream Big" it's also important to enjoy the journey and the little things along the way.
So far for me some of the little moments have been; giving my mom the first hug after I won, spending time with my sister queen Brooke, hearing the inspirational stories during my work with Susan G Komen and one of my favorite little moments when an adorable little girl came up to me at an event and said, "When I grow up I'm going to be Hannah Montana." It's these moments that make me smile and what being Miss Massachusetts USA is truly all about.
My message this year is just that ... Dream Big every single day but don't forget to enjoy and cherish the small moments along the way. It's those moments that will make achieving your dreams worthwhile!
Lacey
xoxoxo
