Ready, Set, Go!

Three.....Two.......One....... The race has officially begun! Of course I have not been literally running a race, but it definitely feels like it. The weekend of January 7th began a whole new chapter in my life. The excitement and wave of emotions I felt after the Miss Muscatine pageant was astronomical. I could not believe all the support and love that surrounded me. From the excitement of pageant day to the planning and hard work that followed there after, I was ready for the challenge. I am so thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to represent the Muscatine Community throughout my year of service and cannot wait to be actively involved!

When you believe you can, anything is possible no matter how impossible it may seem. My parents have always taught me to dream big and shoot for the stars. No matter how difficult things seem, if you work hard, are motivated, and have confidence amazing things can be accomplished. Being crowned the 2017 Miss Muscatine was a dream come true! My days following Miss Muscatine have been anything but dull. From meeting with sponsors like Le Chic Prom and Pageant Boutique and 8 One 8 Fitness to making multiple appearances, I have been one busy gal! Not to mention three days after Miss Muscatine I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed! 

As a major advocate for Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness, I have been actively seeking opportunities with the Muscatine Police and Fire Department, New Horizons in Muscatine, and with the Partnership for Drug-Free Iowa (PDFI). Since being crowned, I became a co-editor for best of videos for PDFI, toured the Muscatine Police and Fire Department, learned the status of prescription drug abuse and overdoses in Muscatine, finished my third children's book, and am continuing to pursue more opportunities. 

Not only have I been active in my platform, but I have been active in the community. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" Every single year across the United States people come together to answer that question including myself. In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act which made the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday a national day of service. To partake in this initiative, I collected several bags full of clothing to donate to Goodwill in Iowa City. 

Rounding out the past few weeks, I attended the Miss Burlington Pageant this past Sunday. Five wonderful women competed and the competition was tough. I was not jealous of the judges. I had company while traveling to Burlington, Taylor Wiebers, Miss Iowa 2015. Many titleholders in the Miss Iowa Class of 2017 attended including Miss Iowa 2016, Kelly Koch. It was wonderful to see so many friends! Congratulations to Cheyenne Prowant, the new Miss Burlington. 

“Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.”

– Jack Canfield

As I look to the week and year ahead I can not help but think how blessed and lucky I am. This quote  sums up the last few months of my life. If you don't try, you do not know what you can be capable of. Half of the journey is about failing and learning to pick yourself up. This is how we grow and become stronger. Have Faith and Believe.

Handing over the Crown

“Expect nothing, appreciate everything” works perfectly for my year as Miss Muscatine. One year ago today, I never expected I would be switching out my softball cleats to put on pageant heels and win this title. Needless to say, I appreciate every single person, event, and opportunity that has come my way in 2016. Being a part of the Miss Iowa Class of 2016 has created such a different perspective in my life; creating new friendships, new memories, and even more love for those in my life. Endless amount of thank you’s to those who have helped me throughout my year; my entire family, Kindra and Ashley (Miss Muscatine Scholarship Program), Michelle and Jessica (Legacy Pageant Consulting), Jon Hunt (818 Fitness), Heather and Stacy Delong (Le Chic Prom and Pageantry), and Salon Halo. My biggest thank you to former Miss Muscatine, my best friend and my mother, Kim Sywassink for allowing me to follow in your footsteps 24 years later.

Throughout my year I was about to be involved with multiple events: Blue Zone Project, Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals, Special Olympics, Community Clean up, Humane Society, MHS cake Auction, Fundraiser Nights, Health Fair, Diabetes Walk, Race for the Schools, Live happy festival, Young Athletes Volunteer, Parades, Row Raiser, Relay for Life, Bill Riley Talent Show, Ragbrai, Bridge to Gap Expo and many more throughout Miss Iowa week.

For now, here's a little bit of what has been going on in the last few months as Miss Muscatine...

(Fourth of July parade with my little princess Kadence, we had a blast waving to everyone and throwing out candy! It's been a great year with my little princess)

(Special Thank you again to my sponsor Salon Halo in Bettendorf, Iowa- my girls did a fabulous job on my hair every single time I went in)

(These pictures are amazing when all of the Special Olympic Athletes had a chance to go to the Gems baseball game and participate the 7th inning stretch. Each of these athletes have such a special place in my heart and it was a great opportunity to spend over 400 hours with all the athletes)

(I had the chance to help with the Relay for Life event and we had such success in the year, raising more and more money for cancer)

(These pictures show the greatest part of my summer. The Special Olympic Athletes had a chance to partner with Crossfit and create an event called "Row Raiser"- this event helps raise money for all Special Olympic states in the US, to find out more information for this coming summer visit www.rowraiser.com. These athletes had a BLAST and I can say it truly touched my heart, even leaving me in tears a couple times)

(Another great event this summer was finding out all about Special Olympics, I had the opportunity to attend the State Conference for three days, learning endless amounts of information about what is behind the scenes in all the Special Olympic events)

(Two events in one day: I had the chance to talk and meet with all the Ragbrai participants, it was such an amazing day watching all of the riders come into Muscatine, Iowa to dip their bikes into the water. Secondly, I had the chance to judge the Bill Riley Talent Show, how fun being able to be a judge instead of being judged! We have amazing talent in Muscatine!)

(This girl has a very special place in my heart, Sydney Mead, our impact player for Quincy University Softball Team. Syd now has been cleared of Leukemia and is such a strong willed, beautiful young lady. I am so glad I am able to be closer with Syd since the summer.)

(Day of Service with the Softball team was great! We were all able to help around the community and volunteer time to those in need!)

(My favorite people, Special Olympics athletes were able to attend a Quincy University football game and watch all the players. They have such big smiles and loved every second!)

(Coming to an end, I was able to run around Muscatine getting people to donate and sponsor the Miss Muscatine Scholarship Program! Endless amounts of thank you's to those who have helped every single day!)

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As most you know, I am a big lover of quotes, so here are few that have touched my heart lately...

 Time to hand over the Crown tomorrow....

Hope to see everyone at the Miss Muscatine Pageant tomorrow night at 7pm! It's going to be one for the books! My year as Miss Muscatine is one that I will forever carry with me throughout the years. I am so glad I was able to be surrounded by such amazing people, pushing me to strive to be the best that I could be. Lastly, to everyone reading this, I highly encourage everyone to step out of their comfort zone, to do something courageous, spontaneous, and make the memories you thought you would never have. I am forever grateful for this opportunity, thank you for letting me represent our community, and for the last time, thank you from yours truly, the 50th Miss Muscatine 2016, Kaylee Jones.

 ... It's now time to trade in those pageant heels for softball cleats

 "life is like a balloon, if you never let yourself go, you'll never know how far you can rise"