IT'S FINALLY TIME!

So this week is officially October and all I can say is where has the time gone?! I feel like it was JUST New Years Eve and I was ringing in the new year in California. Now it's fall and I have had the most incredible 2014. Between moving to Nashville, having the most amazing experience attending Miss USA, and getting to travel to four new countries, one could say that 2014 couldn't get much better. And I would have to agree except for one thing, of course. Going to Miss USA...but this time as a contestant! Every girl who enters a pageant wants to win. Why else would you enter? This year there are 36 girls who want to be Miss Tennessee USA 2015 and have worked ridiculously hard to be their personal best this weekend. I am one of those 36 and I feel absolutely amazing.

However, I have gotten to a point where I have grown so much merely through the preparation for one night that no matter what happens, I will be proud of myself for the strides I made towards my goal. There is truly something incredible about working hard and knowing you have done everything you could possible do to be your best. If you remember from my early posts, the worst thing about last year was knowing that I didn't commit myself fully and do everything that I could to prepare. I feel the complete opposite this year! And no matter who is honored with the title of Miss Tennessee USA on Saturday, I will truly be at peace with myself and the work that I put in this time around. That's a good feeling, folks!

What the week ahead looks like:

For the next two days I will be taking care of the "finishing touches" for the pageant. Last chance workouts, nails, spray tan, packing, the works! (Throwing a Skrillex concert in the mix on Tuesday night just for good measure.)

Then comes pageant time, I have to be in Clarksville, TN for registration bright and early on Thursday. We will be rehearsing pretty much all day Thursday-Saturday and that includes dancing around in heels like fools which is nice since we won't technically have time to workout. Thanks, Kent!

Besides rehearsals, the key points of the weekend start on Friday afternoon. Swimsuit preview-- Yep, the first time the judges will see us is in our skivvies. Nice to meet you, ladies and gentlemen!

After swimsuit preview, all of the contestants will get ready for prelims! All 36 ladies will compete in swimsuit and evening gown. Prelims are fun because there is pretty much no pressure-- you don't have to be nervous about any potential cuts!

FYI- I AM OBSESSED WITH MY EVENING GOWN. It's the most glorious article of clothing that I have ever owned and I don't think I've ever loved anything more. Well except for my Harry Potter snuggie, for obvious reasons.

The real nerves kick in on Saturday. Up until this point, the judges have yet to hear us speak. Interviews allow them a chance to get to know all of the girls. Honestly, this is my favorite part! Kim Greenwood always selects extremely distinguished judges for Miss Tennessee USA so it's an amazing experience getting to talk to such cool people. Last year I fan-girled out on Herschel Walker AND got him to admit that he was some-what of a Bama fan (SCORE!) In my opinion, the pageant is 75% won in interview. Anyone can look great in a swimsuit and evening gown -- but it takes a special lady to have beauty and brains.

The grand finale is on Saturday night-- EEEEK!

The show starts with our snazzy opening number to a popular song that all of the contestants will end up hating by the end of the week (I've heard that the Teens get to dance to Taylor Swift-- NO FAIR!) After intros, the Top 15 will be announced. Waiting for this announcement may be one of the absolute worst feelings in the world.

Think the tower of terror drop + wanting to puke + fake smiles all around... yep, torture. This torturous feeling is mitigated by the best feeling in the world of having your name called! Unfortunately there are only 15 and I have been on both ends of the spectrum. Here is hoping for a good result on Saturday!

The Top 15 will then compete in swimsuit and evening gown again to determine the Top 5 ladies. Being called into the Top 5 is such a great feeling-- You are like "Oh my gosh, YES!" then that quickly fades into "Oh my gosh, On-Stage Question!" Last year I was asked about Miley Cyrus twerking haha!

Of course, crowning comes next and one girl's life will be changed forever! Only one girl can win, but the experience is one that none of us lucky competitors will forget.

Keep up with my Miss Tennessee USA 2015 shenanigans this weekend on Instagram and Twitter: @devin_grissom

And of course, thanks SO MUCH for sharing this journey with me! I am excited and hopeful for the week ahead : )

  

April was an AWESOME month for me.

Between travelling 3 weeks out of the month, taking a cross-country road trip and meeting Miss Florida, South Carolina and Oklahoma USA as well as Miss Texas Teen USA (who FYI are all so friendly, hilarious and even though it is hard to imagine, even MORE beautiful in person)—it was definitely one for the record books!

Seriously though, so many amazing things to talk about so lets get started.

Week 1 & 2: Where in the world is Devin Grissom?

I love to travel. Period. I love going to new places, seeing new things and meeting interesting people. There is something so cool about wandering around a new place where you know no one. I also really enjoy going out to dinner by myself... Am I the only weird one out there?

Anyhow, this April was the definition of my ideal month because of those very reasons! It started out with a week long trip to Las Vegas for work. And then included trips to Austin, Dallas, Jersey City, Chicago and back to Dallas again!

I was pretty consistent while working all month. I got to go to Vegas for two big IT conventions; Dallas for the NCAA Final Four which is a dream come true for an avid sports fan like me; Austin for some really fun after-hours events (If you haven't been -- GO NOW! Rainey Street is the bomb.) After Austin, I hit up Jersey City (Mets game!) and Chicago for Barracuda Partner Conferences.

Usually, all of that travel would mean a major kick to the gut for my pageant-prep plan, but you guys will be SO proud of me! I did T25 every morning before work and ate pretty darn healthy while I was on the road this month (patting myself on the back.) Obviously no one is perfect, especially not me, but I am super stoked to know that I can actually control myself in the presence of a dessert menu. One small step at a time, y'all.

Another side note: T25 is the real deal! If you have issues with long workouts or are crunched for time in any way. This program will kick your butt in 25 minutes flat. Such a life saver for me!

Week 3: Roadtrip to Tennessee

IM COMING HOME!!!!! That’s right ladies and gents—Dev is heading back to Tennessee. Just to clarify, California was amazing and I loved every second of my year there. But sometimes there really is no place like home. Since I do travel so much with my job, it will be nice to be able to see family and friends when I am at my apartment (not often.)

It just so happens my road trip happened to coincide with the NBA Playoffs? Coincidence? I think not. GO GRIZZLIES! I'm thankful that I got to go to a a playoff game-- unfortunately the Grizz ended up losing to Oklahoma City but as ALWAYS, the playoffs were tons of fun and I love cheering for my team : )

So a little griping before I continue: I put my car in the shop for “routine maintenance” before I took her on a 2,000 mile roadtrip.

OF COURSE, the auto guys found a million little things to fix—a million little things to the tune of $1,200 buckaroos, sheeesh!

Finally though, the road trip got started! My Cali roommate and I drove through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and all the way to Tennessee in 2 & a half days! Talk about commitment.

We went through stages of fun (meteor crater in Arizona!), delirium (4 am driving into OKC) and absolute make-you-go-bananas boredom (has anyone driven through New Mexico and Northern TX? Just a tip-- don't.)

But it was aboslutely completely worth it when we crossed that Tennessee border. If you like adventures then be sure to make a road trip with a good friend -- memories to last a lifetime, trust me.

Week 4: Miss Dallas USA

WHOA! Talk about motivation. I knew before coming to help out with the Miss Texas USA prelim that Texas is SERIOUS about their pageants. But I was still in for a shock. All of these girls were absolutely stunning -- but they also had huge shoes to fill.

Jordan Schultz (Miss Dallas USA 2013 and 1st runner up to Miss Texas USA 2014!!) has to be one of the fiercest ladies I have every met. I had the privilege of watching her walk all over the stage like she had her own personal Beyonce concert going on in her head. Not only that -- she is SO down to earth and made me completely fall in love with her in a matter of 5 minutes. She will most definitely (IMO) be Miss Texas USA 2015. And lucky me -- I get the honor of rooming with her at Miss USA in Baton Rouge next month! We are going to have a blast cheering on all of our friends and planning world domination for the 2015 pageant season : )

The coolness doesn't end there, however. I was also able to get to know Miss Florida USA 2014 Brittany Oldehoff and Miss South Carolina USA 2014 Christina Zapolski -- and I must admit -- I was SO intimidated to meet. Because I mean... Look at them. They were judges for Miss Dallas USA and they definitely picked a good one. Congrats to Miss Dallas USA Lauren Kennewell and Miss Dallas Teen USA Brenna Flynn!

But it wasn't all fun and games though. I was there to help out my good friend and Miss Dallas USA director Will Henderson, aka "The Pageant Guy" and he doesn't mess around when it comes to putting together a pageant. It was my first time really working "behind the scenes" at a pageant and it opened my eyes to how much work truly goes in to it. I helped with rehearsals, running errands, and even cutting out on stage question fish for the fish bowl!

I was also able to fit in some pageant prep talk with some of the best people in the business. Thanks so much for the input Will Henderson, Beaux Wellborn, and Zac Grimaldo! Can't wait to come back to Dallas to hangout with you guys more.

  

Here she is—the (according to my mom) much anticipated MONTH 1 of Pageant Prep by Devin. As promised, I will be outlining the last month and the progress I have made to become the ever-elusive “pageant ready.”

I’m not going to lie, this month was a pretty slooowwwww start to my journey : /

Nonetheless--my overall goal for March was simple:

GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME DEV!

Getting and staying motivated for a certain purpose is difficult—no matter how far in advance, you always have that voice in your head saying, “this cupcake is more important than your life’s goals and dreams” (or is that just me?)

The trick here is to stay motivated every day and ask yourself with every decision you make if it will take you closer or farther away from your goals. A lot easier said than done so let's just start from the beginning….

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Day 1

About 20 minutes after my introductory blog went live, I had an OH CRAP moment that included thoughts like “Here goes nothing” … “Woo! I’m excited!” … and “I guess I need to throw away that Easy Mac in the pantry.”

Side note: I seriously got rid of the Easy Mac, which is a big deal for me. Usually the day before I start a diet, I eat all of the junk food in my kitchen so it won’t be there to tempt me anymore. Great logic, I know. Moving on…

On top of those profound reflections, I also realized that it was my birthday week. What better way to start preparing for a pageant than on your birthday?! (sarcasm.)

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MARCH Week 1 - MY BIRTHDAY WEEK!

Seriously though, the most depressing part about turning 23 is no longer being fully immersed every time Taylor Swift’s “22” comes on the radio.

I can no longer relate to her adolescent frivolities, I am a mature 23 year old. Sigh.

My birthday week went as birthday weeks go...lots of celebrations including wine and cake.

Therefore, I decided to put my "start date" off another week...

Bad idea.

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MARCH Week 2 - MY OTHER BIRTHDAY WEEK!!

Why was that a bad idea, you ask?

Well, after my official "birthday week", my parents flew to California to visit which is really awesome because--like I told you in my intro blog last month--my parents are my favorite people in the world.

Obviously they were here to celebrate my birthday and...

I HAD TO show them a good time.

In Grissom terms, a "good time" really means "good food and drinks" and "good food and drinks" really mean "unhealthy food and drinks". You get where this is headed...

I was planning on starting my "healthy kick" this week but the parentals had other plans and sadly--I did not object to those plans. We decided to take a whirlwind tour of Northern California which included San Jose, Monterey/Carmel, the famous 17-mile drive, Napa and San Francisco all in 4 days!

Good news: We had a blast.

Bad news: My "Journey to the Crown" was officially off to a bad start.

I told y'all that I would fill you in on the ups and the downs--my first two weeks were majorly filled with downs (pageant prep-wise).

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MARCH Week 3 

GET. YOUR. HEAD. IN. THE. GAME.

Obviously just winging it was not the best option for me so I decided to create more of a structured plan for the end of March and for my preparations going forward.

After my parents left Cali--I had a good week at home before my next stint of traveling. This was the perfect time to focus without any distractions.

Everyone needs a baseline when they start a plan – so begrudgingly, I have decided to take all of my measurements and “before” pictures to keep track of my progress as I go along!

FITNESS?

My goal this month was to -- from this day forward -- start working out 6 days a week. No excuses. Even if I can only fit in a mile run some days, I will be active! In the past I have gotten in shape with typical gym cardio/weights, Pure Barre, Kickboxing classes and even the Insanity dvds.

This month I am going to focus on lots of cardio at the gym—6 days a week of cardio and 3 days a week with weights.I have always had a pretty athletic frame and can put on muscle pretty quickly. I would love to hear some suggestions from you guys on how to perfect the “long/lean” look.

I will also keep y’all updated as well in the months to come on what I am trying and what is working/not working.

Obviously with a gym routine comes a motivational workout playlist! These songs really make the time fly on the treadmill. Check them out!

Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
My Body by Young the Giant
Talk Dirty by Jason Derulo

DIET?

My goal for March is to give up dessert completely from here on out. This was not enforced in Week 1 or 2 because obviously I had to have birthday cake. I mean, come on, who skips out on birthday cake?

Although I did skip Thanksgiving while preparing for Miss Alabama USA—perfect example of GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME DEV! Thank goodness I wont have another birthday for 11 months so we wont have this issue again. Phew.

Also, I will be creating a food/workout journal to keep track of my snacking and activities. Even when trying to eat super healthy, it is easy to over-snack during the day or to not realize how many calories are in that green smoothie.

With a food journal, I will be able to keep track of calories in vs calories out. That sounds obsessive and weird but seriously it helps me  (prime example: I didn't have on the first 2 weeks of March.)

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MARCH Week 4

Week 4 of March included a trip to BEAUTIFUL Palm Springs, CA. My company, Barracuda, had their 2014 Sales Kickoff at an amazing resort, Rancho Las Palmas. It was stunning, fun filled and majorly work filled.

I stayed up for pretty much 3 nights straight creating 'daily wrap ups' by 8am every morning. It was exhausting but honestly, an absolute BLAST. I had such a good time that I didn't mind staying up late and it didn't feel like work--I am so lucky to have a job that I love and enjoy.

Since I was constantly working this week in Palm Springs, I only had one day that I was able to hit the gym. As a slight compensation, I tried to do squats and abs while doing computer work at night.

I figured out this week that I need a quick easy workout to be able to do early in the morning or late at night when I am traveling--which I do quite a bit.

As a result, I ordered T25! I have done Insanity in the past and absolutely loved it. T25 is created by the same guy but it's made for people who don't have much free time--cha ching! I am so excited to start it in April : ) Of course, I will let you know how it goes.

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Soapbox

Now I just want to vent about some thoughts that have been bombarding my brain lately. Excuse me while I step up on my soapbox for a second (hey, that’s what a blog is for right?) --

Why keep trying? I hear this question a lot in pageantry and have really been facing this issue personally in Month 1 of my preparations. Here is my answer:

It’s easy to give up.

Some would say just giving up is easier than dealing with people asking why you keep reaching for a goal when you have already tried twice and failed. Obviously that means it’s not meant to be--right? What if I give it my all and still come up short? Is it worth it? Yes.

When these doubts start to sneak into my head I think of the ladies who have come before me: I think of Brenna Mader who competed twice before finally winning Miss Tennessee USA on her last year of eligibility.

I think of Ana Rodriguez who competed 4 times before finally winning Miss Texas USA on her 5th attempt and went on to place 3rd runner up at Miss USA 2011. I think of Crystle Stewart who also competed 5 times at Miss Texas USA before finally winning and going on to become Miss USA 2008. Both won in their final year of eligibility.

I wonder if it ever crossed their minds to “just give up.” Even if it did, these girls didn’t listen—and I wont listen either!

…and lastly, here's my final thought on pretty much everything about this post: 25 Signs Dieting Just Isn't For You

(Steps off Soapbox)

Let's hope that April goes more smoothly and consistently than March, lets do this! --and thanks again for following my journey! xoxo