A dream come true...

I remember as a little girl, I would sit in front of the television criss cross apple sauce and watch the Miss USA pageant. My grandmother would walk by and say, "You know, you could do that." She has always believed in me.  I began envisioning myself on stage with the crown on my head and flowers in my arms waving to the crowd. I would think to myself, "I want to be a pageant queen."

As a teen, I competed in pageants and I loved it. However, with the busyness of beginning college, my pageant dreams were put on the back burner. Ten years passed and that dream was still there. I became a newly wed and it was my husband, Ayinde, now saying, "You know, you could do that." With the encouragement of Ayinde, I began searching for pageants that celebrated married women. I found the Mrs. California United States  pageant. I submitted my application and began a new chapter in my life.

Leading up to the pageant, I was extremely nervous. Doubt, fear, and insecurity began to rear their ugly heads. "Do I straighten my hair?" "Am I too different?" Although, I had so many thoughts swirling around in my mind, I decided to relax and grasp onto my faith. My faith in God allowed me to keep pushing forward. I had nothing to fear!

The weekend of the pageant, I met beautiful, fun, outgoing, and wonderful women. They were smart and hardworking wives. I was honored to be standing amongst those lovely ladies. I decided to relax, have fun and be myself.  On March 25, I became the reigning Mrs. California United States 2012. A huge dream of mine had come true and in that moment, I knew that my life had changed forever...