Small Town Girl

Though sometimes I'm teased about being a bit of a country bumpkin, I have loved every minute of growing up in Selbyville, DE. For those of you who don't know where little old Selbyville is, cruise all the way down route 113 and when you're on the state line of DE and MD, stop. If it looks like you're in the middle of nowhere, you've found it. With a population of about 2000 people, Selbyville is the definition of a small Sussex County town.

There it is! That tiny speck below Frankford.

So you get the point. Selbyville is pretty small and a little country, okay a lot country. The point of this blog is to say how much growing up in a small town has impacted my life, and why I'm so grateful I didn't grow up in a city. Growing up, I was never able to go anywhere without knowing someone, and word spreads faster than swine flu did in 2009. Everybody knows everything about everybody. I suppose this could be a bad thing, but I choose to see it as a positive attribute of my hometown. I have been overwhelmed lately with the outpouring of support from residents of Slower Lower Delaware. The text messages, facebook and twitter contact, and well wishes in person have been so incredibly unexpected and appreciated. It is incredible how many people are supporting me on this journey simply because I come from this area. The Coastal Point published a wonderful article about me and my preparations for Miss Delaware, and so many people have reached out to thank me for my service and provide kind words of encouragement. Essentially, this is an expression of my gratitude. Gratitude for having grown up in Selbyville, and mostly to the people of this town and surrounding area for being the best neighbors anyone could ask for. The support and love that I have received recently has been overwhelming and much appreciated. I cannot express my gratefulness and appreciation in a mere blog post. 

If you would like to shoot me some encouragement or good luck wishes or prayers, please feel free to reach me through this blog, facebook, or twitter (@Lyssa_L0u). Thanks again for all the support!

XOXO,

Alyssa

The Big THANK YOU Post

Today is the first day that I've had free time in a while. Yesterday was a busy day, I spoke to 5 different middle school classes about melanoma and other skin cancers, and a 3rd grade class about reading and goal setting. I also had a personal training session at World Gym, and attended a fundraiser for my friend, Ashley Hudson, who is currently battling leukemia. I decided to write this blog today, because I'm not sure how much time I'll have to blog in these final days leading up to Miss Delaware Week. There are a lot of people I would like to say thank you to, because there's not way I would have been successful thus far in my journey alone.

Thank you to my Mom for always being there for me. She never missed a dance recital, she was there when I tried and failed at numerous sports, she went to my swim meets even though they were hot and stuffy, and she was the one person who was there when I won Delaware's Junior Miss. She is the kind of mom other moms want to be, and I'm glad she's all mine.

Thanks Dad for everything you've done for me, this year especially. My Dad financed my competition wardrobe this year, and he has been my biggest supporter and fan. 

Thanks Karen, my not-evil-at-all stepmom for being there for me. She has more faith in me than I have in myself, and I really appreciate it. Also, thanks for nudging Dad in the right direction.

My family in general, Aunt Lisa and JP, Mom mom and Pop pop, everyone, thank you for being the most amazing, huge, slightly dysfunctional, loving family I could ask for. You can't choose your family, but I'm glad I'm stuck with y'all.

Big Dog, you are the bomb! I never thought I would be excited to be in a bikini in front of an entire audience, but now I am, and I have you to thank for that. I couldn't do it without you. 

Chris, Josh, and everyone at The Perfect Dress, thank you for helping me find my perfect dress, and for standing by me and being so helpful throughout the whole process, even the whole 3 week late bit. Also, Tony Bowls, thank you for designing my dream gown.

Thank you to all of my friends for supporting me. Shelby, my roommate and best friend, thanks for keeping me sane. Abby, can't wait for you to be a watermelon queen, Veronica/Hoss Jr./Dog, my friend, my sister (DJM and Alpha Xi Delta,) love you for being so supportive always, and I can't wait for YOU to be up on the Miss Delaware stage! All of my AZD sisters, y'all are the most supportive and loving sisters in the world. 

Thanks to David and Jen, the best local directors/mentors a girl could ask for.

Special thanks to my 8-year old sister, Remi, and my big brother Cory for keeping me grounded, and slightly giggly.

Thank you Dillan, the best boyfriend in the whole world for being there for me. He's listened to the laughs and the breakdowns this journey has brought me, and he's coming all the way up to Delaware from Alabama to watch me compete. Now that's dedication.

Basically, this blog post is a big, massive, huge thank you to everyone who has had an impact on my year as Miss Coastal Bay. I couldn't have had such an incredible and successful year without all of my family, friends, and prep-team. Y'all are the best I could ever ask for, and I am so grateful for everything.