Let Us Represent You!

To kick off my senior year just right I decided to run for student council! Now my high school isn’t very large so we don’t have anything fancy, but the student council does do a lot for not only our school, but our community as a whole. From homecoming to community service events, the student council does it all.

Before the election week there was a meeting with the candidates to discuss some of the events that would be taking place throughout the year for the council. Immediately I was excited by all of the ideas and plans they hoped to put into action though the council. I was literally jumping with joy!

When I decided to run I also thought it might be fun to run with a friend and campaign together since there can be three representatives. This, of course, had never been done before, but, my best friend, Morgan and I decided to change up this election a little bit.

The first step we took was to look at the students past records of voting and what swayed their votes. Surprisingly, one of the major factors in their choice of candidate was the funniness and creativity of the posters! So, Morgan and I, with the help of our friends, came up with the craziest and funniest posters we could think of. If we were going to do this we were going to do it right!

I have never before seen quite the reaction that we received! We had more compliments from teachers and students than we can count and gained more followers than we ever expected! The majority of our poster were done with photo shop and filled with references to nerdy movies and books. I must say they are hilarious!

Morgan and I are very close and neither of us will be too upset if we lose. Instead, we will be happy for the other if they win and happy that we had the opportunity to run for office. We know that who ever is chosen by the student body will do wonders for our school and community and represent us well.

The announcement of the new student council will be next Tuesday morning, so until then, wish us luck!

Much love,

Haley

My Second Chance At My First Pitch

After I was crowned Miss Teen Arkansas International, one of the first events that I was able to attend was a Dickey Stephens (Arkansas Travelers) baseball game where I would be throwing out the first pitch. I was so honored and excited, but there was an issue. I’m terrible at sports. I can’t even throw a baseball straight! So, before the game I buckled down and practiced, practiced, practiced until I could throw a decent pitch. I thought that I was ready… and oh how wrong I was!

It wasn’t until I was out on the field, standing on the mound and gazing up at the large crowd and the catcher who was signaling me to throw the ball that I realized I was far from ready. But, still, I let it fly and even with all of the catcher’s speed he wasn’t able to catch it before it hit the dirt. At the time I was a little sad that it wasn’t the pitch I had hoped for, but I was ecstatic that I even had this opportunity.

Fast forwarding to after I won Miss Teen International, I discovered that I would be able to throw out the first pitch again! And I was being given a second chance to redeem myself!

This time I didn’t practice, but went straight into the pitch with confidence that I could throw a decent strike. Unfortunately, the second time around the pitch was far worse than the first! I honestly couldn’t believe it! It practically didn’t go anywhere near home plate!

When I look back now, I can’t help but laugh! It’s alright that the throws weren’t perfect, because I had the time of my life doing something people only dream about. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m proud of my first pitches, even if they didn’t exactly make it home!

Always,

Haley Rose Pontius

One of My Favorite Healthy Recipes

The majority of the meals my family eats are recipes found on the American Heart Association website at heart.org. They have everything you can imagine and they‘re fun to make as a family! This is the recipe to one of my favorites. It’s a South Pacific Shrimp with Southeast Asian seasoning.

You’ll need:

1/3 cup “lite” coconut milk (see Cooking Tips)
2 serrano chiles or jalapeno peppers, preferably red, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 pound medium shrimp (30-40 per pound), peeled and deveined (see Cooking Tips)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced seeded tomato
4 cups baby spinach

Start by combining the coconut milk, chiles, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, lime juice and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. Drain well, reserving marinade.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook, turning once, until barely pink, about 30 seconds per side; transfer to a plate. Add tomato and spinach to the pan; cook, stirring, until the spinach starts to wilt, about 30 seconds. Add the reserved marinade; simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the pan; heat through. Serve immediately.

Cooking Tips:
Freeze any leftover coconut milk or refrigerate it for several days; you can use it instead of broth or water to cook rice or enrich a curry or rice pudding.
Cooking with frozen shrimp: Individually quick-frozen shrimp, sold in resealable bags, are convenient to keep in your freezer. Thaw in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. If you're in a hurry, place shrimp in a colander under cold running water for about 5 minutes.

This is a great seafood main dish at only 176 calories per serving! I hope you’ll try this and many other recipes at the American Heart Association website. Enjoy!

Much love,

Haley Pontius

25 Things About Me!

1. I competed in my first pageant when I was three years old.

2. My favorite kind of movies are the sappy chick flicks that will make you cry! I recently watched one called Upside Down and it was an emotional rollercoaster. I loved it!

3. If I’m not wearing high heels then I’m barefoot!

4. I love to decorate for Christmas! This time of year brings me so much holiday cheer that I literally drape the inside of our house with colorful lights, silver garland, and huge wreaths. And don’t even get me started on the outside of our house!

5. I’m a tree hugger. I’m in love with nature itself so every time I see a clear-cut forest I almost start to cry!

6. I love to get things in the mail. No matter what it is, I get excited every time!

7. I try to live by the verse James 1:19 that says to “be quick to listen and slow to speak”. I have found that this is helpful in every area of life!

8. I am constantly doodling. Enough said.

9. Although I am seventeen, I have yet to get my driver’s license.

10. My best friend is my rat terrier who I named DeeOGee. Did you catch that? If you didn’t that’s okay. My dad didn’t get it until two years later!

11. When I was a little girl I played every sport known to man at some point or another. Basketball, baseball, soccer, you name it! Eventually I realized that pageantry was the perfect sport for me.

12. I love to take pictures. I’m always ready to strike a pose!

13. I am terrified of the dark. So much that I actually have to sleep with a lamp on in my room.

14. I am a huge animal lover. If it were my choice, I would take home every stray animal on the side of the road.

15. I love to play badminton with my friends. We can play a single game for hours!

16. When I was little I went to the extreme when I built sandcastles in my sandbox. My castles were huge and equipped with child-size tunnels that I would crawl through.

17. I have a purity ring that I wear everyday. It’s my promise to myself, my Lord and my future husband to stay pure till marriage.

18. The perfect way to spend a lazy day is to curl up in a blanket on the couch and watch a marathon of lifetime movies. The only way it could get any better is if it were raining and I had a cup of hot chocolate.

19. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 45:11. “The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.”

20. When I was a little girl my mother would make me pancakes in the shape of teddy bears with chocolate chip eyes. I still believe this made them taste better!

21. One of my favorite things to do with my friends is make unique short films. We all dress up in costumes, play several characters, and direct it as a team. The best part is watching the final product and laughing till we cry!

22. I love to try new things and I’m up for anything!

23. I met my best friend in first grade when she dropped her pencil in class and while reaching down to pick it up noticed I had cool shoes. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

24. My favorite snack is hot chocolate and popcorn, separate and together.

25. I am the first Arkansas titleholder to win the International Pageant.

Haley Pontius

Social Media

Let me start by saying that social media and I are in a love/hate relationship. It has completely changed the way we communicate with each other. It’s a brilliant and easy way to connect with people from all walks of life and all over the world, but have we become too wrapped up in the online world?

I love my Instagram. I love to take pictures, look at pictures, and edit pictures so it’s by far my favorite social media network. If I let myself I could spend hours on this one site and never get bored. This is the down side to social media. Yes, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and every other site out there are all wonderful assets to have, especially if you are involved within an organization, but we have to limit how long we are spending on these networks.

The online world isn’t real life. While it’s a great way to keep in touch with friends, family, and your community it simply isn’t real life. So many people have become impersonal when on the internet and often ponder saying or posting something that they would never say or do in the real world.

We live in a fast paced world where we immediately know when something has happened and we are constantly being hammered with new information. In this crazy mesh of ideas and news, we have to stay grounded.

As hard as this may sound, let’s set our phones down, log off the computers, and turn off the Tvs‘. Let’s talk with each other face to face! Let’s go outside and get active together! We are the only ones who can keep our bodies healthy so don’t be a couch potato!

With this said I challenge you to log off of this computer and go spend time with your family and friends. Go outside! Have fun! Live the healthy life you want to live!

Love,
Haley

My First Photo Shoot

Just recently I had the honor of visiting Dothan, Alabama to have my official photographs taken for the International Pageant and I had the privilege of working with Clay Spann, Joey with Competitive Image, and of course, they’re right hand woman, Terri! It amazes me still when I think about how talented they are and how they have perfected what it is they do. So, I really must brag on them!

I really don’t know how Clay Spann does it, but somehow he captures the most breathtaking photos I have ever seen. With the supermodel hair and makeup he gave to me combined with the gowns and jewelry that the Competitive Image provided, I felt more beautiful than you can imagine!

And I must say The Competitive Image is full of stunning gowns and adorable dresses that not only catch your eye, but showcase the beauty of the girl in the gown. I am beyond excited that they are my sponsor!

 So, I can’t wait for you all to see the Clay Spann photographs or to wear my next gown from Competitive Image! It can’t come soon enough!

All my love,

Haley Rose Pontius

The Natural State

I love Arkansas with all my heart.

I’ve lived my whole life in the countryside and I feel a special connection to all of the nature that surrounds me. It’s all so beautiful and peaceful, from the birds that sing in the morning to the frogs that croak at night. The way the sky looks when the sun sets to the crisp glow when it rises. The way the mountains turn every shade of orange, yellow and red in the fall to the vibrant greens of springs. Arkansas is simply beautiful and it’s beautiful all the time.

I took this photo out my back window this morning on my phone as I was writing to you! 

I personally believe that Arkansas is the most amazing state, without a doubt. It literally has everything! The state’s diverse geography ranges from the mountains of the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains, to the densely forested land in the south known as the timberlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River. People say that if a fence was built around Arkansas, the state would be completely self-sufficient simply because the regions and their resources were so diverse.

Just because I adore Arkansas, I want you to see more of it so here are quite a few photographs.

Whether you choose to spend your time enjoying the outdoors or the contemporary cityscapes it all takes full advantage of our state’s resources. You can go duck, deer or wild turkey hunting, shopping for antiques, fishing for trout or you might even go digging for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park. Where it’s the only diamond-producing site in the world where the public can search and keep the diamonds they find! You can get away from it all in more than 2.9 million acres in three forests and journey one of 250 hiking trails that collectively stretch more than 1,500 miles.

Arkansas is well known for numerous well established businesses such as Wal-Mart founded by Sam Walton, Tyson Chicken, J. B Hunt and Dillard’s. It’s also the home of the well known country singer Johnny Cash and Former President Bill Clinton, actress Mary Steenburgen, and boxer Jermaine Taylor.

With all of the opportunities and places to discover there is no better place to visit than Arkansas. It’s simply beautiful and breathtaking and I hope you’ll come visit us.

Much love,

Haley Pontius

My Goals

My platform is my life. It effects every choice that I make on a daily basis and has completely altered the way I view my health. Had I not even become Miss Teen Arkansas International I would still be working just as passionately as I am now.

Heart disease effects everyone, big or small, young or old, male or female. Whether or not we realize it, every one of us know someone who has been directly effected by it. Heart disease is all around us, we just don’t always see it. Nor do we see how easily it can often be prevented.

So, my mission has always been the same: to educate, raise funds, and raise awareness. These are my three basic steps to helping others lead a heart healthy life.

I have already been working intimately with the American Heart Association and had the opportunity to work with the staff on some of the largest events in Arkansas for this organization. Now, I am working to join with events all across our nation and even over seas!

The American Heart Association has a goal: by 2020, to improve the cardiovascular healthy of all Americans by 20 percent, while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent.

How are we going to do this?

1. Education. About heart disease, how it can be prevented, and how to live a healthy lifestyle. Though schools, communities, businesses and families.

2.Raise Funds. For the American Heart Association so that they may be able to continue their research for the new treatments for heart disease, as well as continue their many programs aimed towards education and awareness.

3. Raise Awareness. Of the American Heart Association and its many programs and partnerships such as: Go Red For Women, Hoops For Heart, Jump Rope For Heart, NFL Play 60 Challenge, My Life Check and, my favorite, the Alliance For A Healthier Generation.

Obesity has been found to be one of the root causes of several diseases, including heart disease. It can cause not only heart disease and stroke, but high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and asthma as well as many other diseases.

In 2005 the Alliance for a Healthier Generation was founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation as a response to the growing rate of childhood obesity. It’s goal is to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity and to empower children to develop lifelong, healthy habits. The frightening reality is that this generation could be the first in history to live shorter lives than their parents because 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese. That’s a scary thought.

By working with schools, companies, communities, healthcare professionals and families the Alliance is transforming the conditions and systems that lead to healthier kids. Together we are leading the charge against childhood obesity.

With the title of Miss Teen International, my reach has been broadened and I now have the foothold I need to work on a national and international level with the American Heart Association. There is much to be done and not very much time to do it, so new events and ideas are still piling in! I’ll keep you posted on all of our progress so stay tuned!

Much love,

Haley Pontius

My Crowning Moment

I stood on stage grinning ear to ear, squeezing the hands of the girls next to me. I could hear the voices of the hosts and the excited cheers of the crowd and I could see the bright lights and the smiling faces, but my mind was somewhere else.

I wasn’t thinking about winning, but about my week spent with the other contestants. I had made new friends, my sister queen had truly become my sister, and I had grown so much in those few short days. I 

had had the time of my life and I didn’t want it to end, but here we were and it was almost over.

The International Pageant system has always been one that I deeply loved. I admired the national queens for their grace, dignity, and kind hearts. They exemplified the qualities of a true queen in every area of their lives. It was an honor just to be given the chance to compete for the title and we were proud to be the class of 2013. We gave it our all and we left everything on the stage. It was an exhilarating week full of memories that we will never forget, bonds that formed and friendships that grew. The young women I met throughout that week reflected integrity, confidence, leadership, and character. These virtues shown through not only on the stage, but off it as well. The girls that I came to know were kindhearted and genuine and I will miss them terribly.

What I will miss the most is the time spent with these girls. Dancing backstage with Miss Teen Georgia, making silly faces with Miss Teen Illinois, and our bridge (or was it more like a tunnel?) that we all 

ran through backstage laughing before finals. These are the memories that I will always remember, laugh about, and treasure. 

To think it was over and they were about to announce who the new Miss Teen International was seemed crazy to me. All of the preparation that went into this competition and it was over! It didn’t seem real!

We stood in a line with our heads held high and our shaking hands clasped tightly in one another’s. Our hearts were pounding and the butterflies in our stomachs were fluttering. It’s a hard thing to describe, but it was a terrible yet wonderful feeling.

Then he said my name and I almost fell on the floor. I couldn’t believe it. In fact, I still can’t believe it! It’s hard to wrap my head around and I still wake up in the mornings and think “Did this really happen?”

Throughout that night, the question everyone continuously asked me was “How do you feel?” and every time my answer was “I have no words.”

Because in that moment the way I felt was indescribable.

Always,

Haley Pontius

Miss Teen International 

Heart Health is a Family Affair

In 2007 my father was diagnosed with a heart disease called Atrial Fribrillation, in which the heart beats rapidly and erratically. At the time I was so young that I didn’t understand what was happening or
why my dad was in the hospital so often. But, through time my family realized the root cause of his heart disease was the way our family was living our every day lives. We all ate unhealthy and hardly
exercised. My parents were overweight and my father was a smoker for 35 years.

So, we decided to make a change.

We all began to exercise, eat healthier, lost weight, and my father quit smoking. Over the years my father’s condition, as well as the overall health of our family, has improved tremendously. With the help
of the American Heart Association my family was given the direction and support we needed to make this change.

Over the years, I have become deeply involved within this organization and it has grown very close to my heart. The mission set forth by the American Heart Association is simple, “To build healthier lives, free
of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.” That single purpose drives all that we do and the need for our work is beyond question. I’m honored to say I have been part of this organization and had the opportunity
to work side by side with the American Heart Association staff on some of the largest events in this organization.

With this said, I encourage you to make the decision. It starts with that. Decide to make the change. Know your family, access your environment, and DECIDE to make the change.

Check out the American Heart Association website at heart.org and the Alliance For A Healthier Generation at healthiergeneration.org for all your information! These websites have everything from heart healthy
recipes to easy exercises that you can fit into YOUR everyday life!

Specifically, I urge you to check out the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple Seven Steps and My Life Check. Thanks to science and research, the American Heart Association has created this simple tool
so you know where you stand on your road to good health!

Choose to make the change now. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for your family.

Much love,

Haley Rose Pontius

My First Blog

Hi everyone!

My name is Haley Rose Pontius and I am Miss Teen International 2013. I am honestly still in disbelief that I am able to say this! I’m proud to have been chosen to represent not only the International system, but all of the extraordinary contestants at the pageant this year. I will strive to make you all proud in everything I do.

To break the ice, here is just a little bit about myself.

I’m the 17 year old daughter of Beverly and Doug Pontius and the little sister of William Pontius. I’ve grown up in the same town, in the same school, in the same house, with the same friends my entire life. I have found that the same children that I played with on the playground are now about to enter their senior year along side me. With only 500 students in my 7-12 grade high school it’s not hard to see how this is possible!

When I was 11 years old my father was diagnosed with a heart disease called Atrial Fibrillation. It was a rude awakening to the way my family was living and eye opener to the world around us. Over the years, my family has improved immensely in our eating habits, physical activity, and overall health. By working with the American Heart Association I hope to inspire, motivate, and encourage others to make a change in their lifestyle for the better.

I got my first taste of pageantry when I was three years old and my mother entered me in the county fair pageant. Immediately we were hooked! Since then, pageantry has always been something close to my heart and a huge part of my life. Had I never competed in pageants, I know I wouldn’t be who I am today. It has shown me how to be the person that I want to be and made me confident in who I am. The first time I ever competed in the International system was in April of 2012 in the Miss Teen Arkansas International Pageant. From the very beginning I fell in love with the people, the morals, and the ideas. Little did I know roughly 16 months later I would be Miss Teen International!

I am so thrilled to see what my year as Miss Teen International has in store for me and I hope you will all join with me on this journey of a lifetime by following my blogs, Twitter, and Instagram!

Haley Rose Pontius