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From Molly's Journal: My first month as Miss Texas has been the most amazing month! Serving as Miss Texas is the most rewarding experience I have ever had. I have met so many people who will forever have a positive impact on my life and future. The past month has been filled with many shopping days, preparing paperwork for Miss America, meeting sponsors and my amazing homecomings that I will cherish forever. Being Miss Texas is so much more than I thought it would be. It is absolutely everything and more than I had ever dreamed of. I have gained a new family who truly loves me and takes care of me. I could not ask for a better group of people to have in my life, Jean and B. Don have been absolutely amazing and they have become my “Fort Worth parents”. Carol is my rock and helps me through the tough days, and there are no amount of words that can describe everything that she does for me. Larkin is kicking my behind as usual and does nothing but encourage me to be healthy, work out, and of course he wants a national swimsuit winner…..no pressure right? Gregg and Archie, my local directors, are still a major part of my life. I moved to Dallas from Huntsville and knew nothing about the DFW area. They have taught me how to get around these big cities, always giving me great directions. They are excellent directors and have been pillars of strength for me as I competed for Miss Texas and are a most supportive arm as I prepare to compete for Miss America. They will forever hold a special place in my heart. Mia, my dance teacher, whom I adore, is still pushing me to be the best I can be. We have totally reworked my dance for Miss America and all we are doing now is fine tuning my talent. It is a wonderful feeling to have it done. I have expanded my family and my true family has gained new family members as well. Now that I am Miss Texas I can honestly say that I have a whole different outlook on home and how important it is to me. When I went home for my homecoming, which was the first time I had been home in two months, I almost cried. I was so happy to be back in my little hometown with a population of 1000. When I arrived in Centerville, I had a police escort that led me to my BILLBOARDS that Centerville had erected in my honor on Interstate 45. I was met by all of my Lone Star princesses who had pink and white balloons. It was so special to have them there because they have been my inspiration to be who I am today. After we took tons of pictures together, we released all of the balloons and exchanged lots of hugs and kisses. Not many girls can say that they are living their dream; I wake up everyday in awe and thanks, knowing that God has allowed for my dreams to come true. After we left the billboard I went by our family home and quickly changed clothes. As I walked outside to leave for my homecoming, there was a beautiful vintage truck waiting to drive me to the high school. As we approached the high school, the cheerleaders, band, football players, and entire Centerville community was outside waiting on me to get there. They played the fight song, which is also the fight song of Texas A&M University. As I got out of the truck, the superintendent of Centerville Independent School District met me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, expressing how proud the town of Centerville is of me. Going home for the first time since being crowned as Miss Texas made me feel so appreciated, it let me know how proud the town is of my accomplishments and that they support my efforts to become Miss America. As I entered the high school cafeteria, there were pictures of me as a young girl, as well as my many Miss Texas ad pages. I think seeing all my princesses, my family, my friends, and my community has been the best feeling I have had since winning Miss Texas. Through out the afternoon, I was greeted by many friends and members of the town that gave me wonderful words of encouragement. My highlight of the day was receiving my precious puppy, Texie! When I moved to Centerville, my good friend Marcus’ mom raised yorkies and I have wanted one since I was 11 years old. His mom walked in the cafeteria with this bag and said to me, “I asked your mom if it was ok and she said yes…” She pulled out this precious little dog with a pink bow in her hair and I almost jumped out of my shoes. I was so excited, I finally had my dream dog! She is adorable and is a great companion to have. As the afternoon came to a close, we had a ceremony where several people got up and said a little something about me and presented me with several proclamations and certificates. The first person to speak was Jennifer Jeitz, a dear friend and mother of one of my dancers and princess’. She touched my heart deeply, as she told everyone how I had touched her life and her little girl’s life, serving not only as the dance teacher, but how she felt I had served as a big sister and a role model to her child. There wasn’t a dry eye in the cafeteria. I have never had someone talk about me so openly and had so many heartfelt words said to me. I couldn’t believe how I had impacted her and her family because you never really know how you touch someone’s life until they have the opportunity to tell you and this was a first for me. The town of Centerville presented me with a day in my honor from Leon County; August 25, 2007 will forever be “Molly Hazlett Day.” At that moment I was shocked and speechless. Who gets a day in their honor? I am blessed to be part of such a caring hometown. Not only did I get a homecoming, I got 2 homecomings! The next day Crockett had an amazing homecoming. So many people came by the Crockett homecoming to extend their congratulations. Many of these people I have not seen since I moved from Crockett as an 11 year old. I had the honor and privilege of greeting everyone at the door. It meant so much to me to have many of the young women who competed with me at Miss Texas attend. Thank you to Faith, Adrianna, Brooke, Callie, Tiffany, Morgan, Kendall, and Mackenzie. My sincere thank you to these contestants and the many franchises who drove a long distance to share in this celebration. They showed a video of the Miss Texas Pageant throughout the afternoon and served yummy BBQ. They also had a short program where I was presented with several proclamations, flags that flew over the United States Capitol, as well as the Capitol of Texas, and I have ANOTHER day in my honor. So…..now August 26, 2007 is forever “Molly Hazlett Day in Crockett”! When they announced that my knees went weak in shock. Two days? Wow! My homecoming weekend was priceless and I can not thank everyone enough for everything they did for me. I had a fabulous time spending time with friends and family that I hadn’t see in a while. I am grateful for everything I have been given. God has blessed me in numerous ways and there is no way I can thank Him enough. Every little girl dreams of being Miss Texas and Miss America and I am living my dream. I have one more step to go…Miss America! Red Ribbon Month It touched my life to see how much the students listed to and respected my words. Seeing the little ones light up when they saw me, made me realize the difference I am making and the lives I am touching. I have met the most incredible students and hopefully have inspired them as much as they have inspired me. I have discovered that it is very easy for me to relate to each grade of student. I can relate to younger ones because of my experience with teaching young children at my dance studio. Having a younger brother and reflecting on my own experiences in high school makes it easy for me to relate to teenagers. As I meet more students who feel high school graduation is their ultimate goal, I realize even more the importance of my school assemblies to inspire students to think about their future and purpose in life. I assure them there a huge world of opportunities awaiting them. I encourage them to make a difference and stand up for what they believe in. Like I always say, we only have one chance at life, so make the best of it. Love Always, Reality Check Love,
Miss America Every little girl dreams of becoming Miss America. When I was little, I would sit in front of the TV and wish I could be one of the beautiful women walking across the stage. When I won Miss Texas, a life-long dream came true. When I started preparing for Miss America, I realized that I was going to be on that stage that I had dreamed about for so long. I had so many feelings all at once when I arrived in Las Vegas on January 17. I was excited, anxious, nervous, and star struck. I was about to compete for Miss America! When I arrived at Planet Hollywood, I was escorted to my room to meet my roommate, Miss Missouri, Lindsay Casmear. We hit it off, and she was the BEST roommate. The week leading up to Miss America was full of many events. I think I can speak for all of the contestants, when I say that for that one week of our lives, we felt like real celebrities. It was a feeling I will never forget. Little girls would walk by us and have the biggest smiles on their faces and stars in their eyes because they met a “real beauty queen.” There are no words to adequately describe my experience at Miss America. Being on the stage with the TV lights and cameras, and the huge audience loudly cheering is a memory I will hold dear to my heart forever. Being with the most amazing women in America, many of whom I now count as some of my best friends, was incredible. I have never been around so many talented, smart, sweet, and beautiful women. There is something special about each of them, and I truly believe any one of them could have been a fabulous Miss America. My dear friend Miss Michigan, and now Miss America Kirsten Haguland and I were inseparable the entire week of Miss America. She and I had many heart to hearts and prayed regularly. As I talk about all of the events, friends, and celebrity status, I want you to know that my memory of Miss America is not just of the stage and the competition. It is about the experience, the fun, and memories I will have forever. When I went to Miss America, I told myself I wanted to enjoy every minute of it. And I did just that. I was able to realize not only my dream but the dream of so many other little girls. I now tell little girls how amazing the experience was, and for them to keep dreaming! I knew there could only be one Miss America, but at the end of the competition I discovered something. I learned that being Miss Texas and Miss America is not about the crown, but what you do as a person. It’s how you treat and help others around you. It’s about giving back to those who have given so much to you. It’s about loving everyone for who they are, and making everyone feel special for being their unique self. As I tell others everyday – “You don’t need a crown to be heard. Be who you are and stand up for what you believe in.” There is nothing I enjoy more than being Miss Texas and doing all of these things. After Miss America, I was happy to come home to Texas and continue my amazing job. What a great feeling to know that here in Texas, I’m everyone’s “Miss America.” Love, |
