Jill Short - USOA Mrs. Maryland 2024

I had sooooo much fun showcasing my Patriotic costume during our Prelim Competition! Thank you Ball Photography for capturing the FUN!!

United States of America Pageants
HMUA & Costume Design: me 😘

💥LONG POST ALERT!!! Please join in and read to the end :)🙏

WOW...WHAT A WEEK!!! 🥳 Our USOA National Competition for 2024 is finished and I've bid Texas....and ALL my sister queens... a heartfelt farewell (till next time!!). I have no words to really do these past days justice!!! I truly feel like my time at nationals was etched with God’s purpose and divine plan…and I’m arriving home once again with a deeper sense of gratitude.

CONGRATULATIONS to my lovely and amazing sister queen, Hensley, Mrs. Washington on winning the CROWN and title of United States of America’s Mrs 2024!!!! YOU are truly a Woman of God and your beautiful soul is the whole package!! I love you and can't wait to see all the powerful things you accomplish this year and beyond! 😘🙌💥

Thank you to so many of you who have reached out— not just these past months but ALL who have been a part of my journey these past years! I love you!! It’s a huge joy to walk this with you and to continue to believe together and to lift each other up…through good times, and sad times. So many of you have stuck with me, even when I had nothing but brokenness to give back. THOSE times have meant more to me than anything! Life is filled with so much more than rhinestones and glitter. Sure, It’s nice when we have beautiful moments, and mountaintops…but most important are those times when we feel raw and needy and somehow God’s strength pulls us through. This is why I believe in always being real. I have nothing but praise to God for how he has brought me through so much—in his mercy—and has shown me what it means to praise him in the storm!! These past couple of weeks, I saw some huge lessons learned, goals accomplished, fears faced, and forever memories made…as well as a whole new slew of friendships forged!! I can honestly say I didn’t allow my “past” to cloud my onward vision. I allowed the ME I am today to shine. Just as I am. And I’m overwhelmed and thankful to just be God’s clay vessel—one that is being reshaped for His greater purpose. I just have to say THANK YOU today!!

WHAT'S NEXT FOR ME?? I will continue to be your USOA Mrs. Maryland until 2025, when I will crown my successor. AND....
➡️➡️➡️ Many of you don't know this yet, but Ray, Devon and I WILL BE GOING TO DO MISSIONARY WORK IN CHUUK, MICRONESIA THIS JANUARY (for 3-4 months)!! Stay tuned for more about THAT in the weeks to come!! 🌴🌺🐟In the meantime, I will be heading to Chuuk this next week for a 3 week mission planning trip. AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! PLEASE join me and my family in prayer for these exciting things JUST around the corner! I will post more SOON, believe me!!!

XOXOXO!! Enjoy this big photo dump!




United States of America Pageants Jill Parsons Short

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/yXRmGCvf1Sf7zS1v/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Orientation is accomplished!! And we’re off to an amazing start here in San Antonio!! USOA Nationals 2024!!


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# loveinanylanguage

Howdy Ya’ll!!!!! I arrived in Texas!! So excited!!! 🤠

✨𝘾𝒐𝙪𝒏𝙩𝒅𝙤𝒘𝙣 𝙏𝒐 𝑻𝙝𝒆 𝑪𝙧𝒐𝙬𝒏✨Day ELEVEN: Sisterhood Saturday!! Celebrating my sister queens today...moms, military personnel, lawyers, social workers, law enforcement officers, cancer survivors, nurses, executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, advocates, students, doctors, ministers, musicians, teachers, therapists...these women are so inspiring!! They do whatever it takes to BE THE CHANGE in their communities!! Each one of these ladies use their platforms to echo their hearts and spread their truth. Thank you to the USOA organization for bringing together yet another group of sisters—GO 2024 QUEENS!!—who will soon share the stage together! I can't wait to see each of you in Texas this coming week! 🥰

✨𝘾𝒐𝙪𝒏𝙩𝒅𝙤𝒘𝙣 𝙏𝒐 𝑻𝙝𝒆 𝑪𝙧𝒐𝙬𝒏✨Day NINE: My Life Outside the Crown. ✨I love being a wife, mom and grandma! I love my job as an interpreter/translator for the Pacific Islander community here in the US and abroad! I love missions and ministry! And I love being outdoors!

My daily goals and fitness routine almost always incorporates nature. When I was growing up that meant the jungles of Micronesia. For the last 24+ years I have been a resident of Maryland, which means beautiful waterways and lush woodlands. We are blessed to have found our dream home…complete with our own little pier and creek/river. I kayak (love, love, love kayaking!) between 15-20 miles per week these days, usually dragging along at least one family member (and an occasional water-loving pet). I also walk, run and swim. :)

To me fitness is a wholistic endeavor, with the goal of keeping the body, mind and soul as fit and healthy as possible. I also believe that healthy eating, practicing thankfulness, and CHOOSING positivity go hand in hand with wellness. “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

✨𝘾𝒐𝙪𝒏𝙩𝒅𝙤𝒘𝙣 𝙏𝒐 𝑻𝙝𝒆 𝑪𝙧𝒐𝙬𝒏 ✨Day EIGHT: Pageant Prep Tips! A few years ago when I registered to compete in my first pageant, I was scared to death!! Even wearing my sash and crown in public was scary and uncomfortable for me (sometimes it still is!!). As the weeks passed, something began happening. I found myself loving all the prep, the goal-setting, the personal accomplishments, the appearances at amazing community events, the extra confidence I was gaining, my new expanding sisterhood—the whole package! Walking across that very first pageant stage, I felt the joy of actually seeing myself as a WINNER—even though I didn’t win. This was a beautiful “aha” moment for me!
I firmly believe the BEST of my pageant journey is yet to come: the USOA national pageant in San Antonio! AND IT’S LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY!!💃

As for pageant tips? Here are my Top 10:
1. Have fun! Jump in with both feet and EMBRACE the journey with all your heart! Remember: there will never be another “you” so make this year count from start to finish!
2. Avoid being FAKE. This applies to your personality AND your bodies.
3. Practice walking in your gown and other competition-wear! (If your weight has fluctuated, it may not fit you come pageant week!
4. Choose outfits, makeup colors and hairstyles that are YOU—not a frantic copy of someone you wish you were.
5. Drink plenty of water. (Try adding lemon juice—it works wonders!)
6. Pack insole pads, medical tape and bandaids!!!
7. Stay within your means! Be thrifty, find designers to partner with, shop on Poshmark and Queenly, be creative, and remember that clothing, shoes and makeup do not make or define a beautiful woman— the woman herself does!
8. Envision yourself WINNING the crown. Know in your heart that winning is entirely possible and attainable!
9. Envision yourself NOT WINNING the crown….or even placing. Rest in God’s timing—and in your own worth, with or without the crown!
10. Remember that GRATITUDE is a choice!

✨𝘾𝒐𝙪𝒏𝙩𝒅𝙤𝒘𝙣 𝙏𝒐 𝑻𝙝𝒆 𝑪𝙧𝒐𝙬𝒏✨Day SEVEN: Favorite Appearance and Why! 💃 I've loved ALL the events, community initiatives, festivals and causes I've been blessed to support this year...but my favorite so far was our Lifestyles of Maryland "Spring Family Luau" at the Charles County Fairgrounds!! All proceeds from this AMAZING festival went to support Southern Crossing®, a one-of-a-kind facility providing short-term housing, along with career and life skills training to homeless individuals and families in Southern Maryland. It’s an ambitious project...made possible through our COMMUNITY UNITY!! 🌺
https://www.southerncrossingmd.org

✨𝘾𝒐𝙪𝒏𝙩𝒅𝙤𝒘𝙣 𝙏𝒐 𝑻𝙝𝒆 𝑪𝙧𝒐𝙬𝒏✨Day SIX: If I were to win the title of USOA Mrs…
I would love nothing more than to amplify my ministry to support, encourage and connect individuals who struggle with Invisible Disabilities through my platform: Love Outside the Box. With God’s help, my goal as a national queen—and as an international interpreter/liaison—would be to merge these unique opportunities to further promote inclusion, compassion and understanding for immigrants, refugees, homeless individuals/families and others who fall into the margins of cultural, ethnic, physical/mental and linguistic minority. My dream would be to take this year to broaden my sphere as an advocate and missionary by spreading greater awareness and compassion, facilitating support teams, and encouraging authenticity through my social media presence, personal appearances and active partnerships.

"I aspire to be the next USOA Mrs…not to make history but to make a difference." 💜 ~jill

✨𝘾𝒐𝙪𝒏𝙩𝒅𝙤𝒘𝙣 𝙏𝒐 𝑻𝙝𝒆 𝑪𝙧𝒐𝙬𝒏✨ Day FIVE: People’s Choice Announcement! ✨ Here’s how you can support me on my journey to bringing home the NATIONAL title as United States of America MRS.! ✨ Note: the "People’s Choice Winner" is guaranteed a spot in the Semifinals! Voting is now open until 7/6/2024 at 12:00 pm CST. It’s especially noteworthy because a substantial percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the winner's charity of choice—for me, this would be Reaching Islanders for Christ® (RIC) and LifeStyles of Maryland (LSM). Each VOTE is $1.00. (I love that the USOA organization has donated over $50,000 to charities in the past five years!)✨

Love you, ALL!! Please pray that God will use me through this opportunity! ~jill

My direct voting link is here:👇🏼
https://www.unitedstatesofamericapageants.com/product-page/mrs-maryland

✨𝘾𝒐𝙪𝒏𝙩𝒅𝙤𝒘𝙣 𝙏𝒐 𝑻𝙝𝒆 𝑪𝙧𝒐𝙬𝒏✨ Day #4! How I EMPOWER, INSPIRE, UPLIFT: I aim to always share my real self—my empathy, energy, compassion, and sense of humor. I believe that the power to inspire and uplift others is found through embracing our own uniqueness—our victories, our failures, our growth, our purpose, and ultimately our calling. When we allow ourselves to become "relatable"...when we drop all pretense...when we let go and embrace vulnerability and compassion, THIS is when we are truly useable.
“I dare you to take off the mask of perfection and to show up as you are…because when we are real, that’s actually when we heal. And those around us just might heal too.” -A. Hetherington

✨𝘾𝒐𝙪𝒏𝙩𝒅𝙤𝒘𝙣 𝙏𝒐 𝑻𝙝𝒆 𝑪𝙧𝒐𝙬𝒏✨ Day #3! WHY USOA?
A few years ago, my oldest daughter suggested that I try a pageant. After I stopped laughing 🤣, I began to ponder it. I didn’t tell anyone. I struggled and argued with myself. I was in my 50’s, I was a grandmother, I’d never worn heels or walked across a stage in an evening gown, much less a swimsuit! But the thought that pageantry might “open more doors” propelled me forward. I quietly researched, watched youtube pageant videos on the sly, perused mainstream pageants’ mission statements, and eventually felt too compelled to ignore my inner promptings any longer. My heart was telling me to step out of my comfort zone and give it a shot. And here I am!! I'm so humbled (and excited!) to be a state titleholder—USOA Mrs. Maryland—for this incredible pageant organization!

I chose to compete in this pageant organization based on these details:
The United States of America Pageants are designed to encourage women to strive to ACHIEVE their hopes, dreams, goals, and aspirations, while making them feel CONFIDENT and BEAUTIFUL inside and out—no matter what their age! The USOA organization believes the true definition of beauty is “the unique set of combinations that make you, YOU!”. Their motto is to EMPOWER Women, INSPIRE others, & UPLIFT everyone! The focus is on promoting community service, which allows each contestant to RISE by lifting OTHERS. But more importantly the USOA organization is a special sisterhood that gives support and encouragement to inspire each state delegate to be the best version of herself!