Tech Rehearsal

Mom and I are about to leave momentarily for the tech rehearsal to my "dancing with the instructors" competition. I am so excited for her to see the dance that my partner Brandon and I have been working so hard on over the past few weeks. It's going to be a tango that turns into a salsa ... its very fun, sexy, and fabulous. At the end we do a really cool trick where Brandon throws me up in the air and I spin around really fast, then he flips me over and pulls me into a final dip. Oh boy oh boy, it's going to be amazing. I can't wait for the competition next weekend! Lets just hope this time I don't nail him in the face like I did during the last round's tech rehearsal. YIKES!

Dew Tour

This past weekend I attended the Dew Tour at Soldier Field in Chicago. I got to sit at the Q-101 radio station booth signing autographs and taking pictures for awhile before I was escorted to the VIP section to watch the athletes compete. I had never watched a BMX event before, and it was incredibly exciting to attend. After the competition I was delighted for the opportunity to present the awards to the winners along with NBC Sportscaster Daryl Hawks. It was a very exciting event that I am glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of as Miss Illinois USA.

Success.

It really hasn't been getting any better as far as busy-ness goes. I haven't seen the sunshine much this summer ... I hear its been kind of hot out there. Late nights and early mornings with an average of 3 hours of downtime for showering (maybe) and sleeping between commutes has finally gotten to be too much for me. I've decided that I simply am not happy, and have come to the conclusion that I need a change. After all ... no one is going to change your life for you. If you're unhappy with the way things are going, you are the only one who has the power to turn things in a more positive and productive direction. So I've taken the first step -- I have put in my two weeks notice at my prestigious career. Eek! Unfortunately, I did this without having anything lined up, which perhaps isn't what most would suggest in this rough economy. However, I have come to realize that you are either going for your dreams and making your life what you want it to be, or you are giving up and settling for what you are. I refuse to settle.

So now I am embracing life's next adventure, and I am confident that the universe will produce something good as long as I continue to work hard toward my "next big thing." Its scary to be without work right now, especially since I now pay rent for my own place and am no longer living in the warm and comfy confides of my fantastically amazing parents. However, I am certain (albeit daring) that I will make something work for now.

But what is it that I want to do? I've had such specific goals for so long that were incredibly important to me that I am almost unsure I can top it! In fact, I was thinking again about the last time I *really* knew what I wanted - when I was training to compete for the Miss Illinois USA title last year. Maybe you'll be interested to hear a quote that had inspired me then:

"There is only one quality which one must possess to win, and that is the definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it."
-Napoleon Hill

Perhaps this is what I need to discover for myself, and what you reading this right now needs to discover as well. What are our true goals and desires? What do we want for our lives? Are we settling, or striving for something bigger and better which we are confident we can achieve? Maybe its a weight loss goal, maybe a career goal, or maybe its even something to do with building better relationships with friends and family. Regardless, it probably wouldn't hurt for us to take a step back, analyze where we are against where we want to be and map out a way to get there. Haha, well ... I'm glad I had this talk with my blog, because I think I may have just figured out my next steps. Woohoo!!

I'm so excited for all of the wonderful young women who are in preparation mode for the 2011 Miss Illinois USA Pageant! A few girls have gotten in touch with me with their questions, and I must say ... the energy is incredible. I'm so proud of everyone who is laying out her goals and going for it! As Walt Disney once said, "If you dream it, you can do it." I believe it!

This weekend I'll be attending an event in Chicago that should be a great time. There will be live music, vendors, shows ... and I get to hang out in the VIP tent! Earlier in the week my dance partner and I began really rehearsing our dance number for the competition that will take place in Chicago on August 7th, and woooo it's gonna be saucy! We're doing a tango that breaks into a salsa, I'm so excited :) He's teaching me to do some wild moves though, and actually on Tuesday I totally threw out my neck! It still hurts to look down no matter how much I stretch. EEK! But now that my neck knows the trouble its in for, it probably won't ache as much after the next practice (at least I hope not).

Have a great weekend everyone, keep working toward your goals ... and don't let yourself get too hot with this icky weather!! :)