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!! :)

Quick Updates

I cannot believe it is the last day of June and I haven't had a chance to post an update since the 15th. So much has been happening, and I apologize for waiting so long to write!

Life has been nuts. I don't have a clue how I'm handling it right now ... and to be frank, I'm not really balancing it well at all. I always considered being busy as a blessing, but being soooo busy might not be as good as I once thought. I've been so stressed I'm getting sick, I haven't slept more than 4 hours a night in three weeks, and the worst part -- OK lets see if I can admit this to the world -- I have now found 9 gray hairs on my head. 9! And there are probably more in back, yikes! I blame it completely 100% on stress, although my mom tends to think it has a bit to do with heredity. Whatever mom, if you want to take the blame be my guest!

However, amidst all of the chaos and sleepless nights, I have been having some fantastic adventures: Of course as you know I advanced in my dance competition and will get to compete in the final round in August for which I've been trying to rehearse as much as possible. In addition to that, I had the opportunity to participate in my home town's "Old Canal Days" parade; I rode a float with local girl scout troops and each girl had her own little tiara -- so cute! I've been to 2 out-of-town weddings with about 5 more to come before my summer is through. It has been wonderful to see people beginning their lives together, and now that I can enjoy the cake without feeling guilty (!) its extra wonderful! I co-hosted the ABC 7 Traffic Jam 5K run in Grant Park, and I played BINGO with adults with disabilities at Bethsham in Palos Heights. I'm planning to move August 1st, so finding a place to live has been lots of fun -- we haven't found anything yet, but I am confident my roommate and I will find our gem eventually! And lastly (almost), I've been trying to be as active as possible in different areas of business to learn as much as I can about my career and being a successful business woman and entrepreneur - tonight I will attend an event in Chicago called "Step Up for Beauty and Brains." And lastly (for real), I've been setting up appointments to instruct women on proper skin care as I had planned, and have been scheduling appointments for myself on how to keep my body healthy and balanced through proper nutrition and exercise. It really has been a crazy load of different activities lately, and I've been learning so much. There really is nothing like learning and networking and having new experiences!!!

OK So now I've got to run, but that was the quick update. I hope to have a more thoroughly composed and more interesting blog post to write in the next few days, but we'll see. I hope everyone has a safe and fantastic holiday weekend!

Cheers!

Advancing to the Final Dance Round

Saturday night, after many long days of rehearsal with lots of sweat, sore muscles and even a bloody nose or two, Brandon and I rocked the dance floor at the Chicago Theater for the Performing Arts advancing to the next round of competition. I was soooo excited, not only because I tried so hard, but because I really wanted to continue working with Brandon and learn more beautiful dance moves! After failing to reach my goal at Miss USA, this felt wonderful. My face beamed, I could see my mom as happy as could be in the audience, and I was just plain HAPPY. The hard work paid off -- and it was a BLAST. Brandon and I will start rehearsing for the final competition to be held in Chicago on August 7th. I am so so so pumped!! Who knew I could even dance at all, and now here I am advancing to the final round. Wow!

So theeeeen ... this morning I read something in a book that really hit home:
"Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try. Why? Because they lack self-confidence. Women, especially, have so much potential they never tap."

This really got me thinking because all my life, I never would have guessed that I would participate in the Miss USA Pageant. I never thought I'd throw out the first pitch at the Cubs game. I never thought I'd have 4 different business cards at one time, and I never thought I'd be the star in a 'dancing with the stars' competition and get to work with, in my opinion, the best dancer there ever was. Throughout my life I have tried so many things and failed them, but I never stopped exploring new opportunities. But I have to ask -- why women? Why are women the ones that fail to tap into their natural gifts? This really bugs me. I may have 'failed' at Miss USA among other things, but it opened up doors to try so many other avenues I never would have discovered otherwise! I suppose my greatest failures have lead me to my greatest adventures. Try and try again, as they say -- its worth it!

It has been said, "We fail forward to success. We learn from our failures. The person who never fails never attempts anything." I think getting back up when you're down and trying again is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Not only to experience all of the amazing things life has to offer, but also to give yourself a new thrill every now and then -- to have something for which to strive, something to be excited for, and something to dream about.

OK I'm done being a philosopher for now ... but think about it. Have you explored your inner gifts? If not, you should. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING if you put your mind to it.

BlackHawk Fever!

Chicago is a madhouse! I took an early train in today because we were supposed to have an early meeting at 9, and although the meeting totally didn't start yet I'm glad I came early because it is CRAZY on the streets!

The reason it is nuts is because there is a parade today celebrating the Chicago Blackhawk's win Wednesday night when they took home the Stanley Cup. The streets are totally painted red with people and their clothing and banners supporting the Hawks. Even the fountain at Daley Plaza is dyed red!



There are police and barricades along the path of the parade. The event doesn't start until 10:30am, but when I walked through around 8am and it was packed. I can't imagine what it's like right now at 9:30!

This is a very exciting day for Chicago Hawk's fans. I can hear sirens going off constantly from my office and I wonder if its for emergencies or just crowd control and excitement. Looking out my window now, you can't even see the sidewalks -- its all just people in red. So exciting!!



GO HAWKS!