Miss Illinois Blog

"Give it up to god"

July 1, 2009 | BLOG ENTRY #1 | by MISS ILLINOIS 2008 ERIN O'CONNOR

Before the final announcement, I turned to face Corina, Miss Capitol City. We held hands, and almost giggled at our own terrified faces. As we squeezed one another's hands we whispered, "Give it up to God." I heard them announce the first runner up, Miss Capti…

I apologize readers, but I do not remember anything after that point. In a flash of color and light and sound, I was crowned Miss Illinois 2009. My incredible journey has begun.

My only regret from the night of my crowning was that I couldn't spend more time with the other state contestants. Each girl was a source of comfort and inspiration to me during pageant week, and I miss them all. Although I didn't get a chance to say goodbye and thank you to most of the girls personally; hopefully I'll be seeing them all through my year of service. I could write a whole entry about the people I'd like to thank, who have brought me this far, but for now I will just fill you in on the last two weeks!

I can't believe it has been such a short time since that amazing night. It feels like lifetimes ago. After being whisked away in a limo to receptions and sleeping very little, I eventually made it back to my new home with the Schwerdtmanns. But before we left Pheasant Run we had a little incident with my suitcase. My large navy blue suitcase went M.I.A. for a few hours after falling off the back of Glen's flatbed trailer. Luckily, two men picked it up off the highway and returned it to Pheasant Run Resort. I owe a big thanks to Good Samaritans Aaron and Oscar for pulling over and rescuing my suitcase!

Though I have only been Miss Illinois a short time, I have already made some exciting appearances! I met with the Character Counts Coalition, and look forward to promoting their fantastic program in schools across the state. I appeared at the friendship festival in Kankakee and received a beautiful pair of sunglasses from the good folks at Fisher Swale Nicholson Eye care. Most notably, I got the chance to meet the current Miss America-Katie Stam! My expectations were very high, and I am happy to report Katie Stam exceeded them all. She is even more lovely, sweet and beautiful in person than she is on TV! It was really inspiring to meet Katie, and hear her speak about her experiences as Miss America. I hope to carry the enthusiasm I had on that day into each day as Miss Illinois.

I have really experienced the Queen treatment this week! I had my hair styled at Trio Salon downtown, and will be working with them monthly. I also received my first shipment of clothes from our sponsors at Boston Proper; I can't wait to wear them all!

I look forward to working with the Character Counts Coalition, the team at Triple Threat Mentoring, and promoting my personal platform of Skin Cancer Prevention. I'd like to remind everyone to make sure to wear their sunscreen during this holiday season! Skin Cancer is the most common form of cancer, but it's also the most preventable. Please take care and protect yourself by wearing SPF 15 or higher sunscreen, seeing a dermatologist once a year and avoiding UV rays!

I am so excited to devote the next year to serving the people of Illinois. I hope I can live up to the high standards set by all the Miss Illinois who came before me. My e-mail is MissIllinoisErin@gmail.com. And I'd love to hear from you all! I am so grateful for the honor of representing the State of Illinois and hope to make you all proud! As always, I promise to lead with my heart and "Give it up to God."

Love and Kisses,
Erin