Thank You Ashley Bond

We believe in supporting our kids in anything they want to try, as log as it's a healthy/positive activity, why not.

This past Summer while we were at the Gurnee 4th of July parade and Little Miss Gurnee went past in a car, our daughter looked up at us and said, " I want to do that dad, I want to ride in a fancy car and be in a parade."

"No harm no foul," is what I thought.  We explained to her that she had to enter a pageant to be able to do have the chance to be Little Miss Gurnee, and that pageants were a lot of work.  

She didn't care, and after some research, we found out that the Gurnee Queens Pageant is a very positive experience, where the girls are judged on their poise, manners, ability to communicate and not how they twirl a flaming baton, while their stage moms watch.  So we signed her up.

Little Miss Gurnee

I have watched my little girl, race, bike, sing on stage, play soccer, fall off a horse, ski and a dozen other activities, but nothing was more terrifying that watching her compete in a pageant.  The reason being, there was nothing I could do to help her, to coach her, to tell her it's going to be OK.  She was up on that stage all by herself, microphone in her hand, answering pop questions and giving speeches.  She was amazing, all of the girls were.  Brave, poised, mature, tears of pride rolled down my face as I watched her.

When they announced that she had in fact won!  The pride that I felt watching her accomplish her goal, more or less on her own, was and still is amazing.

Tomorrow(Sunday) fellow blogger, friend and current Miss Illinois, Ashley Bond relinquishes her crown as a new Miss Illinois will be crowned.  I can only imagine the emotions that she and her family have shared during the past year and want to say thank you for being an amazing representative for our state.

Ashley was a role model and mentor for my daughter, as well as thousands of other kids around the state.  She tirelessly dedicated her time and efforts to share a positive message with the people she came across.  Though you would never her complain, the more I got to know Ashley, the more I came to understand the massive sacrifice it takes to be Miss Illinois and the work she put into every minute of the last year.

Thank you Ashley Bond for being a great Miss Illinois, for being a positive image for  my daughter and so many just like her.  In a year where our Governor got kicked out of office and Oprah announced she is skipping town, we still have Ashley and the many things she has done for our state and the Chicago area to look back on and be proud of.

Being Miss Illinois or Little Miss Gurnee or Little Miss Peru definitely falls into the Endurance Sports category: the hours, the work, the training, it isn't easy, though, Ashley always did it with grace, style and a smile on her face.   

Tomorrow they will crown a new Miss Illinois, but Ashley, you will always be a Queen in our hearts.  Thank you.