New Title!

I am thrilled to have won a new title on January 15, 2011! I am now Miss Northern Suburbs and my official blog is: http://www.missnorthernsuburbs2011.blogspot.com! Please continue to follow my Miss IL journey at this new address!

Farewell from Miss Capital City 2010

On November 28, 2010, my year as Miss Capital City 2010 drew to a close. At the beginning of the pageant, I had so much fun singing the national anthem and then walking out with my Teen and Pre-Teen at the end of the opening number. Later, I had the chance to talk about my year and perform one of my favorite piano pieces "The Swan" by Saint-Saens/Godowsky. The contestants put on a great show--there really was a strong group of competitors, and I would imagine that the final scores were pretty close. Great job to everyone who competed, and I hope it was a positive experience for you. At the end of the night, my farewell slideshow was shown on the bigscreen to the song "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. I was really glad to be able to show what I accomplished this year at appearances, events, and the Miss IL pageant.


After the slideshow was over, I took the stage for my final walk, and before waving goodbye, gave the following farewell speech:

"Ever since my crowning moment on November 22 of last year, I have had such an amazing year as Miss Capital City 2010. From an assembly at Brigham Elementary School and visiting kids at St. John’s Hospital to organizing a Children‘s Miracle Network benefit and volunteering in Central Park, I have had numerous opportunities to serve, perform, speak, and represent this organization. In addition to preparing to compete for Miss Illinois, I wanted to use this position to make a positive impact and to really live out my desire to reach out to others and to spread the message of my platform: Redefining Success: Using Your Talents to Serve others.

I am so grateful for everyone who helped and supported me this year. First and foremost, I thank my God and Savior Jesus Christ for the blessings and opportunities he has given me and the way he has guided my life through the transitions I’ve faced over the past couple of years. To my family, I love you. Thank you so much for your encouragement and support, for coming to my competitions and appearances and for the sacrifices that you have made. To my dad, thank you for being the ‘chauffeur’ so many times this past year. Thank you to my sister Lily for your feedback and advice and for being my absolute best friend. And mom, thank you for always listening and enduring all of my late night talks. To my extended family and friends, thank you for coming to support me at Miss IL. It meant so much to me!

Although she couldn’t be here tonight, I want to thank Bella for being such a wonderful princess. It has been great to spend time together during piano lessons and pottery painting and playing games--We had so much fun together, and I can’t wait to hang out over Christmas break. To Summer and Reghan, it was so fun to be part of the Miss Capital City family with you and support each other at the state pageants.

A huge thank you goes to Leo, for your excellent workouts and advice. It was so helpful and I loved seeing the progress I made. And to Miranda, I am so thankful for the custom talent gown you made for me--it turned out so beautifully. Thank you to Melise’s where I’ve always found such gorgeous gowns and great people. I also want to thank Kimberly Smoot and Pam Cather for their amazing photography, and thank you, Jason, for the wonderful farewell slideshow--I appreciated that so much. Thank you to Kaitlyn Palsay and her family for being the guests of honor at the Children’s Miracle Network benefit luncheon I organized. Your courage is inspiring. Thank you to Biaggi’s for your generosity and assistance with this luncheon. Thank you also to Molly Sorrell and Dawn Kuhn from St. John’s--I really enjoyed getting involved with the American Girl fashion show and my visit to the hospital was such a moving experience. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson for your hospitality when I came to your house and for the interview practice and encouragement. And of course a big thank you to Amalia and Glenn Schwerdtmann and all of the many volunteers who are such a vital part of the Miss IL organization.

Finally, Rachel--it has been such a privilege to have you as my director. I gained soo much from your experience, advice, and guidance. I appreciate how you helped me to continue improving in so many ways as I prepared for Miss Illinois. Thank you for your honesty. I trusted you, and you were always right. Thank you for your attention to detail, and for being willing to spend hours looking for an interview dress and teaching me how to tame my hair. I will never forget the hilarious stories you shared and our tricks of the trade and inside jokes…which, although I’m sure you’re all very curious, will stay between you and I. You have inspired me to reach new levels and to think differently than I had before. Most of all, I value your friendship, and I’m so glad that it will continue beyond this year. I want to commend you for your dedication to this organization, for believing in me, and for being true to your word in being one of my biggest fans.

To the new Miss Capital City, I hope that you enjoy this year and take responsibility for it. Use your title to reach out to others and take advantage of the opportunities that will be available to you. It’s an honor to represent the Miss America Organization at any level of competition, and I can tell you from personal experience that this year has the potential to affect you in huge ways. Best wishes and welcome to the family.

Well, my year is over, but I am more determined than ever to pursue the job and title of Miss Illinois. No matter what happens next, I will always treasure my memories as your Miss Capital City 2010."

By the end, I was feeling very emotional and holding back the tears in my eyes. I felt so honored by the crowd when I stood before them and watched them rise to give me a standing ovation. I won't forget that moment. Rachel came out for a hug and gave me flowers, and when she took a turn at the podium, thanking us titleholders for working so hard this year, it was another emotional moment for both of us.
It was finally time to give out awards and crown the winner. Congratulations to the new titleholder Jamie Johnson! Thank you to the judges, auditors, emcees, videographer Matty Jacobsen, and everyone who helped in any way with this year's pageant. After the pageant, it was great to talk with people, take pictures, and then hang out and drive back to Wheaton with my friend Katie Fueschl, who did a great job competing that night. :)


Please continue to contact me about possibly performing, speaking, emceeing, or judging events. Thank you to everyone who has followed me on this blog. You can also follow my blog entitled "A Musical Life" at nataliesherer.blogspot.com. It's a bittersweet feeling to write this post, but it has been an incredible journey and one that hasn't ended...

Blessings and goodbye,
Natalie Renee' Sherer~ Miss Capital City 2010

*PHOTOS from MISS ILLINOIS 2010*

Here are the professional photos from the 2010 Miss Illinois pageant--thank you Limelight Studio Photography!!

*Introductions*

*Talent*

*Evening Gown*
*On-Stage Question*

*With Parents after Prelims*

*Princess Luncheon*

*Top Ten Finalist!!*

Wheaton and Pottery Painting

After deferring from school for a year, I am now a new transfer student at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, and I am studying Piano Performance in the Conservatory of Music. There have been challenges, but I have really loved my experience here so far. I'm definitely extremely busy with classes and homework--it is very academically rigorous--on top of my piano practicing. I would have to say that my favorite class right now is Philosophy. I also sing in Concert Choir, which is a big commitment, and I'm involved in chamber music and accompanying. It's very important to me to use my passions to serve others, so I'm thankful for the support and encouragement I feel in this uplifting environment, where our faith is integrated with learning. I thank God for the opportunity to be studying at Wheaton and continuing to pursue my educational and career goals. I've also met great friends with whom I'm continuing to develop relationships!! :) The staff and faculty members that I've been in contact with are also really caring and respectable people. And of course, the beautiful campus and amazing dining facilities are icing on the cake! A heartfelt 'thank you' goes to Ted and Donna Loy--family friends who introduced me to Wheaton--as well as Conservatory Admissions Counselor, Debbie Rodgers--one of the most influential people I met at Wheaton who made me feel welcome and valued from the first day I visited. For anyone interested, Wheaton's website is: http://wheaton.edu/.


Before I left for school in August, I took Bella pottery painting after our last piano lesson together. (We went to Artful Designs). Pottery painting is definitely a unique activity and it made for an enjoyable afternoon, even though we were sad to be saying a temporary goodbye. Bella picked out a sock puppet monkey to paint. After carefully choosing the colors, we painted him and he was adorable! We both had a lot of fun! I miss you, Bella!