Becoming a 'Yes' Person

I started packing up my apartment in Richmond today. It is hard to believe that I am one week from being done. It seems like just yesterday I was still my Chapter's President, sitting on my bedroom floor of the sorority house, not knowing whether I should hit "send" to submit my application to become an ELC. So much has happened since then, I am not even close to the same girl.

I have started reflecting upon the past year and this entire experience. All of the things I have seen, all of the amazing women I have met, all of the things that I have done. One of the things that strikes me the most is how different I feel right now from the person I was when I accepted this job last April.

I have become a "yes" person. Before this, I definitely was not adventurous, brave, or independent. I could hardly call to order a pizza for myself. My Sisters constantly made fun of me because I always wanted them to go with me to run errands, eat, whatever so I didnt have to go alone. I have done things this year I would never have thought possible, and I really have Alpha Xi Delta to thank for it.

It really struck me that this change had occured when I was in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. I had never been there before and I was really excited. I knew that I was about to have a very busy couple of days full of meetings and I was already planning things out mentally when my plane landed. When the Sister picked me up, she started telling me all about San Francisco. She told me about Lombard Street, which is the "crookedest street in the world." She asked me if I wanted to try to find it. Before this job, I probably would have said no. We didnt know where it was, where to park, I had meetings to get to... but instead, I said yes. After stopping and walking up and down Lombard Street and taking pictures, we went to see the Golden Gate Bridge. She asked if I wanted to stop and take pictures, and again, I said yes. It was probably one of the most exciting things I have seen all year.

This may not seem like a big deal, but to me, it is. It is just another reason why I know that I needed this experience. A year ago, I was so scared. I had no idea what accepting this job meant for me. Could I handle the travel? Would I get homesick? How would it affect my relationship with Ross? But in saying yes to this job, I took a chance. I trusted that it would be ok.

Now as I am starting to see life beyond this job, I am also saying yes to the Lord and where He is leading me. I have no idea where I am going to end up or what I am going to be doing, but I know that He has a plan for me that is better than any I can make up myself. So today, I am saying yes to His plan, as well.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

One Month Left

How is it possible that I will only be an ELC for one more month? It literally seems like yesterday that I was packing my bag to leave for my first trip. I dont think I will ever forget how I was feeling- terrified and excited all at the same time.

I am just going to try to soak it all in for the next month. I will never have another experience like this one, it has truly changed my life forever. Over the next few weeks I will be a busy, busy girl, so Im pretty sure that time is about to fly by!

Tomorrow I leave for the West Coast. I am visiting a school in Arizona and then two in California. I just checked weather.com and it is supposed to be warm and sunny there... and I have NOTHING to wear! It has been cold and icky in Richmond so all I have is pants and sweaters! I have never been to Cali and it is one of the states I was hoping to visit this year, so I am STOKED! I will be in the LA/Northridge area and then the San Francisco/Sonoma area after that. Im sure it will be BEAUTIFUL!

After that I will be back in Richmond for two days and then I am off to Oklahoma. It will be a quick 36 hour trip but one I am excited about! I am also dreadinggg the jet lag. I am going to be one tired girl!

The rest of my time will be spent in Richmond. The team is meeting up in Indianapolis for a quick debrief and then it is home for my Big's wedding!!

I am really thanking the Lord for this opportunity. Before I get all sappy (I just dont have time for that right now) I am going to go pack... I hope I still remember how to! : )

Programs & Pinterest

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of trips. I just got back into Richmond last night and am EXHAUSTED!

I am addicted to Pinterest. I have used it all year to make the programs I present to chapters a little more interesting. I thought I would share with you some of my favorites!

Happy Birthday, Two!

Yay for my Little being a year older! Welcome to 23 old lady! : )

I have said before how much I love her, but I have to recap on her special day!

She made my Alpha Xi Delta experience amazing. We served on the Executive Committee together and worked as a team to help Zeta Omega have a successful recruitment. One of my favorite memories from that weekend was one morning at 4:00 am we were trying our best to stay awake until lists were posted, so she googled Zoolander quotes and we lauged hysterically for like an hour. We always have so much fun together!

She also used to force me to go out and have fun on occasion. Those always ended up being my favorite nights! One New Year's Eve we sat at Applebees for four hours just so that we could see our boyfriends (servers) at midnight. That is another thing we have in common- we are both VERY dedicated girlfriends! : )

She has the best style and helps me to realize my style potential. Plus she does my hair and makeup when I ask really nicely!

 

Thankfully she become best friends with my other little... I love that  the three of us are close! I have some amazing memories with these two and I cant wait to make many more!

Kerri works at an elementary school as a technology teacher. Teaching has always been her passion and her students are so lucky to have her! I know that her classroom is so fun and a great environment for them to learn it... plus she is extremely crafty so it is ADORABLE!

She is one my funniest and most blunt (but with a filter) friends I have. I love that about her! She always makes me laugh with her witty comments.

She loves the Lord and I know that she will always give me Godly advice. Whenever I feel lost or confused about life, she is definitely someone I turn to for help.

Ross and I set her up with Ross' roommate, Nick... and they ended up being perfect for one another! I love that we can all do things together! I know that we will all be friends for a longggg time... and we have decided that our children will be best friends, too.

Kerri,

 

Thanks for being on of the best friends, little, Two, and Sisters I could ask for! I dont think I would have made it through college without you! I certainly would not have made it through the past year without you. Thank you for supporting me through every decision I make and all of the journeys I take (Im a good rhymer!) I have missed you so much over the past 7 months and I am so excited to be in Newnan with you once again so that even when we are being our usual grandma selves, we can do it together! You are such an important part of my life, it would not be the same without you in it!       I love you so much!

<3 C.Peek

Chicago

Sadly, blogger will still not let me upload pictures! : (

After spending the weekend with my fellow Alpha Xi Delta travelling Sisters, I just spend the last week in the Windy City! I will admit... it was nothing like I expected! I stayed in a really cute neighborhood, got experienced at taking the CTA (subway), and had a blast.

I was visiting our Iota Rho chapter at DePaul University. I probably would have gotten really lost but luckily one of the other consultants, Mary Katherine is stationed at DePaul full time. I got to learn what being stationed is all about.

On Friday, we got to get out and explore the city! We went to the giant bean and ate deep dish pizza! It was soooo delicious but extremely filling... I only ate one piece! On Saturday we spent the morning walking by the beach and then window shopping on Michigan Avenue.

Saturday evening, we went to a DePaul women's basketball game. The chapter cosponsored the game with Autism Speaks and used it as an Autism Speaks awareness night. We had tables of information, a raffle, face painting and tattoos, and lots of give aways. It was a huge success and we had a blast!

As I type this, I am sitting at Chicago's Midway Airport. I got here 3.5 hours early because we thought it was going to snow this morning. Mary Katherine is also from Georgia and these when these southern girls heard the word snow, we somewhat panicked. But it is giving me time to blog and catch up on some office work. I have to say... Midway stinks compared to O'Haire. While O'Haire has approximately 6 or more Starbucks... Midway has none. O'Haire has bathrooms with rotating toilet seat covers... Midway does not. Call me an airport snob but when a large chunk of my life the past six months has been spent scouting out my favorite people watching spots in airports, I cant help it!

My first semester I carried around a couple of leadership books to read when I had downtime in airports or felt like reading on planes but this semester I have switched it up. I am currently carrying My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. My youth pastor, John Orr gave a group of us this book in May of 2004. It has short daily thoughts with a short Bible passage. I have read it several times through but each time I read it I learn to think about something in a new way and I find new truths.

I am heading to Richmond today... but that is a story for another blog. Praying for my brother, he started travelling to Australia yesterday.

2012

I can not believe that it is the first day of 2013! Where did 2012 go? It seems like just yesterday that my little and I were sitting at Applebees (for like 4 hours) so that we could ring in 2012 with our working boyfriends!

Sisters on New Years Eve!

2012 was definitely one of the most exciting and eventful years of my life. Just to recap:

-January was a big adjustment for me. I had just moved home from college and had no idea what I was going to do with my life. This also meant that Ross and I were not living in the same town, which stunk! During January I had my first interview to become an Educational Leadership Consultant with Alpha Xi Delta. I also started cooking a lot for my family, which I really enjoyed.

-Late January came with exciting news, I was asked to come to Atlanta for the final ELC interviews! I was so excited!

-One of my best friends lives in South Carolina, so we hardly get to see eachother. I finally got to meet her sweet baby boy, Knox!

-At the beginning of February I went shopping with one my Littles to buy my first suit! That was a stressful and expensive day, but I wanted to look perfect for my interview! I packed up my car and drove to Atlanta, met a lot of nice Alpha Xi Deltas from across the country, and had my interview. I was nervous and confident all at the same time. I knew that I had done my best, and then the LONG waiting game started.

-In the middle of February I got more awesome news, I had gotten a job at Lizard Thicket, an adorable boutique in our town. It was the biggest blessing in the world and I LOVED my time there. My coworkers were the sweetest, my bosses were awesome, and I loved the customers!

-At the end of February, I attended Zeta Omega's Alumnae Luncheon. It was at one of my favorite Carrollton restaurants, Plates. It was so nice to all get together after it had been a while since we had last seen each other. Our family took so many pictures!

 -March held a lot of working and a lot of waiting to see if I had gotten the job. Ross' niece Bristol turned 1 and that was a very fun day! Ross missed it because he was studying abroad in Barcelona, we missed him!

-April was a stressful month and I was not sorry to see it go. By this time I thought that I was not getting the job, so I was very surprised when I was told that I got it. After a weekend full of worry and tears, I accepted it. I instantly felt at peace and knew that this was God's plan for me.

-On April 28th, Ross and Kerri graduated from UWG! I was a very proud girlfriend and Big! They both worked so hard to get to this point and I was so thankful to have been a part of their journey!

 

-My family went on a vacation to the lake. We were really starting to treasure the time we had left together before July 9th came.

 

 

-At the beginning of June, Ross's best friend got married.

 

 

-The next week, I headed to the University of Maryland for my first ELC trip! I was so excited and nervous! I was so stressed about what to pack. After seriously dramatic travel days, I got home in one peice. I had so much fun and I knew that I was going to love my job!

 

 



-I was only home two days before I hit the road again, this time for two weeks! The first part of my trip was at UNLV. I was excited to see Las Vegas for the first time! I got to lead my own small group of women on this trip, and I loved that! I could really see how this job was going to help me build relationships with Sisters all over the country!

-After I left UNLV, I travelled to Indianapolis. My best friend was getting married! I spent a week with her doing last minute preparations. I was so honored to stand next to her as her maid of honor. She was a BEAUTIFUL bride!

-My sweet friends held a "see you later" dinner for me. (We refused to say goodbye.) It was so nice to have one last evening to spend together before I left.

-July 4th is always one of my favorite days of the year! We go to my Uncle Ned's house and grill out and spend time together.

-July 9th was a tough day for our family. Saying goodbye to my brother who was moving to Australia was so hard. I just kept reminding myself that it was only for a short amount of time and that we would be back together before we knew it! Saying goodbye to Ross was not easy, either.

-July was a whirlwind of trainings, trips, and conferences. I loved getting to know my consultant Sisters!

-August 1st is my favorite day because it is my two favorite guys' birthdays! Kyle turned 20 and Ross turned 25.

-On August 6th, I started my official travels. I travelled all over the country for a few months. I got to be a pro at navigating airports and packing. I met incredible women who are all so different but were all my Sisters. I loved that!

-In October, I got to go home for my birthday weekend. I was so happy to be home after being away for three months!

(At this point my computer wont let me upload any more pictures!) : (

-In November, I came home twice. Once for a friend's wedding and then for Thanksgiving.

-After travelling a couple more weeks, I came home for Christmas break. My brother was home from Australia, which was a highlight on my break!

Overall, it was such a great year. I learned so many things, saw so many different parts of the country, and met wonderful people. I missed my family and friends but learned to love them more than I ever have. I am continually reminded as to how blessed I am.

Semester Wrap Up

I can not believe that the semester is already over. I am basically 2/3rds done with this job. It is sad and exciting all at the same time!

In my first semester of travelling I:

-lived in Indy for a month
-went on 56 plane rides
-visited 16 chapters
-went to 12 states
-became an expert on all things travel
-witnessed two adoptions in airports
-missed everyone at home so much
-ate at a restaurant by myself for the first time
-worked on my independence and stress management
-practiced my confrontation skills
-facilitated a bunch of workshops on everything from recruitment to social media use
-had a blast!

I learned and experienced so many things that I will never forget! I am resting a lot and preparing for next semester, I am sure that it will go by even faster than this one did!