3 Conferences in 3 Days

Yes, you read the title of this post correctly. I just attended 3 conferences in a row. Our team met so many different people, traveled through three states, learned a lot, and had a blast this weekend!

I definitely want to go back! (Another picture from Google!)

The first part of our trip was to Nashville, Tennessee to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel to attend Alpha Xi Delta's Volunteer Leadership Conference. It was BEAUTIFUL! All of Alpha Xi Delta's staff and top volunteers were there. Being with these women was such a great experience. They truly believe in our organization and seeing their passion made me love it that much more!

All of the volunteers have participated in "Strengthsquest" which is supposed to tell you about your leadership strengths. We believe that instead of trying to improve upon the areas that you lack in, we should take advantage of our strengths. My top 5 strengths are:

-Strategic: People especially talented in this theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

-Competition: People especially talented in competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.

-Communication: People especially talented in the communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

-Maximizer: People especially talented in the maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.

-Achiever: People especially talented in the achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

What do you think? My family and friends think these strengths describe me perfectly!

On Sunday, our team attended the "Risk Management on the Road" seminar. We heard speakers talk about leadership, confrontation, and health.

Lovely ladies in our navy & white!

On Monday we left our extended stay and moved into the Hilton in downtown Indy. We attended Fraternity Executive's Association: Field Staff conference. We spent three days learning and networking with consultants from other fraternities and sororities.

All of this preparation is making me SO ready to hit the road! I can't believe that we have been here for almost 3 weeks! It is going by quickly and at the same time it is going by slow. I am missing my family and friends so much. I take it one day at a time and am just focusing on the next time we will all be together. I am so ready for that day!

Busy is the Word!

I can not tell you how busy we are! Every day in the office, projects at night, and then its time to go to bed and do it all again! I am having a blast and learning a lot though. More than information I am learning so much about myself and about my sisters. It is amazing how the twelve of us have gotten so close over the past two weeks and I can already tell that this experience is going to give us a special bond.

Alpha Xi Delta's 2012-2013 Travelling Team

We have such a crazy week coming up. Tomorrow at 5:45am we are heading to Nashville for a conference. I am not excited about getting up so early but I am excited about meeting Alpha Xi Deltas from all over the country!

Not going to lie, I am SUPER tired from this week, so I am going to let some pictures do the talking! : )

Alex and Ani bracelets- a Quill and a Georgia Peach!

A sweet note from a sweet sister!

My new computer, a sneak peak at the ELC photo shoot,
and can you guess which three people I am missing today?

I have no idea how many stamps to put on a letter to Australia!

First Week!

I can not believe that I have been in Indianapolis for a week tomorrow! This has been one of the craziest weeks of my life but I have enjoyed every minute of it!

Every day we go into the office from 8:30-4:30. For the  most part, we have women Skyping us from all over the country to do our trainings. We have been learning things like how to create an agenda for a retreat, all about our Constitution and Bylaws, and more about our philanthropy. I am enjoying learning the logistics about how the Fraternity works behind the scenes!

After work each day we head back to the extended stay. Sometimes we go to the gym or for a walk. We eat dinner together and then work on projects. Before I know it it's time for bed and then time to wake up and do it all over again!

On Friday we had a photoshoot for The Quill, which is Alpha Xi Delta's magazine. We went to a beautiful park and had a blast! It was so nice to be outside for a while. I am looking forward to reading the article about us!

Goofing around in our AWESOME mini van!

Yesterday one of the other ELC's and I went shopping at the outlets... SO FUN! It was quite nice to just walk around and take a break from sorority world for a little while. I got an adorable outfit from J.Crew (my littles would totally love it!) After our shopping trip we went to Miami University's campus and explored. It is one of the most beautiful college campuses I have ever been to! All of the houses in the area have signs on them and are named the most hysterical names! A few PG rated ones were "Fraturdays" and "Main Squeeze." We definitely got a laugh driving around and looking at all of them! We also found Delta Zeta's headquarters, the Alpha Chapter of Sigma Chi, and the Alpha chapter of Beta Theta Pi. Pretty cool to see so much Greek history!

Made me miss my sweet Sigma Nu!

When we met up with our other sisters we went on a tour of Beta Theta Pi's headquarters. It was quite beautiful!

Beta's Headquarters (Thanks for the picture, Google!)

New experiences for this week: went to Ohio, toured a Fraternity's headquarters, and went to Miami University!

The Beginning of It All!

Yesterday was not an easy day. I was just really sad to be leaving. Saying goodbye to Kyle was really difficult. I am so thankful to hear be able to say he has FINALLY gotten to Sidney.

I was so sad to leave Ross in Atlanta. The longest we have ever been apart was when I was in Las Vegas and Indy a couple of weeks ago. I truly feel like I have left a part of me behind and I am already counting down the days until we are together again. I feel a post dedicated to him coming soon! : )

I was happy to be reunited with my ELC sisters, they definitely cheered me up a bit. We checked into our extended stay and have been pleasantly surprised by it! It is going to give us a very nice place to come home to after our time in the office each day!

New gadgets! 

Today was our first official day at Fraternity Headquarters! We got a lot of fun goodies including new work phones (Samsung Galaxies), new work computers (Dells), and business cards! I have had a Mac for the past 6 years so it is going to take me a while to remember how to use a Windows computer! We also began our training which will last for the next month or so. We are doing a lot of fun activities and having a blast getting to know each other! I have a feeling that time is going to pass very quickly and that I will be reunited with Ross before we know it!

So official!

This Is It.

I can't believe that tomorrow is the true beginning of my year of traveling. Its so strange that it is finally here after I have planned and thought about it for so long.

I have absolutely enjoyed my last few days at home, I wish they hadn't gone by so fast! Yesterday I spent the day with one of my littles, Randi, in our college town. We shopped around and then got dinner at 302 South Street, which is one of our favorite restaurants! After that we went to our favorite mexican restaurant, The Border, and got our favorite treat- sopapillas! I wish that my other little could have been with us... I will miss them so much this year!

Today we had lunch with my family. It was so nice to be together, but it was sad at the same time. Our family is so close that we are going to hate to be apart for the next year. It is a huge comfort to know that I have such a big support system cheering me on at home. I think we are all dreading tomorrow but we know that this is God's plan for our lives right now and He is going to take care of us. I already can't wait for us all to be together again.

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." -Winnie the Pooh

Making It Fit!

Adorable luggage tags!

AHHHHH. Who knew that packing could be such an event? I have packed, repacked, folded, rolled, sat on, weighed... until it is all perfect! : ) So how does one pack enough things for 3 months? One word: strategically! Thankfully while I am traveling I will only be at each school for a certain period of time and then I will move on to the next... AKA: rewear, rewear, rewear! I am proud to say that by suitcase is only 45 lbs! The limit is 50, so I was happy to have a little wiggle room!

In my big suitcase I have: the infamous Bunny Blanket, black Revas, shower shoes, Michael Kors sandals, Alpha Xi Delta Vineyard Vines tote, a sweatshirt, black cardi, 3 tshirts, 2 vneck tshirts, 2 pairs of Norts (sorority girl staple!), 1 pair of sweatpants, pj pants, navy blazer, coral blazer, 2 dress tanks, 2 sleep tanks, 1 scarf, 1 pair of jeans, 3 casual tops, 6 dress tops, 5 dress tanks, 3 skirts, 2 pairs of crops, 6 dresses, 4 belts, 1 bathing suit, Kate Spade makeup bag with all kinds of goodies, Mud Pies makeup bag with toiletries, vitamins, blowdryer, straightener, & pink pepper spray (thanks daddy!) 

In the little suitcase: black heels, cream heels, 2 pairs of wedges, brown sandals, Nike tennis shoes, jewelry holder, Vera Bradley makeup  bag filled with more accessories, raincoat, stationary, chargers, UGA Tervis Tumbler & medicine.

Don't you just love the colors of my carry on? Double blue and gold!

In the Vera Bradley Weekender: Pink Puppy (Ross gave her to me for our 1st Valentines Day), a travel pillow, prizes for activities, Bible, Crazy Love by Francis Chan, Wallet, Longchamp, notebook, epi pen (I'm allergic to bees), tissues, camera, iPod, GUM (gotta have it when I fly), 3 different lipsticks, chapstick, mirror,  makeup, coffee coozie, regular coozie, sunglasses, umbrella, planner, and travel documents. Eventually I will add my work computer to this bag.

So, do you think I have enough!? Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything!

Its Almost Here...

I can't believe that I only have two days left at home! It is unreal how fast it has gotten here! I am so enjoying my last week at home for a while but I wish time would slow down! Ross has definitely been spoiling me with the amount of time we are spending together- I love it! My parents gave him a gift card to Cracker Barrel (our favorite!) on Sunday and we used it on Monday night! We weren't wasting any time! : ) My daddy has also been hanging around the house a lot this week and working from home, which I love. It is so nice to be able to spend these last few days together!

July 4th is always a fun day with my family! My dad's side of the family gets together with friends for a big bbq. Some of my earliest memories are going to Uncle Ned's house for the 4th of July and I look forward to it every year. The men grill chicken and daddy's Aunt Alice makes the BEST sauce I have ever tasted for them. I crave it every year! This year Ross helped to cook (thanks babe!) and it was so yummy!

So blessed to have these people in my life!

My adorable Bubby!

Yesterday, Ross and I had our last big night out together for a while. We went to Cheesecake Factory and then to a Braves game. Cheesecake Factory is our favorite fancy restaurant- we always celebrate our anniversary there! The calamari is DELICIOUS and of course the cheesecake is to die for! The Braves game was HOTTT but we had awesome seats in the shade. Ross even got me cotton candy, which made my night! I am dreading saying goodbye to my sweet man but I know that this next year will fly by and will just be a chance for us to love each other from a distance!

Looking sweaty but having fun!

I am about to finish packing... I will post my final list tomorrow so that you can see how I am packing for 3 months! Pray it all fits and is less than 50 lbs! YIKES!

Just a Taste

What a trip! I have been gone for two weeks, which definitely gave me a taste of what this next year will be like. There were moments that I was ready to be at home with the people that I love but for the most part it wasn't too bad! 

On the morning I left for UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) I went and bought a new carry on suitcase. It is much smaller and will help me to avoid gate-baggage drama. I am happy to report that it worked wonders! It definitely cut down on my stress and was a great decision! The flight out there was BEAUTIFUL! I could see wide open land that held beautiful mountains... and then I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time! I couldn't help but just stare out the window in awe of our Creator and the gorgeous landscape he made.

How amazing was my view!?

This was my first trip to Las Vegas... and it was HOT! I have never felt such a dry heat before, it was kind of a shock! We had a blast at UNLV. I loved getting to know the women there! One of the highlights for me was spending time with my small group, EnthuXIastic. We really bonded right off the bat and I loved watching the women share ideas and grow as leaders!

My small group.

I have started to learn that there are certain staples that every ELC must have... mine so far are Starbucks and my tervis tumbler. 

The cutest coffee coozie ever!

Go Dawgs! (Thanks to my sweet daddy for getting this for me!)

After my trip to Vegas, I was off to Indianapolis for a week. My best friend Emily and her fiancé Josh got married! I was so honored to serve as her Maid of Honor. Ever since we were young, we have planned and dreamed about what our weddings would be like. It was so much fun helping in her dream becoming a reality. I could not have asked for a better man for my best friend to marry and I pray that they have a wonderful life together! The wedding was beautiful and so much fun and she was a breathtaking bride!

We took a canvas painting class for her last night out!

Rehearsal Dinner.

She looked SO beautiful!

Mr. & Mrs. Elrod

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13