Recruitment Season is Over!

I can not believe that for me, the fall Recruitment Season is over! I had a blast, learned a ton, slept very little, and saw all of the Chapters' hard work pay off! I am so proud of all of the women I worked with, they all love Alpha Xi Delta and did whatever they could to help their Chapter be successful!

I was in New Hampshire for 5 days, and it flew by! I am so glad that I got to end my Recruitment there. I had quite a challenging day getting to my next Chapter. My flight from Manchester to Baltimore got delayed 15 minutes. This resulted in me watching my flight from Baltimore to Oklahoma City fly away without me! : ( I then had to reschedule my flight... I ended up going from Baltimore to St. Louis, St. Louis to Kansas City, and then Kansas City to Oklahoma City. I can tell you that four flights in a day is not easy on the body! I was completely wiped by the time I landed. I was greeted by two sweet Iota Delta sisters who were holding a sign with my name on it. Once again I have to say, I love my job!

Two weeks and one day until I come home! I am going to have to buy some winter clothes while I am home, it is starting to get cold! A few things I am obsessed with:

Who doesnt love The Loft!?!?

Dillards

 Gap- I wear my black cardigan every time I fly. It now has a hole in it... time to replace!

 I am nervous about facing winter in the north... I dont know how to keep from freezing!

Be Where You Are

I read a blog called "Enjoying the Small Things" on almost a daily basis. It is about a family that has two little girls, one of which has Down Syndrome. The mother is the writer and she constantly talks about living in the moment, enjoying each day for what it holds, and making the most of every opportunity. This is something I have struggled with in the past. I am a planner and occasionally a control freak. (Yes I can admit it.) I am constantly thinking about what is to come instead of enjoying what is happening in the moment.

One of the many things that this job is teaching me is how to let go and live in the moment. Yes, I am constantly thinking about going home and seeing my family and friends but I am not letting that stop me from loving what I am doing. The women I meet and the places I see constantly amaze me. On Monday as a flew over Mount Rainier and then New York City I could not help but think, "This is my life?!" I am too blessed and given too many opportunities not to enjoy it.

My brother has definitely been a part of developing this mindset. Being on the other side of the world from everyone can not be easy but he is trusting the Lord with everything. He is stepping up and taking on leadership roles that will make his experience even more incredible. I am SO proud of him! I am also SO ready for him to come home at Christmas but every time I get an email about the amazing things he is doing and the ways he is growing it makes me thankful that he is where he is.

I have also been so encouraged by Ross lately and he doesnt even know it. Having the faith to let me leave on this adventure while waiting to find a job could not have been easy for him. He has had the best attitude about it all and has stayed so positive. I do not know if I would have had that much grace if our roles were reversed, I am so thankful for his support. He has trusted God with everything and I am so thankful that his patience has paid off with finding a job. I can tell in his voice every time I talk to him that even though he is tired and getting into the work routine, he is so much happier now.

My Daddy and Mama have also been so incredible. Letting your kids go run around the country and live on the other side of the world must be pretty scary but they have been champs about it! Kyle and I definitely would not be able to do the things we do without their support. They also gave us the tools for success that have helped us along the way. I am so thankful that they always held me to such high standards. I definitely would not have the courage or motivation to do this without them.

Wednesday would have been my Papa's birthday. I miss him everyday, and I am also so thankful for my other grandparents. They are such special people that teach me about love and family every day.

Ok, so apparently I am in a super sentimental mood... I am going to blame the jet lag from going from Washington to New Hampshire. BUT home is less than three weeks away. One recruitment, two development visits, and three states are standing between me and Georgia! Counting down the days! : )

Sleepless in Seattle

Ok, ok, I know that was the lamest title ever... but it was all that Nu's Chapter President, Tyler, and I could think of!! I have loved my first trip to the West Coast. They say "West Coast, Best Coast" and while I do think it is really lovely here, I still miss my Peach State!

Nu had an extremely successful Recruitment which ended in gaining 34 wonderful New Members! I am one proud ELC! All of my Chapters work so hard during Recruitment and it is wonderful to see their hard work pay off in big ways!

I have been a picture fiend during this trip, my Little would be so proud of me!

I have had so many new experiences since being in Washington. It was my first time to this state, my first time on a ferry, first time seeing seals... its been great!

Ross has started his new job, which is super exciting! I also got to talk to my brother which always makes me happy!

Tomorrow I head to Tau at the University of New Hampshire! This will be my 4th and final Recruitment of the fall Recruitment season! Even though it will be a very long day of travelling, I am excited and ready to go!

22 Days! : )

State #5!

I am now at my 5th school and 3rd Recruitment! I have never been to Washington state before, it is so beautiful! The Chapter I am at, Nu, is over 100 years old which is awesome! So much Alpha Xi Delta history! One of the other Consultants, Margeaux is from this Chapter so I am working hard for her! : )

 I have quickly learned that these women are true coffee experts, they always make me order something I have never tried before and so far I have loved it all! My Grandmother would be so proud of me, she is a true coffee drinker! She would fit in perfectly in Seattle! I am hoping to be able to go to Pike's Place where the first Starbucks is before I leave.

One of my new beverages. Dont ask me what it is!
They even had to teach me to stir it up, I thought you drank it like this!

I was sad to leave Toledo but I am ecstatic to report that the Chapter had an AMAZING Recruitment. The women really came together, showed pride and confidence in their Sisterhood, and gained an amazing New Member Class. I am one proud ELC!

I have always wanted to have a job that I could become invested in and I am so thankful that I have that. I care so much for the women I work with. I want to see them succeed in not only sorority but also in life. One of my favorite things about Alpha Xi Delta is that I feel like we are truly giving our Sisters the tools to be even better women than they already are. I love living our motto "Inspiring women to realize their potential" everyday! It is so rewarding. This job is not easy, but it is absolutely worth it.

I found this on my door before I left Theta Chi. It made me cry!

So I have been collecting Ross tshirts from the schools I am visiting. I figure that since he has been so supportive and understanding through all of this that he deserves a little consolation prize! : ) 1 month - 2 days until I get to be home for four days!

How Many Hours of Sleep?

I. Love. Recruitment. I love everything about it. The excitement, the stress, the Sisterhood bonding, the cheers, the decorations, the outfits... I just cant get enough of it! The past 3 days have consisted of high energy days, late nights, junk food, and very little sleep. It has been a blast and I cant wait to find out the results tomorrow! The Theta Chi women are doing a great job and I know that their chapter is just going to keep improving from here!

After Preference with the Toledo women!

Didnt the newly painted letters turn out amazing!
I will admit that I had no part in painting them
BUT the idea was all mine! : )

I have really enjoyed my time in Toledo! The women have been so nice to me and I have loved getting to know them! Over the next 4 weeks I will be in 4 different states, none of which I have ever travelled to! Washington, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and South Dakota here I come! After that... I GET TO GO HOME! I am soooo excited and am literally starting to count down the days! I cant wait to see my family, boyfriend, and friends... trade my wardrobe for new clothes... drive my car Martha White... and eat home cooked food! Oh, I guess my birthday that weekend will be pretty awesome too!

In other news... Ross got his first big boy job! We are SO excited! We have been praying for a long time that the Lord would reveal his plan and it is all coming together and we couldnt be more thankful! Sometimes it is hard to wait and be patient but it is comforting to know that God has a plan and it far exceeds anything we can plan for ourselves!

So proud of this man! Oh, and Go Dawgs!

FAQs

People in airports always ask me what I do and where I am going. I get told pretty frequently that I look too young to be travelling by myself. When I tell them that I am travelling for work, of course the next question is, "Oh, what do you do?" My answer is always the same thing: "I am in consulting." The person 9/10 times just can not leave it at that. "Wow, that's a broad statement." "I work for my sorority, Alpha Xi Delta." This of course is followed by 100 of the same questions, almost every time.

I have also encountered college students who have no idea who I am or what I do. They too have some crazy questions for me.

Examples of both:

-Are you still in school? No, I graduated in December. Only graduated women can be ELCs.

-Oh, so you plan the parties? No, the Chapter has a social chair for that. I am here to help with Recruitment, programming, leadership development, officer support etc.

-Are you married? Do you have kids? No, and no. I don't think that anyone who is married or has a child would want to do this kind of job. It is hard enough with a serious boyfriend!

-How often do you get to go home? I get a week off each semester, so not very often.

-You say that you "live out of your suitcase." What does that mean exactly? I mean that everything I have is in my suitcases. You have to pack a lot of stuff when you are away from home for 3-4 months at a time!

-Do you like your job? YES! I love my job. I miss everyone back home but this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

-Do you get homesick? Of course! Thank goodness for cell phones, skype, fb, and snail mail!

-How do you become an ELC? You apply for it. Applications come out in the fall!

-What is the best part of your job? Getting to see so many different places, getting to know so many different Sisters, and helping to make Alpha Xi Delta even better!

-What is the worst part of your job? Missing my family, boyfriend, friends, and doggies!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Labor Day weekend! I will be helping Theta Chi do some last minute Recruitment preparations, I cant believe that it starts Wednesday!!

 

 

 

 

Toledo: Week 1

I have been at the University of Toledo for the past week. I will be here another whole week, making this my longest stay ever. I am discovering that there are both positives and negatives to extended stays.

Positives:
-I get to know the Chapter women better.
-I am getting to know the campus so I am more comfortable navigating it by myself.
-I have a room to myself which is heaven.
-I will get to see Recruitment from beginning to end. It is hard to leave in the middle!

Negatives:
-My travelling ways are making me a little stir-crazy. I am so used to only being somewhere for 5 days so this does not feel natural!

Ohio Northern, the school that I was at a couple of weeks ago is having a successful recruitment so far. While I was there I got to design the shirt they would wear one day, didnt it turn out great!?

Today is the start of college football and I have to say that I am sad that I am not at home to cheer on the Dawgs with Ross! I love spending a lazy Saturday afternoon with him, even though sometimes he does scare Paisley and me with his "enthusiasm."

I cant believe this is the first day of September! I am so excited for fall, it is one of my favorite times of year! It also means that I am one month and ten days from being at home, not that I'm counting or anything...

I have a busy week ahead of me! We are doing last minute Recruitment preparations and then it starts on Wednesday!

Aren't these cute?