New Orleans and Happy Birthdays!Wednesday, August 31, 2011“Maybe he’s somewhere in New Orleans, livin’ it up in the Big Easy. Right now, there’s something ‘bout a boy from the South.” – Pistol Annies Many of you have asked what I’ve been up to since being in New Orleans! Well, WORK! Yes, believe it or not, I do have a job to do while I’m here. I’ve had lots of meetings and have been working hard to get this chapter started on the right foot before we get too far into the semester. The girls are great and have been super nice and welcoming so far J I haven’t had much time to explore New Orleans or to walk around campus, but I’m sure I’ll have a chance in the next couple of weeks. Apparently Channing Tatum is filming for G.I. Joe 2 here in Nola, so I’m definitely going to be checking that out soon – mostly for phimucc Cindy! The only potential problem with living in New Orleans is that they’re all Saints fans. I mean EVERYONE is a Saints fan. This is not good for a sweet little Hoosier who is a die-hard Colts fan and who is still bitter about the Super Bowl from a couple years ago when the Saints got lucky and beat the Colts. I REFUSE to cheer for the Saints, but I guess it would be kind of fun to go to a Saints game sometime this fall. We’ll see.  my boy Peyton grew up in Nola and Drew Brees is a Purdue grad On another note, happy birthday to my little Kirsten and phimucc Hanna! I didn’t get either of you a present, but I will – I promise. Kirsten, I still remember the first day of preseason when I knew you had to be my little. Recruitment wasn’t for another 5 months, but I didn’t care J You were destined to be a Phi Mu. Love you so much and I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished at HC. Enjoy your senior year, miss you lots, and can’t wait to come back and visit! Anddd happy last 2-a-day EVER!  I love ruining pictures and she loves me for it Hanna, I’m so happy I have the chance to work with you this year! You crack me up…it’s as simple as that. Yes, I will tweet anything that you text/call/fb message me because it’s always hilarious. You are one of the few people I can call and know that you won't judge me for my stupid questions (even if it's about figuring out this stupid blog!). Keep doing big things in Phi Mu world – those chapters absolutely love you.  sadly, this is the only picture I have of us, and you're making fun of me. naturally Andddddd…I may be coming home sometime in October!!!!!!! Excited? Yes. Absolutely. Stay tuned for details.
Now Playing: "Low" Flo-RidaFriday, August 26, 2011
"It was 5 years later on a southbound plane, I was headed down to New Orleans to meet some friends of mine for Mardi Gras." - Tim McGraw
I’m finally all settled into my room in New Orleans! I flew in last night and got a good night’s sleep for the first time all week, so I’m feeling all ready to go. But, first things first: my visit to the University of Florida! I've been to Florida many times before but never to Gainesville. I sure have missed that Florida sunshine, so I've already started looking at flights over Christmas to visit my grandparents in the sunshine state!  we finally got the sign to hang ...10 minutes before the party started! I had a great visit and met some pretty cool people along the way! I was lucky enough to have a morning off, so I headed over to the Swamp! It was fun to take a nice run around campus, and you better believe I ran some stair laps throughout the stadium! Sure, some people looked at me like I was crazy...I just smiled and kept running :) I can only imagine what it’s like on game days there…  best. workout. ever. Speaking of game days, these girls wore game day dresses specially made for round 1 of recruitment – so cute. What’s even better is seeing them wobble in those dresses…hilarious. We needed an energizer and that was my solution!  not a fan of the orange and blue but they pull it off well! Let me tell you…we worked hard this last week, but boy did we have some good laughs. Most of the time, it was because we were all so sleep deprived and delirious, but regardless, I left with some great memories and inside jokes.  Bumble bee, honey bee, wannabe...VOTE. still laughing about this one! The highlight of my trip was Bid Day! All of their hard work paid off and I couldn’t have been more proud of them. They had such a cute Tiffany & Co. theme and I could just tell how excited they were.  the chapter waiting to meet their "New Fall Collection 2011" :) Still love my job, I promise. I know I got complainy about the lack of sleep last week but it’s so worth it. Anddddd you better believe the other consultants are getting even less sleep than me, so I really have nothing to complain about. Love them, by the way. There’s no way I would be able to do this without them! “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 I’m so blessed to not only be constantly surrounded by wonderful collegians but also to have such a strong support system with the other consultants. They weren’t joking with us when they said that one of the tough things about this job is that no one really understands what you’re going through except for the other consultants. I thank God every day for bringing them into my life and giving me the support I'll need this year! Last thing…please keep the Delta chapter in your thoughts and prayers this week, especially on Sunday.
Keeping Things in PerspectiveTuesday, August 16, 2011“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 I’ve already come to learn that with this job, it’s easy to lose sight of the “real world.” When you work most of the day, you sometimes get so focused that all you know is in your Phi Mu bubble. I sure do love that Phi Mu bubble, but given the events of the last few days, I want to make sure I break that bubble every now and then because life is honestly just too short. To keep forever sacred the memory of those we have loved and lost. So, here’s to you mom, dad, and Brian (and all my other family and friends). I know I don’t say it enough, but I love you and I can’t thank you enough for your support. I don’t know what I would do without you. Already looking forward to my first visit home!!  I promise I'm not that short...he's just reallyyyyy tall On a brighter note, tomorrow is a day off from recruitment workshops so you know what that means…SHOPPING! (And some last minute work to make sure everything is set for Round 1 of recruitment!) Hopefully I won’t spend my entire paycheck...or buy too many things considering I have yet to go through an airport and pass the under 50 lbs weight limit. Whoops. My "OK" Life!Sunday, August 14, 2011"You're the reason God made Oklahoma, and I'm sure missing you." - David Frizzell and Shelly West duet Let me first start with an apology: to anyone this week that I’ve promised to call, I’m truly sorry that I haven’t. With a busy schedule all day and not ending until 1-2a.m. at home makes it really hard to keep up with everyone. I’ve tried my hardest to text and keep in touch throughout the day, but I’ve got to be a million things to a million people and it gets tough sometimes. Anyway, my apologies and I promise I’ll try to do better during my future chapter visits! So, I’m sure you want to hear all about my first visit. It was a great learning experience and hopefully I can continue to improve as a consultant! I’m starting to realize how much I like this job, though. Not only am I (hopefully) having an impact on these women, but they’re impacting me, too. Those sweet little Epsilon Nu girls will always be special since they were my very first visit!  It's Bid Daaaaay with the Phi Mu laaaadies! We worked a lot of late nights and early mornings but also had some fun along the way!   The Barn: basically a drive through place to get Polar Pops! What a stud - the house mom's grandson and I became bff.   Eskimo Joes and the chapter lined up before Round 1 of recruitment!   Qdoba has a touch screen drink machine with what I would guess to be over 100 flavors. We ate here twice :) Bid Day! Obsessed with their letters.  Finally got my picture with Pistol Pete! Oh, and don’t worry…my computer charger mysteriously disappeared on my 3rd day of the visit. Way to go, Megan! One of the chapter members found it (thanks homegirl!) on my last day with the chapter, so no worries. Can’t wait to see how many things I left in my little guest room. And since I don’t talk about the consultants enough, I owe them a huge thank you for all the love and support on the first few days of our travels! Still counting the days until we are all reunited! I’m at the airport heading to the home of phimucc Lauren E! I can’t wait to meet her chapter and to make fun of her freshman year composite picture. Love you ledman!
Here we gooooo!Monday, August 8, 2011
“Here’s a map and here’s a Bible, if you ever lose your way.” – Carrie Underwood
Here we go! I’m officially on my first chapter visit to Oklahoma State University. What a crazy/amazing/fun 2 weeks it has been at training. I seriously can’t believe it’s already over. Now that all the consultants have become good friends, we have to leave each other. Check out the video below to see what we’ve been up to and how much fun we’ve had!! Hands down, one of the best days of training was when we got to have lunch with the Phi Mu National President and she taught us all about etiquette during the lunch. Getting to actually meet her in person was enough of an honor, but being able to sit down with her at lunch and have a conversation…wow. She’s got a great vision for Phi Mu, and the National Council has already done a great job of implementing their vision.  “What is the proper etiquette for pulling a bug out of the National President’s hair?” - MB :) I know I’ve already said it but these consultants are just so much FUN to be around. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve cried from laughing so hard this week.  #phimucctop10 Here are my top 10 favorite consultant moments from training: 1) #phimucc bootcamp and treadmill talk with Hanna 2) the best consultant prank ever – "sins we get the washers!" 3) Jillian’s birthday aka Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Dominos, and Suze at Waffle House 4) Taco Mac…’nough said 5) becoming best friends with the morning breakfast staff at the Dolce 6) yelling at the DJ to play a song right before turning into HQ (I still couldn’t tell you how to get from the Dolce to HQ and vice versa…I have no sense of direction, but thankfully Lauren E was my shot gun navigation every time I had to drive) 7) bringing my bedding from the hotel to HQ since it’s so cold 8) getting lost with Cindy in Peachtree City after dropping Julie off in Opelika, Alabama (aka Okinawa) and getting to see HQ at night 9) scenarios with the HQ staff – a hay ride turned into a hoe down 10) #SINP… thanks, Lauren H     So, I think it’s worth it to say how much of a blessing these last 2 weeks have been. I prayed and prayed and prayed about this job. I love these eye-opening moments when you can sit back and go, yup, God is in complete control right now and all I need to do is trust. I know this year isn’t always going to be easy, but it’s going to be about using the gifts God has given me to their fullest potential. One of my favorite Bible verses reads, “Not to us, oh Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.” – Psalm 115:1 I am just so thankful to have been given this opportunity and all praise goes to God for surrounding me with such wonderful people - not only the consultants, but also the HQ staff and my friends and family from home who have been so supportive. I can’t wait to see all of the great things the other consultants are going to accomplish this year! I’ve wished them all the best of luck (not that they need it!), and I’ve already talked to them all day every day since we started our travels. Already looking forward to being reunited at mid-semester training! FINALLY, since I got YELLED at because of a small little comment on my last post that is now removed, I want to clarify that Jamie is not scary at all and is actually pretty cool. When she was our CRC, when she interviewed me, and when I arrived at the airport I was scared to death of her…true story. Turns out she’s not scary at all and the consultants are very lucky to get to work with her this year!  matching dresses and dinner buddies…don’t miss me too much! ps. I’m still taller than you even with your 6 inch heels, #thatsfine
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