Meet VirginiaFriday, March 30, 2012
“She never compromises, loves babies and surprises, wears high heels when she exercises. Ain’t it beautiful? Meet Virginia.” – Train
During my second visit back on the road, I headed to fellow CC Jillian’s alma mater, Roanoke College, to visit the Gamma Eta Chapter! Roanoke is such a pretty campus, even though we didn’t have very good weather while I was visiting. It reminded me so much of Hanover. I stayed at the “Monterey House” on campus, which just so happens to be one of the most haunted places in the U.S. I slept just fine and didn’t have any ghost encounters. Every morning when I would meet the chapter, the first thing they would ask was, "Well...how did you sleep last night? Did you see any ghosts? Were you freaked out at all??" The only problem I ran into was the fact that my computer has a 3-prong plug and the only outlets in the house were made for 2-prong plugs because the house was so old. No worries though, a quick trip to Walmart solved that problem – just something to add to the packing list for next year’s CC’s!
as Jillian described it to me, "God's gift to Earth"
The best part of my trip to Roanoke was getting to see my sister friend and fellow CC Lauren! She is the resident consultant at James Madison University this spring. She drove down on her day off to get brunch with me on one of my free mornings. We had the best time catching up and pretty much spent 2 hours just laughing at each other. As always, it’s great to see a familiar face on the road, and I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve made this year!
she may kill me for this, but she ordered the entire menu
And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I could never survive this year without the other consultants! We have less than a month left, so get ready for the most emotional and sentimental blog to be coming about the friends I’ve made this year. Can’t say I didn’t warn you!
Sister of the Month - This One's for YOU, Katie!
“There’s life to be lived and stories to tell, lessons to learn, we don’t know yet. Nothing to lack, looking back knowing that we have lived it well…with stories to tell.” – Dave Barnes
I mostly caught up on sleep and work while I was home...nothing too exciting. But Hanna and I did meet up to go shopping at the outlet mall halfway between Louisville and Indy. We were lucky enough to have time off scheduled at the same time, so we obviously had to meet up to do something! I also bought the new Dave Barnes CD and if you don’t have it yet, GO GET IT. It’s so good. I already know it’s going to be my summer CD. Early favorites include “Stories to Tell,” “Love Will be Enough for Us,” and “Missing You.”
we had to ask someone to take our picture...and that's actually not my jacket. #pinklies
My first visit once I left home was to Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY to be with the Rho Zeta Chapter! I have 2 good friends who I met at Hanover who go to Bellarmine, so it was great to see them and to hang out with them! I also got my very first, “Will you put me in your blog?!” during this visit. So Katie, here’s your shout out. And congrats on being the reigning Sister of the Month! Thanks for being such a faithful blog reader (aka stalker), even though I haven’t updated this in so long! Can’t wait to meet back up in May and get Frank Burgers J Love ya, my Zeta child!
Katie and Elizabeth! so great to see them again!
During my visit I got to attend the chapter’s annual philanthropy dinner to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network. They had a great turnout and raised more than they were expecting!
"a handful of change for a handful of love"
Getting back on the road after a few days at home is sometimes tough but visiting Rho Zeta was so much fun and I easily got back into the swing of things!
KATIE!
This Might Be Dramatic, But...
“Down where I was born was Heaven on Earth, where Flint River washes that red Georgia dirt, the sun sets slow and the stars shine bright. We raised cotton and corn, a little cane and kids, you either lived on a farm or wish you did. Jesus always walked close by our side.” – Luke Bryan
This might be dramatic, but… it’s true. See below: “We also came down right through a black cloud aka a funnel cloud with gusty winds.”
After Philadelphia, I headed down to the Atlanta area for a few more visits. My first stop was at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA. My second computer malfunction happened during this visit when I turned it on during the second day of my visit and it said, “You have 35 viruses.” After screaming, searching for my flash drive, and thankfully getting all of my work saved, my computer went crazy on me. Even though I thanked them in person, I have to thank the Theta Epsilon Chapter again for being so patient during my meetings without my computer! Going old school and actually taking notes with a pen and paper was a new concept for me. I was so concerned about my computer, I didn’t take any pictures during that visit, but it was still great nonetheless. Also, big thanks to Jamie for meeting me for dinner and taking my computer back to the HQ to get fixed. I owe ya, sister.
Because of a Spring Break conflict, I had a quick 2 day trip to the University of North Alabama to help facilitate a Panhellenic Recruitment Bootcamp program. Getting there was one of my worst travel days all year…aside from when I spilled my entire diet coke on a guy’s rolling carryon suitcase on the tram in the Atlanta airport – we’ll save that story for another time. I knew there was bad weather in the area, but I didn’t know it would be that bad. First off, there were terrible tornados at home. As I was watching the tv screens at my gate at the Atlanta airport, they kept showing that Indiana was in a tornado warning and that a massive tornado had touched down. They forgot one minor detail…where exactly the tornado hit! Aside from my fear of dogs, my other huge fear is of tornados. I tried calling my mom, dad, and brother and no one answered, so of course I was freaking out in the airport. I finally got a hold of my aunt who told me that everything was fine and that the tornado struck in southern Indiana. Luckily, it didn’t hit Hanover, although it was very close. My thoughts and prayers still go out to everyone in Henryville who was affected by this awful tornado.
Once I figured out that everyone back home was ok, it was time for me to continue freaking out about the flight I was about to board. There had been tornados touch down in northern Alabama near Huntsville earlier in the day and they were still under a tornado watch. How it was safe for us to fly into a tornado watch beats me, but we did it anyway. It was the worst flight of my life and it took everything I had just to board the flight. Everything was fine until we started our descent and I’ve never experienced so much turbulence in my life. We also came down right through a black cloud aka a funnel cloud with gusty winds. Thankfully, we landed safely but had to race to campus to try and beat the next line of severe weather that was about to hit.
The next day we had the Recruitment Bootcamp and I think we set some attainable and realistic goals for the Greek system at the University of North Alabama. Each sorority had a national representative there, so I got to meet another consultant from Alpha Gamma Delta, a past National President from Alpha Delta Pi, and a past National Council Member from Zeta Tau Alpha!
a little Panhellenic love!
Then it was back to Atlanta for 2 more visits! I headed to our Theta Beta Chapter at Georgia State University in Atlanta and then went to our Mu Chapter at Brenau University in Gainesville, GA. I got to see some friends in Atlanta during this set of visits, which was a lot of fun. It’s always nice to see some familiar faces out on the road! After Brenau University, it was time to head home for a few days off!
Theta Beta townhouse where I stayed!
 
one of the best welcome baskets I've gotten all year!
Creed painting in the living room at Mu!
The Life of a Traveler
“Last night in Memphis, tonight in New Orleans. Tomorrow I’ll be miles from here, ain’t nothing to me, nothing to me. Sweet gypsy highway, won’t you let me chase my dream? ‘Cause I got a song to take me there, and it’s something to see, something to see. Lord, I was born with a suitcase in my hand, living in a life that few could understand. Sometimes it gets so confusing that I don’t know where I am, but I always know who I’m with – I’m with the band.” – Little Big Town
The band = the other Phi Mu Consultants J
Now that I am a full-time traveler and not a resident anymore, I’ve discovered that I have no time to blog. I hardly have time to call my friends and family throughout the week, so this blog just got pushed the bottom of my to-do this. My apologies.
Let’s pick up right where I left off…
After leaving Tulane back in January, I headed to Bethany College in West Virginia for recruitment then had some much needed time off! I turned 23 (wait, what?!), had a minor “I’m-almost-23-which-means-I’m-almost-25-which-means-I'm-almost-30” crisis, and headed to Hanover to see my friends to celebrate! One of my very best friends from college drove up from Lexington, KY to help celebrate, and we had the best time reliving our glory days of college. Everyone should also congratulate Cassi on being accepted into a doctoral program at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine! Soooooo proud of her!!
one of my most honest friends and gives the absolute best advice
ps. I miss our bunk bed at the house
Then it was back to work, and my first stop was Philadelphia! I went to Drexel University to help facilitate the finance portion of Regional Officer Training. It was a long first day back on the job but it was a good first day back. Phi Mu does a great job with leadership training for our collegians, so it was great to spend the day with them watching them learn together. A huge thanks goes out to the Beta Tau Chapter for being such a great host!
Executive Committees from 7 chapters!
I didn’t get to do a whole lot of sight-seeing in Philly, but I did see the Rocky steps and statue (cue the Rocky music). Other than that, the view from my hotel downtown was good enough for me. After ROT on Saturday, I headed back with the Phi Lambda Chapter at West Chester University. Aside from my meetings, I spent a lot of time just hanging out with the chapter members! I did get to go to one of their COB events at a local froyo place, and if anyone knows me, you know how much I enjoyed that!
I really need to do a better job of taking more pictures on my visits. see above for that "having no time" detail.
After my visit to West Chester, I headed up to Muhlenberg College to visit our Phi Kappa Chapter. Muhlenberg is a small school, much like Hanover. I especially love smaller schools and comparing their college experience to mine! My visit to Phi Kappa was full of so many fun activities. Not only did I have a full schedule of meetings, but I got to attend their Sisterhood Retreat and Founder’s Day Luncheon.
one of my favorite activities!
And that pretty much sums up my visits to the Philadelphia area!
Third Time's the Charm!Monday, February 13, 2012
“Runnin’ from the cold up in New England, I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band. My baby plays the guitar, I pick the banjo now. Oh north country winters keep getting’ me low, and I lost my money playin’ poker so I had to up and leave. But I ain’t turning back to live that old life no more…” – Old Crow Medicine Show, “Wagon Wheel”
I asked Lindsey as I was writing this for a suggestion for the quote for this post. I asked her what song would sum up our experience in January and my overall experience and without hesitation, she responded, “Wagon Wheel.” It doesn’t make much sense, but I do love that song. Shout out to Lindsey, by the way, for keeping me sane that month. I never could have survived without her!! Or without Christa, Kendra, Misty, Sam, and pretty much everyone else in Phi Mu World!
What an incredible journey it’s been. There’s really no other way to describe it. This roller coaster ride of resident consultant life has come to an end, and I could not have asked for a more perfect ending.
For those of you who haven’t heard, the Delta Chapter at Tulane University matched quota plus 3!!!!!!!!!!!! This was the chapter’s third formal recruitment since re-colonizing back in the fall of 2009. I can’t even begin to describe how happy I am for this chapter. It’s been a long road to get to this point, with recruitment workshops in the fall and a full week of workshops at the beginning of January. But, that Sunday was proof that hard work truly pays off. We pushed them and made them practice more than they probably ever imagined was possible. Some of them I’m sure hated me before it was all said and done. But seeing their faces and their reaction when they found out that they matched quota plus 3 (doesn’t that sound just so GREAT?!) made it all so worth it. I can’t even put into words how proud I am of them and how excited I am to see them take this huge next step.
During the first weekend were the Open House and Philanthropy Rounds and here are some pics!
don't the outfits look great?! last minute changes somehow always turn out for the best
Michelle, outgoing Membership Director and Caroline, incoming President
During the second weekend, Sisterhood Round was Friday night and the members killed it that night! They looked great and sounded great – really set the tone for the rest of the weekend!
seniors including some of the Founding Members!
 
juniors and sophomores!
Preference Round was Saturday night and the ceremony was absolutely perfect!
Michelle and I after we survived!
"Shadow" and I - she got this nickname during Spirit Week when she literally followed me around everywhere I went because I promised that I would explain the timing of each party to her in 15 minutes, and 20 minutes later she would ask me if I was ready to talk to her yet. then I would promise her in another 10 minutes I would explain it to her, and 30 minutes later she would ask me about it - you get the picture. thanks for your patience, Kaitlin!
Lindsey and I! I think I would've lost my mind without her here. thanks for the laughs and the "don't tweet that" poster on the back of our door. I'm still laughing about all of our quotes!
Sunday was Bid Day aka the moment of truth. We woke up really early on Sunday morning to submit our bid lists and then tried to go back to sleep. I was so anxious that I of course couldn’t fall back asleep. I couldn’t eat anything that morning because the nerves were getting to me. I literally had the same feeling before playing in the HCAC Volleyball Championship game my freshman year. I usually have a pretty good control of my nerves but that morning but just not good at all. We were told that the low end of quota was 61, so Lindsey and I were expecting quota to be anywhere between 65-68. The moment of truth came when I was straightening my hair and Lindsey ran into the bathroom and said, “Brittany just texted me and said that her computer is showing that we matched 73!” Brittany was the reference chair throughout recruitment so we had worked closely with her all week. We both screamed for a second and then I about fell over because I was shocked. The next missing piece was finding out what quota actually was because matching 73 didn’t mean anything without knowing what quota was! So we all ran downstairs to the reference room where we searched and kept refreshing pages to find out quota. I was so anxious that I couldn’t stop shaking and Brittany and Lindsey both yelled at me to leave the room because I was making them so nervous. Then I went over to Brittany’s computer with her and she refreshed the page and there it was… QUOTA: 70. We both saw it at the same time and SCREAMEDDDD! I then got a little teary-eyed, hugged Lindsey (well, hugged anyone I saw!), and ran to the backyard to call my boss. I was shaking, freaking out, having a minor panic attack, didn’t really know what to do with myself because I was so happy/shocked/excited/couldn’t believe it!
the best phone call I've ever made! this is not a staged photo, Lindsey and I were literally freaking out
The phone call went something like this:
Christa: Hello?
Me: CHRISTA, QUOTA WAS 70 AND WE MATCHED 73!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Christa: WAIT, WHAT? OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG YOU’RE LYING OMG OMG OMG OMG I’M GONNA START CRYING OMG OMG OMG I CAN’T BREATHE OMG OMG OMG I’M GOING TO WRECK MY CAR OMG OMG OMG I’M SO PROUD OF THEM OMG OMG OMG!
PRECIOUS. Lindsey and Michelle a few seconds after Michelle found out the great news!
During that phone call Michelle walked out to the backyard and we told her that we had matched quota and at that point it was all worth it. To see her immediately break down into tears of joy from all of the hard work, all of the emails, all of the planning, all of the all-nighters, all of the stress…just everything she went through this fall and through the month of January, both the good and the bad, made me remember why I love this job. It’s hard for me to put into words how proud I am of her and her committee for what they accomplished this year.
Anna, Assistant Membership Director and Michelle!
Emily, Jackie, Ali, Anna, Erica, and Michelle - the amazing Membership Committee!
Regan, Brittany, Becca, Blair - Reference Committee! we had some good laughs behind the scenes
After a mad scramble to make a few more signs and put together a few more Phi packs, it was time to head outside and wait for the new members to run to the house! There were so many of them! After all, we matched quota plus 3 (I told you that just sounds so great to say out loud!)!!
the view from my room...they tried.
Phis running home!
introducing the new "Spring Collection"
This picture below sums up every reason for why I do this job. This was the reaction of the chapter when Michelle said, “I know there have been some rumors going around this morning, but I want you all to know, we didn’t match quota…WE HAVE QUOTA ADDITIONS!” It was a moment I’ll never, ever forget. Some of the founding members burst into tears and we all just sat there and screamed for a good 5 minutes. At that moment, it was all worth it.
can't even put into words how happy this pictures makes me
So to my sweet little Delta Chapter, you all should be very proud of yourselves for what you have accomplished. I honestly cannot wait to see the great things you all will do in the future! Don’t settle. You saw the amount of work that’s needed to be successful and I think Bid Day was proof that hard work really does pay off! I love you all and struggled through every goodbye with each of you. Thank you for all of the kind words as I was leaving! Please keep in touch!
Back to Work!Monday, January 23, 2012
“I’m gonna wish I had a storm warning, I’m gonna wish I had a sign, I’m gonna wish I had a little heads up, little lee-way, little more time, some kind of radar system, locked in on love. I got a feeling by the time the night finds the morning, I’m gonna wish I had a storm warning.” – Hunter Hayes
That song is for my consultant friends J
A few days after I got home from Florida, it was time to pack my life back in those 2 suitcases and hit the road again! 8 of us headed to the HQ for a short resident consultant training weekend. It’s always great to be reunited with my consultant and HQ staff sister friends!
Sunday evening Lindsey and I flew down to Nola. Lindsey will be the resident consultant at Tulane this semester. For the time being, we are tag teaming the consultant responsibilities and trying to transition me out and Lindsey in. I’ll be here until Bid Day and then it’s off to see the rest of Phi Mu America!
right before workshops started... "alright, get your game face on"
Once Lindsey and I got here, it was pure craziness. The day after we got here was the night of the BCS Championship game. We had just a few days to get settled in and to prepare for the week of recruitment workshops. We spent the next 5 days working 12, 13, 14, sometimes 15 hour days doing our best to try and get these women prepared for recruitment! To say that it was absolutely exhausting would be an understatement, but we also had a lot of fun that week. It was great to see some of the chapter members back and it was so fun to start introducing them to Lindsey. Kendra, who is the Colony Membership Coordinator, was here for 2 days and we could not have survived without her. She brings such a great energy and the chapter adores her. We wrapped up the workshops on Sunday and spent all day Monday meeting with the new Executive Committee members working on goals and expectations for this semester. On Tuesday we finally had some time to catch our breath so Lindsey and I headed downtown and I gave her my best French Quarter tour! Wednesday and Thursday night we had more workshops and Christa, the Colony Coordinator, flew in on Thursday to help!
 
even though it wasn't the best weather, I love walking around Jackson Square!
one iced Cafe au Lait and an order of beignets, please!
This past weekend was the moment I had been waiting on for so long. It was finally time to show how hard the chapter had worked at all of those workshops in the fall and all of the time spent during Spirit Week. Open House lasted all day on Saturday followed by Philanthropy Round all day on Sunday. I think Lindsey and I were just as tired as those chapter members on Sunday night once everything was said and done! We’ve got a few workshops this week and then Recruitment resumes on Friday evening.
Time to keep our focus on that end goal…BID DAY!
It's a Sweet Sweet Life Living by the Salty Sea
“I’ve read a lot of books, wrote a few songs, looked at my life – where it’s going, where it’s gone. I’ve seen the world through a bus windshield, but nothing compares to the way that I see it when I sit in that old blue chair.” – Kenny Chesney
Florida for an entire week – ahhhh I was in Heaven. My grandparents have a condo and they spend a few months every winter down in Florida. I’ve been going to see them almost every year during Christmas Break or Spring Break since I was in 8th grade. It’s something I look forward to every year and this year definitely didn’t disappoint.
We had a full house this year. My grandparents, my mom and I, my aunt and uncle, my other aunt and uncle and two cousins all packed into 2 condos for the week. Yes, it was crowded but there’s nothing better than good company.
We really didn’t do anything too exciting. Our days consisted of the pool, the beach, and a nap. Below are some of the highlights and fun things we did!
since we were there shortly after Christmas, downtown was so pretty!
Lion Spotting with my favorite Phi Mus! Rho love :)
 
with Grace and my mom at my favorite beach to watch a sunset and then grab dinner
the view from dinner at one of my favorite restaurants!
 
I get my love of the beach from these two! I could watch those Florida sunsets every single night
I’ll end with the funniest story from this vacation. I’ll warn you now, this is one of those “you had to be there” stories, so you might not think it’s funny. But, my family is still laughing about it if that tells you anything.
My cousin Grace is a few years younger than me. Growing up she always felt like my little sister and still does. We have a very similar personality and when we are together, our maturity level drops to that of a 3rd grade boy. So, in true cousin fashion, we were all out shopping one night and Grace and I thought it would be funnier and more entertaining if we started talking in British accents until we got back to the condo. Well, Grace yelled something to her mom across the store using the accent, and a sales lady came up to Grace and said, “Oh wow, where are you from?!” And in her best Midwestern voice, Grace answered “Indiana.” and turned and ran out of the store. Hilarious doesn't even begin to describe it. Other memorable phrases include: This is grand exercise for grandmother’s knee, don’t get your knickers in a bunch over it, and jolly good times with my chums.
gram and gramps :) they deserve a "Grandparents of the Year" award!
So, grandma and grandpa, thanks again for letting us come and crash at your condo. I had the best time this year and am already looking forward to another visit (hopefully) this spring! LOVE YOU LOTS!!
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