Well friends I have come to the end of my first (of many) leg of the race! I leave North Carolina State University tomorrow!
I came in like a tornado and I'll leave as one too. I got here Monday night and am already leaving Friday afternoon! It was a quick trip but I have loved every second with my Iota Phi girls.
We have been busy workshoping for Recruitment. Again, for those not involved in the Greek system, it would take days to explain why a chapter needs a whole week before school dedicated to singing, crafting, and organizing for an event that seems rather simple: get girls to want to be in your chapter.
But the Greek system is intricate and full of rules, regulations, twists and turns my friends. So yes, an entire week is often dedicated to preparing for recruitment. That also doesn't include the pre-prep and the prep in the few weeks between workweek and actual recruitment.
So, in this hustle and bustle, I told myself that I needed to make sure that I had time for myself'; keep myself grounded and sane. What better way then to wake up early and go for a jog. Before the girls all woke up, before chaos set in; I'd enjoy some peaceful time with the pavement and my iPod. Ya'll forgot to tell me that its hotter than the dickens in North Carolina. Had I known this I might have expected to only make it down the street before realizing that to run you have to have the ability to breathe and the lack of breathable air that was offered in that humid morning would not allow me to do that.
So DARN, I suppose my alone time would have to take place at night while I caught up on my "soaps" a.k.a. Jersey Shore and Bachelor Pad on hulu.com and not sweating and panting outside.
I did get my exercise though, no worries. I was on my feet alot, cheering on the girls to sing louder and climbing ladders to hang...well if I got into what I was hanging you'd ask why and it would snowball and like I said...we'd be here for days.
Between my intense workouts and my shows, I really got to know this amazing group of women. They are smart, HILARIOUS (um can you say Jersey Shore meets SNL meets Lady Gaga...genius) and they have a bond that is so comparable to my Eta Phi sisters that it made me miss my pledge sisters even more than I already do!
The women were so welcoming, I had a goodie basket waiting for me in my own personal room (did i mention it has a walk out balcony to the front yard), full of magazines and snacks! I really felt at home here and I can't thank them enough for easing me into this (as Carrie Armentrout would say--) 'awkward' situation I am in. I really felt like I had an impact here and the girls genuinely wanted to hear what I had to say and they took it to heart.
As always, my experience here has confirmed my TLC "existence" and I feel empowered to leave one amazing chapter behind and move on to the next one!
See you in Tennessee Ya'll! :)
Thank you always for all your love and support!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
And awayyy we go!
Last time I wrote, I was 6 days into training. Now I am 2 days OUT of training!
For the past 2 days, I have been enjoying some quality down time in good ole' Indy! Shopping, running errands and relaxing with a few other stragglers; it has been great to have a couple days to do nothing. I even squeezed in a spray tan and a mani/pedi (as my motto goes: You can never be too busy to keep up on lookin' good)
Most of the girls left Saturday morning. I helped drive some of them to the airport and waved goodbye from the top of the escalator like a proud mama. It's amazing what a strong bond the 17 of us formed in such a small amount of time. I know I'll be best friends with them forever and getting so close with them and then having to go our separate ways in such a short amount of time was veryyy bittersweet.
I know they'll all do great in their travels and spread all the Zeta love they can. We are already planning a Winter Break Reunion and I can't wait! (fyi girls: my vote is CO for skiing and snowboarding!)
I leave for North Carolina State tomorrow and I couldn't be more thrilled. I am looking forward to meeting the women and making my first mark on the ZTA world as a National Officer. I'll keep everyone posted as the week goes on.
I'm having the time of my life on this journey but thinking of everyone back home all the time. I wish all the best to my loved ones back home in Illinois who are starting adventures of their own. Some teaching, others healing the sick or getting their masters. Some working in the city, others apartment seaching, moving in and some moving on. I love you all so much and miss you everyday.
more to come! and as always, thank you all for your love and support!
For the past 2 days, I have been enjoying some quality down time in good ole' Indy! Shopping, running errands and relaxing with a few other stragglers; it has been great to have a couple days to do nothing. I even squeezed in a spray tan and a mani/pedi (as my motto goes: You can never be too busy to keep up on lookin' good)
Most of the girls left Saturday morning. I helped drive some of them to the airport and waved goodbye from the top of the escalator like a proud mama. It's amazing what a strong bond the 17 of us formed in such a small amount of time. I know I'll be best friends with them forever and getting so close with them and then having to go our separate ways in such a short amount of time was veryyy bittersweet.
I know they'll all do great in their travels and spread all the Zeta love they can. We are already planning a Winter Break Reunion and I can't wait! (fyi girls: my vote is CO for skiing and snowboarding!)
I leave for North Carolina State tomorrow and I couldn't be more thrilled. I am looking forward to meeting the women and making my first mark on the ZTA world as a National Officer. I'll keep everyone posted as the week goes on.
I'm having the time of my life on this journey but thinking of everyone back home all the time. I wish all the best to my loved ones back home in Illinois who are starting adventures of their own. Some teaching, others healing the sick or getting their masters. Some working in the city, others apartment seaching, moving in and some moving on. I love you all so much and miss you everyday.
more to come! and as always, thank you all for your love and support!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
almost a week in!
Well friends...its been about 6 days of training and after many long nights...its safe to say i am doing EXACTLY what I am meant to be doing.
Training has been intense (think HUGE binder with more to come...a myterious zip drive that everyone keeps mentioning we will recieve which will "include everything you see here") and full of new information (who knew there was a General Manual anyway?)
I'm enjoying quality time with my Dream Team. Even if all we do spend is spend our free time in the ZTA kitchen, at the 'classy' Indy Walmart, or sleeping in our suprisingly very comfy hotel rooms. We did see the light of day today when we went to a big Consultant BBQ with all the other fraternity and sorority consultants around. picture their 3 or 4 per chapter consultants. versus our group of 17. we arrived Zeta-fashionably late and rolled in 18 deep. not to be intimidating or anything.
i joke about our supervisors letting us "see the light of day" but thats all it is, a joke. i am learning so much and am so greatful for all the hands on, direct and thorough training i am recieving. no question is too random or too dumb (i've said multiple times...ok i know this may be obvious to ya'll but um what the heck does this word even mean?). ---thats another thing...ive picked up the term "ya'll" very quickly...haha.
I know that when I leave (for Iota Phi, North Carolina State at Raleigh!!!) on the 9th, I will be more than ready to hit the road running and impact as many women as I can between now and April 2011. I have been enlightened, inspired and driven to be the leader and the role model that I know I can be.
more to come very soon and as always thanks for all your support and love!
Training has been intense (think HUGE binder with more to come...a myterious zip drive that everyone keeps mentioning we will recieve which will "include everything you see here") and full of new information (who knew there was a General Manual anyway?)
I'm enjoying quality time with my Dream Team. Even if all we do spend is spend our free time in the ZTA kitchen, at the 'classy' Indy Walmart, or sleeping in our suprisingly very comfy hotel rooms. We did see the light of day today when we went to a big Consultant BBQ with all the other fraternity and sorority consultants around. picture their 3 or 4 per chapter consultants. versus our group of 17. we arrived Zeta-fashionably late and rolled in 18 deep. not to be intimidating or anything.
i joke about our supervisors letting us "see the light of day" but thats all it is, a joke. i am learning so much and am so greatful for all the hands on, direct and thorough training i am recieving. no question is too random or too dumb (i've said multiple times...ok i know this may be obvious to ya'll but um what the heck does this word even mean?). ---thats another thing...ive picked up the term "ya'll" very quickly...haha.
I know that when I leave (for Iota Phi, North Carolina State at Raleigh!!!) on the 9th, I will be more than ready to hit the road running and impact as many women as I can between now and April 2011. I have been enlightened, inspired and driven to be the leader and the role model that I know I can be.
more to come very soon and as always thanks for all your support and love!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
and awayyyy we go
Wow! what a difference a month makes!
I promise my future blog postings will not be so tardy. After an amazing week in New Orleans I was confined to the "black hole" of Paw Paw, MI for 9 days and didn't have internet access (except for the occasional slowww wireless to check important emails).
ZTA Convention 2010 was an unbelievable experience. I made so many great new friends (including 16 instant BFFs in my fellow TLC Sistas), I learned so much, and I truly 'Experienced the Sisterhood' in ways I never knew I could.
It's hard to explain how truly moving and inspiring Convention is to anyone who wasn't there, so I won't try and convince you. But after a week of of bonding with all my sisters both young (all the collegiate women there) and old (former national presidents of years past), I can truly say I know without a doubt that I am doing EXACTLY what I am supposed to be doing, traveling as a Leadership Consultant for ZTA.
So, after an equally but completely different amazing week with my Haley side of the family, I am spending my last 2 days saying my goodbyes (to mama, my JEMS and my second family the O'Sullivans), packing,packing (and more packing), and enjoying the peace and quiet before hitting the road running.
I leave on Friday for training in Indianapolis and couldn't be happier to REunite with my fellow TLC's (a.k.a the DREAM TEAM) These girls are the only ones who will truly know exactly what I'm going through this next year and our bond was instantaneous. Much like the bond I felt with the girls of my Eta Phi 07 pledge class, the 2010-2011 TLCs are a group of VERY different personalities but with a sisterhood unlike anything else. I love you girls already more than you know!
Thanks for patiently waiting for my update and as I said, I promise the next will be more timely (and even more fun-filled)!
As always, thank you all for your support and love.
I promise my future blog postings will not be so tardy. After an amazing week in New Orleans I was confined to the "black hole" of Paw Paw, MI for 9 days and didn't have internet access (except for the occasional slowww wireless to check important emails).
ZTA Convention 2010 was an unbelievable experience. I made so many great new friends (including 16 instant BFFs in my fellow TLC Sistas), I learned so much, and I truly 'Experienced the Sisterhood' in ways I never knew I could.
It's hard to explain how truly moving and inspiring Convention is to anyone who wasn't there, so I won't try and convince you. But after a week of of bonding with all my sisters both young (all the collegiate women there) and old (former national presidents of years past), I can truly say I know without a doubt that I am doing EXACTLY what I am supposed to be doing, traveling as a Leadership Consultant for ZTA.
So, after an equally but completely different amazing week with my Haley side of the family, I am spending my last 2 days saying my goodbyes (to mama, my JEMS and my second family the O'Sullivans), packing,packing (and more packing), and enjoying the peace and quiet before hitting the road running.
I leave on Friday for training in Indianapolis and couldn't be happier to REunite with my fellow TLC's (a.k.a the DREAM TEAM) These girls are the only ones who will truly know exactly what I'm going through this next year and our bond was instantaneous. Much like the bond I felt with the girls of my Eta Phi 07 pledge class, the 2010-2011 TLCs are a group of VERY different personalities but with a sisterhood unlike anything else. I love you girls already more than you know!
Thanks for patiently waiting for my update and as I said, I promise the next will be more timely (and even more fun-filled)!
As always, thank you all for your support and love.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
1 week from tomorrow!!
I wish I would have started this whole blog business earlier because now I just don't even know where to begin! To make a very long story short: On a whim I applied to be a traveling leadership consultant in November. I never really thought it would go anywhere. But one thing led to another and I got one of the 18 positions as a 2010-2011 Zeta Tau Alpha Traveling Leadership Consultant. For those of you who don't know, a TLC spends the school year traveling to all the different ZTA chapters across the country; mentoring, guiding, and leading the active members through everything from recruitment to initiation.
My first responsibility as a TLC is attending Convention in New Orleans, exactly 1 week from tomorrow! Where I will be meeting everyone for the first time and working my butt off behind the scenes to help make sure convention runs smoothly. And then training starts in Indy on the 23rd! Where me and the other women will learn the ins and outs of every aspect of ZTA for 2 fun filled weeks! Then come August, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT : )
Although, I have really enjoyed my 2 months off from school, work...responsibility; I am really looking forward to this new adventure. The hardest part of traveling will definitely be missing my family and friends. But the second hardest part will be living out of a SUITCASE for 9 months! I knew from the get-go that I would only be allowed one checked bag. But the more lists I make and the more things I buy...I'm starting to realize just how hard one checked bag is really going to be. I travel for months at a time; only coming home for holidays, so I need to pack EVERYTHING I'll need. One week, I may be in New York and the next in California--so as the seasons start to change, I will really need to learn the art of layering!
But, given the task of packing for months and months led me to buy NEW LUGGAGE! and if you know me at all, you'll know that I live to buy/shop so this was a great treat for me. Mom bought me new Liz and Company luggage complete with a tote, carry on, and of course a new COACH purse that I've kept in the box until the day I leave so it'll be even more special when I finally get to use it!
I know that it will be hard to learn what I "need" to take with me and what I really need to leave behind at home. A blog that i recently read of a past TLC, said to do a 3 week check and after three weeks, whatever was in the suitcase that hadn't been touched yet, gets shipped back home. I thought this was a great idea and something I'll definitely be doing.
I hope everyone enjoys reading my adventures, I'll try to keep these posts relatively short and free of the unnecessary tidbits of my everyday (so unless utterly necessary...I won't tell you every magazine I buy at the airport or every meal served at ever chapter home) but I will share the sights I see, the interesting people I encounter and the emotions I feel as I leave everything I know and love behind and embark on an exciting, new, and what I know will sometimes be-lonely trip around the great U. S. of A.
Enjoy the journey with me wont you? : )
My first responsibility as a TLC is attending Convention in New Orleans, exactly 1 week from tomorrow! Where I will be meeting everyone for the first time and working my butt off behind the scenes to help make sure convention runs smoothly. And then training starts in Indy on the 23rd! Where me and the other women will learn the ins and outs of every aspect of ZTA for 2 fun filled weeks! Then come August, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT : )
Although, I have really enjoyed my 2 months off from school, work...responsibility; I am really looking forward to this new adventure. The hardest part of traveling will definitely be missing my family and friends. But the second hardest part will be living out of a SUITCASE for 9 months! I knew from the get-go that I would only be allowed one checked bag. But the more lists I make and the more things I buy...I'm starting to realize just how hard one checked bag is really going to be. I travel for months at a time; only coming home for holidays, so I need to pack EVERYTHING I'll need. One week, I may be in New York and the next in California--so as the seasons start to change, I will really need to learn the art of layering!
I know that it will be hard to learn what I "need" to take with me and what I really need to leave behind at home. A blog that i recently read of a past TLC, said to do a 3 week check and after three weeks, whatever was in the suitcase that hadn't been touched yet, gets shipped back home. I thought this was a great idea and something I'll definitely be doing.
I hope everyone enjoys reading my adventures, I'll try to keep these posts relatively short and free of the unnecessary tidbits of my everyday (so unless utterly necessary...I won't tell you every magazine I buy at the airport or every meal served at ever chapter home) but I will share the sights I see, the interesting people I encounter and the emotions I feel as I leave everything I know and love behind and embark on an exciting, new, and what I know will sometimes be-lonely trip around the great U. S. of A.
Enjoy the journey with me wont you? : )
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
BLOGGING!
Hello everyone!
Welcome to my blog! I'm new at this whole thing so bear with me as I maneuver my way through cyber world! This blog will be a way for everyone to keep up with all the places I'm going and all the experiences I'm having as a Traveling Leadership Consultant.
More to come!
Welcome to my blog! I'm new at this whole thing so bear with me as I maneuver my way through cyber world! This blog will be a way for everyone to keep up with all the places I'm going and all the experiences I'm having as a Traveling Leadership Consultant.
More to come!
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