A Zeta Goodbye,Goodbye, Goodbye...

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!

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!