Playing catch up

The number one thing I have learned in the last four months since I've blogged? I am terrible with keeping up with a blog. Perhaps I will be better in the New Year?

How have I been in the last four months? What have I been up to? Let's see...

• In the last four months, I have visited 12 states: Alabama, Pennsylvania, Michigan, California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Minnesota, Georgia, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey.
• I lived out of a suitcase, took over 20 planes, and interacted with thousands of collegians as a CDC for Delta Gamma
• Despite eating out for nearly every meal and working out sporadically, I magically lost 15 pounds
• I saw two different college football games at Penn State and Michigan, and watched the SEC championship in the mountains of Georgia
• I learned a lot about myself. Things like: I should have tried eggplant a lot sooner, Mexican food is my weakness, sometimes I need alone time, I am always more capable than I think I am, and even though I thought I would hate it, I really love yoga

It's a little over a week until the New Year, and I've already come up with a few resolutions. I admit, I am typically pretty subpar at keeping up with my resolutions. Perhaps writing about them will help me hold myself accountable? Especially since I have some pretty BIG plans for this year, and I plan on using this blog as a way to monitor my progress :)

1. Run my first marathon - my goal is to run the Marine Corps Marathon with my dad on October 30th, 2012.
2. Run at least two half marathons, including the US Half Marathon in San Francisco on April 8th, 2012.
3. Get hired! I plan on moving back to Athens, GA at the end of my term as a CDC, and I need to find a job that I enjoy doing.
4. Visit so many places that I've never been as I complete my year as a CDC -- I'll be going to Montana, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Illinois, and New Mexico! Not to mention my plans to travel to San Francisco for a weekend by myself to explore the city!
5. Be better with keeping up with friends while on the road - whether it is calling, skyping, emailing, or snail mail, I want to work on maintaining the relationships in my life.

I think that's all for now. Thanks for keeping up with me, and Happy Christmas Eve!

Sweet Home Alabama

picture: pinterest

Long time no blog! Sorry about that. We’ve been so busy here in Tuscaloosa, trying to recruit a brand new colony of enthusiastic, dynamic, beautiful, and talented new Delta Gammas. How exciting is that?

Things that I love about Tuscaloosa: Chick-Fil-A; This beautiful campus; Meeting women from all over the country; Talking about Delta Gamma; Warm southern weather; Big t-shirts; Coming across all sorts of things that remind me of Athens, GA.

Can we talk about the campus for a second? Seriously. The University of Alabama is so beautiful with the historic brick buildings, scenic quads, and massive Greek houses. Hello, Alpha Tau Omega looks like a library!

Now that we’re about a week and a half into the colonization process, I am finding myself falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow and waking up WITHOUT an alarm, by myself, at 7:50. If you know me, you know that I’m the girl who purposely scheduled her classes after 10 am so that I could sleep in on a regular basis, and the one who couldn’t fall asleep at night until nearly 2 am. It’s crazy how a real job can change that!

Despite the turning into an adult, I’m loving being able to share Delta Gamma with women at Alabama, and seeing them develop a passion for the organization that I care so much about. And I know that feeling will only be amplified when we have preference on Saturday and bid day on Sunday.

Roll Tide!

Headin' Down South to the Land of the TIDE

After almost four weeks at the Martin Center in Columbus, it's time. We're headed out on the road! Well, kind of. Tomorrow, seven of us will fly down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to help recolonize the Beta Psi chapter of Delta Gamma at the University of Alabama. We'll be meeting CDCs Erica and Kerry who flew down today, and CDCs Nikki and Stephanie will be heading out on their first recruitment visits!

I'll be in Tuscaloosa for about 2.5 weeks before I head to State College to work with the Alpha Chi chapter at Penn State. And let me tell you, I am so excited to be headed back down south for an SEC recruitment!! I have been following recruitment at UGA with so much jealousy -- 1500 PNMs... wow! And Alabama? Alabama has 1700. SEVENTEEN HUNDRED.

Quick shout out to all of the Delta Gammas at UGA. I love you girls, and I know you are kicking butt during recruitment this year. I can't wait to see all of the wonderful, talented, smart, and beautiful new members that join DG on bid day.

Anyways, the past four weeks have been full of learning, growing, and fun, and I am eager to put my new skills to the test. And being a part of the biggest sorority colonization in history? That's definitely the way to test those skills.

Next time I blog, I'll be back south of the Mason-Dixon line.

ROLL TIDE.

song credit: an edited version of Wagon Wheel

You can waste your life drawing lines or you can live your life crossing them

One thing you should know about me: I am absolutely terrified of heights.

One thing you should know about Monday: I climbed up a telephone pole, stood on top, and jumped.

Monday was our day at the ropes course. We started the morning with team building activities, then spent the afternoon on the high ropes, and then ended the day with what is called the “pamper pole.”

Essentially, you get strapped into a harness, then are attached to a rope anchored by two people, and then climb up to the top of the pole. Once at the top, the challenge is to stand up and then jump off towards a hanging soccer ball.

So why would a person who is terrified of heights put themselves through this? Simply put, this year is about testing my limits.

Borrowing a line from Grey’s Anatomy, “(Boundaries) fence you in.” This year is not about fencing myself in. It’s about pushing myself outside of my comfort zone so that I can grow as an individual and experience things that I never would have tried in the past.

Monday, I started with the pamper pole. And you know what? Free-falling and knowing that I had faced my fears was pretty darn exciting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going and signing up to go skydiving. But baby steps? Baby steps are pretty awesome.

Title: Grey’s Anatomy

Ready to run.

Okay, so the title is slightly deceptive. I’m not ready to run yet, but I will be!

On October 23rd, the Athens Half Marathon will become the third half marathon I’ve run this year. I ran Disney in early January and then the Marine Corps Historic Half with my dad in May, just two days after I graduated college.

The Disney Half was my first ever, and it was most definitely a turning point in my life.

Running that race gave me this incredible feeling of being able to achieve pretty much anything I set my mind to. Finishing left me feeling unstoppable: if I’m able to run 13.1 miles non-stop, I can do anything. I had that same feeling following the Historic Half in May.

Now, I’m turning to running and to this training to help me keep myself on track and balanced for this year on the road. My training plan begins in mid-August, and I know that having that piece of running that I’ve gotta do four days a week will ensure that I keep my health a priority and give me something to shoot for.

Looking for a new goal? Sign up to run it with me!

It’s amazing how far one can come in a year – last year, at this time, I was on my way back from Fairbanks, Alaska. Now, I’m in Columbus, I’m graduated, and I’m training for both my first real job and my third half marathon of the year.

Crazy.

title: Ready to Run/Dixie Chicks

Leave a legacy, not a history

It's official -- the 2011-2012 CDCs have hit Columbus! We got in yesterday, and have spent the last 24 hours unpacking, trying fried pickles, laughing, and learning. The Martin Center is just as beautiful as I remember it being when we interviewed back in February, and it is still surreal that I'll be living here with 10 other girls for the next 3.5 weeks.

Today we talked about financial budgeting (definitely going to be trying to save a lot this year) and about our expectations for the upcoming year. It's finally starting to sink in that I'm going to be visiting all of these different chapters and meeting an incredible group of women each place I travel all over the country.

Speaking of traveling all over the country, have you checked out the latest addition to the sidebar of my blog? After OTS, I posted my tentative schedule. Tentative being the key word, as I'll probably have a chapter visit added and there's definitely a chance that my visits will change.

So where am I going? All over!

Alabama, Penn State, Michigan

Break in Athens

UC San Diego, Arizona, Texas Tech

Break in Athens

South Florida, Tampa, and the U (Miami)

How exciting is that? I can't wait to see places I've never seen and meet people who will most certainly teach me a whole lot. And this is only a half year!

If you haven't already, check the sidebar and read blogs from some of the other CDCs from this year. All of them are wonderful, and I know it will be so fun to read about where they are going!

On packing - part two.

How do you get all of this:

(pictured are: a fleece, a sweatshirt, a rain jacket, a blazer, workout pants, 2 pairs of leggings, 5 pairs of nike shorts, running tights, 4 short sleeve workout tops, 2 long sleeve workout tops, 5 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of shorts, 4 skirts, 7 dresses, a romper, 13 short sleeve tops, 5 long sleeve tops, toiletries, blowdrier, and 6 pairs of shoes)  

into one suitcase and one carry on?

The answer: Hefty zip top bags!

As it turns out, the zip-top bags help to organize and create a vaccuum effect -- meaning you can fit more into less space!

Here's the finished product:

And look, still fifteen pounds to spare!



I'm considering that expert packer title earned.

On packing.

I consider myself to be an expert packer. For example: this past weekend, I packed:

1. Three dresses
2. A pair of pants
3. Three sets of workout clothes
4. Two skirts
5. Two sweaters
6. A sweatshirt
7. Four dress shirts
8. Four pairs of shoes: Two pairs of flats, a pair of heels, and running shoes
9. Toiletries/underwear/etc

into a carry-on bag. Just one!

Anyways, because I'll be away from home from July 5-15, and because I leave on the 18th for training, I really need to start thinking about packing to live out of a suitcase, a carry-on roller bag, and a tote for the next four months.

I'm slightly overwhelmed.

Today, my goal is to write out my packing list. I need it to be detailed and complete, because I also want it to serve as an inventory for everything I bring along. And because I'll be less able to just run out and purchase something if I forget it, I'm slightly nervous.

What are some things I shouldn't forget but probably will on my own? Any tips and tricks so that I can fit more?

OH-IO

Extraordinary. If I had to describe my coworkers (the 10 other CDCs!), my boss, and the rest of my sisters that I met at Officer's Training this weekend in one word, extraordinary would be it!

It is amazing to me what can happen when you get the positive energy of 200ish women together in one place for three days. After OTS, I am sure that all of us left with ideas of how to better our Fraternity and lead through example, hard work, and optimism. More importantly, we left with the resources we need to make positive change happen.

Delta Gamma does not settle. The Fraternity is not complacent, and I was blown away by all of the incredible ideas and new initiatives we heard about over the last three days. I would share all of it here, but then I'd probably have to kill you. Kidding! But really, you're just going to have to be patient, and keep checking out http://www.deltagamma.org/ for lots of new and exciting things!

The other thing I learned this weekend (besides the wealth of information, of course!) was that a national organization like Delta Gamma doesn't run without the hundreds of volunteers who give so much of their time, energy, and love. If you're a sorority woman reading my blog, make sure you thank your advisers (local, regional, and national) for all they do -- they're not paid, and without them, your organization ceases to exist.

So, in closing, I want to thank a few of my advisers who have encouraged me and led me to be extraordinary. Dawn, Amber, Tiffany, and, of course, my mom and dad -- thank you for never letting me settle, and for putting in the time, energy, and love it took to help me achieve my goals for me, my chapter, and my Fraternity. I hope that over the next year I can be as inspiring as you were to me.

Starting out on a Journey

Two days from now, I'll be in Columbus, done with my first half day of Officer Training. How exciting is that? I think it is the most exciting because it means that my year as a CDC is finally about to begin.

What do I want out of this year? I want to learn all I can, and teach all I can. I want to inspire, impact, and change lives. Most of all, I want to share with women all over the country just how much Delta Gamma can do for them in their lives. I really just want to give back to an organization that has given so much to me.

I don't move into Executive Offices for another month, so this weekend training trip is really just a tease, but I couldn't be more eager to dive into everything. So here we are: the beginning of my journey. Can't wait to really share it all.

song credit: At The Beginning from the motion picture "Anastasia"

Take your life, plot it out in black and white

Over the next few weeks, I'll be putting myself through my own CDC bootcamp. Translation: I'm going to start getting myself mentally and physically prepared to take on the next year. When you break that down, it means I'm going to be reading my manuals like they're the Bible, working towards getting up early, and getting into a workout habit.

Tomorrow, my goal is to get up at 7, go for a run, then eat and go to work. I'm also planning on going to the gym at night and getting a good upper body workout in, and reading both the scholarship and rituals handbooks. It will be a very successful day when I check all those items off.

I also need to figure out my health insurance situation, since I lose coverage under my parents when I graduate on Friday. Welcome to the real world, huh?

Oh, by the way, I graduate on Friday. When did that happen?

Although on a far more exciting note, in 46 days, I will be in Columbus for Officer Training!

song credit: John Mayer, No Such Thing

Less than three months to go..

It's amazing how quickly everything seems to be ending, and how soon it is until I leave for Summer Training and my year on the road. I graduate college exactly two weeks from tomorrow, and I am still coming to terms with my impending transition to adulthood.

As in, I'm putting off studying for my finals. And mailing my graduation announcements.

As in, I still haven't bought my cap, gown, tassels.

And while it seems like I am slow to accept the fact that college is ending, I am beyond excited about the upcoming year.

We received our list of handbooks/reading material for before training and Officer Training, and I've started glancing through it. I'm planning on printing out all of them (obviously smaller scale, two sided pages), and then reading/marking them up. For practical reasons (i.e., I would definitely start reading those instead of finishing up these next two weeks), I'm going to refrain from doing that until I officially finish my last final. In addition, I've already started purchasing my work wardrobe, although I am slightly overwhelmed by the task of putting together a closet on wheels.

So, here goes the last two weeks of my undergraduate career. Wish me luck!