Pi Palace Livin'

Coming in as no surprise to any of you I'm sure, I instantly fall in love with any and all things Alpha Delta Pi, and this week was no different. The 9 of us have laughed, cried (well, mostly just Kara), learned about all things ADPi, watched Jimmy Kimmel videos (hashtag we canttttt stop), loved, found random dino statues when we got lost, tried hot yoga, and figured out just how long our attention spans really are.

So, let me back up. Of course, the one flight I have arguably been most looking forward to in my entire life was delayed.. Two hours. Oh and not to mention my mom and sister had already left me at the airport so it was my first true test on how I will manage without my family so close by. On the bright side, I had some Friday Night Lights episodes to catch up on and time passed as quickly as possible with me checking my phone every two minutes. So, finally, after waiting not-so-patiently on my 38 minute flight, I got to Atlanta. A group of my consultant sisters who had already arrived earlier in the day were waiting outside of baggage claim (in a bright red van) to bring me home to good ole 1386 Ponce. Side Note: Because we are under 25, the insurance does not allow us to rent SUVs so we get two fancy red mini-vans to drive all around Atlanta until our little hearts are content. And yes, it is as funny seeing 9 sorority girls grouped into a mini-van as you may imagine.

Our first day was nothing short of ADPi Christmas. It was like I was re-living my bid day all over again when we walked into the training room and saw all of our goodies set up! We had brand new Windows tablets, phones (which are also Windows and it's a good laugh watching all of us trying to do basic things like even call and text on them), OUR SCHEDULES FOR AUGUST (!!!), office supplies, & the thing I have been most wanting for FOREVER- my fancy gold name tag (hashtag official)! In addition to all this, we also had a welcome breakfast with the staff here at EO- ya'll all know Panera is the way to my heart. Bagels, presents, and re-connecting with my consultant sisters made for a pretty great Tuesday.

As for what has been taking up my time between the hours of 9-6 pm (the 6 pm time is flexible.. Sometimes more like 11:30 pm), there has been a LOT. Total membership education, recruitment, RFM reports, Pi portal, ritual, house rules, and membership services galore! Our boss has coordinated the puzzle that is our 3 weeks here at EO and brought in lots of incredible women to teach us about their areas of expertise to ensure we are armed and ready for our year ahead.

When we get some free time, you can find us at the local hot yoga studio (I was told I'm a natural, which is weird because me.. being calm.. and quiet.. in 116 degrees for 75 minutes.. Yeah, doesn't add up to me either), at a Braves game, grabbing Chipotle, mani/pedis, trying to practice our presentation skills, or just hanging out trying to get as much time together before our time on the road. I think I have had more drinks from Starbucks in the past week than I have since I started college, but hey, that's nothing to complain about.

Even though I am not exactly hitting it out of the park when it comes to calling people back (and I may have even missed a few texts?? Sorry, life is a lot harder with two phones), I wanted to thank everybody for checking in to make sure I am loving every minute so far. It's tough not being able to spend time with all of my loved ones, but I love knowing that people are missing me back home and we will pick back up when I get the chance to come home.

Lots of love from Georgia,
Kathryn

Wheels Up!

Well, ya'll, the time is here! Or really.. The time was here (sorry I'm a little late). 

I had my first official task as a Leadership Consultant! 

This journey has been a long time comin', just ask any of my chapter sisters- I have been dreaming of having the honor to be a consultant basically since day 1 in Alpha Delta Pi. I'm happy to say that this journey has finally begun!

Being my first conference for ADPi other than DLC, I was excited to see our sisterhood on a larger scale. Atlanta has always been a city I have loved and wanted to live in, so getting to spend a week there was just an added bonus! The facilitators for Leadership Seminar clearly put hours of work into both Adelphean Compass and Impact- but I believe their work was well worth it and we will see a lot of positive response from chapters in the coming months.

I could not have imagined a more perfect group of women to work with. From the moment we met, it was like we had grown up together. The nine of us were laughing, taking pictures, sharing about our college towns (God bless Boone), and loving spending time together within an hour of arriving at the hotel. Our roommates for the week were randomly selected; and shout out to my girl Nicole Nunes from Tau (University of Kansas) for being too much fun & a great source of inspiration and constant laughter! 

The five days we spent in Atlanta were filled with all sorts of ADPi activities and leadership development! Some of my favorite parts were getting to know past Leadership Consultants, meeting with International Officers, lunch with Grand Council, filming the LC video for this year (& bless the videographer's heart for putting up with us and our constant laughter and retakes), and visiting our Executive Office and Memorial Headquarters (where I will be living soon!). 

Another highlight of the weekend was receiving my Violet sister! Much like the big/little diamond program utilized by chapters, we each got a mentor from the previous class of consultants that is going to be our special sister during this year! I was so excited when Kashia Wolfe told me that I was hers- as I had met her back at DLC in March and absolutely fell in love with her spunk, outgoing personality, and love of life! 

The week I spent starting off this incredible experience I am about to have was an absolute dream! This girl is officially headin' back to Atlanta for good on July 21st for 3 weeks of training, and then off to somewhere in America (or Canada!) for my first visit on August 11th! Can't wait to see what all is in store for me :)

Lots of love from North Carolina,

Kathryn