To recap my visits, I have spent time at Clemson, Georgia Southern, Central Florida, and Auburn. I got my first taste of fall weather, and loved every minute of it. I got to go to a pumpkin patch during my time at Clemson, found my mom's composite picture and go to the Statesboro Fair with Georgia Southern ADPi, tour Orlando and spend Halloween at Central Florida, and experience the sweet little town of Auburn and pay a visit to my boy Cam Newton's statue during my days at Auburn.
So, the secret is finally out. A lot of you know that I have been planning a huge surprise to be there to spend my little sister's initiation day with her since about July. Did I take off the weekend prior to my sister even being an Alpha Delta Pi? Yes, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. And to say the least, this was a production. (In hindsight, it would have been very awkward to try and explain why I came home on a random weekend if my sister had found her home in another organization..) Every single time we talked on the phone or texted, I wanted to say something about how soon I was going to be home to see her, or even just mention how excited I was. To be honest, the week prior to initiation I basically avoided any and all contact with her because I was so scared I would ruin it all.
To pull this off, I deactivated my Facebook, turned off my location settings on my phone, got my best friend to Instagram a picture of us the night prior to my sister's initiation so she still thought I was in Auburn, stopped SnapChatting for a week.. I mean, the list goes on..
BUT- it was so so so worth it. I seriously could not have imagine a more perfect reaction. My little sister, who is arguably one of the prettiest people I have ever seen, completely ugly-cried when she figured out I was there. I mean, like HUGE tears (I may or may not be tearing up right now just thinking about it). She hugged me so tight and for so long I actually had to ask her to let me go because we were causing such a scene. I think at first she didn't believe it was actually me. Being able to share this day with her, and take her to lunch afterwards is really the most special thing I have done since becoming an Alpha Delta Pi. Driving home afterwards she quizzed me on all things ADPi, and what every little thing means, but it was awesome finally being able to talk about the organization with her and hear the excitement she has for her membership!
As if the week could get any more exciting, I also got to celebrate my birthday this week! Because I was already home for my sister's initiation, I got to go to PF Changs *heart eyes emoji* with my family. I hit the road bright and early Sunday morning, heading for Columbus Ohio and ready to work with the women at Ohio University.
After a week with them, I think I could brave the elements (and trust me, there are a lot) just to spend more time with them! We had a great week together and they even helped me celebrate my birthday! They caught wind I had a big day coming up when flowers were delivered to the house early in the week, and by the time Wednesday came everybody was telling me Happy Birthday every time they saw me, and some of them even brought me birthday treats! We spent the day preparing for their Lion's Share philanthropy event, Mr. University, which raised thousands of dollars for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. I was even lucky enough to be brought up on stage and have all of the men participating in the competition sing my Happy Birthday! A couple of the executive members even took me to dinner afterwards, to make sure I felt loved and celebrated the entire day :)
This weekend, I head out to Ann Arbor to spend some time with the women at the University of Michigan (I will definitely be sure to let them know I went to Appalachian State). I am quickly coming to see I need to go out and invest in a couple scarves and a new pair of boots if I want to stand a chance against winter in the North!
Lots of Love from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, & now Ohio,
Kathryn
