Ya'll Want Some Sonic?

Wow. That is basically all that comes to mind when I think about my time in Flagstaff, Arizona. But here I go trying to formulate 10 days of great memories into a couple of paragraphs..

So, as every story starts, I get off the plane and go to baggage claim and meet whoever is picking me up. Except, plot twist, this airport is SO small, that I have to walk outside to get off the plane, and the chapter members are waiting for me right when I walk back in the door all wearing matching t-shirts and walk me to baggage claim themselves. How catchy.

I have quickly come to realize that there is this moment when you feel like you've really bonded with the sisters. Well, this visit that moment came pretty quick. About 3 minutes into the car ride from the airport, we had already starting a list of about 12 restaurants (see below) that they wanted to take me to in my 10 days here. And yes, we did complete all of that.. And then some. They might have sized me up a bit, and said I wasn't the stereotypical blonde Southern high-maintenance sorority girl they were expecting, so luckily, I was invited to stay awhile. We headed straight for restaurant number one we wanted to check off the list, and we never looked back.

If you know me, you know one of my favorite things in the world is a Sonic Strawberry Limeade, and I'm more than happy to say I got 5 of these during my stay. Epsilon Xi, I like your style. Not to mention the multiple trips to Chipotle..

Oregano's
Lumber Yard
Fratelli's Pizza
Diablo burgers
Big Foot BBQ
Tappan
Taverna
Wildflower
Wicked
Macy's

So, arriving on campus (which is basically App State on the other side of the country) they said that they have a situation different than many other chapters, and that they all live in a dorm and each sorority has its own wing. Ohhh, never heard of that one before ;)

After walking into the dorm during Spirit Week, I met the chapter and they asked the normal questions of what positions I had, where I went to school *somebody in crowd asks if we are the team that beat Michigan*, where I grew up, how long I'm there for, and maybe to say a couple different words since they don't get to hear somebody with an accent everyday.

I got to truly experience all that Flagstaff has to over by my three roommates/ tour guides/ power suite dwellers. 2 chainz, El Presidente, and Katie, thanks for loving me way too well, feeding me at all hours of the night // even when I wasn't hungry, and fully embracing the #TreatYourself motto. I'm so happy I got the chance to live with ya'll for 10 days and change your mind about a rando moving into your place!

The more I got to explore, the more I fell in love with this little mountain town. As we all know, I'm a bit biased to the South, and never expected I could love some place so much that is far far away from North Carolina. Although half my times out of the dorm came in the form of a frantic trip to a storage unit or Target, I can always count on Miss Prez to show me around, convince me to take a food detour, and make an incredibly detailed list to make even the most complicated task seem easy.

Recruitment here is 4 separate rounds including Meet the Chapters, Philanthropy, Sisterhood, and Preference. The women worked hard at all hours of the night to make sure their chapter room was decorated to match each individual theme of the day. Like almost all recruitments, the nights were long, and the days were filled with great conversation- which all paid off in the end when Epsilon Xi had 69 women running to their chapter on Bid Day! They had a new Bid Day theme that I had never seen before- Glam Rock- and the sisters really went all out, which made the Alphas become even more excited to join!

Tangent: Another fabulous thing that happened during my time here is something I have been dreaming of. My biological little sister also became my Alpha Delta Pi sister. The entire chapter here cheered when I screamed that she accepted her bid, and that moment was just another reason I fall in love with this sisterhood more and more each day.

Ok back to Arizona: To top off all the great things that happened in the past week, we decided to wake up (at 3:30 in the morning) and go watch the sunrise at the Grand Canyon. If you haven't ever seen it before, stop reading this write now and go make it your number one thing to do on your bucket list. You won't think it is the best idea when you pile in the car at 4 am, but trust me, you won't regret it once you get out there. I thought you would be able to basically drive up next to it and look right over the ledge, but no. There is no signs saying 'huge hole ahead' or anything of that sort.. Just signs for the free Wi-Fi. Just look for the official-looking people with the big backpacks and they will point you in the right direction.

Epsilon Xi, you showed this LC the true meaning of Living for Each Other, and I will always have a special spot for Flagstaff, Mountain View, and the your chapter in my heart. I will always remember Timothy and his 5 years of service, Taco Bell apparently closing at midnight, and the delirium that sets in after a mixture of 5 espresso shots and 24+ hours with no sleep. Until next time, Flagstaff.

Lots of Love from Arizona,
Kathryn

OklaHOMEa

Being from the South, I have never really gotten to spend much time in the Midwest (aka basically Jason Alden was calling me out personally in his song Fly Over States). So, when I saw the Theta Xi chapter on my schedule for August visits, I was so excited to spend some time in another part of the country. Flying in, I really didn't believe it when I could see flatness, literally, for MILES. It was time for this Southern girl to get a little taste of the Midwest and everything it has to offer.

Per usual, I made my way to baggage claim anxiously awaiting meeting the members who were picking me up. I later found out, that while they didn't know what I look like, they picked me out of the crowd solely based on how much jewelry I was wearing and my "impressive arm stack." Not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of that, but I guess there are just some things you can't change about a girl. ANYWAYS, I flew into Oklahoma City, and was driven to Edmond, which is only about 20 minutes away, to a quaint little place called the University of Central Oklahoma.

Upon my arrival, the women had their house all tidy, t-shirts and other ADPi treats waiting on my bed, and a group waiting to take me out to dinner (sushi of course!). I quickly realized that I am basically eating my way through the United States, but that's nothing you will ever hear me complain about. Also while in Oklahoma, I got to go to a restaurant called 'Pops' which basically has anyyyy kind of soda you want (sorry if you follow me on Instagram & already knew this but I at least added a different picture to the blog).

 

 

I unfortunately did not get to see all of Theta Xi's Spirit Week due to the time of my arrival, but I was excited to jump right into recruitment! With a recruitment theme like OklaHOMEa (hence this blog posts title), I knew they were going to do everything in their power to make the women going through recruitment realize Alpha Delta Pi is truly a home away from home!

 

Sometimes, the most fun at a chapter is when you can count the number of hours of sleep you have had in the last week on one hand. This time, I had the chapter's recruitment advisor Kristyn (the Amy to my Tina Fey) as my right hand man to make jokes with me, quote Bridesmaids, speak in only hashtags, & keep spirits high through the long hours of recruitment.

 

 

After 3 days of recruitment (open house, skit night, & preference round) I am happy to say the Theta Xi chapter welcomed home 43 new Alphas into their sisterhood! They welcomed them with a fun "ADParadise" bid day theme, complete with inflatables, a cook out, snow cones, and of course cheering and dancing!

Although my time in Oklahoma was short, I really loved getting to spend time in Edmond and working with both collegians and advisors at all hours of the night. One of the best parts of my job is seeing how every chapter has things that make them unique, but how the Alpha Delta Pi bond is visible no matter how far you may travel away from Macon, Georgia.

Lots of love from Oklahoma,
Kathryn

Good Ole' Rocky Top

To say the least, the Alpha Kappa chapter of Alpha Delta Pi has set the bar high for what an LC visit should be. These girls are caring, funny, sweet, welcoming, & have a lot of great things going for them! After three incredible weeks in Atlanta learning about all things Alpha Delta Pi, I was definitely ready for some real-world experience and to see what the University of Tennessee had to offer.

I got to Knoxville at the beginning of Spirit Days- which for all you non-ADPi sisters is the week before recruitment begins where the entire chapter works on recruitment polishing. This being my first chapter visit, I had absolutely NO idea what to expect. So, I got off the plane, made my way to baggage claim, met the president, and jut took things as they came from there. Side note- walking into a room full of 150 women who you don't know and having to make friends is quite the challenge. Alpha Kappa did a great job of giving each Spirit Day a theme; pictured below is the lovely President, Merrell, on Hawaiian day (other themes included sports jersey day & ADPi spirit day).

Anyway, Alpha Kappa hooked a sista up. I got my own bed, a top-notch roommate who is oh-so-cleverly pictured below (and God bless her for never making me feel awkward about taking over half her room for 10 days. Hailey, you're gonna do BIG things for Alpha Kappa and I can't wait to watch your journey unfold), bags full of my favorite snacks, and warm welcomes from every sister that came in contact with me. Additionally, my first meal in Knoxville was sushi.. Can you say hashtag SOLD?! In addition to getting to eat my favorite food, I also got to experience some of the cool 'local' things to do including Old City, downtown, Market Square, Calhoun's, & campus tours. The advisors for the chapter also went above and beyond and took me to several meals, which is basically one of the biggest treats to a LC and NEVER goes unnoticed.

During recruitment the girls showcased their sisterhood in Go Greek round, made every woman in the room laugh during their skit round (I even sometimes strangely laugh to myself when I think of the ultimate 'frat stars'), and sold 60 woman on how strong our sisterhood is during preference round. A 1,000 person recruitment is no laughing matter, but thanks to the officers, recruitment team, and dedication of the chapter, the girls made it look effortless. I may not know the real Rocky Top song, but you can bet I know the whole ADPi version that's sung in recruitment!

My 10 days in Knoxville came to a close after one of my most favorite parts of the Alpha Delta Pi experience- BID DAY. With a theme like a "League of Our Own," I'm sure you can only imagine how much fun the chapter and new Alphas had during their first night together. It was filled with hot dogs, funnel cakes (!!!), ADPi pride, & of course lots of chanting and dancing in the dreamy Pi Palace.

 

 

So, without getting TOO sappy, I want to thank the Alpha Kappa chapter for all they did for me, and mostly because no sister ever hesitated to reach out to make my visit the most enjoyable possible. Thank you for the late night runs to Chipotle/Insomnia Cookies, smiles when I was awkwardly sitting in the corner on Spirit Days, listening to me and how I would ramble at 3 a.m, showering me with t-shirts, crazy amounts of candy, keeping up with my adventures, and most importantly, making me fall in love with my job each and every day.

 

Lots of Love from Tennessee,

Kathryn

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