Getting Settled

I got up early yesterday morning. Had a great quiet time with the Lord. Chatted with my roomie while she applied her makeup. Went for a nice walk around my new neighborhood. Got myself ready for the day and drove down to Tuscaloosa. Stopped by the sorority house to drop off some things that belonged to my sister. Had lunch with two precious girls at one of my favorite Tuscaloosa eateries while discussing the upcoming semester, sorority life and t-shirts. Met another girl at a coffee shop to discuss some of the same topics. Went back to the sorority house to drop off a package and see a few friends. Drove back home with lots of happiness in my heart.

Woke up early this morning. Spent some time with the Lord. Chatted with my roomie while she applied her makeup. Opened the computer and started to get work done. Emails to send. Calls to make. Designs to approve. Expense reports to mail. Five hours of hard work in my pajamas. Changed into workout clothes for a quick walk around the neighborhood. Showered and went to the park to visit with my bestest friend while she baby-sat. Continued our conversations over lunch. Got a quick mani/pedi. Back to the house to churn out about 3 more hours of work. Washed some clothes. Walked to church to attend the new member class. Enjoyed running into some old friends. Came back home to do a little more work before calling it a night.

I'm getting settled. This house. These roommates. This community. This job. And, I can say without a doubt that I absolutely LOVE it all.

A Delta Zeta Saint

On my bid day blog, I bragged on the president of my sorority. Then I introduced you to Abby, the girl that I'm hoping and praying will be the next president. But anybody that knows anything about sororities...and if you've read my blog for long enough, you know at least a little...knows that the girl that runs the recruitment show is not the president. It takes someone special to manage the beast that is recruitment. We call her the Vice President of Membership. Actually, we call her the Recruitment Chair.


This year, my sorority was blessed to have the best recruitment chair on the planet. Seriously...I would put her up against your recruitment chair any day. Let me explain...

Most sorority positions are such that you only have them for a year. You couldn't have paid me to be the secretary or president for any longer than that! It takes a girl who's on top of her stuff and well respected by her house to do the same job for more than one term...and that, my friends, is what our recruitment chair did. TWO YEARS of recruitment!!

Unlike everybody else, she WILLINGLY signed up to have the same job again. She knew there would be angry alumni. She knew there would be girls trying to get out of rush workshops. She knew there would be sleepless nights. She knew...but she agreed to do it again.


This recruitment chair that all sorority girls wish was theirs is Sarah Hudson.


She's the one on the far left...and she totally blew me away last week. She was beyond organized. Everybody knew what they were supposed to do and when they were supposed to do it. Encouraging words flowed freely. Smiles were given to all. And, despite the minimal sleep she got, she did not pitch fits when things went a little crazy.

Example of things going crazy would be when a hook for hanging drapes came out of the ceiling one night...bringing part of the ceiling with it. I was terrified that we may have come to the end of our little recruitment Utopia, but little miss adaptability, Sarah Hudson, wasn't phased in the least.


Confidential to Hudson,

If someone had told me three years ago when you pledged that you would be our recruitment chair not once but twice, I would have never believed them. You have far exceeded all of my expectations for you...and I LOVE it! During my years in the sorority, I have had the chance to watch quite a few different girls tackle the job of recruitment chair, but none...NONE...of them could hold a candle to you. The fact that you so selflessly agreed to hold the position for two years only elevates you even more. Thank you for what you've done for your house...my house...our house. You're beyond incredible! Get ready, because I'm going to be coming down to Tuscaloosa soon and showering you with thanks....friend kind of thanks...not the advisor kind. :) Love you, pretty girl!

Oh Happy Bid Day

This past week was lacking in sleep, food and maleness...but overflowing with laughter, chatting and femineness. It was a wonderful week capped off with a great group of 76 new girls excited to be Delta Zeta pledges.

As I drove home to Birmingham this afternoon, I was thinking about some of the highlights of the week. There were quite a few...but here's the short list.

--I loved getting to know some of our current actives. I'm pretty sure I mentioned before that I was a senior when the now current seniors were freshman. So, when I walked into the house last Monday I recognized very few faces. By the end of the week, I found myself not only recognizing faces but being able to match faces with names.

--Watching our Serious Night ceremony. No matter how many times I've seen it, it gets me choked up each and every time. The crying was taken to a whole new level this year though because Sarah Beth...the little recruit that I fell in love with three years ago during that same ceremony...was speaking the same lines that I had once said.

--Squeals and pure excitement was all around as the girls read out the bid list...and those things only increased when the new girls rounded the corner running towards the sorority house. It made my heart happy inside to see.

With sweet Sarah Beth on Bid Day. I cannot believe that she is a senior this year. I didn't get any sleep this week, but this girl got even less. She has worked for months to get the best of the best girls and as the bid list was read this morning, it was clear that her hard work had paid off. I could not be more proud of her and all she has accomplished.

Confidential to SB...I'm thankful for the chance you gave me to be your advisor this year, but I'm even more thankful for the blessing it is to have you for a friend. Friend date soon!!

Let me introduce you to Abby Johnson. This cute thing of a girl came along the year after I left. Bummer. I would have loved to be in the house at the same time as her. I remember the girls being excited when she pledged our house two years ago. I had talked to her a few times before, but this week we got the chance to have some deeper conversations. She made me smile, made me laugh and made me cry. She's pretty incredible and is the one that will be teaching all of our new little Delta Zetas what it means to be an active. I can't think of a better person for the job. In addition to taking care of the new girls, she also works on all things t-shirts. Translation, I will get to work with her when I start my new job and I am super excited about that.

I love the faces in these two pictures. I mean...that's pure excitement right there. Excitement for the new girls, excitement for finally reaching upperclassmen status, excitement that rush week is OVER.

Lots of ways to describe this picture....but I think my favorite would have to be this one...

Presidents: Present and Future :)

One Happy Advisor

There is really nothing like recruitment. Especially at The University of Alabama. We do it different here. We go all out. Wanna know what it's like? Just read what my friend Becky has to say.

During my four years at Alabama, I had the chance to see 4 different sides of recruitment. I went through as a freshman, recruited girls as a sophomore, loved on girls as a recruitment counselor my junior year and then got to walk around and say hi as a senior. There were definitely some parts that I liked more than others, but overall, I am a lover of recruitment. Sure it's crazy...but there's just something about it that makes me happy.

I have been looking forward to being the recruitment advisor for my sorority from the moment I was asked, but what I have gotten to experience these past few days has far exceeded even my expectations.

I was a senior when the girls who are now seniors were being recruited. For the record, I can't believe that they are graduating. They were my babies. Now, they are looking for some babies to call their own. Tear....take that back...tears.

They're so on top of things they don't really need an advisor, but I'm thrilled that I'm able to sit and watch them do their thing.

Feels Like Home

I am now an official Birmingham resident. After months of straddling Atlanta and Birmingham, all of my belongings are finally in the same place.

As I was organizing and settling in on Friday, I couldn't help but think about the many places that I have called home. Before I moved away for college, I had lived in only three places...and one of those was for 13 years. Then I l left the comforts of my parents' home and entered into the "moving" stage of life. Since graduating high school, I have lived in 8 different places.

Sometimes I stayed a few weeks, others a few months...and sometimes, when I was lucky...I stayed for a year...and then one time, I stayed three years.

My sophomore, junior and senior years of college I was blessed to call the Delta Zeta sorority house my home. I loved everything...or most everything...about it. I mean, I highly doubt that I will ever get to live in a 3 story house with 20 bedrooms, a huge kitchen, dining room, living room, library, computer room, 2 TV rooms, study rooms, fully finished basement and SLEEPING PORCHES!!!!

Yes, life was good at the Delta Zeta house. What fun memories I have from living in that place.
I went back for a visit on Saturday as an alum. I will go back tomorrow as an advisor.

Advisor.

Really?

Advisor?

Yes. I am the Recruitment Advisor.

For the next week I will find myself spending hours upon hours at the Delta Zeta house. I can't believe it. Seems like yesterday that I was a rushee struggling to pick a sorority to join. Six years ago I went through recruitment. Six years ago I joined a sorority. I quickly realized that the sorority was more than a club to be a part of. The sorority was a home.


I know that soon my house in Birmingham will feel like home. But for this week, I will look forward to going back to the Delta Zeta house. It was there that I laughed, cried, made life-long friends and grew-up. It feels like home and I'm so excited to go home this week.

Google Analytics

My friend Sara recently introduced me to something that has changed my life. Well, that may be a little of a stretch...but she did introduce me to something that has changed my blogging life.

She introduced me to Google Analytics. I have only had my blog connected to it for a week, but I love it so much that I just had to tell all of you in my little corner of the blog-o-sphere. If you're interested in all of the statistics that go along with the blog, you will want to add Google Analytics to your site. It's easy. It's FREE. It's the best blog tracker I've ever used.


Thanks, Sara!

No More Naps

I love a good nap. Sadly, I have had to trade them in though. Today made day two without a nap. What's the occasion for ditching the naps so abruptly? Well...that interview that I had a few weeks ago...I officially accepted the job and my first day was yesterday.

Right now I'm in full on training mode. The office is full of fun people and the girls that are training me are so sweet. I'm learning a lot so nights are usually spent relaxing and rewriting my notes.

I gave a little mini description about the job earlier, but since I've officially accepted it now, I feel comfortable with sharing a little bit more.

I interviewed for and was hired to be an account manager for the Geneologie division of Emory Group. Emory Group does lots of things, but they specialize in selling custom t-shirts. As a Geneologie account manager, I will focus on selling custom t-shirts and other fun items to sororities and fraternities. Sorority girls....and I can say that because I was one...they have to have a shirt for everything....and they like them to be different. Emory Group can take care of the designing, printing, bagging and shipping.

Thankfully, I won't have to do any of the designing. Those poor people would have the worst shirts EVER. I'll just be the one managing the relationships with the girls and guys in charge of t-shirts for their house...yeah, each sorority and fraternity has someone that is just in charge if t-shirts...and finding out what they need and what they want it to look like. For right now, I will only be calling on The University of Alabama, Auburn and Samford.

That's probably not the best explanation...but hopefully that gives you an idea.

I'm so excited about this new opportunity. There are so many positives. One thing that I'm most excited about is the opportunity to do work on something I'm passionate about with PEOPLE that I'm passionate about serving. COLLEGE GIRLS, people....LOVE THEM!!! On top of that, the hours are really flexible so I will be able to still do things for a women's ministry and I will have a steady income. I feel like I'm going to really enjoy this...and I think I'm going to be really good at it too. I sure hope so anyway.

Can I just say that God has exceeded my wildest dreams!



I may be scarce on the blog these next few weeks...I have agreed to be the Recruitment Advisor for my sorority next week. Super excited about that, but as I remember from when I was in the sorority a few years ago, it is going to be LONG hours. Then, I'll be full speed ahead on the new job. As soon as I get the ground work laid and feel more comfortable, I'll be back on a more regular update schedule.

WINNER! Day 5: Going Away Giveaways

Have I told you how much fun I have had doing these giveaways. It truly is more blessed to give than receive. It has done my heart so much good to be able to do some giving this week...and it has helped to keep my mind off the sadness that is in my heart about the upcoming move. Thank you, sweet blog friends for reading, commenting, following and tweeting. Y'all have filled my heart with happiness.

I have loved reading through all of the comments this week. I smiled every time I saw a comment about Chick-fil-A's great service...I doubt many of you knew it, but that is what I worked on for 18 months. I loved getting to share my love for Strengths Finder and Buckhead Church with you. Then the suggestions you gave for books was incredible...I have read many of them and they are among my favorites as well. Those that I haven't read have been added to my "to read" list. Finally, what a blessing it was to read so many of the sweet Grand Weaver comments. I truly am thankful for the way that each of you has been woven into my life.


Ok...enough of that. I'm about to cry. You're wanting to know who the winner of book The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias is. So...here you have it...commenter #5...

Commenter #5...Elizabeth! Yay for Elizabeth! Let me tell you a little bit about her. We are from the same hometown and she is a little older than me. I've known and looked up to her for as long as I can remember, but there are two memories from years ago that really stick out in my mind when I think about her. I feel it fitting to share them since she won The Grand Weaver and all.

Let's see, they both took place when I was in elementay school.

The first memory that I have of Elizabeth was from the Presbyterian Church during Vacation Bible School.

Sidenote---when I was a kid, I went to VBS at all of the churches in town and the Presbyterian Church always was my favorite.

Anyway, Elizabeth was one of the youth volunteers teaching the music. I remember her standing on the stage and singing and teaching us the motions to Awesome God. To this day, I think of her...and those motions...every time I hear the song.

Memory number two. Elizabeth was a cheerleader when she was in high school. What little girl doesn't look up to a cheerleader? I was as far from cheerleader material as you could get, but I went to cheerleading camp just because I wanted to see Elizabeth. She taught a dance to Runaround Sue. A dance that I failed miserably at doing...but it was almost better because I got so much private attention.

Vacation Bible School and cheerleading camp are LONG past for me, but I'm thankful that is not true for my relationship with Elizabeth. Now a Godly wife and mother to her own beautiful little girl, more recently, she has become one of my biggest cheerleaders with her encouragement and prayers.

Congratulations, Elizabeth! I'm thrilled that you won this book! Please email me your mailing address so that I can get your book in the mail to you. My email address is on my profile page.