Sunny & 95!

Hey Everyone!

It sure has been a while since I last posted! I seem to be only posting on my breaks, coincidence? I think not. Anyway, I am currently in Tempe, AZ enjoying some down time with Ross, Sarah, and of course their Jack Russel Terrier, Mack. The current daily temp in Phoenix has been 95 degrees...in November! How crazy?! I have been here since Sunday and have had a good, lazy time. This is how my days have gone so far...

Mack usually wakes me up at 7 a.m.
We watch the Today show.
We take a nap from about 10-12 p.m.
Eat Lunch.
Play fetch.
Work on some reports.
Take a walk.
Watch TV and wait for Ross and Sarah to come home.

Let's just say, it has been a pretty relaxing break so far. I finished two reports today, but need to get cracking on two more tomorrow because Ross, Sarah, and I are going to go down to Sedona, AZ on Friday to go hiking and check out the beautiful views. On Saturday, we are going to take in the ASU vs USC football game. I am so excited to see a big NCAA football game even though the Sun Devils aren't doing so hot this year! :)

My last three visits have been great and I have even had some celebrity sightings! My first visit after my break was to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. I was there from October 20th - 24th. It was really a neat visit and I enjoyed seeing Pittsburgh, as I had never been before! Plus, Carnegie Mellon is home to Randy Pausch, the author of "The Last Lecture." If you haven't read this book yet, I highly suggest that you do. It is so meaningful and makes you really think about what is important in life.

Next, I went to the University of Iowa in Iowa City. I went a day early so I could hang with my friend Emily Scheich who is going to Law School at the U of I. I really made it in good timing because I arrived on the eve of a Hawkeye football game against Michigan State. I don't know if you have heard, but Iowa has been kicking butt in football this season! On Saturday night, Emily and I met up with some of her Law School friends and watched the game at a local sports bar/restaurant as the game was at MSU. Iowa went on to win the game with literally 3 seconds remaining! It was insane! Everyone was running around downtown cheering and hooping and hollering! It was pretty cool to see the team go 7-0 and make history! They are now 8-0 and ranked 4th in the BCS! Let's hope they make it all the way to play the Gators in the championship game. I always have to root for the underdog! Especially from the midwest! I had an awesome time seeing Emily. We got to catch up and chat and even met for lunch and coffee a couple of times during my visit. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends!

After that little one day break, Em dropped me off at the chapter house and my visit lasted from October 24-29. The girls at the Theta at the U of I were really nice and I thoroughly enjoyed their House Mom who reminded me of my friend Jill's mom Gail! :) While I was in Iowa City, I also got a chance to have lunch with former ELC and current IU Greek Advisor, Melissa Shaub. It was really fun to swap stories with someone who truly understands what this crazy job is all about. She took me to a great local restaurant called Atlas where we ate burritos that had BBQ pork, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes in them and were topped with fried onions. It's a strange combo but so yummy! One day, I also had the chance to dine with Mary Jane Beach, who is Theta's current Panhellenic delegate and is a former Grand Council President. It was pretty great to dine with a Theta celebrity like Mary Jane! Emily joined us for lunch and we enjoyed talking about nerdy Theta stuff as well as life and of course football. It was so much fun catching up with some great Thetas!

My finally visit of this three visit stretch was back to Lawrence University for pilot support from October 29-November 1. The Alpha Psi chapter at Lawrence is one of our chapters that transitioned to a smaller officer structure. We are visiting these chapters twice to ensure that the transition is going smoothly. I enjoyed coming back to this chapter and working with these fantastic women. Another great part of this visit was that I got to stay at a hotel! This is a pretty big perk when you are used to staying in sorority houses or dorm rooms! Not only did my hotel contain not one but two queen sized beds with down comforters, it also was the hotel that the Minnesota Vikings were staying in for the Viking/Packer game! What are the odds?! I didn't get to see Brett Favre, but I did see Vikings head coach, Brad Childress and ran into a couple of other rather large men, which I assumed were Vikings players. I didn't get any autographs because I would rather sit in my bed and watch TV then wait for the Vikings to come out of their hotel rooms, but it was still pretty cool! I think I was the only one in the hotel who wasn't going to the game, but never the less, I enjoyed my stay in the Radisson!

Well, I better hit the hay. Mack's 7 a.m. pouncing wake-up call is going to come early! I have had a wonderful time in Phoenix so far and am really looking forward to this weekend! On Sunday I am back on the road for another three visit stretch...Michigan State, University of Wisconsin, and University of Delaware. After my three visits, I head back home to ND (yippee!) on November 20th. I will be home for about 6 days, then our family is going to Las Vegas to meet up with my dad's side of the family and celebrate Thanksgiving...Viva Las Vegas Style! It should be interesting eating a Thanksgiving buffet, but I'm sure I will enjoy it regardless!

Until the next break,

Lyss :)

P.S.~ My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the three members of the DSU softball team who tragically died this week. It's a stark reminder that we must live each day to the fullest and to be thankful for what we have. ~A