Back to God's Country!

I hope you have not been waiting with baited breath for my next blog post because I am afraid that you, my friend, may now hold the Guiness record for holding your breath! So here I am on this lovely, well cloudy, fall day in Vermont waiting to get on a plane to go home for Thanksgiving break! I simply cannot believe that the time has come for me to head back home for a holiday. This fall has literally flown by and my time in Vermont can only be summed up in a bunch of adjectives: awesome, fun, stressful, happy, sad, anxious, frustrated, jubilant, and wonderful. As you can see I have had a gamete of emotions this fall and they have been wonderful and frustrating all at the same time. It's difficult to describe. I have loved seeing the fall in Vermont and have had an amazing time getting to know the women of the Lambda chapter and also getting to meet Theta royalty. At the same time it has been extremely challenging and difficult at times. Maybe I just need a break or I am completely overwhelmed with grad school applications and the very close deadline, but I needless to say, need a break! Life has been going 100 mph lately and I'm ready to set the cruise on at a comfortable 65 mph for the next couple of weeks. I am so excited to go home to ND! I can't even tell you. I love Vermont, I love that it is liberal, I love that vegans run wild and rampant, I love the mountains and I love interesting folk that meander around downtown Burlington but I'm ready to go home for a while. I miss conservative ND where nothing seems to have changed except for the number of oil wells that have been erected in the last couple of years. I miss a big juicy steak fresh off of the ranch. I love that you would probably be jailed in Killdeer if you were a vegan, that, or you would starve. I miss The badlands, I have seen a lot of pretty places but nothing takes my breath away like those colored buttes. I especially miss the down to earth, genuine folks who wave at every car that passes by and know me and my high school basketball statistics by heart even if it was almost 5 years ago. I miss home and I am so ready to go back.

Ross and Sarah get Hitched!

2 Blogs 1 Day .:. Can you dig it? Me neither....okay more updateing....

FINALLY! The day came for Ross and his wonderful, amazing, fiance, Sarah, to get married!!! We have literally been waiting for this wedding allllll year and the time had finally come for Ross to get a wife and for me to get a sister (whoop whoop!). The rents and I travelled to Fort Collins about five days before the wedding began. Those five days flew by as we were helping to prepare for the wedding, welcoming family into Colorado, and pretty much just having a great time.

On Thursday, July 1st, Ross and Sarah held seperate Bachelor/Bachelorette parties. Sarah's best friend Katie and her fabulous mom put together a great dinner for all of the women in attendance at a country club in FC. We ate, drank, and were merry! We also played a couple of fun Bachelorette games. One was answering questions about how well you know the couple and I don't want to brag or anything, but I won! Ha! After the dinner with all of the ladies we went to a local bar that had swings for bar stools. It was pretty cool. Late the guys came over and we all just sat around and visited and had an overall great time!

{Cousins (Me, Emily, Catie) ready to kick off the Bachelorette partay}

{Nothing says "I'm ready to party" like a boot. Sarah has a stress fracture in her foot, but was still ready to have a good time.}

Friday was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Katie's amazing family had all of us over to their house and we had a big bbq complete with backyard games. I don't think any Walker family event would be complete without some sort of game or competition. It was a great night with a gorgeous sunset and fun people. We were ready to go with the wedding!

{Double Rainbow! Just a perfect completion to the awesome Rehearsal Dinner}

Finally, Saturday the big day was upon us! I went over to Sarah's mom and sister's apartment at about 8:30 and we started getting ready for the wedding. We had a great time just putting on make-up and doing everyone's hair. After we got ready, we went to the park where Ross and Sarah were getting married and took some fun pictures. We went back to the apartment and just hung out until the limo came and picked us up. The limo finally rolled up and we all trekked downstairs from the third floor. I was wearing these cute little heels and all of a sudden as I was walking down the stairs made of rock granules I trip and skidded down at least 3-4 stairs. Pretty typical Alyssa move. I wasn't hurt just a couple of nice scrapes on my knee and shin. Just so you know band-aids photograph beautifully during weddings. It was a pretty good laugh at least! We got to the circle at Colorado State (this gorgeous lawn lined with trees between all of the buildings) where the wedding took place. Ross and all of the guests were there waiting for us. We pulled up and as soon as we got out of the limo the wedding started. We had to walk at least three miles down the sidewalk a.k.a. aisle - seriously looooooongest wedding walk ever. Ross hadn't seen Sarah until the moment that she walked down the aisle and it was a pretty great moment! I was a blubbery mess during the entire wedding. It never fails, I always cry. But overall it was such a gorgeous wedding and so well meant. There was a really special part where the preacher mentioned that Ross had told him that he wanted a marriage like my mom and dads and commended them for making it work and having such a great relationship...uh cue waterworks now... so sweet.

After the wedding, the entire bridal party piled into the limo and went to one of Ross and Sarah's favorite places to eat in Fort Collins, Big City Burrito. These burritos are huge, but they are soooo yummy! We ate our burritos, piled back into the car, then headed to the reception. The reception was sooooo much fun. Serioulsy, the dj was the best that I had ever seen. There was one point where every single person their was in the congo line. It was so so so much fun! We danced and danced and danced! Overall, fun times had by all.

{First Dance.:.Awwww}

{Air Guitar Contest, pretty much the highlight of the night.}

Ross and Sarah are so absolutely perfect for each other and I couldn't find two greater people. They literally fit together like a puzzle and were put on this earth to be together, okay that was super cheesey, but very true. I am so blessed to finally have Sarah as a sister! Now the girls out number the boys in our family, and let me say, that's a good thing! Plus, now Ross and Sarah's dog Mack isn't illigitimate! Yay! So happy for you both and love you bunches!

Lyss

Summer Recap

Hello Hello!

Here I am again this time from my brand spanking new apartment in Burlington, VT! I can't believe that I am FINALLY here after what seems like a million years of discussion, training, and more discussion this summer about coming to Vermont, I and my ELC pal, Mallory have arrived! But before I start sharing VT stories, I must update you on my life since I last posted in April. I think I'm getting worse at blogging since I decided to make it a point to be better at blogging...so is life!

Okay, so before I left the face of the planet, I was in Indy living at HQ and having a blast! The four consultants who returned for our second year all lived together in Indianapolis and had a blast! Here are some highlights of the summer...

• Hil's Bday Surprise: In May, we celebrated Hilary's 23rd birthday! We had a super fun time! Matt, Hil's boyfriend, Mallory, and I planned a surprise party for Hil. Mal and I decorated Matt's hotel room while Matt and Hil went to a street fair. We went all out...streamers, silly string, a pinata, confetti poppers. She was totally surprised. It was pretty great! Mallory and I even made her a cake, which was decorated quite awesomely if I do say so myself. Mal's boyfriend and two of his friends came to Indy to celebrate with us. I think it will be a birthday that Hil will remember for quite some time! {Pic: Hil and her sweet cake}

• Dave Mathews Band Concert: So, it poured, I mean torrential down pours including thunder, lightening, and wind and we unfortunately had lawn seats so it wasn't as much fun as it would have been if it had actually been nice out. We watched the opening act then the sky literally opened up. We waited it out for two hours and then Dave finally came on. We stuck it out for five songs in the rain then decided to go home. We were sopping wet, tired, and pour Justine had a really bad cold, so it was time to head our. It was a good show, but I wish it wasn't raining so we would have been able to stay for the whole thing. Regardless, it's a good story :) {Pic -All the ladies before DMB and yes the sun was actually shining before the concert!}


• Indy-500: On a redneck note, we actually attended the Indy 500 as well! Ha! We were told that the Indy 500 is more classic then NASCAR because it's Indy cars, which are mostly European drivers...needless to say, I don't think everyone got the classy memo. BUT, we went, we saw, we conquered. It was a cool experience and hey! I can say that I actually went to the Indy 500! {Pic: Justine and I at the I-500}
  
  
• Nashville: During the summer we also traveled 300 miles to Nashville and met up with our FIJI consultant friend John and his friend Chelsea. Matt was brave and trekked all the way to Nashville with Justine, Hil, and I. We had such a blast. The bar scene in Nashville is awesome because of all of the live music. We went to a ton of fun country bars, a club, and a piano bar [I <3>
  
  
  
  
• Strawberry Festival: Our boss thought that it would be fun to take a little time out of the workday to head downtown to the annual Strawberry Festival. It's not so much of a festival as it is a giant sale of strawberry shortcake, which I have absolutely no problem with. The sales of the strawberry festival help support this beautiful old church that is right on the circle downtown. DELISH!

So these are pretty much the highlights of our summer fun working in Indy! The four of us had such a wonderful time and have gotten so much closer. We are really close friends which is so unbelievably wonderful. In the spring we will all be in Hilary and Matt's wedding and can't wait to make some more memories. Here are some pics of my favorite ELC ladies and I! {Mallory & I - we're based together in Vermont}
{Hilary and I - she's based in Tampa and will be getting married to the wonderful Matt in May!}
{Justine & I - Justine is traveling and leading all of our first year traveling ELC friends!}

I'm going to blog again today! I know! Two blogs, one day...that's crazy talk.

Later,

Lyss

Wrapping Up the Year

Hey Everyone,

To say I have been MIA from my blog lately is probably the world's largest understatement! What can I say, I have been busy! Well, as my cycling instructor would say, "No excuses, Let's GOOOO!", I guess I will have to start from the top and fill you in on all that has happened in the life of Alyssa...

The 2009-2010 school year wrapped up very quickly! I couldn't believe how fast it went! Let me pick up where I left off. When I last blogged (OMG, in March!!!), I was visiting the University of North Florida. The weather once again did not cooperate much for me while I was there, but there was one very sunny afternoon and the women of the chapter held a sisterhood event outside in which they tie-dyed t-shirts. This is my second tie-dye sisterhood event of my year, so let's just say that I am becoming quite the tie-dye connoisseur. The event was held at this absolutely gorgeous nature preserve on campus. The reserve is surrounded by a little lake that students canoe on and run around. It is absolutely gorgeous. Earlier in the day I had asked one of the members if they went swimming in the lake because it was so pretty and she was like, "Oh God NO! There are gators in there!" Naturally, I didn't believe her until I saw this sign... needless to say there was no gator feeding going on.

After Florida, I headed home and went skiing with my family! We went up to Red Lodge in Montana for Easter weekend and had sooooooo much fun! My dad taught my brother and I both to ski when we were young and it is definitely a sport that I will do for the rest of my life. My dad is an awesome skiier and we had a ton of fun exploring Red Lodge. We did not attempt any of the black diamonds, we were sore enough from the blue runs! The weather in MT was absolutely perfect for skiing. It snowed the day we arrived and we had fresh powder all weekend long. It actually snowed the first day we were on the mountain. Dad had purchased these super cheap goggles and he was so excited to test them out. We got to the top of the mountain and our goggles fogged up immediately! So, it was a toss up deciding whether or not you wore the foggy goggles or if you blinked every .002 seconds while snow was hitting you in the face. After the "run of death," dad and I broke down and bought some nice goggles in chalet. They made a huge difference and now I will never ski without them. They were quite spendy though, so we were trying to think of ways we could use the goggles in life. I think dad is planning to take the guard off of the snow blower next winter and just wear his goggles, I decided that mine would be best used for running in the summer. Hey, they serve as sunglasses too! Plus, I run so fast that I get bugs in my eyes all of the time (not!). This gorgeous pic is just one of the runs we went on. I want to go back right now, I'm sure there is snow in June!

After skiing, I drove back with my parents home for a couple of days then headed back out to Montana, but this time a little further west to Missoula and one of my favorite chapters, Alpha Nu. My second visit was just a follow-up to see how well they were doing with the new pilot structure. I am happy to report that they are doing really well and received the Chapter of Excellence award at their campus' Greek awards! Go Theta! Here is a picture of Courtney and Kate meeting me in the airport-this is why they are my favs!

After Montana, I visited UC-Davis in Davis, California. It was fun to be back out in CA! Davis is such a cute community with tons of charm. The women were super friendly and were willing to show me around campus and the community. Apparently UC-Davis is the bike capitol of the world because literally everyone rides their bikes! I have honestly never seen so many bikes in my life. On campus, bikes are whizzing around you and they definitely have the right of way. Bikes are so big that their are even bike round-abouts on campus to control "traffic." Crazy! While I was at Davis, I went to dinner with Sue Gilmore, the Finance District Director in Sacramento. I enjoyed the most amazing steak that I have ever had in my whole life! She also showed me a little bit of old town Sacramento which was really fun!

Is it sad that I have to look at my planner to figure out where I visited after UC-D? Wow, it has been a while since I posted. Okay, so after UC-D, I went to Auburn University to visit my ELC friend Whitney who is based at our newest Theta chapter, Gamma Omega. Our other ELC friend, Lauren, also met up with us in Alabama! Auburn University is located in none other than Auburn, AL. It is the most adorable little town and there is not better school spirit than their is in the south and the SEC! While I was at Auburn we went to the Tiger's spring scrimmage football game. It was a scorching 80 degrees in the middle of April! The game was a ton of fun. We also did a little bit of work while at Auburn. We assisted the chapter in hosting their first ever Founder's Day which was held at an old mansion in Auburn. The property was gorgeous! Thetas from around Alabama came to celebrate the founding of the Fraternity on an adorable tented patio complete with a fountain. It was a lot of fun! We had such a great weekend in Auburn hanging out, exploring, and just relaxing. A big thanks to Whitney for hosting us!

All right, moving on... After Auburn, I visited my brother in Tempe. I was hoping that I could help my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Sarah, with wedding preparations, but she was asked to compete in a track meet in Africa!! How exciting! Sarah picked me up from the airport on Monday, then Ross brought her to the airport early Tuesday morning. We got to hang out for about four hours, but I was so excited that she has received the opportunity to compete internationally. She's kind of a big deal! So, with Sarah gone, Ross, Mack, and I chilled, well mostly Mack and I because Ross still had to go to work (sucker!). But while I was in AZ, we hiked up a new mountain trail, spent some quality movie watching time together, went to a high school track meet, and ate some yummy Mexican food of course. It was a nice relaxing break and it's always good to see Ross.

After Arizona, I headed to DePauw University for my last visit of the semester. Two days into my visit, I got a phone call from my mom saying that my Grandma Viv had passed away. Needless to say, I left Alpha early and flew home to be with my family. Grandma has been sick for sometime and it was such a blessing that she passed away while my mom and her brother and sisters were with her. I am so lucky to have gotten a chance to spend so much time with my Grandma while I went to school at UND. She was such a special lady with the most giving heart. No one ever left Viv's house without a cup of coffee in their tummies. Her door was always welcome to anyone. She will truly be missed, but is still and always will be very loved. My mom's entire family was in Portland, ND for the funeral and we really celebrated Grandmas life. It was unfortunate that we had to meet on such sad circumstances but it was great to reconnect with everyone again and to laugh and share memories of Grandma. She sure made a great family!



Isn't she the greatest! This is one of my favorite pictures of Grandma Viv and I. I was on my way home from Grand Forks and as I usually did, I stopped by Grandma's house. We decided to go over to Shari's and Grandma needed a pair of shades, so naturally she wore mine! :) She's the best!

Because of the funeral, I was unable to attend the End of Semester meeting at Headquarters and wasn't able to say goodbye to my ELC friends who were not returning next year, but I was exactly where I needed to be. Everyone at HQ was so understanding and the ladies were really there for me. I am so thankful for the wonderful people that I work with! I'm so lucky! After the funeral, I drove back home with mom and dad and had a relaxing week just to hang out in Killdeer. It was good to be home and to sleep in my bed. On May 10th, I travelled back out to Indianapolis to work at HQ for the summer. This is where I currently am now! I will give you an update soon (and I mean it!) about all of the fun stuff that we have been doing this summer. We are in our sixth and final week working at HQ for the summer! It has just flown by! On Sunday we leave for Grand Convention in Tucson, AZ! All of our hard work will finally be worth it! Well, I better head to bed, I had an early morning workout this morning and am exhausted!

Peace & Blessings,

Lyss :)

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Hey again everyone,

So once again, I'm slacking on my blogging. Woopsies! Oh well, now I'm back at it so here's another update! When I left off I was heading to Clemson University in Clemson, SC. This was my second visit to Clemson as I was there in the spring for their fall recruitment workshop. This time, I visited for their spring recruitment workshop! It was great to see all of the ladies of Delta Phi again. I just love their southern accents! They kept saying "yes ma'am and no ma'am" to me. It was great. I love the campus pride and spirit that everyone has at Clemson. EVERYONE and I mean everyone LOVES Clemson football and never misses a game!

After Clemson I had a two week break!!!!!!!! It was so nice to be at home for an extended period of time. I felt like I had a real life for a second there. I was planning to get caught up on all of my reports while I was home, but unfortunately, my computer got a virus while I was at Clemson and completely crashed! Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. I OFFICIALLY hate Dell & PCs. From now on, it's Mac all the way. I guess if my computer was going to crash this was the perfect time as I had plenty of time to send it back to HQ so that Heather (I refer to her as St. Heather) could fix it, then send it back to me. I got it back with about five days left at home, so I started working on the Deleware reports, but was no where near as prepared as I had intended on being. My break wasn't completely ruined by my computer debacle, in fact, it was pretty awesome. The first weekend I was home, I traveld to UND and it just so happened that Jennica (one of the ELCs) was visiting my chapter that weekend so I took her to a Fighting Sioux hockey game! It was so fun to see her and to show her around my stomping grounds! While at UND, I also got to see a ton of my friends. It was so fun catching up and giggling like little school girls! The following weekend, Laura and Gerald came to Killdeer, so it was fun hanging with them too!

After my two week break at home, it was time for me to get back to work. I started my journey at the College of Idaho. The College is really pretty and is set in the middle of the mountains (my favorite scenery!). The women of Eta Eta were really sweet and welcoming. They made me feel right at home. Here is a picture of my by one of the beautiful fountains on campus. I just love taking solo pics...not.

After C of I, I decided it was time for another break, I was heading to Florida next and it just so happened that my lovely ELC friend, Whitney was going to be home in Palmetto for the weekend, so I flew down there to hang with her! Palmetto, FL is right on the ocean and is super close to the beach. Whitney was gracious enough to let me accompany her while she laid on the beach each day! Yay! It was so great to see such a gorgeous view and bask in the sun! I had an awesome time seeing where Whit grew up and experiencing the island life, as they are very close to a number of islands. It is so chill and laid back in FL. I'm so thankful that I now have a friend that lives in a tropical place! I will be visiting Whitney again! :)

After relaxing on the beach for a couple of days I visited another one of Whitney's old stomping grounds, the University of Florida! Gator-ville, I mean Gainesville, was great! I felt as if I would run into Tim Tebow at any moment, which was quite alright with me. It was cool hanging with Whitney's sisters and seeing where she spent her time in college! While in Gainesville, I ate at the infamous "Swamp" restaurant and spent waaay too much money in the book story. The awesome ladies of Delta Theta got me a ticket to see a Q&A with Andy Samberg!!!! I had a blast and laughed my butt off! Andy is on SNL and is famous for his music videos like "I'm On a Boat" and "Dick in a Box." Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pics of Andy, so I don't have anything to show you all, but I can assure you it was a good time! The picture to the right is part of the Delta Theta house @ UF.

So, where am I know? Currently, I am at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. The chapter does not have a house so I am staying with the vice-president of administration who has so graciously given up her bed for me while I am here. I have had a great time in Jacksonville. Today, the VPA and I had a break so she took me to a mall nearby. We didn't buy much, but it was fun to walk around and just look. Tomorrow I head home for about a week. This weekend, my mom, dad, and I are planning to go skiing at Red Lodge in MT! I am hoping that there is still snow!!! My mom is coming to pick me up at the airport tomorrow! She took the day off, so I'm hoping we can get some good mom/daughter bonding in and potentially some shopping. Usually where there is a mall, we will conquer it. I have a HUGE surprise for my mom when I get home that I can't wait to tell you all about! But, until then, you will just have to wait! I better go finish my report for Clemson (yes it's late-I blame my computer!). Thanks for reading!

Later,

Alyssa

Half Way Point

Well Hello There Friends!

It has only been 8 days since I blogged last, not too shabby! Go ME! I'm sitting in an airport once again. I'm currently in Indianapolis waiting to get on a connecting flight to Atlanta but unfortunately we are delayed. I was supposed to leave Indy at 12:15 pm and now am not scheduled to leave until 4:45 pm. I'm en route to Clemson University in SC. I should get in to Clemson at about 7:30 if everything goes as planned, but I only will have about 20 minutes to get on my flight to Greenville/Spartanburg from Shit-lanta, sooo I may be getting more of a workout in then I had anticipated! The nice Delta man booked me on a later flight just in case I don't make it (smart, smart man).

Here's an update of my life on the road!

After a break at home I was off to the University of Delaware for recruitment. Newark, DE is becoming near and dear to my heart as I have been here three times in the last five months. I even have my own local hang out (Brew Ha Ha! coffee shop - I know, it's a coffee shop, you're shocked). The great thing about this visit is that I wasn't alone! Justine, another ELC, met me in Delaware! It was so great to see her and not be pulling my hair out on a recruitment visit by myself. I don't mind recruitment because it means that I have less meetings that I have to attend, but recruitment visits always seems to be a bit more stressful than regular visits because 1. You DO NOT sleep 2. Have you ever shoved 100 women into a room for four hours and forced them to sing, clap, and converse while wearing heals? It's not pretty. 3. You eat like crap. 4. Did I mention the lack of sleep? So, after you are done with recruitment visits, you are one happy camper! Recruitment at Delaware was actually pretty darn good. The ERB (the chapter members who plan recruitment and who you spend 95% of your time with on recruitment visits) was a ton of fun and were super duper organized! This was the most organized recruitment that I have ever seen. Plus they did such a great job! The chapter made quota plus! Yay!!! If I have to go back for a fourth time, I think they might start charging me rent, so let's hope not! :) Although, I wouldn't mind a Grande Mocha at Brew Ha Ha!

After Delaware I flew to one of my favorite places in the whole wide world...Missoula, MT. I love love love the mountains and cannot get enough of them. I ran outside everyday and just gazed at the scenery (yes, I almost got hit by a couple of cars, don't judge.). It was a ton of fun to see all of the chapter members again. They remind me so much of Theta at UND, it's not even funny. I'm excited to come back in April. I promised some of the members we would hike "M" Mountain again. I better continue this running business. The "M" is quite the workout!

OK-I have to interrupt this rousing rendition of my visits to tell you about THE LOUDEST THROAT CLEARER EVER! This women is sitting behind me and she has seriously cleared her throat like 50 times in the 45 minutes that I have sat here. We're not talking a little cough, she's a hyena! She's scaring people. I hope she has a throat left...eeek! Okay, back to the real business...

So, why am I in Indy you wonder? I flew here after MT for ELC Interviews. No, I didn't have to interview again, they are actually letting me stay for another year (I know, I was shocked too!). Twelve Thetas from across the US flew to Indy to interview to be ELCs during the 2010-2011 school year. The women that interviewed were great! I can see many of them fitting right in with the four of us that are returning (Malory, Hil, Justine & me). I did have my favorites, so I'm hoping they make it, but the final decision is not up to me (I know, I think it should be too). The candidates should find out in early April if they received the position. I am hoping that we find out a bit earlier! So excited for next year! Interviews were fun, but it was even more fun hanging out with my ELC family. We haven't seen each other since December so it had been a while! We were all our goofy old selves again. It took a while for us to all figure each other out at the beginning, but now that we have, I don't think we have had a serious conversation since the beginning! I wish all of these girls could come back next year :(. Another exciting thing that I learned while at HQ is that I'm staying on for the summer! The four returners are all going to work at HQ and help prepare for Grand Convention in June! So, I will be done with traveling at the end of April, get about two weeks to head home and chill, then come back to Indy and work until the middle of June! I'm pumped to not only get paid during the summer (those student loans do not pay themselves) but to also get to live in one place, besides Killdeer for more than a week! Yes! I might actually feel like a real life adult (let's get for real...).

Well, I better start working on one of the four reports that I have to get done! Bah! They are never-ending! I turned one in only about a week and a half late...whoopsies! I'm sure the chapter was sitting on pins and needles waiting for it (Riiiiight). I hope all is well where ever you may be.

My next airport day is on Sunday, so I'm going to write "blogging" in my To Do List...hopefully I remember! If not, catch you on the flip side.

Lyss

P.S.~ I am now counting how many times LTCE (Loudest Throat Clearer Ever) makes a jostling noise...I'll keep you posted. :)

I'm Back!

Hi,

I'm back after a short hiatus. I guess I'm already not living up to my New Year's resolution-dang it! Life just gets so busy and I always feel like my late reports (also a NY resolution-oopsies!) take precedence over my blog. But here I am again sitting in an airport with a little bit of time to update my friends and family on my life.

So where did I leave off...oh yes, Ohio Wesleyan.

After OWU, I traveled to the Northeast and visited Yale for recruitment. The campus was absolutely beautiful. It was literally like stepping into a Harry Potter movie, the visit, well that was...interesting. The women were great, but recruitment just gets really stressful, especially when you have to teach them a lot of things that they should have already known about...

Needless to say, I was pretty tired and ready for a break after that visit. Next, I headed to the Finance Conference in Dallas, TX. The conference (minus the whole numbers/finance thing) was a lot of fun. I got to reunite with not only the three other ELCs that are coming back next year (Justine, Mallory, & Hilary), but I also got to see my big sister Kendra! Kendra is a finance advisor for Gamma Nu (NDSU). We had an awesome time catching up and giggling. I guess I learned a little bit about finance too ;). This is a picture of us in our Business Cas...gotta love it!

After the conference, my cousin Catie picked me up and I hung out with her for a few days at her house in Sherman, TX. Catie works at Austin College and it was a lot of fun to see her stomping grounds! Catie is in the process of interviewing for graduate schools for student affairs (the same thing that I want to go into). I'm hoping that she gets into a great school, can put in a good word for me, then we could live together and go to school...in my perfect world I guess. Ha! Anyway, it was so wonderful to see her and I'm so glad that we got to hang out! She's soooo much fun! Oh, another fun little thing that I did while in TX with Catie was getting my first tattoo! Yup, pretty wild! We were driving on the highway and I saw a tattoo parlor on the side of the road, and decided that this was the most opportune time to get my tattoo. The place looked a little sketch from the outside and I told Catie that if I walk in and there is no usage of gloves, I'm running for the door, so be prepared. The exterior did not do this place justice, because it was actually pretty nice and quite cleanly. I'm sure they passed all of their health department tests. If not, I will be blogging about the hepatitis that I caught from getting a tattoo soon (let's hope not!). Anyway, I got two stars on my ankle between my Achilles and my ankle bone. Hopefully, I will take a picture and post it on here. The only problem is every time I take a picture it looks like I have a weird Cankle. I swear I don't. I have very nice defined ankles, they are one of my best features, but every time, I take a pic, I get the cankle effect. I swear the camera always adds ten pounds no matter what you are taking a picture of. I'll try to get a good one, then I will post it, I promise.

After Dallas, I took a nice long break at home in Killdeer for about 10 days. It was absolutely glorious and I was actually pretty darn productive. I didn't get both of my reports done and hence have one that is about 3 days late now (Again, I hate NY resolutions) but I did get a lot of other things done. One of them being SHOPPING with my mom. We went to Dickinson and got some amazing deals at Herberger's (a small department store). I got four pairs of shoes: strappy sandals for the wedding, nice brown Born boots (so cute and a great deal!), grey booties, and black flats! I also got a leather coat for like $15, a cute top, and a UND sweatshirt for only $15! plus two pairs of earrings! I also got a clock and a wedding gift! My mom is seriously the greatest bargain shopper in the world! I got all of this stuff for less than $200! Amazing! After our spending binge, we decided to plan a 51st Bday/Superbowl party for my dad. How luck is he that his Bday was on the Superbowl!? We invited a couple of friends over, pigged out on food, and watched the Superbowl. We also made dad open up gifts in front of everyone, which he absolutely hated, ha ha! The things mom and I make him do! Anyway, my time at home was wonderful, but it was time to get back to work...

So, here I am, just leaving a recruitment visit at the University of Delaware. This is my third visit to UDel and I have really grown to love the little town of Newark! It is such a great little college town with an adorable Main St. (Yes, it's actually called Main St.). The best part of this visit is that I didn't have to do it alone! I met my friend and fellow ELC, Justine, in Delaware! It was so much fun to have her there to survive the ridiculousness that is recruitment. The women of Zeta Tau (UDel) did an awesome job, I'm so proud of all of their progress and hard work! They are so cute and fun! I hope I can visit again. Currently, I"m sitting in the airport sipping on some coffee (typical) getting ready to fly to Minneapolis. From Minneapolis, I head to one of my favorite chapters in the whole wide world, the University of Montana!!!! I'm so excited to see all of these ladies again, I visited last semester for pre-recruitment prep and recruitment. They remind me so much of my Theta chapter that it's not even funny. There is actually a girl there that looks and acts exactly like my friend Jessie! I always feel so at home when I am there! It will be quick visit because they changed their officer structure so it's a bit smaller. Smaller officer structure means less meetings for me (I'm not complaining), so it will be a four day visit as opposed to our normal 5 day visits. On Friday, I head back to Indy for ELC interviews. I'm pumped to be the ones who are not super nervous at interviews! It will be cool to see the future ELCs that I will be working with next semester! I also CANNOT wait to see all of the ELCs! It has been a while since we were all reunited (December). After interviews, I'm rolling out to Clemson University for a pre-recruitment prep visit. This is another return visit that I'm excited for! Clemson is an adorable campus and I really enjoy SC. Perhaps, I will come back to ND with a southern accent? Hmmmm.... Then, I'm on another break! Yes! I get into Bismarck on my mom's birthday (February 28) at about midnight. I will stay at Laura and Gerald's house for the night, then drive home on Monday. I'm home from February 28-March 15. I'm excited for a loooong break and to catch up on some much needed sleep (and working out) that I lost/didn't get to do during recruitment. Well that's all that I have for now. My next airport day will be Friday, so hopefully, I can remember to fulfill my NY resolution and type up a synopsis of my Montana visit.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lyss

University of Western Ontario & Ohio Wesleyan University

Pretty building on campus at the Univ. of Western Ontario.

Aries. We did not get along.

See weird milk...

The members at Ohio Wesleyan University banging pots and pans welcoming their new members! It was pretty chaotic!

Oh Canada!

Hey Friends!

I just arrived at Yale University by way of Canada! I got to New Haven, CT yesterday afternoon and will be staying here until Friday. I'm currently visiting for formal recruitment. Canada was so cool! I arrived in London, Ontario on Tuesday. The city of London is really old and pretty. There are tons of cute little Victorian style houses everywhere. I stayed at an apartment with three officers. It was really fun to get to know them and to learn more about the differences between Canada and the U.S. I was surprised to realize how different the countries actually are. Being from ND, it seems like Canada is almost just another state, not another nation completely. I know that's a very American way of looking at things, which is so wrong, but soon did I learn all about Canadian politics, economy, and health care. All very interesting topics. I also loved that all food packages were in English and French, it made me feel like I was in Europe. Another weird thing is that the milk in Canada doesn't come in jugs or cartons. Instead, it comes in little bags and you cut the corner of the bag then put it in a milk container...very strange. It was also weird to see that gas was only 98 cents. Little did I know that it was 98 cents per Liter not per gallon (duh). I am terrible at the metric system and still don't know the exact conversions! Math is certainly not my strong suite. The only bad part of being in Canada is that one of the members whose apartment I was staying in owned a cat. I am Soooooo not a cat person. I mean, they're fine animals, but to be honest they are huge bitches. Seriously, I feel like cats are the most narcissistic animals on the face of the planet. Dogs on the other hand, really are man's best friend. Oh well, I survived the ridiculous cat who sat on the fridge the majority of time then swatted at your head as you walked by (why you would want to own a cat is beyond me).

My first time going through Customs was interesting to say the least. Going into Canada wasn't too bad (apparently no one is looking to attack Canada), going into the U.S. was redic. I flew from London to Toronto and went through customs in Toronto. First I had to find Customs, which is a feet within itself. Then I had to pick up my bags and fill out a claims form. I wheeled my bags to Customs, the guy asked me what I was doing in CT (try to explain my job to a Custom's official!), then dropped off my bag and went through security again. I put my stuff in the plastic bins like I usually do before they put them through the metal detector, Helga (the mean guard) yelled at me for not taking my computer out of it's case and not putting my computer in a separate plastic bin, and was very angry when I didn't put my shoes on the conveyor belt first. Then I went through the metal detector, then had to have a full body scan, THEN one of the agents went through the entire contents of my bag AND made me turn on my camera, flip video camera, and computer. Apparently, I was suspicious looking. I had about 2 hours to board my next flight, so it really didn't bother me going through this much security, more than anything I was just shocked at how detailed they were. I'm really glad they are though! I would do it all again twice if it means keeping crazies off of the plane. I guess the next time I fly internationally will go much more smoothly now that I know what to expect.

Currently, I'm in "Gun Wavin" New Haven, CT. I was told that it's pretty safe around campus, but not to go beyond campus in any direction. The member that picked me up was like, "Living in an unstable neighborhood is kind of great because it gives us an opportunity to do a lot of service work." I guess that's a positive way of looking at it. I, on the other hand will be sticking to the campus boundaries. I have two meetings left tonight, then hopefully I can catch the Vikings/Saints game! I'm rooting for the Vikes! I don't think I have ever really cheered on any football team besides the Patriots and I don't think that this type of cheering was for the right reasons (let's face it Tom Brady is Deee-lish), but I'm breaking out and going for the "hometown" team! I love how the state of ND is pretty much equally divided in cheering for either the Vikes or the Broncos because it is the closest metropolitan area 10 hours east or west of us! But anyway, SKOL VIKINGS!

Later!

Lyss
(Not too shabby at keeping my resolution huh?!)

Here We Go Again!

Hi Friends!

Currently I'm sitting in the Milwaukee airport waiting to board my 2:25 p.m. flight to Detroit, then I roll out to London, Ontario, Canada!

I have completed my first visit of the semester and it was a good one!

I visited my friend and fellow ELC, Hilary's chapter at

Ohio Wesleyan University.

I helped the ladies out with their recruitment and they did quite well!

They welcomed 8 new members to their chapter last night.

Some HIGHLIGHTS of my trip...

1. My first visit to Steak and Shake - the world's greasiest,

yummiest hamburgers and delicious chocolate/strawberry milk shakes.

I think my arteries are clogged after just writing that...

2. Staying in a hotel in a KING sized bed.

This is a luxury while on the road.

3. The hotel I stayed in had those personal waffle makers.

I cannot tell you how much I love them.

4. I almost completed one of my reports!!

{Hopefully I will finish it in the airport today}

[Hopefully]

Now I'm just sitting and waiting, then rushing to my flight.

Once I get to Canada, I will be shutting my phone down.

For a whole three days...

I will survive.

I am excited to finally use my passport!

I got it last summer and have yet to travel internationally.

Until now!

Hopefully the next stamp I get will be to somewhere even more exciting.

I'm shooting for Europe.

Or

A mission trip somewhere cool like Belize, El Salvador, or Africa.

We'll see!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Tuesday!

I'm going to go catch some lunch {and work on that report}!

Happy Tuesday!

Lyss

Some Images of the last four months...

The Bean in Chicago with ELC friends Whitney (L) and Lauren (R).

Thanksgiving with the Fam in Vegas. The fam (my faves) with Blue Man.

A Theta Christmas tour at the Alpha chapter at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN! Family Photo Op. Top to bottome: Taryn, Whitney, Jill, Justine, Hilary, Mallory, Me, Lauren, and Jennica.

Lauren and I with a gigantoid Elmo on Michigan Ave. Notice my giant Forever 21 shopping bag...I did well.

Yes I'm Alive

Hey All,

I was reminded recently that my blog was "looking a little dry." So, I figured I should actually share what I have been up to for the past two months! That's right TWO MONTHS! That is a loooonnng time to not write a post on your blog. Oopsies! Anyway, right now I am in Delaware, OH at Ohio Wesleyan University! We just wrapped up recruitment and will be celebrating Bid Day tomorrow night! The girls did great and it was so much fun to get to hang out at a fellow ELC Hilary's chapter for a couple of days. The ladies here are so unique and really know how to be themselves. It's been such a fun visit, I hardly feel like I"m working!

I will by at OWU until Tuesday morning then I head to Canada Eh! That's right our neighbors to the north have four Kappa Alpha Theta chapters. Things I'm excited for in Canada...
1. the words hOUse, OUt, abOUt, Clique, and tea towel...
2. foreign candy that I better not take over the border or I'll probably won't be let back into the US
3. Going through customs for the first time. I seriously have no idea what I'm doing and am hoping I don't get so nervous that I accidentaly tell the Custom's Agent that I'm in the business of producing bombs.
4. Eh. Need I say more.

Things I'm NOT excited for...
1. Shutting my phone OFF, that's right O-F-F, not just silented...OFF. Once I cross the border I will not have access to my fifth appendage. Did you know that if you don't have an international phone plan that text messages are $1 each...received and sent!Phone calls are $1 per minute! This means today alone, I would already be about $141 dollars down just for today. So, my friends, I will be only communicating via email. I might actually have to buy a phone card! I don't think I've done that since 1999.

Anyway, it will be an adventure that I'm looking forward to. So I bet you are wondering what on earth I have been up to for the last 2 months? Here's a quick synopsis since November 4th...

• November 8-12 I was at Michigan State, which was pretty cool. I liked it. I saw their hockey arena...it is sooooo not The Ralph.
• November 12-16 I was at the University of Wisconsin. Highlights~ The house is ON the lake, sweet view. I went to my first Big Ten football game! It was a TON of fun. I think the girls were a little embarrassed by the ruckousness (is that a word?) of the student section (the students start tailgating at 10 a.m.) but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It brought me back to my good 'ol college days. Ha!
• November 16-20. I went back to the University of Delaware for round two. Highlights~ I tried a latte at every coffee shop on Main Street...true story.
• November 20-25 I was home packing for Las Vegas
• November 25-30 Las Vegas w/ the fam for Thanksgiving. Highlights~ Too many to list, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
• November 30-December 5 I was at Allegheny College in Meadsville, PA. Highlights~Cheese dip at the Mexican restaurant...soooo yummy. I stayed at my first Bed and Breakfast ever. I don't know if I necessarily liked feeling like I was renting out a room in someone's house, it was kind of weird. But my bed was soooo comfortable. I seriously could not drag myself out of bed.
• December 5 - 9 I was at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. Highlights~ the school's colors were orange and black (Go Cowboys?) and I met the college's president who used to be the president at UND. We bonded.
• December 9-12 All of the ELCs went back to Indianapolis for our end of the semester wrap-up meeting. Highlights~ We visited the Alpha chapter and saw Bettie Locke Hamilton's grave. BLH is the founder of Theta. It was pretty cool!
• December 12-14 Whitney and I visited Lauren in Chicago!!!! It was sooo fun! Highlights~ Shopping on Michigan Ave, Seeing my first ballet ever (the Nutcracker), making candy, seeing The BEAN and Millennium Park, and taking a picture with Elmo.
• December 14-January 14 HOME SWEET HOME. Highlights~ Being stranded with mom and dad in Killdeer during a two day Christmas blizzard, making snow angels in the blizzard drifts with mom, hanging with friends from home, going to a wedding shower and baby shower all in one weekend, Christmas (my fave holiday!), Christmas with the Sturn's (always a good time), game night with my rents and Cindy, doing my Jillian Michaels workout DVD with my dad (He officially thinks she's a bitch because he has never been so tired in his life) and sooooo much more. I had an awesome break and was honestly sad to have to leave. I'm such a baby when I have to leave my family. Yes, I cried, like always, you'd think I would get better.

So, here's my New Year's Resolution: I'm going to write on my blog once a week. That's right one time...per week. See you next week! I'll be either in Canada (eh!) or at Yale (they're smart, shoot.).

Later friends,

Lyss