It's Been Way Too Long!

Wow!! It's been way too long since my last post on March 4! A lot has happened. Here is a little play-by-play….

I spent my last month as an ELC visiting many of my focus chapters from the past year. I visited the sisters of Iota Delta at the University of Central Oklahoma and had a wonderful time! They are a chapter of sweet and amazing women! I facilitated a developmental program and met with the chapter officers.

I also visited the sisters of Alpha Eta at Purdue for the last time as an ELC. I have enjoyed getting to know them and work with them this semester. I facilitated a developmental program and met with the chapter officers. My last visit to the chapter went great and I am excited to say I will be staying on Alpha Eta’s National Team as the Recruitment Director.

I also visited the sisters of Sigma Chapter at the University of Iowa. I have had a blast working with this chapter and helping them prepare for recruitment by facilitating their recruitment workshops this semester. They are a great group of women!

I also visited the Gamma Delta Chapter at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, which was cool to visit a chapter in my home state. It was so great to meet these women and spend a few days working with them. Their advisors took me to dinner at Jams, a restaurant I had never been to, and it was so nice to meet them and talk to them.

After my final ELC visit, all of the ELC reunited in Indianapolis to finish up all of our reports and conclude our year of travels. It was so great to see everyone again and we were able to have a lot of fun on our last night together, but it was very bittersweet. Saying our goodbyes on Thursday was very hard, there was a lot of crying, hugging and sentimental moments.

Being an ELC was the most amazing experience of my life. The past 10 months have been life-changing and I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to be an ELC. I feel so blessed to have met all of the amazing sisters from all over the country, to have done the things I was able to do and to see the places I was able to see. “Some say friends pass through your lifetime and they touch you on their way,” my life has been truly impacted by those I met and worked with, my heart has been touched by the kindness and care of the sisters I visited. Every chapter I went to I was embraced by sisters who wanted to learn from me and who were open to letting me into their lives. In my 10 months as a consultant I never once got homesick- I never once felt lonely. I was always surrounded by sisters; I inspired them, and in turn they inspired me. I can honestly say because of the sisters I met, the experiences I had and the lessons I learned as an ELC, I am now a stronger, wiser, braver and more inspired woman than I was when I left Omaha on July 14, 2008. I owe much of that to Alpha Xi Delta. I will miss working those I worked with and I will miss visiting the chapters I’ve really made a connection with. Although I am excited to start the next chapter in my life, I am sad that this chapter has come to an end, it is definitely bittersweet, but I am looking forward to continuing on this amazing journey called life.

Since completing my travels as an ELC, I have been getting adjusted to life back in Nebraska- I bought my first car (Mom & Dad didn’t even have to sign on the line!), a red 2009 Nissan Sentra and I love it!!! It has a smart key that can stay in my purse while I unlock the doors and turn the car on and drive. It is connected to my phone through a Blue Tooth, so when I get a phone call or call someone it goes through my car speakers and I can keep my hands on the wheel. It’s pretty freaking sweet! It’s been nice to spend time with family and friends.

After my last day as an ELC, my family went on a vacation in Florida. We had an amazing time! We arrived on Thursday, April 9 and spent the evening in Downtown Disney then we went to dinner at the Hard Rock Café at Universal Studios. On Friday, we spent the day at Bush Gardens and had a blast riding the rides and just being together. My dad and brothers even convinced me and Stef to ride on this huge rollercoaster that literally went straight up and straight down and had an upside down loop. We went spent Saturday at Discovery Cove, an amazing place where guests can swim with dolphins, snorkel with string-rays (with their barbs removes) and other tropical fish and feed tropical birds (that are so friendly they would land on your hand to eat)- it was so awesome! They had also had fresh-water pool and lazy river. We spent the day swimming and relaxing in the sun, it was great! On Saturday night, we went to T-Rex, in Downtown Disney, for dinner. Colin had spotted the restaurant on Thursday night and really wanted to go there, and we all were open to checking it out. It was a pretty cool restaurant and we had a lot of fun! On Sunday, we celebrate Easter Sunday by attending mass at the Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine. The priest was awesome, the musicians sang beautifully and there were close to 2000 guests at mass. It was a moving and inspirational mass. After church we headed to Coco Beach on the Atlantic side of Florida. We visited Ron John Surf Shop, but then things got a little crazy. It took us a while to find a place to eat lunch, but in looking for a place we witnessed a stripper fight (in front of the strip club called Cheaters) and a few random people yell profanity at us as the drove by. We eventually made it to the Pier and found a great place to eat, right over the water. It was worth the crazy trip!! We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach and playing in the ocean. On Monday, we headed home. It was a great vacation and it was so nice to spend so much time with my family.

Since I’ve been back, I have been working for Kim doing a few projects at the Cooper YMCA in Lincoln and I have been staying with the Pair Family. It has been a lot of fun!! Kim and I are pretty close and I am so thankful she can let me work and stay with her!! I have also spent a few days working at the Sarpy YMCA, with my good friend Shaun, who is the director for the summer program. It’s been fun working with him too!

Last Friday, I hung out with a few of my good friends from my chapter. We went to dinner at Bison Whiches and then Anita and I spent the night at Beth’s. I spent much of the day on Saturday, April 18 with Rho Chapter Sisters celebrating Founder’s Day. I was the guest speaker! It was a great honor and I am happy to report with went great. Founder’s Day was well attended, well planned and went great. It was SO GREAT to see everyone and spend time saying hello and talking to everyone I’ve missed so much.

After Founder’s Day, I headed back to Omaha and we celebrated Easter with the Padilla side of the family, which was so much fun, and again, it was so nice to just spend some time with my family!

Everything’s been going pretty well, I just am getting life reorganized and I’m getting caught up on everything. Tonight I hung out with Liz- we went to dinner and got manicures and pedicures! It’s just great to spend time with my friends too!

I think that’s pretty much it! Sorry it’s so long… I just had a lot to get caught up on! My next post will be pictures from events mentioned in this post! Keep an eye out for it!

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Emmalie