Speak Now

I am admittedly a Taylor Swift superfan.  Anyone who has ever been my roommate when a new T-Swift album comes out can tell you that I play those songs until I have every single lyric memorized.  When Taylor talks about her last album, "Speak Now," she always says that at that point in her life, she was all about saying the things that needed to be said, never holding anything back, and never thinking "what if" about a situation in her life.  She wanted to be so invested and have such a role in her own life that "speaking now" and having intentional conversations with people was important to her.

I feel like that is an area that's become more important to me in my life.  I've never been one to share anything that happens in my life, and don't like to bother other people with my life or my problems.  However, it surprises me every time how much I can learn about a person after sitting down with them.  I've realized and come to appreciate the value that comes from having genuine conversation with people.  "Speaking now" and opening up my heart to someone or telling them my story gives them an insight to the person I am.

Being able to talk to people like Sam, Veronica, Vettie, Jordan, Mark, Grace, Kaelin, Bennett, and Josie this semester has resulted in some of the greatest and most rewarding conversations that I have ever been a part of.  Finding out how much people care about me and genuinely desire to be a part of my life, I realize how blessed and thankful I am for the life I'm lucky enough to live.

I dare ya.

"So wake up and get motivated;
not everybody made it to today. 
Don’t take your time for granted. 
Don’t waste time thinking back to what you could have done differently yesterday. 
Keep your eyes on the road ahead and do it differently today. 
Wherever the road takes you, bring your passion. 
Whatever you do along the way, do it with all your heart."

"If this isn't nice, I don't know what is"

Fall break is one of the greatest things that Drake does for its students.  We get the Monday and Tuesday off of school following midterms week, and it is the perfect break that you didn't even know you needed.  I decided to make the most of it, and went to visit a bunch of my friends who live and go to school in Indiana.  I always say and wish that I could see them more often, so I decided to make the most of my time off.

After my last midterm on Friday, I jumped into my pre-packed car and drove home to Peoria and went to tennis sectionals.  I got a great big welcome home hug from Michelle as she was walking of the courts which was exactly what I needed.  I just love the girl and miss the days when we were both at home after school and would hang out and procrastinate and eat nachos together.  I got to see Coach Shaw and Tiffany and Claire and all the RHS tennis girls.  It reminded me how much I miss being on a team like that, spending all of your time together for an entire season.

After sectionals were over, we went out to dinner as a family.  It's rare and precious time when the four of us are all together these days, but I'm trying to treasure the moments.  It was good to just sit together and talk and eat and share stories and laugh and smile.  I love my family so much and have become even more grateful for them as I've grown older.

Saturday morning, I woke up to pumpkin muffins for breakfast, the epitome of fall, and then headed to Purdue to visit Kellie and camp friends.  Through all the craziness of homecoming and rain and road trip problems, I made it to AXO and got to meet Megan and Katie and Hillary and then go visit Maureen, my high school tennis doubles partner.  I love Indiana and it was great to just hang out and be real life friends with Kel for a while.  We're pretty good at maintaining our long-distance friendship, but it's just more fun to hang out together.

Sunday morning Kellie and I went to church together with her friends and then got to meet up with Jamie and Abby for lunch.  I miss my camp friends so much and all three of these girls have been such big parts of the past two summers for me.  It's crazy that we don't see each other for the majority of the year, but they're still so important to me.

Then I drove off towards Indianapolis, with a detour to Edinburgh Outlet Mall.  My mom and I met up to do some shopping and spend time together since she was on her way to Kentucky for work for the week.  It was great to be together just the two of us for a few more hours while I was back from Iowa.

In Indy, I got to eat Monical's pizza with Sarah and Julia and loved this mini camp reunion.  I loved hearing about Julia's freshman year in high school and being with Sar is always great.  We talked and told stories and quizzed Julia on Tecumseh counselors and then sang new Taylor Swift at the tops of our lungs in the car.  Nothing could have been better.

Since Sar had school on Monday, I got to hang out and have Indy adventures on my own.  I went for an awesome morning run on the Monon, which I am officially obsessed with, did homework at Starbucks, took an afternoon nap, and drove around Indy.  Then I met Sarah at the new HSE junior high building to see her classroom and where she loves spending so much of her time.  She's so good at making it a fun and inspiring environment for learning and writing and creating.

Next on our agenda was HSE Young Life leadership and dinner.  I loved meeting Abby and Ryan and Molly and @kcraiginthehouse and everyone else.  They're such a fun and hilarious group of leaders who are really figuring out what HSE YL is going to be.  Going to club and seeing everyone pumped to be hanging out together is so much of what Young Life is about.  Being there really made me miss it, but also remember how great and impacting this community is.  Seeing camp girls like Maddy and Hannah and Ellie was a great surprise.  I love that they're still walking with God and that it's a priority in their lives, not just a camp thing.

Sarah is such a great friend to be with and I loved that we could hang out in person for a few days.  I'm thankful that she's someone who I can be crazy with, have real talk about life, will encourage me and challenge me, and is constantly a great example of friendship in my life.  So glad that we got to live life together for a while.  We keep dreaming and talking about the day when we will be friends and Young Life leaders together.

On my way back to Peoria, I stopped at Illinois State for lunch with Alyssa.  Neither of us could remember the last time we saw each other, so needless to say, it was overdue.  I love talking to this girl and even though we had so much to catch up on, she just gets me and knows me and my heart and who I am.  I'm so glad that she's so happy at ISU and in AGD and loves life like she's so good at doing.

When I rolled back into Peoria, Michelle had just arrived home and we spontaneously decided to drop by the new Sletten residence for a visit.  They were heading off to gymnastics class, but I loved surprising Lyza and Lucy, seeing Alice and how much she's grown, and just catching up with Summer.  Thankfully, Lyza hasn't forgotten me and we're still best friends, Lucy is obviously as cute as can be, Alice is the cutest toddler, and Summer still loves me like I'm still her high school senior Campaigners girl.

I found this quote on Pinterest and it totally describes this Fall Break for me.  I loved that it was all about seeing friends and catching up and loving them in real life.  It's complicated to have friends all over and so far away sometimes, but it was so "nice" that I had the opportunity to see so many of my favorite people and be reminded of how great my friends are.

Bugaboo

After a little more than a month, I’m finally starting to get back into my routine at Drake.  Recruitment is over, we’re right in the middle of Anchor Splash week, and my Drake life is back in full swing.  I’m trying to make blogging a more consistent part of my routine because I love being able to look back through my posts to see all the things I’ve experienced over the year or semester.

One of the things I miss most when I’m at Drake is this girl. 

I miss being there for all of her tennis and senior memories this fall, but I am thankful that I got to Skype with her before homecoming this past Saturday.  She’s such a beautiful seventeen-year-old in so many ways and I miss that presence in my day-to-day activities. 

It’s weird to think that I used to spend so much of my life with her and she’s a big part of some of my favorite memories.  Camping in the back yard, dancing to ATeens in my room, watching movies on the way to grandma and grandpa’s, going to Young Life together on Monday nights, riding to school together every morning,  and just being sisters and friends all the time.  I miss her incredibly, but at the same time, I'm thankful that in our time apart, I'm realizing how much I value our relationship and never want to let that go.

Love you bugaboo.

week two: Funny quote here.

Things I really liked about week two of year two of counseling:

- Going to opening campfire dressed as different states and seeing which states each of the girls picked, and then how they personified that in their outfits.  

 - Campers getting a blue band at their swim check even when they are extremely nervous and think that they can't do it.  The smile on their face is just priceless and a reward that you can't get anywhere else.

- Watching the Kalepo skit and singing Jabulani at chapel in the Green Cathedral all on the same day and having my campers catch some of my excited energy

- My partner being a guitar all-star at Kettlehut chapel and being so proud of her

-  Freaking out with Maddie and finally figuring out a way to organize the payments and buildings and resources and progress of Uganda and South Africa when we played Will of Nations for the first time in Lake Village

- Watching my campers reach out to other campers who are sitting alone and intentionally getting to know them and be friends with them

- When nobody could recognize who the crazy person was under the afro and I knew all along that she's one of the coolest partners I could ever ask for

- Friday Trading Post where it's just like the good old days mixed with the excitement of Friday night theme dinners mixed with the fact that these teenage girls think that they have to spend every last penny of their Trading Post account

- Closing campfire and the CILT graduation song and watching the CILT counselors direct them so they would stay on beat and be loud enough and leave camp on a positive note

- Seeing old campers like EP and Liv be allstar CILTs and still taking time to run and give me giant hugs anytime our paths crossed

- Olivia and Lauren becoming friends through Mouseamillion and just loving them both so much

"He's a 71 year old man who smells like cat pee"

Week 1 is always a special week.  I’m not really sure why because as counselors, we’re sometimes stressed about getting back into the rhythm of things or just figuring out what the rhythm even is.  The excitement and nervousness and anticipation all collide on that first Sunday staff meeting and when the first camper’s car pulls up to the cabin.  Sharing the excitement with Bre was fun and got me excited about all of the check-in days that we’ll share for the rest of the summer in our blue polos. 

CILT session 1 had a ton of rockstar old Shoshone girls and I absolutely loved running into them all over camp and getting hugs and funny faces and people yelling my name and throwing invisible mice.  Seeing them with their adopt-a-cabins was even better.  It was like a million proud momma moments for the entire session watching them love and lead like it was second nature.  

Week 1 also allowed me to check something off of my Camp Tecumseh bucket list: sleepout on the suspension bridge.  It was extremely windy and much colder than I anticipated and I hardly slept, but it was amazing.  The stars are so beautiful here and made for a beautiful night and fun with my girls and the Paiute girls and Erin.  Erin is phenomenal and I’m so excited to keep getting to know her as neighbors this summer.  

Michelle was at camp for most of the week for staff training for day camp 2012.  She’s going to be an all-star DC and I am so excited for the opportunities ahead of her this summer and just really cannot wait to be in the same place with her for so long, let alone our favorite place in the ENTIRE world.  Maddie Bien’s sister was here for DC too and we decided to be sister friends and do songs at campfires together with our sister-ness.

Another one of my favorite little things about being a counselor is getting to be a part of chapels.  As a camper, I never understood how people were lucky enough to be a part of chapels, and I always wanted to be up there on that stage leading and singing.

Theme nights are fun and 80s nights are fun and together, they’re funfun.  So is Olivia.  I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know her and that she’s here at Tecumseh and loving every single minute, even when things are hard.  

Wanna know what's fun about staff training?

Seeing Jamie again was the perfect way to start off the first day of staff training and the summer of 2012 at the beautiful Camp Tecumseh.  I love this girl more than she knows and I'm so glad that we can even be back together at the same place for the entire summer.  Even though I'll miss her in Lake Village, I know she's going to do a great job teaching those CILTs to be leaders and lovers of Christ.  

 

Our nature day was probably one of my favorites of the entire week.  Mike took our group all over camp to each of the different sleep-out spots, on trails that I never knew existed, and then ended with a hobo dinner cookout and pictures on the giant chair.  Getting to know all of the new staff, and even returners that I didn't know well last summer, was awesome.  Being in this place just makes life easy.  Friendships come naturally and sharing and being yourself is effortless.

Watching and listening to these guys doing chapel practice at night on the picnic tables of Scheumann was one of my favorite "little moments" of staff training.  Listening to the music all together out under the stars was the perfect illustration of what this week was for me.  It was a chance to unwind from the stresses of school and the craziness of real life and be able to enjoy the simplicity of life and nature and God.

Unit and partner pairings are two of the most anticipated events of all of staff training.  It's like in Harry Potter when they put on the sorting hat and learn their fate.  Mary Lang and I spent the two days leading up to the event freaking out and having extreme anxiety about it all, only to end up with amazing partners and getting to live on the same porch together.  My partner Bre is not only my partner, but my sister.  She's a Delta Gamma at Purdue and we are sure to be DG scooping together all summer long.

Day 6: "I'm gonna try not to get emotional, but no promises"

I hate leaving.  If you know me at all, I prolong goodbyes for as long as possible.  I may have mild to extreme separation anxiety, just maybe.  LeaderShape was no exception.  I hated every single thing that was a "last."  Our last meal, my last morning run, our last Inspiration, our last Learning Community meeting, our last family time, taking down the posters in our family room, graduation, watching everyone board the bus to the airport, and then actually driving away.

One of the things I remember most about the last day was during our very last family meeting, Jordan told us to stop for a second, and just take in the moment.  Take note of exactly what we were feeling right then and remember it intentionally.  Just like in my last post, I was feeling so inspired and encouraged that I honestly felt like I could take on issues and problems that would probably normally make me want to cry. The community and culture that LeaderShape built for us and our family was something that I want to continue to develop in other areas of my life like at camp in my cabin, in our unit counselor team at camp, in our DG pledge class, and in our chapter and Greek community as a whole.  The idea of inclusion is so palpable that people rarely hesitate to jump in and share and feel like they're a part of this whole organization.

Being with this family was something that I never expected to gain through LeaderShape, but they have honestly been the greatest thing that I've come away with.   Starting as a group of almost complete strangers, these people have encouraged me and challenged me to reach my full potential and have really gotten to know me in the process.  I love that, through LeaderShape, I have realized that Greek life is more than just my Delta Gamma sisters; the ATOs, AGDs, and DGs in my Lambda Alpha family and my friends who are in different chapters at Drake can all be my brothers and sisters.  For our family, I'm excited for the support group that we will hopefully continue to be for each other.  There's so much that we can learn from each other by sharing experiences and advice and perspectives, and even though I'll miss having that happen in person, I already know these people are important ones to keep around as a part of my life.

I could never thank my chapter enough for sending me to LeaderShape, because I took away way more than I could ever really put into words.  This week actually changed my life in significant ways, and it's been a real long time since that's happened.  I can only hope that my effect on DG is half of what LeaderShape was on me.

I still hate goodbyes and I don't think I'm the kind of person who will ever like leaving somewhere and something that I love.  I hate the idea that we will never all be together in the same place again, but that's what makes is so special.  This unique experience will forever be a part of me and my story, and as much as I hate that it's over, I'm so glad it happened.

Day 5: "Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest." Mark Twain

Each morning of the week began with Inspiration by one of the families, and today was our family's turn to inspire the group for the day.  The lesson for day five was Living and Leading with Integrity.  Integrity is a word that most people know, but few actually understand.  When we started planning for Inspiration, we realized that integrity is a concept that is much harder to describe than we originally thought.  We realized though that our purpose wasn't to teach the entire lesson, it was just to wake everyone up at 8:30 in the morning.  We decided to portray each of the leaders in a comedic fashion to make people laugh and realize that our leaders are real people just like us.  I had the honor of impersonating Sandra, the southern belle from Alabama who has endless stories of recruitment in the south in the 60s, fall versus spring cotton, and an obsession with ChaCha, and I loved getting to talk to her and know her this week.  I wish we could have gotten a video of the whole thing because everyone in our family did a spectacular job and made me proud to be a part of our family.  I think it was the perfect Inspiration for everyone to have a chance to laugh and refresh for the morning after a tense night of StarPower.

The first topic of the day was the difference between ethical and nonethical values.  Ethical values are concerned with beliefs about what is right, and nonethical values are related to things that we like, desire, or deem personally important.  Nonethical values are not unethical values, they're just things that we "like" as compared to things we think are "right."  Values can be determined ethical values if they are about doing the right thing, or if someone with this value would be considered a better person than a person without that value.

Then we separated into our families and had time to identify our own core values.  I love values and thinking about and deciding upon what is really important to me, so this was the start to a fantastic day.  Sharing my values and explaining them to the rest of my group was really helpful as well because I was forced to explain why I feel the way I do and why certain values are extremely important to me.  I loved hearing from the others in my group, and it was cool that a few of us had the same value, but had completely different reasoning behind it.

We also did an activity with everyone about living and leading with integrity.  We talked about integrity and how it's about living a life that reflects your values at all times.  Integrity is difficult because you can't turn it on and off for certain situations; integrity is living the same way and acting in the same ways at all times, no matter the circumstances.  Then, the lead facilitators read off different scenarios and you would join the group (strongly agree, strongly disagree, agree, or disagree) that matched what your actions would be.  The scenarios ranged from going 70 in a 65 MPH zone, turning a friend in for cheating, speeding in a school zone,  and using your school ID for discounts after you graduate.  It was so intriguing to see what group people went to, and then their reasoning behind their decisions.  The entire activity really made me think about what I want to do and what I actually do in certain situations. I love the idea of integrity and it's something that I am really trying to work on.  I want to be someone who stands up for what they believe in, even if everyone is against me.  I don't want to be turning the light switch on and off, I want to be fully committed to integrity.

Later in the afternoon, a bunch of the DGs at LeaderShape went down and sat dockside to the Richard G. Marsh lake for some sister time.  One of the greatest things about LeaderShape has been getting to know my sisters from other universities across North America.  They're all so great and it's fun to hear about the differences among our chapters, and it always made me smile when we do things the same.  Allie, one of the other DGs in my group, has been such a blast to get to know.  She's from the University of Idaho, which just seems so far away from my little life in the midwest.  We ended up being partners sharing about our visions and values and goals and I loved seeing Delta Gamma shine through her and feeling proud to call her my sister.

To start wrapping up our week of LeaderShape, each family had a theme to review, and we drew integrity again.  Lambda Alpha decided to show the Delta Zeta "You're Always Wearing Your Letters" video, which you should watch if you've yet to see it.  We touched a little bit on integrity, but the video really speaks for itself.  For a bunch of Greek students, it was perfect, and our family wrapped up by individually committing to doing something for our chapters or campuses when we return to school, and as a family, "committed to living lives of integrity."

Our last family meeting makes me sad just thinking about it.  I seriously love these guys and I don't know what I'll do without them come tomorrow when we all part and go our separate ways.  To wrap up as a family, we did partner sharing.  We met with each person in our group individually, and had the chance to talk about something that we each could do that would make us more effective, and also share what we admired and appreciated most about each other.  This was easily my favorite part of the entire week and what I will remember the most.  I love feedback from people and hearing what I could do better, but really nothing trumps a true compliment from someone I really care about and appreciate. We started out on the suspension bridge, which Jordan hated, but then it was too dark so we moved into Scheumann and spread out to have family heart-to-hearts.  There's just so much to say about each of my conversations that I could honestly talk about it for an hour, so ask me in person.  For the blog's sake, I'll just do highlights:
-  supporting Alyson and finding common ground
-  raw honesty with Tyler and having the opportunity to exchange praises for each other
-  Sophie being honest with me and opening my eyes to something I was unaware of about myself
-  mutually inspirational and presidential conversation with Doug
-  Mack noticing how important values/morals are to me through my actions
-  easy conversation with Nick about living by example and putting your best foot forward
-  having a funny and just really relaxed heart-to-heart with Jon as if we'd been friends for years
-  Mati admiring my personality and seeing me for more than my first impression
-  Ashley helping me to be gentler and not get swept up in frustration that causes me to make impulsive decisions
-  insights from Allie about times when I get discouraged and withdraw
-  Jordan reminding me that my sisters who know and love DG for hope, strength, and life are the ones who matter and the ones who stand behind me and support me
-  that Jordan could see past my letters and past "do good" and sees me for my personal values and Delta Gamma ritual that I (try so hard to) live out every single day

When people see good things in me, it's the"C" in me to automatically analyze it and prove them wrong.  When Jordan said that he could see how devoted I am to my values and what Delta Gamma stands for, I immediately started thinking of ways that I don't live up to that and times when I've fallen short, but he stopped me and reminded me that that wasn't true, and that as long as I'm "failing forwards," mistakes are okay.  "It's not gonna be easy; if someone tells you that, they're lying."

When someone else believes in you as hard and as much as all of these people do, it makes you believe in you too.  Leaving LeaderShape, I feel on top of the world and so confident, all thanks to Lambda Alpha for loving me and being so invested in my life and success, just as I am in theirs.

Day 4: "StarPower just got REAL!"

This week I decided to start my days by going running early in the morning.  My goal for the summer is to run 2-3 times per week to stay in shape, but also just to prove to myself that I can stick to it for ten weeks and make a habit out of it.  Camp is one of my favorite places to run because since I don't know how far I'm going, I just go and go until I run out of time. Plus it's just so beautiful, peaceful, and the perfect way to start my day.

Day four was all about possibility: realizing that there is endless possibility in every opportunity.  We watched a clip of Benjamin Zander, the author of The Art of Possibility, which I read this past semester.  Although Zander is borderline crazy, it just shows that he's so passionate about the five things that will change your life:

1.  Sit in the front row of your life
2.  See mistakes as "fascinating"
3.  Quiet your inner voice
4.  Live in possibility
5.  Realize that it is all invented

Having these concepts reintroduced, especially in the LeaderShape setting, was great because I realized how each different concept can work in specific situations.  To me, sitting in the front row of your life is like living without missing out on anything.  It's showing up on time, doing what you say you will do, taking the pilot's seat on your life and doing what's important to you.  Living in the possibility is thinking of every situation, problematic or not, as an opportunity for growth.  In any situation, there are endless possibilities that are just waiting to be explored, it is simply up to you to recognize them.

Earthquake was easily one of the weirdest, yet one of the most interesting, group activities that I have ever done.  One of my favorite parts was watching people in my family start to improve their leadership styles: Doug started intentionally asking for the opinions of others, Jon spoke up right away, Mati always made sure we were in agreement before moving on, and it was just so cool to see so much improvement after just a couple days of LeaderShape.  I think it was after this activity that I began realizing how much I loved my family.  We're a great bunch of people.

After dinner, we did StarPower as an entire learning community.  There is really too much to describe, but it was a learning experience for sure.

I learned that in a group of that many people, if my opinion is not the popular one, I feel that it is unimportant.
I learned that the previous statement is completely untrue; individual opinions are always important.
I learned that power is abused easily and absent-mindedly.
I learned that a group starts to fall apart when the leaders fail to see from the point of view of others.
I learned that I withdraw from groups when I become frustrated with the way the group is functioning.
I learned that in order to become a better leader and team member, I need to be conscious of the times when I withdraw and instead, force myself back into the situation and state my opinions, even if they are unpopular.

Day 3: "They call me if anything comes in with an anchor on it!"

Tuesday was easily the most difficult day for me.  I have always been someone who needs steps to follow, a specific plan of action, and be able to accomplish small tasks to eventually achieve the goal at hand.  The task for today was to develop a vision: this giant, pie-in-the-sky goal and ideal of what we wanted the world to be like in a handful of years.  Now, I already have a problem thinking about what I'm going to do with my life come school in the fall, so thinking of how I want the world to be different was one of the biggest brain-stretching moments for me.  After much thinking, I decided that I wanted to focus on changing the views of Greek Life on college campuses and in the surrounding communities.  After sharing in pairs and groups in my family, I got a better handle on what I really wanted because they were able to tell me things I was thinking, but couldn't really articulate.

Then we had lunch and a break, so Kelsey, Caroline, and I went on a walk so I could show them all around camp.  I loved talking to these sisters who I'd just met two days ago.  We are strangely so much alike and I loved hearing about their chapters and the differences and similarities to mine.  Walking and talking with them was a good and much needed break from vision-development, and it made me so thankful that I'm a Delta Gamma.  I felt like we had been friends since the beginning of freshman year and I love them just like I love any of my Drake DGs.  

After our walk, it was back into the thick of vision-development.  The next step was to create a headline and newspaper story for 10-15 years into the future as a report on the status of our vision being accomplished.  At first, this seemed to be pretty simple, and the majority of people wrote their articles, had them approved, and were finalizing them on giant poster board, but I was not on the same path.  I struggled to focus on my own work and started worrying that my vision wasn't really that great and that it would be too common and over-done.  I got caught up in my own down-spiral, falling backwards quicker than I was realizing.  Although this sounds dramatic, I felt like I was having a mild panic attack, just not sure what to do or where to go or what steps to take next.  Apparently it was pretty obvious that I was struggling because Lorie, a DG who works in the Delta Gamma Executive Offices, came over and asked me if I was doing okay, and even though I said I was fine, she knew well enough that I wasn't telling the truth.  She spent the next ten minutes talking through my vision with me to help me better understand what direction to go next.  I could not be more thankful that Lorie cared enough to take the time to sit down with me, calm me down, and help me back on track to keep moving forward.  

That night, we were able to have dinner with executives high up in each of our respective fraternities and sororities.  The DGs got to eat with and hear endless stories from Laurie Roselle, VP of Fraternity Programming at Delta Gamma Executive Offices.  She is so dedicated to and passionate about serving others and has continued her Delta Gamma career past her collegiate years, becoming more and more successful in each endeavor.

Things I don't want to forget about today:
-  using the "Five Why's" to figure out what I am really passionate about
-  stretching myself and really thinking out of the box to develop my vision
-  learning that best way to gain supporters of your vision is to develop a commonality

Day 2: "Oh my gosh! I had no idea pigs actually oinked.."

Day 2 of LeaderShape started off with a team challenge course, which we did as families.  I absolutely love team building and challenge courses and being outside at camp, so I was beyond excited for the morning's activities.  Lambda Alpha did such a great job at becoming both a team and a family through all of the challenges, and we had a great time and laughed along the way.  My favorite moments:

-  watching us improve our teamwork more and more through each challenge
-  gaining confidence after completing the height arrangement on the silent log
-  when I wasn't able to say anything during the spider web challenge since I'd done it before, and watching the rest of my family figure it out so quickly
-  "delivering" people through the spider web holes
-  mastering family communication during the dots in the square
-  getting to talk to Meg about summer and getting to know her better
-  Mack shimmying through the snake knots
-  having to say banana before and after anything I said after being bit by the sticky snake
-  being united, figuratively and literally, as we walked across the parking lot
-  always being ahead with Matt and Doug, and finally succeeding when the guys all had their eyes closed
-  never giving up as we tried a hundred different ways to fit thirteen people on top of a small box, a tiny box, and an even tinier box
-  Alyson being shoved in the middle of all of the guys on the tiny box
-  "hug it out" circles of girls in the middle of the box
-  when our family all collapsed off of the smallest box together because we were determined to conquer the last task and finish as champions

After lunch, we completed a personality/leadership assessment to figure out which of four categories most reflected ourselves.  I scored highest in the C category,which stands for conscientiousness.  When I read the description for conscientiousness, I was more and more appalled at how accurately each descriptor was an accurate explanation of myself.  Phrases like "analyzing performance critically, using a systematic approach to situations or activities, values of quality or accuracy" I immediately agreed with, and others made me think a little bit, but ultimately made me realize that the test results truly reflected my personality. After everyone finished their assessments, we separated into groups based on your highest scoring letter and had the chance to talk about the positives and negatives that our particular personality type can bring to groups, teamwork, and even how we function in our daily lives.

Although I love all of the programming that we do and our family discussions, my favorite part of today was free time when I had the chance to walk around camp with Caroline, Brandon, Ernest, Lorie, and Jordan and answer unending questions about Tecumseh.  I liked that I was able to share my love for Tecumseh with all of them and see how obsessed they all were with the mini farm animals.

That night when we were all finished, Grace McGill and I decided that a visit to Ghost Cabin would be the perfect Tecumseh adventure for a small group of us. A little bit after we started walking, Grace and I both realized that neither of us were 100% sure of how to get there, but we were totally up for the adventure.  The guys were not pleased that it took us almost half an hour to get there, and that when we did arrive, Ghost Cabin wasn't actually a cabin and the ghosts weren't there.  We let the boys lead the way back, and Grace and I quickly fell behind, turned our flashlights off, and hid behind the chimney until the guys started freaking out that we were hiding in bushes, waiting to attack them or something.  They kept moving as we hid and plotted to get back out of the woods a different and quicker way than them.  However, neither Grace nor I have great sense of direction in the woods at night, and we ended up first at south pasture, second almost down by the mud hike pit, and finally came out by the slides at the lake and still managed to sneak up the hill and scare the rest of the group.  I loved the adventure and fun of it all and running around with Grace, just being glad that we were back at Tecumseh again.

LeaderShape! Day 1: "Are you Sarah from Drake?"

So often, I feel like I have three completely separate parts of my life.  I have my Peoria life: my family, my high school friends, my friends who are still in high school, my church family, the Slettens, and just plain familiarity.  I have my Camp Tecumseh Life: my RV and LV camper memories, friends that I was campers with, campers I was a counselor for, my old counselors who I now work with side by side, co-counselors who have become best friends, the greatest atmosphere and most beautiful workplace a girl could ask for. I have my Drake life, which is the one that seems to be changing the fastest: my classes, the familiar places, Des Moines Young Life and Wyldlife, Hope, Delta Gamma and my sisters, Honor Board, dorm life, and the familiarity and newness all at the same time.

I think this feeling is just part of being college-aged, but I really don't like it.  I wish that my friends in all parts of my life could all be friends too, and that my favorite parts and people from each section of my life could come together and that everything could just happen all at once.  But obviously, that's not practical.

However, every once in a while, all of the stars align and I have a day where all three parts of my life collide for a split second.  This morning, I got up to finish packing for LeaderShape and to take a couple pictures with my family before they left for church.  This is one of the few days that we'll all be together as a family for the summer with my mom traveling for work, my entire summer spent at Tecumseh, and a few weeks at Tecumseh for Michelle too.  I love them so much and am thankful for the time we spend together, but I'm more thankful that they love me enough to know that Tecumseh is where I need to be for the summer.

After pictures, I hopped in my Vera Bradley-packed car and headed off to LeaderShape, a leadership conference through DG, which was coincidentally held at none other than the YMCA Camp Tecumseh.  To be honest, I was way more excited just to be at camp that I was for the week of leadership-learning that was coming my way.  As soon as I got to camp, I walked around for a while, just so happy to be there.  I accidentally walked in on a coordinators' planning meeting and got to see Jamie and Maddie and so many other familiar faces.  The accidental interruption was so great and instantly made me so much more excited for CT2k12, which I did not even think was possible.

After walking by Shoshone for the first time this year, I headed back to the TLC to officially check in for my week of LeaderShape.  I walked in to be greeted by Sandra, one of the Lead Facilitators.  I told her I was Sarah Mooney, and immediately someone blurts out, "Are you Sarah from Drake?"Apparently I looked confused, so he continued by introducing himself as Jordan, one of the ATO recruiters coming to Drake in the fall to charter a new chapter on campus.  After putting all the pieces together, we chatted for a second, and he said, "Well, we need to become best friends this week."  And right then, my attitude started changing and I knew that this week was already going to be better than I had expected.

After unpacking, I went back to chat with Sandra, Jordan, and some of the other facilitators and students.  Talking about southern sorority recruitment during the 60s, ChaCha, fall and spring cotton, and just getting to know each other was the perfect way for me to open up and branch out right away, already starting to accomplish my personal goal for the week.

Right before we were about to start programming for the afternoon, Sarah Wright and Carolyn Kata showed up at the TLC and Grace McGill and I got to see them for just a quick minute.  I love mini camp reunions like this because there's just lots of hugging and smiling and "so glad to see ya" that it just makes you happy.

During the first big group meeting of all forty-nine students in the "Learning Community," we broke up into smaller groups to come up with community ideals and behaviors.  It was cool to see that so many of the same themes and ideas were present on each group's list.  Next, we were split up into four "clusters" with one "Cluster Facilitator" that we would do small group work and discussions with for the remainder of the week.  I was happy to be placed in Jordan's group after meeting him earlier in the afternoon.

One of the first things that we decided in our "cluster" was that we would call ourselves a family, because that's what we wanted to become by the end of the week.  We made family rules, decided to call ourselves Lambda Alpha, made a cheer, and got to laugh and start building our family community. We jumped right into getting to know each other when we all had to draw a representation of our lives. It was like a getting-to-know-you game on steroids; we all shared where we'd come from, what has made us who we are, and how we got to the place we are now.  I really enjoy sharing and talking to people I know about my life, but when it came to a group of 13 people I'd only met five minutes ago, I was extremely hesitant and not ready to be vulnerable, but I didn't have a choice.  Looking back now, I could not be happier that we all shared on the first day, because it brought us closer and got all of the small talk and background knowledge out of the way and out in the open, allowing us to grow and learn from each other starting from the present and moving forward.

One of the main reasons I started this blog was to have the opportunity to record things that I never want to forget, so for this week, I'm writing down more detail than you probably want to read, but it's all detail I want to remember, along with my highlights of each day.

Highlights of the Day
-  Seeing Sarah Wright after so long
-  Meeting so many of my Delta Gamma sisters who love leadership as much as I do
-  Meeting Neal and talking about Tecumseh

Today was one of those rare gems where all parts of my life overlapped: seeing my family in the morning, seeing Sar and Jamie and Maddie at Tecumseh, and meeting Jordan and talking about Drake. Taking the time to embrace the extraordinary in everyday is something that I want my life to be continuously defined by.

"I'll be back soon"

"If you ever get the chance to see a camp counselor at work, you’ve seen one of the world’s many unrecognized superheroes. Camp counselors are a particular breed of humans. We are ordinary people in an new and extraordinary situation known as, camp. A camp counselor is a slew of professions thrown together. We are thrown in the middle of nowhere and told to do the impossible- manage a group of children for a few days with little supplies, few staff, and next to no pay. Somehow every morning at camp we lace up our boots, bandage our blisters, and sing another song for the umpteenth time. No matter how long the work hours or how the obnoxious the campers we have a driving need to come back every summer. We give up modern necessities, family vacations, and hanging out with friends for early mornings, screaming scouts, and a scratchy voice. Being a camp counselor means working twenty-four hour shifts, sacrificing your health for the campers, and skipping a shower here and there. By the end of the summer, the thought of air conditioning and cable sounds like a dream, but every one chokes back a tear or two as they turn the corner on the last day, and hit the highway heading home whispering to the summer breeze, 'I’ll be back soon'."

21 days.
Camp is so soon.  I am so excited.
I am so ready for another summer of pure Tecumseh adventure.  This quote says it all and makes me remember some of my most challenging yet favorite experiences from last summer, but just like the quote, I can't wait to go back again.  Looking forward to camp is one of the only reasons that I feel somewhat ready to leave Drake.  This year has been extremely challenging, yet rewarding and memorable.  As much as I'm not ready for this season of life to be over, I am so excited for the next one to begin.

DG love

I can hardly believe that my semester will be done on Thursday, and that I will officially be done with sophomore year.  I'm so ready for my academic year to be over, but I'm not ready to leave Drake because I know that when I come back in the fall, so much will be different.

I can't believe that all of our DG seniors are graduating and that when I move into the house in August, they won't be there.  We had DG wills this past weekend, and the seniors could not have concluded their DG reign in a better way.  

Wills were fabulous and fun and really made me sad to think about the seniors' Drake days being over.  So many of the women in this class have had a significant impact and role in making my DG experience so amazing, valuable, and memorable.

They've shaped me, taught me, inspired me, and encouraged me to continue becoming the best version of myself.  I really just want them to stay and continue being my support system and always be there for me to turn to.  

As much as I wish them to stay, I know that's just not practical, and that they are moving on.But I'm thankful for wills and the memories and physical reminders that are passed down so that they're never forgotten.

 Even though they won't be at Drake much longer, I know that they will always be there for me and that we'll be sisters for life.  To the class of 2012, best of luck in whatever you may do, and whereever you go, always remember to do good.

"I just want to wear athletic clothes and run around campus pretending to be a runner today."

Drake Relays is easily the biggest week at Drake all year.  Everything kicks off with street painting on Friday where organizations paint giant squares of sidewalk according to the theme, Memories in Motion.  Everyone who isn't painting a square just runs around and throws paint on other people.  It makes for an adventurous afternoon with pictures that are beyond words, as long as you don't mind subjecting your camera to paint, which I did not do.  This year, I helped paint our square, which was fun and so cool to say that I was a part of this beautiful finished product!

DG love.

The next event on the Relays schedule was the first annual GK 3k.  So many people showed up for the race even though the weather was kind of crummy.  

I loved running with so many of my DG sisters.  It just reminded me that I have sisters who I can go shopping, running, crafting, laughing, crying, dancing, and simply living with.  I love that I continue to learn how much I really love DG.  

I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to get to know Nate and Bennett this year, and especially this semester.  Hanging out with these guys is a great break and always much needed comedic relief for me and Vettie from our usual organic chemistry and medical microbiology lives.  It will be weird not living in GK next year, and our friendship will be more difficult, but I really hope that we can all still be friends, and that they'll continue to be characters in my story.  

Pole vaulting in the mall could easily be one of my favorite relays events.  It's actually exactly what it sounds like: pole vaulters pole vaulting in the middle of the mall.  Ann, Bennett, Vettie and I went to the mall to watch for a while, and I was instantly amazed.  The vaulters are so strong and they broke at least 2 records in the 45 minutes that we were there watching.  While we were there, we ran into Kaelin and her husband, Emily and Nikki, and saw tons of other Drake people.  Relays are so great and it makes me happy to see Drake students out watching all the races and actual relays events.  

The actual "Drake Relays" is a track and field meet held at Drake where high school, college, and professional runners compete.  I've always loved watching track and cross country, so Drake Relays is just love to me.  Vettie and I had a friend, Ryan, running the steeplechase in the relays, which is a HUGE deal and we were completely excited for him.  Out of our excitement, we decided to craft a bunch of shirts for his friends and family to wear to support him.  We used this fabulous picture from his qualifying race the weekend before, and then used a massive amount of puffy paint to create these masterpieces.  

We had so much fun making them and loved actually knowing someone racing.  Ryan did awesome, and if you have no idea what the steeplechase is, look it up.  It's intense.  After Ryan's race, Vettie and I went over to DG for our Relays Weekend Alumnae brunch.  Honestly, I was not really looking forward to this because I just wanted to stay at the relays and keep watching, but I was so glad we went.  So many of the seniors that graduated last year made it a priority to be back, and I could not have been happier to see them.  Walking down into the kitchen and seeing a table with Allie, Emily, Hillary, Lauren, Whitney, Norah, and so many more all laughing and eating together just as if they were still seniors.  It made me extremely happy to see how close they all still were and how natural their friendships still are, even after a year of living separate lives.  Oh, and I loved seeing and catching up with my beautiful GGbig, Allie.

Overall, Drake Relays was so much fun.  It was a much needed break right before the stress and cramming of finals and the end of the semester, and I was so glad to have been able to spend it with some of my best friends.  Drake pride.

Oh, and relays weekend was also prom and birthday weekend for my beautiful Michelle in Peoria.  She is gorgeous and rocked prom and her 17th birthday, even without her big sis there.  Love you bugaboo.