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.