Sunday, January 16, 2011

Oh what fun we have in Legislative Session

As I mentioned in previous posts, I spent a day and a half of my vacation in legislative session. On the day I left for Atlanta, I got a call from Marlene, our section chair, asking me to be the Section Chair Designee. What that entailed: I was to sit with the other section chairs and have a voice but no vote. Meaning I could speak my mind on issues but could not vote. I was also on the floor to make sure that the delegates from my chapters in my section were okay; were they understanding the issues, did they have any questions, or did they need anything. I was honored to be asked and really glad I was able to help out my section. I only hope that I did a good enough job. If the thanks I got from the delegates and Jenn C are any indication, I apparently did so :) I heartily thank Jenn Churchill for the mini memory card game and the mini crazy eights game as well as the activities pad for keeping me sane. I must have played that mini memory card game over a dozen times, I completed almost every activity in my activity pad and played many games of crazy eights with Travis. I did pay attention to the issues and sent/responded to notes from my delegates. I made sure everything was okay and got anything if they needed it. Big thanks goes to my awesome roommate Abigayle for saving me the first day by bringing my hoodie to me! I would have froze w/out it. Also major thanks to Jenn C for giving me meds for my insanely painful sinus headache I was annoyed by all day on the 29th. It finally went away around 6ish. It was awful! Before I found out that I was going to be on the legislative floor all day, I had planned on being a runner or doing whatever Marlene, our section chair, wanted/needed me to do. I went out before I left for ATL and got goodies for the delegates. Each chapter received a goody bag which contained the following: a toy car, crayons, and a few pieces of candy. Region staff also provided goody bags to all delegates. They gave us mini card games (I got the memory card game), an activity pad, candy, a protein bar, and a bottle of water. Even though at times I was ready to bolt or felt like I was going insane, I did enjoy my time spent. I sent encouraging notes; such as sending chocolate candies to Epsilon for voicing their opinion on an issue, a protein bar to Beta Psi (they will tell you I encouraged them to fight) with a note stating that they could either fight over it or be brothers and share it. Unfortunately I trashed all the notes I received the first day :( However, I kept the notes from the second day. Oh yea, Jenn C also provided us with BINGO cards which not only kept us entertained also kept us awake and paying attention to what was being said. President-now past president :(- Maggie Katz saying "Sacred Cows" was a square as was a brother being ruled out of order. Past President Fred Heismeyer mentioning Indy racing, Danica Patrick or showing off his tie -he failed to wear a tie on the first day when this square was on our sheet, nor did he talk that day :( Our BINGO sheets were a hit, I am predicting that next Nat Con, there will be a lot more BINGO Cards :) I only spoke once at the mic, and that was right before the session closed and that was to heartily thank Maggie Katz for her years of service and state that I was going to miss her. I also congratulated John K. Ottenad (JKO- and yes there was a square stating "a brother refers to John K. Ottenad as JKO- which I did) on his election as Vice President of the Fraternity. If you couldn't tell from all the previous posts, I had a great vacation and a fabulous time at National Convention. Hopefully I will be able to attend the 2012 National Convention which is taking place in Orange County Anaheim, California!! I have never been to the west coast. So I'm really hoping to go. Apparently the weather there in December is about 67 degrees. And according to the bidding chapter, the beach is nearby. As I have never swam in the Pacific Ocean, I will definitely be visiting the beach. Who wants to bet that I will go swimming?! For those of you who just said "yes, crazy girl will go swimming" You are correct. I might just go in just to say I have swam in the Pacific Ocean. We shall see! Hurry up Sectionals, I miss my brothers!!

Oh yea...we did use a frivolous motion to have Maggie Katz do 'I'm a Little Teapot'- it was hilarious!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

New Year's Eve Atlanta Style


New Year's Eve- December 31st: Nat Con was officially over, so I got to sleep until 11:30 on NYE. Wandered over to the mall (I think this was trip 6 or so) for lunch. Picked up Moe's and then headed to the Region Suite to eat and watch the parade. The Chik-Fil-A bowl was that night, so the hotel was super crowded. The hotel was booked, what with 1,800 brothers staying there for our convention, plus the bands for the football teams and attendees and other guests. Watched the parade w/ Bill. The parade was pretty good. Loved the bands. Didn't like the float that played "Baby, Baby" by Justin Bieber....really didn't like how Bill tried to keep it in my head. Visited the World of Coke w/ Chad, Abigayle (who was my awesome roommate) and Bill. It was awesome! The majority of my pics from this vacation were taken there. I have to say the Tasting room and the museum were my fave parts. I tried coke products from all over the world. I loved the coke products from Latin America (they use real sugar and less of it, so their sodas aren't as sweet as the sodas in the states). I tried a ginger ale that was really good. Picked up souvenirs for the family, shot glass for my brother, mini polar bear for mom, baseball for dad, and 2 mini contour and a holiday shirt for me. That night we went to dinner at Pacific Rim Bistro, a few blocks from the hotel. It was really good. I had a chicken breast stuffed w/ crab and cheese, covered w/ sauce, a glass of red wine, and then fried cheesecake for dessert. Tried endame for the first time, loved it! Dinner was wonderful; wonderful food and wonderful company! Hung out in JKO's suite (which was phenomenal!!) A little bit before midnight, we ventured to the 2nd floor of the hotel, circled it and at midnight welcomed the new year and sang our toast song! 300 brothers singing the toast song, it was awesome!! Went back to JKO's suite, and hung out there until about 2ish. Hotel didn't quiet down until about 3 AM.
New Years Day- January 1, 2011: Slept until 10:30 AM. Finished packing, checked out, got a hot chocolate and watched NCIS in my room until 10 till noon (official check out time). Headed downstairs, where I bid farewell to my brothers (some I won't see until Sectionals, others possibly NVC) and headed off to MARTA. Took MARTA to the airport, checked my bag, and went in search of my departure gate. This time I opted to walk all the way to Terminal C and not take the train. Work off all the calories gained from the week. Oh was I tired by the time I got to my gate! Picked up lunch at Moe's (yes I loved this place- like Chipotle but not as good). Texted brothers while I waited for my plane. My plane was on time (I flew Airtran and I have to say I was very impressed with them! I would definitely recommend them and fly with them again if I can't fly Southwest!). Flight was uneventful and again we arrived in STL early. Atlanta was wet and cold when I left. Upon arriving in STL, I noticed that all the snow had melted, thanks to high temps on NYE. Glad to be home, but sad to be finished with my vacation and away from all my brothers. My vacation was much needed and a lot of fun! Hopefully, I can take another mini-Vacay at the end of July to attend NVC in KC, MO. We shall see. Until then I will contend myself with attending chapter meetings and then sectionals in April. Remember: APO is for Life!!!! To see more pictures from my trip click here.

Nat Con Day 4


Day 4- Thursday, December 30th: This was the final day of the conference :( Didn't have to be on legislative floor until 8:30 AM as we had gotten through the meatier stuff the day before. Legislation went well and we ended up finishing a lot earlier than planned :) Brother John K. Ottenad was elected & voted as Vice President of the Fraternity!!! Brother Mark Stratton was elected & voted President of the Fraternity. Brother Glen Kinder was elected & voted as one of 6 Program Directors. At the final regional meeting, it was a unanimous decision to re-elect Jenn Churchill as our Region Director. 2 of the section chairs, Travis and Megan surprised Jenn w/ a birthday cake as it was her birthday. Everyone enjoyed a nice yummy piece of b-day cake. Brother John K. Ottenad was presented with the Region DSK (Distinguished Service Key) by two Alpha Phi- Wash U (his home chapter). The girls who presented it were so cute in their presentation. JKO was shocked and humbled by this. JKO definitely deserved this award, everything he has done for our region and the sections has been much appreciated. Visited the Fraternity store where they were having a sale, unfortunately the shirt I got was not on sale, but it was worth it! Also picked up a convention pin. I sat with Jenn G and the Epsilon chapter at the Awards Banquet where I was pleased to see Beta Psi (my father's chapter) win the National Scouting Award. An award they have won for the past 8 years (Nat Con is held every other year & Beta Psi has won this award at the last 4 conventions). I also had the great pleasure of seeing Brother George Kober receive the National DSK- the highest honor! Well deserved!!!! and he is of Region 8, Section 49- my Region & Section !!! Attended the Sleepless in Atlanta pajama dance for a little while, then headed up to the region suite to hang out. Bid farewell to Steven & Keely (who drove down there) who had to leave super early the next day to be back in the STL as Keely had to work New Years Day.

Nat Con Day 2 & 3











Day 2: Tuesday, December 28th: Get up around 8ish and go get Keely & Steven registered (checked in really) for Nat Con. This process ends up taking us most of the morning. My badge finally gets fixed so I can be on the legislative floor t/m. Afterwards we visited the Fraternity Store (yes I visited this place frequently) Grab subway for lunch (ty to Gilbert for walking w/ me to the food court). Get to my one and only workshop (my fault- I was lazy and didn't feel like going to the others before then-plus I needed to help my brothers). I end up leaving early as my stupid allergies decide to act up. Head over to mall to drug store to pick up claritin (thank goodness for that drugstore!), then back to the hotel to chill until the Fellowship Banquet. The Fellowship Banquet was great! Sat w/ Jenn C, Jenn G, Katrina, Bill, Keely, Steven, Chad, Glen and Kevin. Dinner was great, with the exception of the green beans which were over cooked (a bit chewy for my tastes). Classic cheesecake for desert :) So far this convention is awesome! After dinner there is the swing dance w/ a live 17 piece orchestra! Only stayed for a little while as I had security duty 10- 12. Chilled in my hotel room until it was time to go downstairs and report. End up getting a call from Scott (brother from SLU now living in GA) wondering where I am...I still had 5 min before my shift started and I was exiting the elevator. Was team Bravo- patrol went great! Love doing security detail. No real problems, one of the brothers mentioned eating jelly beans and we all began demanding that security get us jelly beans! We did get jelly beans thanks to Bravo Whiskey :) Again ended up in bed after midnight
Day 3- Wed, December 29th: Get up really early to be on Legislative floor by 8 AM. Legislative session doesn't start until 8:30 AM, which allowed me to go to the coffee shop in the hotel & get hot chocolate and a banana. Legislative session goes well, get to enjoy lunch w/ the Great Maggie Katz and Beta Psi :) Return to legislative session, and manage to finish early around 4 :) Head off to Regional Meeting. Get dinner at the Mandarin place across the street w/ Steven & Keely. Chill in Region Suite for a while (yes this was the place to be and many times I hung out there). 11Pm I head off down to the Make-A-Wish Carnival (where we ended up raised $7,000!!) with Bill & Steven. I only planned on staying for a little while either bounce in the Bounce House like an idiot or play laser tag. Ended up getting thrown in "jail"- you could put brothers in "jail" after setting a bail price, and then brothers had to raise enough money to "free" them. Thank you brother Tom! Many pics on facebook for your viewing pleasure of yours truly in "jail". Quite entertaining as many of my brothers will tell you. My jail cell was a black tarp wrapped around 4 posts, w/ the "bars" made of duct tape. There were 2 chairs inside so I was able to sit down for a while. In my time in "jail" I chanted "Attica, Attica, Attica, Attica!!", sang 'Sweet Caroline' and helped a brother escape :) The jail break was fun! I didn't partake in the escape but I helped lift part of our "jail cell" so the brother could "dig" his way out. Got out in time to see Jenn C (who by the way is our fabulous Region Director) get pied :) Travis and Larry were also pied. It was great! I didn't get to bounce around or play laser tag as I gave my tickets up to bail myself out. Big thanks to all brothers who donated tickets (esp Steven who gave all four of his free tickets up- upon entering the carnival we were given 4 free tickets after that tickets were 25 cents each). Originally planned on staying to see Jenn get pied and then go, but my imprisonment changed that. All in all it was fun. I had a great time! Again ended up in bed well after midnight. This was a common thing among most brothers.

A Phi O's National Convention Day 1


Two weeks ago (wow, has it really been that long?!) I was blessed with the opportunity to be able to attend Alpha Phi Omega's 41st National Convention in Atlanta, GA from Dec 27- 30. I arrived in Atlanta around 12:40ish on December 27th and left in the late afternoon on the 1st of the new year! I had an absolute blast in Atlanta! This was my first real vacation in 4 years and it was amazing! I got to fly for the first time in 4 years and live in a hotel for a week! This was my second National Convention; I attended the Nat Con in 2004 when it was in Denver, CO. I served as one of my chapters voting delegates and had a blast. This time around I figured 'I'm alumna, I don't to sit on the legislative floor all day, I can attend workshops!' Well that was not to be, but it worked out in the end. So here is my experience at Nationals:
Sunday, December 26h: Go out and run errands w/ mom. Get my nails done, come home and start packing for my vacation. I check in online for my flight. Around 7ish I get at call from one of my alumni brethren; Katrina, she calls and tells me to check my flight as Marlene's (Our current Section Chair) flight got cancelled and can't get re-booked until Wed. We had a white Christmas this year and received about 3 inches of snow. The roads were much better on Sunday and mom and I had no problems driving. However, Atlanta was being hit by a snow storm and the airport shut down. I checked Airtran (my airline) and everything was okay. Monday morning the roads will be better, flights will resume and everything will be good.
Day 1: Monday, December 27th: Wake up at 6 AM after getting about 3 hours of sleep (was way too excited to sleep), I don't have to leave the house for the airport until about 8ish as my flight doesn't leave Lambert until 10:13 AM. I am too excited to get back to sleep, so I get up, check my flight- flight is on time, no cancellations :)- shower, and finish packing. Arrive at airport about 8:40ish after a detour to McDonald's (mom must have her Egg McMuffin...and I want a Sausage Biscuit). Check my bag, bid farewell to parents, go through security without a hitch (no body scanner just a metal detector) and head off to my departure gate. While waiting for my flight, I get a call from Marlene who asks me to represent the section as the Section Chair Designee at Nationals. I am beyond honored to be asked and readily agree. Board flight, enjoy free wi-fi on flight, arrive in Atlanta after a smooth and speedy flight (we actually arrived 10 min early). Start walking towards baggage claim, took me 3 terminals to figure out that the train in the airport actually went to BC. Haul my bag of the carousel, head towards MARTA (think Metrolink only with lots more connections), meet up some brothers :) and head off to the hotel. After checking into the hotel, I wander downstairs to register. Come off the elevator, see tons of brothers and exclaim "Brothers!"...one actually had the audacity to call me 'Sister', started walking off, but came back and pointed and said "Brother!" and went in search of registration. Register, even tho I have to change my badge so I can get on legislative floor (this doesn't happen until Tuesday morning). Venture into the Fraternity store and purchase my first souvenir: a APO teddy bear :) Encounter Jenn Churchill and go up to Region 8 Suite where we chill until the Region 8 meeting (me alternately calling & checking on my chapter (The great Sigma Alpha) to see where my brothers (Keely & Steven are). The Region meeting goes off well (Discover Jenn C is referred to as Octomom by her home chapter hehe), get to see many more brothers I have missed and meet new ones :) and after the meeting: Dinner! I am starving as I did not eat lunch (but I had breakfast which is odd as I usually don't eat breakfast). So Chad, Bill, Jenn G, Jenn Churchill, Lindsay, Travis, Larry Ent and myself (& others whose names I can't remember at the moment-sry) head over to the attached mall's food court for dinner where I discover the awesomeness that is Moe's Southwest Grill (for evidence that it is awesome, I ate there at least 4 times during my stay in ATL). This is the first of many trips to the mall; it was a long walk. So I ended up getting a lot of exercise at Nat ConKeely & Steven arrive 15 or so min before OC. Attended the Opening Ceremonies that night where Nat Con opened w/ a bang: the Atlanta drum line performed for us- they were incredible!! The Convention Staff gives us glow sticks and the convention begins! Keely & Steven are starving so I take my second trip to the food court only to discover it is closed (apparently it closed at 6PM). They go in search of food elsewhere and I head up to the Region Suite to figure out the game plan and chill. End up going to bed around midnight or so.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Bienvenido a 2011!

So 2010 is over and 2011 is here! 2010 was one of my best years ever! I got a job, a new car, got active w/ my chapter, Sigma Alpha, again, went to National Convention (will go into detail about that on a later blog), and just really felt like this was my year. I loved 2010 and am even more excited to see what 2011 has in store for me! So Happy New Year, Feliz Ano Nuevo and Welcome to 2011. Beinvenido a 2011!!