I'm A DG, She's A DG...

As some of my friends know, I spent the weekend at Purdue.

Nope - I'm not a Boilermaker (how dare you even think that!  DePauw Tigers all the way).  But I am a Delta Gamma....and one of the best things I did after college was become a Recruitment Advisor for the DG Chapter at Purdue.

So once a year I pack a bag and move into the DG house on campus.  It's a weird mix of wonderful college day memories, and a whole lot of feeling old!  Recruitment is intense on a campus as big as Purdue, but I am so lucky because the women there are just phenomenal to work with.

This was, however, the first year that I didn't have someone to watch the dogs as I ventured away to recruit new women into the Greek life.  So, what's a girl do?  Call PetSmart PetsHotel of course!  MY doggy daycare was booked up, so the PetsHotel was my next option.  I was admittedly nervous (because I am so lame) about leaving Bo and Tucker in a new place.  But I dropped them off Friday night and they seemed happy just to get 1000 new things to sniff.

With dogs safely secured, I went off to Purdue.  I spent all night Friday helping decorate for the next day, with all of Saturday spent listening to cheering (I'm a DG, She's a DG....I wanna be a DG, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes I do....).  In between the cheering, I got to count vote after vote.  A late night of recruitment, voting, and conversing with Panhel - only to do it all again on Sunday!

I can't share everything that I do there, but it's admittedly weird to anyone that hasn't experienced the Greek system.  And even though the amount of time in one weekend is exhausting, I love doing it.  I truly love watching the girls in the house start to form relationships with the women that they will invite for membership in just a few short days.  I like being a part of something bigger than myself.  It's strange to think about, but literally every DG chapter on every campus in America goes through the same process....and we all become sisters with this initial bond.

I don't think I ever thought of it this way - not when I was in college, not when I helped run Recruitment at my own house, not even the past few years of advising.  But now that I have taken time to do the things I want to do, I realize that advising is giving me a purpose.  More than being an employee, more than a girlfriend, more than a caregiver.  I get to continue to contribute to something that shaped the woman I became, and influences me to this day.

*Wow - didn't plan on getting that sappy....  I'm sure that there will be plenty of thoughts about that.

Was there drama this past weekend?  Of course.  Did I sleep very little?  Definitely.  Was it totally worth it when I saw the list of women joining the chapter (and of course, the sorority as a whole)?  Without a doubt.  Does it leave me missing my own DG sisters?  Immensely - more than ever.

A little shout-out to my own girls....We are pretty cute DGs, if I do say so myself!