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!

Don't You Forget About Me

I'd prefer to ignore it, but since I can't - I am just going to address this head on.

I'm a bad blogger.

There - I said it.  And it is really true, despite what you all may think.  It's been 2 MONTHS since my last post.  So you ask, "What happened?"  Or, "Are you okay?"  To which I have no answer.  Nothing happened.  I just stopped.  To be honest, blogging wasn't as cathartic as I thought it would be.  It was one more area of my life that I put pressure on myself to be witty, funny, perfect, etc...  Blogging was supposed to be an outlet, but I was still worried about what everyone thought.

So I stopped.  Or gave up.  Depends on the day for which answer you'll receive.  But I missed my blog.  I missed sharing things with the people in my life, and the ones that weren't in my life but stumbled upon it.

So I'm back.*  And I promise to be better (there's actually something forcing this, which will be a later blog).  But here's a sneak peak at the posts you'll be seeing soon:

• Breaking Through Part I
• The Pursuit of Happyness
• My TNT Training
• Girls Weekend
• Recruitment at Purdue 

And, I promise not to disappear again....at least until I fill you in on ALL of the things above!

*Tricia / BI - There will a lot of posting in the next few days.  I know you don't like it when Google Blogs spams you, so I am giving you fair warning!!

Single....and Loving It?

It's official.  I'm single.

I get that the statement above isn't really that special.  But it's pretty life-changing for me.  I have been with the same person for 6.5 years, and my decision to end the relationship wasn't an easy one.  We live (lived?) together for the past 3 years, and had been making life decisions as a couple for what feels like forever.

I agonized over what I was doing, the whole time knowing that I was making the right decision.  And after I verbalized "I'm unhappy," the ball of "being single" started rolling.  So now, I am single, 25, and embarking on a really big new journey.

Everything is going to be new.  I've never lived alone.  I've never been on a real date (high school and college no longer count).  In 6 years, I have never made a decision that was all about me.  And all of a sudden, I am only making decisions for me.

Everyone asks how I am doing.  And I appreciate it.  But the best way to explain how I feel is to liken it to a graduation.   Graduations are always so bittersweet.  You've just had the best 4 years of your life, and then you have to say goodbye to all of it.  But the experiences and opportunities in front of you are always so exciting.  That's how I feel.  I love my memories, but I know that there is so much more out there for me.

During the whole process, it became clear that I needed to do a few things for me.  After many, many suggestions from my friends, I landed on my 1st decision:  Team in Training.  I decided that I would join The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training group.  What better way than to start a fresh life than with getting myself in shape while helping others?

So, here it goes.  I rented my first apartment alone.  I am packing and moving out of "our" home in the next 7 days.  The pups and I are off to new adventures.  Want to join in?  Keep an eye on the blog!  Follow me through half marathon training, moving, dating, and new adventures.  I promise it won't be boring!


Single....and Loving It?  Correction: Single - and definitely loving it.