UPenn

Hello, friends!

Greetings from the University of Pennsylvania. I am here with 6 other TLCs on a Public Relations visit. I would just like to apologize to everyone for being one of the worst bloggers ever. I mean, I never update this thing! SO sorry about that! I hope everyone still loves me anyways... So what have I been up to the past few weeks? Let's see...I have been working closely with IUPUI, and I will be going back there in about a week to help Initiate them right before they have their Installation and Banquet. I have grown to absolutely adore every single one of the IUPUI ladies. I care about them all so much and I am so blessed to call them all my ZTA sisters. I can not believe that the Colony is about to become a Chapter! I can not believe that we are about to add the 243 link to our chain of chapters. Wow, I'm so excited!

So I am currently at UPenn doing some preliminary research prior to our Public Relations and recruitment weeks. Just meeting with campus professionals and meeting cool people and stuff. Gotta love it. Besides doing work, I am in a city that I absolutely love! Ok, Ok I know that not a lot of people like Philadelphia...However, I - ladies and gentlemen - am a lover of the city of brotherly love! Call me odd, or call me crazy - I love Philly! It's like a mini NYC, or a colder and more encompassed ATL. And who doesn't love the Rocky Steps?! yeah! I enjoy many things about Philly...

I will be back on home on December 14th for my Winter break! I can't wait to see everyone!

Until then, thanks for reading :)

Best,

Lexie

Indianapolis!

Hello Friends!

I Have been here in Indy for quite some time. Over the past month and a half I have been focusing on helping to start a brand new chapter here at Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis aka IUPUI. So basically IU and Purdue both have programs here, and the 2 colleges combined to make a campus in Indianapolis, aka IUPUI. The campus is pretty urban, but not as urban as Atlanta! It is like Georgia State about 10 years ago in terms of campus culture. On campus, there were already 2 sororities, and we make the 3rd!

Recruiting women on campus was so different than at K State. Most of the women didn't know a lot about the Greek life that was already at their school. Some women hadn't heard of sororities before. However, there was a decent amount of women who were really interested in ZTA and had been waiting for us to come onto campus! All in all, the experience meeting hundreds of new women was amazing.

TThis picture is an example of some of the PR we did on campus. We chalked really late at night to celebrate our "Think Pink Think Zeta" week!

IUPUI now has a beautiful new chapter of 81 Zeta Tau Alphas!! The New Members are just dazzling! They are independent, focused women who are learning all about ZTA. I have been here in Indy through the recruitment process and I am facilitating the New Member Program here with them. I am having a great time helping to build this amazing chapter, where there was nothing before.

This is a picture of Dani, Mrs. Tilly, Myself, Mrs. Kirwan, Mrs. Conrad, Gemma, and Mrs. Mauro! These women are AMAZING ladies who dedicate so much of their time to ZTA. Without their hard work, we could not make any of our colonizations possible!

This group of women is what I had been working towards for a few weeks. These days, I am helping to guide them to understand what being a ZTA is all about. I am so proud to call this wonderful group of women Zetas! They are such an inspiration to me, as they know little of what ZTA is, but their passion grows daily.

I will be here in Indy for quite some time (I think). The first week of November I will be leaving for a few days to go to North Carolina for an extension presentation, and then I'll be back here! I hard it gets quite cold here, so let's hope I don't freeze!!!

Lots of love from me to YOU!

Lexie

I'm alive!

I am so sorry for not updating this sooner, but I have been busy to say the least. Actually, the word "busy" has taken on an entire new meaning to me. So sometime in late August I met up with Gemma in the Denver airport and we headed to Manhattan. Yeah, for a second you thought I went to New York City. I didn't. Gemma and I landed in Manhattan KANSAS! Surprisingly, it was not as flat as I suspected.

My time in Kansas was spent helping to colonize a brand new chapter. A simple sentence for something that was unlike any experience I have ever had in my entire life. Beta Upsilon is now a reactivated link in Zeta Tau Alpha's chain of chapters! We have a gorgeous chapter of 160 women! Two weeks ago, we didn't have anything, now we have a blooming chapter that has a lifetime to continue to grow. I am amazed by how much hard work and heart was put into the colonization of this chapter. The best part: I can't wait to do it again!

I am currently at the Indiana University Perdue University Indianapolis, waiting to begin the colonization of a brand new chapter here! I am ssoooo excited to help bring this opportunity to women at this university. Helping in the start of a brand new chapter is unlike anything I could of imagined. The feeling you get when reflecting on Bid Day is remarkable.

So this is what I'm doing! Sorry I haven't been on facebook a lot, or updating twitter or my blog. I have really been throwing myself into colonization. It is really a period of time where every minute counts. You never know when the next VPII is going to walk by you, or when the extra five minute conversation can make or break a person's choice to participate in recruitment.

I also have flown to Pennsylvania for a day to help with an extension presentation. Other than that, it's been Kansas to Philly, to Indy!

I am tracking Georgia State Football- GO PANTHERS!! I am loving seeing everyone's pretty photos! I can not wait to come home and go to a game!! I am really pumped about this :)

I do miss everyone, and I think about yall all the time. I appreciate all the sweet texts and messages I get! THANK YOU!!!!!!

Lots of love your way!

Lexie

It's a Good Life

I am here in St. Louis Missouri, home of the Arch that leads to the west, toasted raviolis, Ted Drew's, provel cheese, Budweiser and Nelly. It is my second time in Missouri, but completely different from the first. I was recently at Mizzou (The University of Missouri, Columbia) which is gorgeous school with a defined college culture. I enjoyed my time there sooo much! It was fun to stay in a big ZTA house, and hear Tri Delta practicing walk outs at 2AM (hahaa...) Now I am at a campus much like my own! I am the University of St. Louis, Missouri also known as UMSL. This campus is spread out, a few minutes from the city, but is a commuter campus. I love the feel of the campus though, because it feels a lot like what I am used to.

Being from a commuter campus, I feel like I can help the girls in so many ways! I am visiting the Theta Kappa chapter, and I can not say enough sweet things about this dedicated chapter. The women here have been so welcoming, and I have enjoyed my stay here. We are getting a lot accomplished before their busy week of recruitment that starts on Sunday. They have taken me to see a lot of the St. Louis traditions while I'm here, and I'm loving it!

I have to admit, it is kind of funny not being at a class, while on a campus. There are all types of college students around scurrying to their next class, or trying to find the right text book in the book store. It makes me miss being in college for about 5 seconds, then I snap out of it. Instead of homework, I do have my own set of responsibilities so it's kind of the same. I basically love my job, and I am so lucky to have it.

The weather is SOOO nice here! Gotta throw that one out there! It is not as humid or hot as Atlanta. There has been a nice breeze the past two days. I'm loving it! Oh, and I am starting to feel a lot better. I was kind of sick last week, but I am getting over it.

Love and miss you all lots!!

XOXO

Lexie

Tampa

Hello Friends!

I am here in sunny and humid Tampa, FL. I have been having such a great time with this chapter, Kappa Sigma. They are a commuter campus, just like Georgia State, and they have housing that is quite similar to GSU as well. The girls speak their minds, and I really appreciate their passion and enthusiasm about ZTA. We are in the middle of preparing for Recruitment, and we are getting so much accomplished! No, I haven't gone to the beach or anything, but I am still having fun.

Just a little info about where I am :)

ZLAM

Lexie

Never Alone

During some of our Preference ceremonies we sing this song called "Never Alone". It always makes me tear up a little because it is such a touching song about never having to be alone because your sisters are always near. Last night I was making sure that the skit and dance were timed right and being run through with no mistakes. Then I went to go check on how the preference ceremony was coming along, needless to say that it was beautiful. Three sisters sang songs, one of them singing "never alone". It just really got to me for a few reasons. I am literally never alone, but figuratively too. That evening some of the girls exchanged testimonials and stories that were close to their hearts that really brought everyone to tears. I really felt the underlined bond of sisterhood in the room.

I haven't really been overwhelmingly homesick since I've left, but last night I got really homesick. I was thinking about all of the people who are close to my heart and how much they mean to me. I went to bed feeling ok because I knew the feeling would pass. I woke up and realized that I had slept with my grandmother's ring on. I never sleep with any jewelry on, so this was odd. I dragged myself to the bathroom with my eyes hardly open to take a shower. I turned on the water and went to go brush my teeth and I realized that there was a bug on the ceiling. I looked at it again and realized it was a lady bug! I just starred at it because I was in amazement that this lady bug could get in the house. We are not allowed to open any windows on the top floor, so it was so odd to have a lady bug just hanging out. It seemed so out of place, but it meant so much to me. I have this thing for lady bugs and I think they are symbolic is many ways. Some of you know how obsessed I am with lady bugs and their relevance in my life. This morning I immediately thought wow, this is a sign I'm never alone. There's always someone watching down on you, and always someone there.

Well, off to another day of Work Week!

Wish me luck, XOXOXO

Best,

Lexie

Never Alone

During some of our Preference ceremonies we sing this song called "Never Alone". It always makes me tear up a little because it is such a touching song about never having to be alone because your sisters are always near. Last night I was making sure that the skit and dance were timed right and being run through with no mistakes. Then I went to go check on how the preference ceremony was coming along, needless to say that it was beautiful. Three sisters sang songs, one of them singing "never alone". It just really got to me for a few reasons. I am literally never alone, but figuratively too. That evening some of the girls exchanged testimonials and stories that were close to their hearts that really brought everyone to tears. I really felt the underlined bond of sisterhood in the room.

I haven't really been overwhelmingly homesick since I've left, but last night I got really homesick. I was thinking about all of the people who are close to my heart and how much they mean to me. I went to bed feeling ok because I knew the feeling would pass. I woke up and realized that I had slept with my grandmother's ring on. I never sleep with any jewelry on, so this was odd. I dragged myself to the bathroom with my eyes hardly open to take a shower. I turned on the water and went to go brush my teeth and I realized that there was a bug on the ceiling. I looked at it again and realized it was a lady bug! I just starred at it because I was in amazement that this lady bug could get in the house. We are not allowed to open any windows on the top floor, so it was so odd to have a lady bug just hanging out. It seemed so out of place, but it meant so much to me. I have this thing for lady bugs and I think they are symbolic is many ways. Some of you know how obsessed I am with lady bugs and their relevance in my life. This morning I immediately thought wow, this is a sign I'm never alone. There's always someone watching down on you, and always someone there.

Well, off to another day of Work Week!

Wish me luck, XOXOXO

Best,

Lexie