Striking a Pose with my Posse!

The second event of my exciting new job took place in Washington D.C.last weekend at the Volunteer Leadership Conference. We all had an amazing time, and enjoyed getting to sleep in our amazingly comfortable beds(a definite upgrade from the plastic dorm beds three weeks prior)! This was the first time all of the consultants were together, and we got to meet the two Leadership Coaches as well.

The Gaylord National Conference center was absolutely beautiful and HUGE. Upon arrival and check-in, we were handed a map with directions on how to locate our rooms. This concerned me at first, but turned out to be simple enough to navigate. During the conference, we were introduced to other staff members, volunteers, and the national council. I had a chance to catch up with some old friends, who were actually my ELCs when I was a collegian.

I find it incredible how close a group of girls can become, and how quickly we can go from strangers to friends. The more I get a chance to hang out with the other consultants, the more I look forward to this experience. We all come from such different backgrounds, and I love getting to know more about each of them. For so many reasons I cannot wait until we get to Indy next week for one more workout and then training. This is going to be a challenging job, but something tells me I am going to enjoy it very much.

For your entertainment, below are some highlights from the trip:
*The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin was also hosting a conference at the Gaylord....meaning there were hundreds of young Indian doctors around every corner. Especially upstairs....if you have never crashed an Indian Conference/match-making social, I highly recommend it. We had an excellent time making new friends, dodging evil glares, and eating ice cream. One of the Indian guys approached us and said something to the effect of, "So, have you ever been around this many Indians before?" There was also comments such as, "So, yall are like the only white people here." We ran into our new friends throughout the weekend, and even met some parents. I believe we made a stellar impression. :)

*I was asked by a biker if I was married...my response...no. His follow up question...you got a boyfriend?...my response....yes! He then asked for my phone number so we could meet up for the weekend (it's ok though because he said I could delete his number on Sunday and my "boyfriend" would never have to know....how thoughtful of him!).

*We successfully avoided seeing my biker friend for the remainder of the weekend, but I should have asked where he got that cool leather vest. Yes, I said leather vest. Because there was a biker convention in town and the different "groups" had on matching leather vests. I guess you're not a true biker without it.

*Hippo went to the spa. That's right, Allison was devastated(no exaggeration)to discover that housekeeping had swept hippo away with the sheets on Saturday morning. She contacted the lost and found, and was transferred around so many times that when she began to tell her story, their response was, "Oh you're the hippo girl ." Sunday as we were leaving, she filled out a missing hippo form with a description and contact info(estimated cost of item = priceless). I told Allison it was ok and that hippo was just at the spa for the weekend, and soon he will come home. In case you are on the edge of your seat wondering about the fate of hippo, he will be safely home sometime this week.

I had a great time in D.C., and I am looking forward to next week when I ship out for the year!