Spring is in the Air (or is it summer? or back to winter?)

It's that time of year again....SPRING!  Days are getting longer and the sun is warming up the air....or is it?  Last week my travels had me visiting East Carolina University.  The weather was beautiful during my stay and temperatures made it to the 80's. This spike in temperatures caused me to re-evaluate the wardrobe in my closet/suitcase, and I found it challenging to put together an outfit suitable for such fabulous weather.  Due to the layering items that I've kept in my suitcase this past semester, I was able to manage for the week I was in town.  Unfortunately, I am back in Ohio and experiencing winter once again.

I look forward to the days when the heat of the day calls for a cooler at the pool with a little SPF and good friends.  The days where you drive around with the radio blasting and windows down.  Trips to the beach for the weekend and going for a long boat ride on the lake.  These days are right around the corner and this puts a huge smile on my face!

This is my last chapter visit as an ELC.  Next week I will be in Indianapolis with the other consultants where it all began back in July.  We will only have 3 days to debrief and catch up with the close friends we've made this year.  Time has passed by so quickly and I have no clue what comes next, but I know it will be amazing (it always is)!

March Madness....(but not the basketball kind)

While I do enjoy March Madness and all of the basketball triumphs and defeats it brings, the March Madness I am experiencing this month isn't as entertaining.  The madness of my March comes from my travel schedule.  Just looking at how busy I am this month makes me break a sweat, but I would be lying to yall if I said I didn't love it.   Here's a rundown of this month in the life of Becky Wilbanks:

March 1-3:  Kansas State University (Manhattan, KS)
March 3-6: Mardi Gras with friends (New Orleans, LA)
March 6-11: Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
March 11-14: University of Illinois (Champaign, IL)
-------Here's where life gets busy-----------------
March 14-15: Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY)
March 16: (Birmingham, AL)
March 17-21: East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, TN)
March 21-25: East Carolina University (Greenville, NC)
March 26-27: Friend's Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Party (Auburn, AL)
March 28-April 5: Ohio University (Athens, OH)
(April is just as crazy because I go from Ohio to Indianapolis, back to WKU, and then move to Alabama)

Adding this all up totals to 9 states in the month of March. Where life starts to get crazy is after my visit this week.  This Sunday time will spring forward giving us longer days (and hopefully bringing in some warmer weather).  This time change comes at a bad time for me, but I just have to buckle up and accept my fate.  Here's a breakdown of the next week of my life:

Sunday (Move time FORWARD 1 hour)
Monday: Flight leaves Indianapolis at 10am (need to be there by 9am, 2 hour drive, central timezone to eastern - 1 hour, means leaving Champaign at 6am - which feels like 5am bc of the time change). Arrive in Nashville (shop a little while waiting on Laura's flight to arrive) and drive to Bowling Green, KY.  Attend Greek Awards Banquet.
Tuesday:  Campus PR all day promoting our chapter that we will colonize in the fall.
Wednesday:  Drive (3 hours) from Nashville to Birmingham for an interview.
Thursday: Drive (5 hours) to Johnson City, TN for next chapter visit at ETSU.  Stay until Monday morning when my flight leaves for the next chapter.
(Some time in the midst of all this travel and chaos I have to write 2 reports and edit one to be sent out.)

I remember back in January thinking that this would be a long semester (especially with all the SNOW...yuck!), but as it turns out, the time is passing by so quickly (just as it always seems to do).  The other ELCs and I have been eagerly anticipating our return to Indy in April, when we will all be reunited and doing our debriefing for the spring semester.

Staying busy is something that I LOVE to do, and this schedule for March and April (as exhausting as they may be) is right up my alley.  Knowing that the constant travel and tasks will be occupying my time gives me relief in knowing that after each day I am closer to seeing my girlies. I have really enjoyed the experience of this past year traveling to chapters and having the opportunity to impact hundreds of girls lives each week, and I know that next year during recruitment season I will be missing it.  To all of the new ELCs (whoever you may be), good luck next year.  This has definitely been the most interesting year of my life, and I have learned so much about myself and grown as a person.  While my time as an ELC is drawing to a close, I will look back fondly on the memories I have made and the friendships I have formed that will honestly last forever.

Next chapter of my life is starting soon....stay tuned.

Today's Realization

It is time to grow up (or at least make an effort to start).  I am not in college anymore.