National Convention #XO2012

I've always dreamed of meeting over a thousand of my sisters and witnessing the Supreme Governing Council lip sync Call Me Maybe. This month that dream came to fruition when Brittany, Tau Mu G.H., and I were invited to the biennial Chi Omega National Convention held in Phoenix, Arizona. Aside from fawning over Letitia and eating plenty of fabulous food, we attended workshops and official business meetings, listened to successful Chi Omega alumnae speakers, and shared ideas with other chapter presidents and recruitment chairs in an effort to improve the Chi Omega experience even more. And look! We time traveled to April 5, 1895 and met the five Chi Omega founders! Dr. Charles Richardson was quite the bombshell...

After the convention, Kari Broder, local Tau Mu, gave us a proper tour of her home state of Arizona. We went to Sedona and admired the pretty red rocks and giant mountains, experienced the thrill and chill of Slide Rock State Park, and listening to Carrie Underwood on repeat (Brittany was DJing). If anyone else makes it out west, Kari promises to feed you ostrich burgers. Nom?

Kari and Brittany, Little and Big

Kelsey Follows in Letitia's Footsteps

Did you know that Chi Omega's national president, Letitia, is a State Farm Insurance Agent? That's right. She insures our homes and cars by day and leads our fraternity by night...and day. She's a hot commodity, what can we say. So is Kelsey Stiles, I might add. Kelsey is spending her summer interning in the Public Affairs department at State Farm Insurance's corporate headquarters in Bloomington, IL. She spends her days managing State Farm's funds that are used to rebuild schools after they have been hit by natural disasters. She says: "I have had some truly meaningful and awesome experiences in the office this summer. Who wouldn’t want to get paid to spend someone else’s money to make a difference in the lives of people who have lost everything?"

Her second favorite part? There's a mini Freshens steps away from her desk, so she can take froyo breaks in the middle of the work day. How sweet!

Charlotte and Sarah Take On Europe

If you've been keeping up with the Bachelorette, you'll recognize this tourist destination. Emily brought John here during their week in Prague, and though Emily sent John home after a date that didn't flourish, these girls know that all you need is love. Love in Chi O, that is. Charlotte and Sarah have packed up from their weeks in Madrid to visit Prague, among other major cities in their Eurotrip itinerary this summer. Check it out.

"When John Lennon was shot, a couple of students painted his portrait along with lyrics and messages of peace and love, despite the communist government of the time. Ever since then, the wall has become a mural that anyone can add to. We painted our own favorite quotes while a street musician played Beatles songs in the background. At one point as we were pretending to be artists, we turned around to find a whole crowd of people watching us and taking pictures of our additions. Naturally, we added the Chi and the Omega to pay tribute to our lovely sisterhood halfway across the world. The wall gets painted all day, every day, but when we returned the following day, our quotes and the Chi Omega letters were still there. It was an incredible experience to be able to add to the layers of paint that have been there for decades, preserving the ideas of John Lennon." -Charlotte, my favorite twin

Update: They found peanut butter. It's a good day.