Weekend Wrap-up

Friday, I left UT Martin and headed down the road to Millington,Tennessee.
This weekend I stayed with Jenna's, the Vice President, family. It was so great to stay in a home that felt like my home. It was so refreshing to have a family dinner and talk about things other than the "Z-word". Her parents took me in and spoiled me with a home-cooked meal of fried catfish that Jenna's father had caught! Yum!

After dinner the President, Hailee, met us at Jenna's and we got to work on giant letters for recruitment. This is the cool thing about my job. You never know where you will be or what you will be working on. This night I got to hang out in Millington, Tennessee and got to hear about the lives of Hailee and Jenna. I love it.

We stayed up late working which meant we slept in late. I did not complain.

Saturday was football day. And nothing made me happier than seeing Jenna's parents and brother getting ready for a day of college football. It was the perfect fall Saturday. The air was crisp, which was a huge change from the 90 degree weather we had been experiencing. The grill was smoking and the sweet sweet words of "Roll Tide" were coming from one of their family friend's Mr. Johnny.

We watched the game, got pedicures, and then...wait for it...

Yep, Jenna took me to Millington's Goat Days. A festival dedicated to...goats.
When we pulled up, I did a double take because a little girl was walking her goat on a leash.
 Let me repeat, goat on a leash.

 I love little gems like this. When else in my life would I have gotten to go to "Goat Days"??

Fun Fact: Justin Timberlake is from Millington.

Fun Fact: I might be a creeper.

I made Jenna drive me to his parent's house.

This is his driveway. It is the best picture I could get because the house is mostly covered by trees.
But, by golly, I saw Justin Timberlake's house!

After that Jenna was shocked I had never been on a 4-wheeler. So, she grabbed me, ran me to the shed and before I knew it we were off.

It was a wonderful weekend in Millington. The weather, the adventures and the people. Just too good.

Martin

Never in my life did I think I would live a month in the small town of Martin, Tennessee.

Life will surprise you, because I just did.

The town of Martin is located in West Tennessee.
2 hours from Memphis.
1 hour from Jackson.
6 miles from the Kentucky State Line.

 It has 11 stop lights total (this includes caution lights), and the landscape of the town is mostly fields of corn and soy beans. It is also home to the annual "Tennessee Soybean Festival".

I arrived in this precious town after a two hour road trip from Memphis, and quickly got to work with the chapter at The University of Tennessee at Martin.

The funny thing about each place I visit is that there are always the same characters in each chapter. I can always pinpoint them...

• There is always the hilarious storyteller-who manages to take a two minute story and expand it into a 15 minute one (but you hang on to every word, and get an ab workout because it is so funny).
• There is always the hard worker. The girl who volunteers for everything. She is the first one there in the morning and the last one to leave.
• The girl who knows all the gossip.
• The sentimental senior.
• The overly excited new member.
• The "Little Miss Sunshine", who you just want to take with you every where you go because her soul just warms you.

As different as each place is, there are always these people. In a way, it helps me. 

It helps me feel like each place is connected. 

It helps me see that this organization I work for continues to seek women with the same values and dreams.

The chapter of UT Martin, found a special place in my heart. 

The first week I was there, they invited me to meet their parents, their grandparents, to come home for family dinners and attend church with them. 

They were genuinely interested in showing me what they call "home" and what they value in life.

It helped me to understand them. 

They taught me about small town life and my southern accent grew tremendously. 

I learned what "back-roading" and "crop-dusting" are.

That judging cattle takes extreme skill and that "rope-pull" is something out of the Hunger Games.

And I giggled every time I saw a tractor driving on the street.

Brittany took me horseback riding!

I ate a fig from Kelsey's backyard.

I saw two monkeys? How that happened I still have no idea...

And I got to see what the Tennessee Soybean Festival was all about.

These girls learned all about me.

They knew, but did not accept my love for Alabama football. Roll Tide!

They mastered the art of the "Hannah" scream.

They learned about my family.

They learned about my friends.

I felt connected here. I loved them and I felt loved in return.

I guess when you spend a month with people, you are bound to connect. And I am so thankful for the month that I spent here.

Things I learned, or am learning:

• Still learning how to communicate effectively
• I've gotten better at balancing my life and their life.
• I have become an animal person...maybe?
• People in small towns have the biggest hearts.

Well, here we go. I'm departin' from UT Martin. 

Mizzou

Thursday:
We woke up bright eyed. Finished cramming everything we possibly could in to our suitcases and headed to the airport.

We were ready to board our planes! It was exhilarating to see something we had been talking about for so long actually become a reality. We were leaving!

While I waited for Abbey, Millie and Alyssa to check-in to their flights, I perched myself up in front of the escalators of the airport. A couple walked past me in a hurry, and the man accidently dropped cash behind him. I quickly called out to him and pointed out his money. The man walked back, scooped up his cash and came up to me.  He began to pull out his billfold and pulled out a $10 bill. Then handed it to me. I refused to take it. I told him he did not have to pay me! He placed the money on my suitcase in front of me and said “Buy yourself breakfast, and have a safe flight”. And he and his wife ran to catch their plane. 

“This is going to be a good day” I thought to myself.

And it was.

We said our goodbyes and parted to go to our separate gates.

At times that day, I would catch myself smiling and had no idea why. I think I was just still in shock that I was actually getting to have this adventure.

I landed in a tiny airport in Columbia, Missouri. Was picked up by some adorable new friends and drove the short ten minutes here:

To The University of Missouri.

Good Ol' Mizzou

I have been spoiled in this gorgeous house getting to hang out with some of the funniest people I have ever met.

One of their traditions, that I love so much, is a Panhellenic Chant War. It starts at one house where the girls run and yell a chant to another sorority in "Greek Town". Like clockwork, house by house joins in running down the street, chanting each others sorority cheers until they all join in.

This campus holds so many other wonderful traditions and gems. 

These five pillars are the only architecture remaining of the original campus of Mizzou. There are five similar pillars down the road which were made to link the community with the campus.

This tiled clover is in front of the Engineering School. If a girl walks across the clover it is said that she will marry and engineer. 

I walked across it...three times. Not sure what walking across it three times means or what is going to happen now. Stay tuned.

One of the coolest things Mizzou holds is Thomas Jefferson's tombstone. 

Fun fact: The President of the United States is not listed on his accomplishment's because he didn't want to be remembered for just his presidency.

Needless to say, this campus holds some pretty remarkable history and even more remarkable people. It has been such an honor to work with these girls. I have worn many "hats" this week: Consultant, counselor, friend, maid, hairdresser, cheerleader, tourist and I have loved wearing all of them.

What I have learned here:
Be yourself. It is so much easier to be you than try to be someone you think people NEED you to be.
Jump in. It is scary in a new place, but I need to just try to dive in and help in any way I can.
Balance. Still struggling to say in contact with people from home and finding "me" time.

But hey, I'm living and learning.
Thank you Mizzou.