7am and we have hit the road. Got our snacks, coffee, even Jessica is coming along for the ride!
10:30am: Just closed the Florida state line, and had to stop off for a quick bathroom/water break. Some kind gentleman took this photo for us. Excited for #disneydeepher moments all weekend!
12pm: A great playlist for the trip is the original recording for On the Record, which is basically a mashup of the most popular Disney songs sung by broadway level performers. YouTube has a playlist, or click here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL71E8503E3E194BD9
1:30pm: WE MADE IT!
4pm: uh oh, Dphie Designs has a whole room! I definitely walked out spending more than I should, but where else would you get a spirit jersey with "international convention" written on the back?!
Some of us may have broke them bank... *cough cough Chloe!*. Not going to lie though, I'm a little jealous of her swag. She's a brave one, and told them not to even tell her the total. "Just swipe the card," she said.
4:30pm: A little visit from Phi Lambda President Udoka Okafor with a sweet goodie bag thanking us for our service and for coming to convention. ADORBS!
6pm: The official welcome speech from our very own International Governing Board President, Tricia Reed Carlin. Thank you for making us feel loved and inspired to start the weekend out right!
6:15pm: Amanda Pouchot, founder of Levo League, delivered the opening keynote and literally got us up to our feet. I think we were all so exhausted from travel and potentially Disney-magic, so it was a tough crowd. She have us some very active things to do, which I appreciate from my theatre background. Some thoughts that stuck out to me include:
▫️multi-million dollar ideas don't just happen, you have to work for them step by step building on your experience.
▫️borrow/steal ideas someone else has laid the path for.
▫️we run the world..... GIRLS
Any speaker that starts the conversation with a dance party gets an A+ in my book!
6:45pm: Lynn Strigh took us through some valuable networking tips, and started a dialogue for us to continue throughout the weekend.
What I find most interesting about her points is that in order to effectively network, you have to know why. Why are you networking? I always assumed it was just the thing to do, but if it has no direct purpose behind it, you probably won't follow through or be very successful at it.
For me, I think my main objective for networking this weekend is to promote the use of this blog as a resource for women in the active chapters and alumnae. Secondly, but more importantly, I am looking to connect with new sisters and spread my spirit (while feeding off others' spirit) for the sorority. To revitalize or rejuvenate my experience as an alumnae and advisor.
7:45pm: TSHIRT AUCTION! This was fun because I got to lead the auctioning for the second Convention in a row. My first experience auctioning was at a District Leadership conference back in maybe 2008 or 09 in St. Louis. Remember DLC? We were staying in a hotel that was also hosting an auctioneering school on the same floor. Walking from my hotel room one day, I ran into this boy, maybe 17 years old at the most, wandering the halls and drinking a beer (him, not me). He tried to spark conversation with us, and we were polite to oblige him however disinterested we were at the time. We asked him what he was doing there and he told us about the Auctioneering School. I got a private lesson, along with a sister from Texas, in the elevator that day and have been talking super fast ever since.
The highlight for me was when a unicorn patterned stitched letter shirt was up for bidding. I happened to mention, like you do, that this was a $1000 stitched tee and was magical and so on. We started the bidding and from what may have been a $50 bid hiked to a $1000 bid from our very own International Ritualist, Cheryl Lamb. She said to me, "Olivia, did you say that was worth $1000?" I said, "I believe it is." Cheryl said, "I'll take that bid, only if you'll wear it." My jaw dropped. Cheryl donated $1000 for a shirt that I loved to support my unicorn obsession, but also our astounding Educational Foundation. I hope someday I could be successful enough to impact the sorority like Cheryl does so gracefully.
10pm: finally to dinner at Maya Grille on the Resort. That's a wrap from these four advisors at Phi Lambda. A quick drink to catch up...
...dip our toes in the pool...
...and I bid you goodnight sisters. Until tomorrow, where more magic, inspiration, and innovation are sure to prevail.
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