The Learning Conference

First and foremost I would like to thoroughly apologize for my absence. I realize that I have had horrible upkeep on this blog and my life so, I'm sorry. Best way to kick off my apology post? TLC! I realized that my last post was about AGD Convention so what better way to start this post with AGD TLC? I know, I'm awesome.

So last time you heard from me I was Property Coordinator for our lovely chapter. I would now like to inform you all that I have been elected Chapter President. To say the least, I was incredibly honored to receive this position and I hope that I live up to the expectations I have set for myself, our chapter, and our sisters. As President, I had to attend The Learning Conference with our social chair, adviser, and since our risk management could not attend, our VP Operations. I will now be showing you pictures from this glorious event.

We got a tour of our brand new International Headquarters

The theme this year was "Own It"

We shook hands and introduced ourselves to the INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT.

Yeah so basically it was a blast. Learned a great deal on how to improve our chapters safety and set achievable goals for ourselves and our chapter. We came up with some great goals for this year and have been working on them throughout the summer so we can begin to implement them once we return to school. 

I've also been pretty on top of keeping in contact with my EC so that we are all on the same page when school starts. We have our first business meeting planned, our first informal EC planned, and recruitment plans made. Our VP Membership is also already working on our calendar for fall. Basically we are going to own this year and I'm really excited. Also exciting, a good deal of my EC will be in the house again this year so everyone is nearby. 

Currently I am waiting for Tuesday to happen because that's when I start orientation for Target...weeee another retail job. At least this time I am JUST cashier and not EVERYTHING. So it shouldn't be so bad. I can also transfer to Mt.P which means I could have a job during the school year besides music librarian :D Wiiiinnnerr.

Alright, I'm going to make some lunch.

Alpha Gam Convention

As you all know, I'm a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. About a week or so ago I attended our international convention :) I'm going to give you an overview of what went down.

Let's start with the day before Sam Perrin and I flew out.

We met some sisters in Alma to hang out and meet Kim's corgi :)

Her name is Bambi.

We also had Pizza Hut :)

The boy is one of our sweethearts :)

It was a nice way to start off the week. I also got to see my lovely wife.

The bench was not in the ground...

So anyways, yes. This is how the week started. With some awesome sister time. Always a great way to start a week I think. After this, our adventure at convention began.

The view from our room!

All the Zeta Nu ladies!

Great ideas for recruitment!

Feast of Roses

I learned so much and I met so many wonderful sisters. To say the least I think every Alpha Gam should go to convention at least once in their lifetime. And yes, I say lifetime. I met a sister who has been serving Alpha Gamma Delta for 70 years. It's amazing. 

Alpha Gamma Delta is definitely not like any other sorority. Our sisterhood is seriously life lasting and it shows. The love we have for each other is never ending.  

Live With Purpose my lovely sisters.

Loyally,

Kamryn

Retail Therapy? Let's Try Retail Courtesy

Working in retail for the past year has really opened my eyes to what jerks people can truly be.

I mean, I was taught to always put things back where I found them and to treat people how I wanted to be treated. Apparently not everyone was taught this way.

My three biggest problems with people:

1. Pulling things off the shelves and either leaving them on the floor, the bench, or shoving it into some random box.
2. Treating me like I am stupid and don't know what I'm talking about. 
3. Getting mad at me for the price of the item you are purchasing.

Let's address these one by one.

First, YOU were the one who pulled the item off the shelf therefore I find it ridiculous that you cannot put it back. I feel like putting it back or at least asking me to put it back would be the polite thing to do. At least if you ask me to put it back it's not just lying on the floor.

I once had a lady's kid tell her, "Mommy, I put all my things back you have to now."

When your kid is telling you manners I believe there is a problem.

Second, I have worked in this store for over a year and regardless of the length of time, I have been TRAINED. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about. If you ask for something and I say we don't have it, WE DON'T HAVE IT. Sure, feel free to look at other things but do not come up to the counter upset because we don't have the ting I told you we don't have.

Also, when I say something is not on sale...it's not. No, I cannot change it for you and I'm sorry that it is not but that's no reason for you to get angry with me.

Third, I DO NOT PRICE THE ITEMS. I put whatever prices HQ says and that's that. The register does everything automatically. It's this weird thing called technology. Yes, I will put coupons in for you but no I will not lower the price because you thought the price was different. If you were confused about the price you could have asked me at any time. I did say, "Let me know if you need help with anything."

I'm sorry this entire post is text, but I don't want to give away where I work because I really enjoy the company, it's products, and my workplace. When it comes to people though, it's a 50/50 on how I will feel.

Somedays are really nice and I meet  lot of nice people, but other days are just filled with straight up assholes that treat you like you are some subservient slave. Dude, I get paid minimum wage to be here. Yes I will help you if you need help, but no, I will not wait on you hand and foot.

I'm going to find a book to read and lay out in the sun.

Alpha Gam Appreciation Post

As I've said before, I'm a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta International Women's Fraternity. In short terms, I'm in AGD. I think it's about time I tell you just how much I love these women.

Let's start with rush.

I'm a member of our school's marching band and a majority of the women in marching band are also in AGD, so I already knew a great number of them. At the beginning of rush I had my mind set on one sorority, and it wasn't AGD. Throughout the week, with the help of some amazing Rho Gamma's (neutral ladies), I opened my mind to the possibility of joining another sorority. I went through the rest of rush with an open mind and fell in love with that feeling of home I got when I was with the Alpha Gam's. I went into the preference room after my final round and told myself to write down the first place that came to mind when I thought of home, I found myself writing AGD.

I did not only write AGD though, I wrote my second favorite beneath as my backup in case the Alpha Gam's didn't like me. All day of walkouts I was freaking out because I did not know which bid I would have in my bag.

When it came time to see what bid was in my bag I was ready to puke. I had no idea which bid was in there and I knew that if it wasn't Alpha Gam I would be extremely disappointed.

I opened my bag and there it was. The familiar crest on the front and my name on the inside. I held that bid to my chest and closed my eyes smiling because I was so happy. One of my best friends, Lydia, looked over at me to see which I got. She thought because my eyes were closed I didn't get Alpha Gam and looked concerned. I smiled though and she knew I had.

We both signed our bids immediately.

Lydia is a member of Phi Sigma Sigma, but being in different houses hasn't affected our friendship in the least. If anything, it has strengthened it. This is us on bid day this year. :)

So anyways, I had found home. This is my beautiful pledge class at walkouts.

Me, Amber, Andrea, Chloe, Olivia, Sara, Cassie, and Steph.

After walkouts you are allowed to hand out open bids. Through open bids our pledge class grew to ten. We are the Ten Titillating Bowling Pins.

This is name reveal. :)

My pledging process was probably one of the most bonding things I have went through with my pledge sisters. It sounds stupid, but some pledge classes don't bond. Ours definitely did. Not only did I bond with my pledge class, but with my family. We are the bunnies.

My Mother, Me, and my Grandmother.

These two women are incredibly important to me. They have shown me guidance and support. I'm truly lucky to be apart of this family, in my eyes. Knowing these two has made me a stronger person and more self confident.

This year I took a daughter and I love her as well. As corny as this is, she is my pride and joy. Our family is a line of women in band and as far as I've seen, strong women. My daughter fits in perfectly.

I'm holding her and her Grandma is on the floor.

Not only do I get incredible family support, my sisters as a whole are an amazing support group. Many of them are great role models and even greater friends. I can honestly say I don't know where or who I would be without these women. 

I'm just going to spam this entry with pictures to show the great times I've had so far.

My initiation.

Winter Walkouts 

My roommate's initiation :)

Me, my little, and my little's mother.

My wife! (She was in my pledge class)

Our "Classy" event.

Me and Holly Graham (Former President)

Me, my Mother, my Wife :)

Winter Recruitment

Desserts 

Winter Walkouts 

My daughter and I :)

Those are just a few. And by few I mean barely scraping the surface. This was one of the best choices I've made in my life and I know I will never regret it.

I'm going to listen to our songs now.

Gay Oreos

Alright. This post was inevitable, so here we go.

So this was posted.

First of all, there are NUMEROUS companies that openly support gay marriage. NUMEROUS. Here is a short list.

1. Levi's
2. American Apparel
3. Nike
4. Microsoft
5. American Airlines
6. Apple
7. Google
8. Starbucks
9. Boeing
10. IBM

And that is a VERY short list. That doesn't even scrape the surface.

I'm finding it absolutely ridiculous that people are going to "boycott buying oreos." I think that if you are going to do that it's only equal that you "boycott" ALL of the companies that support gay rights. I mean, that's equality right?

Also, I don't think eating oreos will turn you gay because they support gay rights. That would mean that while people write hate on their mac's, search google for mean pictures, and drink starbucks, they are slowly turning gay. All of those companies support gay rights so using their products has to make you gay too, right? Because being gay is a choice and if you eat/drink/use gay things you are more likely to catch "the gay" and make the "choice" to be gay. I mean, that's why I'm gay. I was just riding American Airlines to Australia in seventh grade and I caught the gay and made the choice to be judged all throughout high school.

This logic is nearly as ridiculous as the logic that having gay parents makes you gay. My mom and dad are pretty straight. I mean, they are both in heterosexual relationships so...

Also, I'm pretty positive nearly EVERY SINGLE company in the world has AT LEAST one gay person working for them. I think people are unaware of just how many gay people there actually are in this world. 

So while everyone that is "boycotting" oreos sits at home feeling horrible because their off-brand cookies keep breaking in their milk, I'm going to gladly continue to use any products from any company I like. By boycotting oreos you are just leaving more for my sorority sisters and I to dip in our milk. :)

Let's Talk Politics

As the election gets closer, I thought it'd be the perfect time to discuss who has my vote.

Four years ago this was me on halloween.

You could say I was a bit obsessed.

Back then I was supporting Barack Obama mainly because he was a strong liberal and at 17 I was a strong minded liberal as well. I fondly remember reading every biography of Obama that was available and fighting with anyone who would listen. My AP Gov teacher, a card carrying republican, teased me on my reasons for supporting him everyday just to keep me on my toes. I was not able to vote in that election, but I sure tried my hardest to get everyone who could vote to vote for Obama.

Now, four years older, I still find myself a Barack Obama supporter. 

As a lesbian, gay and lesbian rights have always been a top issue for me. Barack Obama has always supported equality, but never gay marriage rights directly. I know, I know. Typical lesbian move to bring up Obama's recent declaration of support for gay rights, but it wouldn't feel right if I didn't. What can I say? It was reassuring to see and hear.

In case you didn't get to see it.

Not only did he declare his support for same-sex marriage, he celebrated June as LGBT Pride month.

June is now known as LGBT Pride month, thanks to Obama.

After all of this I truly believe that if he is re-elected he will make a bigger and more permanent change within the LGBT community. In my eyes it has been a long time coming and it is about time we have a president who is ready to give us equality for all. 

Another important thing he did before declaring support was speaking on the "It Gets Better" project. Let's be honest, there are lots of movements going on in America constantly and I find the fact that he took the time to read about this particular one and make a response incredibly heartwarming. I want someone who takes the time to see what everyday Americans are supporting and become involved as well.

Gay rights are not the only thing causing my support for Obama though. 

Health Care. I strongly believe in free health care and therefore I was very happy when Barack signed his Health Insurance Reform bill. I think it was a small step to a better future. I know full well that free healthcare means higher taxes, but I also think it is inhumane to let people die because they cannot afford the care they need. I know that if he is not put back in office all advancements toward free healthcare will come to a screeching halt.

Nifty Obama Organizing Health Care Logo

The last but not least deciding factor for me was his stance on education. As a college student attending a private school, it can get expensive. I know that like every other student, I don't want to take out a fortune in loans. Barack Obama expanded the maximum grant level and I, along with I'm sure many other students, were able to take out less money in student loans. I also know that because of this many students were able to go back to school or attend school in the first place. As we all know, we can't get anywhere today without a good education. 

One last thing, I would just like to remind everyone that we voted Bush into office twice and all he left us with was war and debt. We haven't even given Obama the same chance when all he has done is try to change things for the better. It may look and feel like nothing has changed but you have to take into account what he was left with and that wasn't much.

by YourLocalSecurity.com

Ears Open.

In the spirit of my massive download of music today I'm going to talk about some awesome songs/bands that rarely get listened too! I know this might make me come off as a bit of a music snob but I know that my friends and I listen to some pretty great music so I want to share!

This first choice comes from my great friend Lisa, who reminded me of the awesome that is Of Monsters and Men. They only have one album out currently and I downloaded the whole thing today after getting fed up with listening to all the songs on youtube over and over. Here is my personal fave, I believe it is Lisa's as well.

Alright, next stop is definitely this new BoB and Taylor Swift song. I know a lot of people are against T Swift but I didn't even know it was her in this song. It's catchy and has some pretty decent lyrics. Let's hope that the radio doesn't overplay it now.

Next is an awesome song with a really cool cup beat. There are multiple covers of this song but I still think the original is the best. It's Lulu and The Lampshades, You're Gonna Miss Me.

Last but not least, Bon Iver. I absolutely love Bon Iver. My favorite song has to be Skinny Love though, and there are also some magnificent covers of this song. Just so, ahhhhh.

These are just some basics and they barely scrape the surface but I think I'm going to post a video at the beginning of all my posts now so you can have some background music to listen too. :)

Now, let's talk building a mix cd. I make mix cds like it's my job and my friends always love them. I'm going to share with you the tricks that I use.

1. You need to know the person you are making the cd for. If they are heavily into rap you might need to put a bunch of rap on it, if they are into just about everything you have a pretty free range, it all on depends on the person.
2. I always just pick my favorite songs from whatever genre. If I like the song, usually they will too. It just always seems to work that way. It will most likely work for you too.
3. I always try to make each mix about 19-21 songs, or an hour long.
4. Try to have a nice blend of music. Don't have two songs by the same artist play one after the other or two songs with relatively the same beat. The more variety, the better.
5. Always try putting new music on their to open their ears too! A lot of people are afraid to leave their music comfort zone and by putting new songs/bands on the cd they will be forced to listen to them. If you like the songs/bands they probably will too. I mean, you are friends right?
6. Have fun! I listen to the mixes that I make for others because I like them so much! It should also be fun to make them, don't make them if it stresses you out.
7. Always test the cd before making it. I like to listen to the mix at least once or twice just to check the flow and make sure all the songs sound okay.

I hope you try it!

I'm going to text Meranda again about going to see Brave tonight.