Wearing Down the Semester

So my first year on the road as a Leadership Consultant for Phi Delta Theta is winding down. I'm definitely ready for four months in the office and to be able to recharge my battery before next year. Next year I will be doing something a little bit different but remaining with the Fraternity. I will be heading up our expansion efforts all around the nation and Canada. I enjoy working with our newest interest groups and colonies because you get to do more education. The guys are much more motivated and you see that passion in their eye about starting a Phi Delt chapter at their respective chapter. I have a week left on the road, but am getting closer to Oxford by the minute. I'll be at Kent State and Akron next week and then back to the office. I'm excited to bring in three new consultants and be able to see how they adapt to the position. I can't even explain the experience I have already had, and I do not regret one minute of it. I've been able to work for an organization I believe in 100%, travel the country, help other succeed, network with many great alumni, and catch up with old chapter brothers and friends. These are only a few things. I remember taking this position and getting grief from some people about the job. Why the hell would you want to work for the Fraternity? You only make ***** amount of dollars and they'll wear you out. You could make so much more money elsewhere. Fraternities are for college, grow up and get a real job. These people are those who will never get out of Iowa and see the world and I feel sorry for them. The things I've learned about myself in one year have been amazing, and I can feel myself maturing. I will always have a passion for this Fraternity because it has given me so much. One person that has definitely helped me the most throughout the year (besides family) has been my lovely girlfriend Tillie. I would probably be insane if it wasn't for her. It's been great, becuase we are able to vent to each other about everything. She's been my rock on the road, and I love her for that. Anyways, that's my mushy rant for the night. My advice for anyone who reads this is to get out and see the world. There is so much to see, and take advantage of being young. If you're old, retire and buy an RV.

The Former Home of Cal Ripken Jr.

Being a former Balitmore Oriole and still a big Cal Ripken Jr. fan, I was very excited for my first trip to Camden Yards. It would be my first time, and I have great memories of Cal's consecutive game streak being counted down on the warehouses in right field. They know how to do it at Camden Yards. Once you get into the outfield, the street in between the warehouse and field is filled with vendors, food stands, souveniers, bars, etc. What a great time. The only thing you have to be careful with is foul balls. Foul balls coming over the right field come directly into the traffic on this street, and is actually pretty dangerous. The Orioles were playing the Yankees and the place was packed. We took our seat in the outfield and got roasted by the sun throughout the afternoon. I'm always amazed at the fan base that the Yankees bring to games. Every time I've seen the Yankees (home or not) there are tons of fans. How can you like a team that buys their titles? Anyways, the Orioles won and I considered myself to be the lucky gem at each of the games I saw. At all five games I've seen this year the home team has won. Maybe I should fly to Chicago and help out the Cubs. The weekend was great, but wasn't over for me. I had to travel about 4 hours across the Allegheny Mountains to Washington & Jefferson College. Just another day. The semester is winding down, and I'm excited to be back in the office for the summer.

PNC Park - Pittsburgh

Last Friday started my baseball weekend in a great way. I finished up my visit to Robert Morris University and drove into Pittsburgh to meet Chris Brussalis for the Pirates/Cubs game. Chris is one of our best volunteers for Phi Delt and he has been very hospitable to me during my travels. His seats at the park were amazing. Right above home plate with a great club type place in the vending area. There were pool tables, restaurants, etc. PNC Park is very new and the outfield opens up to the Pittsburgh skyline. The skyline is awesome and Pittsburgh's legendary bridges make it very neat. Unfortunately, I had to leave early because I had to drive three and a half hours to Gettysburg, PA that night. Life on the road! Driving to Gettyburgh was interesting. I must have eaten something at the ballpark that caused me to stop at the first three service stations off the turnpike on my travels to use the facilities. And let's just say I wasn't stopping to get something to drink. Along my way to Gettysburg I had to drive a very narrow highway through the Blue Ridge Mountains. It would have been a great drive in the sunlight, but late at night with the only building you see being bars was quite scary. I arrived at Gettysburg tired and ready for bed.

Vacation in D.C.

Tillie and arrived in D.C. late on Saturday night and checked into the JW Marriott, which is literally a block from the White House. For all of you who travel, check out priceline.com. I've been able to book amazing hotels for very cheap prices. The next day in D.C. we walked around and saw all the main sights. My parents always tried to take us to D.C. for vacation as kids, but Anne and I never wanted to go there. I was missing out. Despite the high crime rate and ridiculous traffic, D.C. is an amazing place. It is so close to so many other cities, and the monuments and attractions are neverending. We picked two great day to be there as the Cherry Blossom Festival was going on. Right about this time every year the cherry blossom trees bloom, and the Tidal Basin area of D.C. is absolutely gorgeous. People were everywhere, and the weather was amazing. We finally got pretty worn out and traveled up to Columbia, Maryland to stay with Bronk and Jess Harms. Bronk is a chapter brother of mine, and it was great to see he and Jess, along with their new Boxer Poncha. I would love to live out in this area, but property is so expensive. You definitely pay for all of the opportunities in the area. The next morning Tillie and I woke up and traveled to Annapolis, Maryland (the home of the Naval Academy) Annapolis is a neat town and we took a boat cruise to see the harbor that it lies on. From Annapolis, we drove to Mount Vernon, the retirement home of George Washington. The estate is huge and it would take a long time to see everything. It's very odd to see old slave houses and how they were used to do much work. I'm not used to seeing that stuff in Iowa. We ended up the day back in D.C. walking the Mall area and going to Captiol Hill. I'm amazed by the security in that area. Bronk met Tillie and I at the MCI center to see the Wizards take on the Milwaukee Bucks. Not the best game, but I'm able to check that venue off of my list. Overall, the vacation was awesome and it was great to see Tillie, who I don't see enough on my travels.

Vacation with Tillie in NYC

Last weekend, I was able to spend a few days with Tillie on the east coast. She flew from Lansing, Michigan to Newburgh, New York where I picked her up. We stayed with Joe Wechsler, a former consultant, on Friday night in Greenwich, CT. For all of you that have not heard to Greenwich, it is a very affluent area and the properties in that city are amazing but ridiculously priced. Joe is doing contracting work and showed us the house he's been working on. It was quite impressive, and I couldn't believe the value of the property. We woke up early on Saturday and drove into NYC. Driving in the city feels like your in a video game and is quite hectic. It was an experience in itself. The day was jammed packed as we walked from lower Manhatten (Wall Street) to Times Square. It was a heck of a walk, but we were able to see many different areas of the city. From Times Square we took the subway out to Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is quite the experience, and it's always fun to watch the Yankees, love em or hate em. Our seats were in the upper deck right behind the plate. (Great view) Randy Johnson pitched for the Yankees, but did not have a very good game. From the game we took the subway back to Central Park and Rockefeller Center. What a great park! We finished up the day by driving to Washington D.C. (I told you it was a jammed packed day)

Best Two Weeks of My Life?

For your information, my next two weeks consist of the following activities:

Friday, April 1 - Fly from Hartford, Connecticut to Cincinnati

Saturday, April 2 - Drive with Jesse to Kent State for the day. Get back to Cincinnati to watch the Final Four games

Sunday, April 3 - Go to Oxford to do laundry unpack a little and get situated for the next few days. Watch the MLB opener Red Sox vs. Yankees (In my brand new Green BoSox hoodie)

Monday, April 4 - Taking a day off of work to go to the Cincinatti Reds home opener against the New York Mets (Pedro Martinez's first game as a Met)

Tuesday April 5 - In the Office

Wednesday, April 6 - Fly back to Hartford. Pick up my car and drive to Central Connecticut State.

Friday, April 8 - Pick up Tillie from an airport in New York. Stay with Joe Wechsler in Greenwich, CT

Saturday, April 9 - Spend the day with Tillie in NYC. Afternoon Yankees game (against Sammy Sosa and the Balitmore Orioles) Tour the city. Drive to Washington D.C. (Staying a block from the White House)

Sunday, April 10 (Vacation Day)- Tour D.C. all day and then drive to Bronk & Jessica Harm's place in Columbia, Maryland to stay with them.

Monday, April 11 (Vacation Day) - Drive back to D.C. and tour some more. NBA Basketball Game at night (Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks)

Tuesday, April 12 (Vacation Day) - Drive Tillie to the airport in the morning. Drive down to Fredricksburg, Virginia to spend the night with Brad Klein.

Wednesday - Friday - Visit to Robert Morris University outside of Pittsburgh

Friday night - April 15 - Going to the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs game with Province President Chris Brussalis (Good seats!) Drive 3 hours to Gettysburgh, Pennsylvania.

Saturday, April 16 - Initiation ceremony for our new chapter at Gettysburg. Tour around Gettysburg in the afternoon. Drive back to D.C. to meet Bronk and go to the Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondback game that night. Stay with Bronk.

Sunday, April 17 - Afternoon Game in Balitmore (Orioles vs. Yankees) - Drive to Washington & Jefferson College.

That's what I'm talking about!!!!!

So in the next two weeks:
1) I get to see my lovely girlfriend for the fist time in awhile
2) Tillie and get to tour around NYC and D.C.
3) I'll see 5 different MLB games in 5 different ballparks.
4) I get to go to D.C. for the first time.
5) I get to catch up with a Phi Delt chapter brother (Bronk)
6) I get to hangout with my homeboy (Klein)
7) I get to visit a past Phi Consultant (Wechsler)
8) I get to see another 40 or so guys become Phi Delts
9) I get to go to my first opening day baseball game and there is a parade in the morning.
10) I get to recharge my batteries back in the office and see some of the guys.
11) I get to go to the home of my idol Cal Ripken Jr.
12) I get to see Sammy Sosa strike out atleast 5 times
13) I get to go to the second game ever for the Washington Nationals
14) I get to do laundry in my own home.
15) I get to watch the Final Four