April 5, 2010

The week began with planning for the future as I met with my adviser to discuss fall '10 enrollment. There are certain speed bumps along the way, such as a number of classes only being offered in particular semesters. By planning out the remainder of one's college career in depth though, the best possible outcome can be achieved.

Tuesday, members of the OSU Student Foundation met at the Foundation and were ready to begin thanking the donors that contribute such a significant impact to their lives. Although this was our second Thank-a-thon of the year, it was different than the first. As mentioned before we had met with the Gift Planning department to coordinate that evening's event. They provided an extremely informative script that included information about the Heritage Society, and we supplied it to the members to look over before that night's meeting. We did a quick training with a few mock calls, and enjoyed refreshments before the calling began! In the calling center, Gift Planning executive officers and myself were on hand to answer any questions the callers or the donors receiving calls may have had. Although I thoroughly enjoy calling, this is also great because as I walk around, I witness all the cheerful and grateful voices of the students interacting with donors from all over the nation; what an awesome event! Throughout the course of this Thank-a-thon it was also a pleasure to get to know the wonderful ladies from the Gift Planning department! I personally learned about another branch of giving that I wasn't familiar with. Here are some pictures from the evening!

StuFu members getting exciting about thanking donors!	Debra Hulse, Heather Briggs, and Melinda McAfee from the Gift Planning department!

Thursday evening CKI had a special meeting at Perkins Restaurant for our new officer installation and the retirement of this year's executive team. We had a great turnout and reminisced about all the wonderful times and events we've participated in this year. The newly elected Lieutenant Governor traveled all the way from West Texas A&M to induct the 2010-2011 Oklahoma State CKI officers. It was an evening of celebration and I am confident that we will only continue to grow as a club and in the service we perform in the upcoming year! Here are a couple pics from the event.

	2010-2011 OSU CKI Officers!

Normally, I would have probably traveled home for Easter weekend, but this weekend was extra special! I have mentioned before the significant influence my family has had on character and the values that are instilled in me; my grandmother is a major part of that. Growing up in the same town as my mom's parents, from K-12 there was seldom a day that I did not see them. My grandmother is such a huge role model in my life; the lessons, wisdom and love she has given me over the years are incredible. Probably the greatest part is that I'm not the only one who she shares these gifts with; she is kind of heart and generous beyond compare to all she meets. The activeness and young spirit that remains with her amazes me on a daily basis. Naturally, for her 80th birthday, our entire family would convene to celebrate the love we all hold for her! So this weekend, for her birthday, I was fortunate to spend time with family I usually only see once or twice a year! This includes my brother, who is now a California beach bum (haha, kidding). It was wonderful catching up with everyone! Also, even though the grandkids are 24, 21, 20 and 17, we still each found a strategically hidden Easter egg, haha. Unfortunately with two major exams this coming Tuesday I had to focus on homework some of the time, but it was still an awesome weekend! Here are a couple pics!

The 4 of us with our eggs!	My cousin Allie and I with Gram!