New Website!

After 4 years of blogging (sometimes!) I have decided to hang up my blogging hat and transfer to a new website!

It'll be similar, but more professional and easier for me to manage!

Thanks for reading and I'll see you over at the new place!

http://tinyurl.com/tdh77

Love, Tay

Leaving for London!

So, the day is finally here! I am leaving for London!

My parents and sister are taking me to the airport at 1:00 and I will be in London at 8:30 am, their time!!

Check my Tumblr, from Lawrence to London, to stay up to date on all the adventures!

Click here to find my Tumblr! You don't need an account to see it, and it's at the top of my page on the navigation bar!

100 Happy Days

I saw the hashtag #100happydays on Twitter and thought "How Cute." Well, it actually is pretty awesome. It's a movement that has people take pictures of things that make them happy for 100 consecutive days. It can help people notice visually what makes them happy, help them be in a better mood every day, become more optimistic, and even some fall in love during the challenge.

So follow me on Twitter/Instagram from March 14, 2014- June 22, 2014 for my #100happydays!

My Hashtag is #CatalystToMyHappiness.

Click here to go to my instagram!

Click here to view the 100 Happy Days website!

Here is the video that inspired my hashtag, "Pumpin Blood" by NoNoNo!

Time Traveler, Vol 3

It's newsletter time! I know this one is late and I know I usually mail them out, but I just didn't have the time this semester... it's crazy how fast this one is going by too!

Time Traveler, Vol. 3

Alt Break Series: Weekend Break

The next chapter in my Alt Break series was written when I went with a bunch of my friends to the Kansas Neurological Institute on a Weekend Alt Break. For just a few hours, I was able to make thank you cards and place mats with some truly wonderful ladies and visit a place that I could easily see myself coming back to volunteer again. The staff and regular volunteers made us feel very welcome and comfortable as well and, like all volunteering, it was such an easy thing to do for just a few hours of my time that (I hope) made a big difference.

Laura and Janet with Laura's beautiful placemat!

Brian and Carrie!

Kaitlyn and her FABULOUS hand turkeys!

They gave these to everyone who volunteered and you bet that it's now hanging on my wall. (:

MACURH 2014: From a Dream to Reality

Let me tell you the story of how a girl from a small town in Kansas over came everything to make her dream a reality for her and so many others. A dream of hosting a regional conference and bringing it back to KU after 20 years.  A dream that everyone said was too hard, too long, or not worth it. A dream that came true….

This all started a year and a half ago when I returned from NACURH 2012 in Boulder, Colorado. I will never forget having a meeting with my advisor and telling him I wanted to host a conference. He sighed and said, “I knew this was coming… OK. Let’s get started.” And we haven’t stopped moving since.  I researched and began shoulder tapping and bringing people in from AURH and Hall Governments. The next thing I knew, we were at MACURH 2012 watching SLU win the honor of hosting MACURH 2013. I looked at Laura and said, “That’s going to be us next year.”

We have spent the last eight months writing a 56-page bid, recording a wonderful 5-minute video, and perfecting a 25-minute presentation.  It was all worth it. It will always be worth it.

OCTOBER 26, 2014

There is a period of time I will forever know as the 24-Hours-of-Never-Ending Anxiety, aka October 26, 2013.  The Bid Team knew we were presenting first at 8 am, so we all were awake and getting ready at the ungodly hour of 5:45am. We made it to SLU’s campus and were told there were technological difficulties and that we would go in a little bit. It was like waiting for a baby to come: ten members of a family sitting around a waiting room just hoping for good news. Finally, it was time to go in and set up. We had the room to ourselves for five minutes, we did a Prezi check, sound check, and a quick “1, 2, 3, ROCK CHALK!” Our presentation had begun.

I began by welcoming, introducing and thanking various individuals and we all turned to watch our AMAZING video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB9tCP6oUv4

We all took turns going through our sections of the bid and telling the region how we hoped MACURH 2014 would look like. I was so proud of my team! They were doing amazing in everyway! I, on the other hand, have no memory of speaking coherently. I remember stuttering and slurring my words, but according to my team, this is not true! It must have been the adrenaline. However, about 15 minutes into the presentation, the “timer” held up a number 5. I had no idea what it meant because I knew we had 10 minutes left.  I minute later, we got a 4 and we still had several slides. Laura and I stole a glance of quick panic and silently knew to skip a few slides to try and end it quickly. I have no idea how we understood each other in that moment, but I’m just glad we did. I got up to try and end and in the middle of my words, I hear “STOP.” I. Panicked.

But after a moment, they realized we still had five minutes and we were allowed to continue. I (according to my team) jumped right back in like nothing happened and we went back to our skipped slides.  We ended with this amazing KU video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocflO69t2ZU

After, we were expecting a GRUELING question and answer session from the NCC’s in the region. Shockingly, we only had a record 4 questions before someone moved to end Q&A.

We. Were. Shocked.

We spent the next several minutes decompressing and just celebrating for doing such an amazing job! I was, again, so proud of them and all we had accomplished and I can think of no other individuals that I would rather have gone through this with. We had left everything we could in that boardroom and all we could do now was wait….

As per regional practice, my advisor and I were going to be told before closing ceremonies so that regardless of the decision, we could prepare the bid team and ourselves. I’ve had many people ask me how I reacted when I found out and the best answer I can give is that I “Miss America’ed it” hardcore.  I was, of course, crying and emotional that I finally had an answer! I called my mom and dad, talked with my advisor, and prepared myself to face my team.

They were waiting for me in another room, standing in a circle holding hands. They were clearly waiting for me to join them, but I could wait that long. I walked in, tears still falling and said,

“We won.”

Hugging, more crying, and excited whispers followed with the promise that we could not tell a soul until tonight, including the rest of the KU people.

That night, the bid team had a table to themselves and we were so excited to finally be able to share this incredible news with everyone. I had been actively ignoring text messages all day and I just wanted to scream “KU WON” very, very loudly.

FINALLY, the last award was about to be given out… MACURH 2014. The Bid Team held hands and closed our waiting to finally hear what we had wanted for so long….

“MACURH 2014 will be hosted… at the University of Kansas!”

After I was sworn in, there were pictures, transitional meetings, and information overload… but I loved every minute of it. We were no longer a bid team; we were a conference staff. We have 370 days to plan and execute a regional conference…. but for right now, we are celebrating. We stayed up late watching videos and eating pizza, just being friends. We defied the odds, we ignored the people who told us we couldn’t and that it was too hard…. We did it. And I couldn’t be more proud to be a University of Kansas Jayhawk.

From Bid Team...

TO CONFERENCE STAFF!

And Regional Board Member!!!

KU Delegation!

Being Sworn In

Alt Break Series: Accepted!

I received some wonderful news recently!

I was accepted to go on an Alternative Winter Break to the Colorado Springs Pride Center!

Now let me explain what an Alt Break is: During a week-long AB program, groups of seven KU students travel to locations across the country for a week of service work. Each group focuses on a specific issue; previous topics include environmentalism, education, community organizing, health, sustainability, homelessness, aging, immigration, LGBTQ rights, and disaster relief. We seek to provide KU students with a unique opportunity to volunteer and grow on a personal level. (Taken from the AB website: kualternativebreaks.com)

This was not the first time I have applied for an Alt Break; I applied last winter to go to Give the Kids the World in Florida, and I was not chosen. I was heartbroken, but I knew that I would apply again because I have only ever heard amazing things about going on an Alt Break! I truly wanted that amazing experience where I can help others and travel.

This year, there were five sites that I would have been thrilled to go to, but my first pick was the pride center in Colorado Springs. I wanted to learn new ways to promote equality and learn about other identities that I don't know as much about either because I don't identity myself with that identity or because I haven't been exposed to that identity. While I am learning so much here at KU about diversity and inclusivness, it's time to take it to the field!

I was also drawn to this break because I know that someday, I'll work with a student who needs or wants help, and hopefully this experience will give me some of the tools to do that in the best way.

Plus, this trip is going to be FABULOUS in every sense of the word. (:


http://www.cospride.org/index.php/en/