SIFE Ya Later!

The Drake SIFE team is very much like a family. I mean that almost literally. We get along very well (almost too well at times) and we fight constantly. It's like we have grown up together our entire lives. It's just...interesting.

I was in charge of planning for our team training conference today. For the last week, I have been running around campus like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to get everything organized. These random items included filling out paperwork, filling out requests, obtaining driving forms, registering our team, finding a place to stay for Friday night, and getting a head-count (which changed daily). I didn't think it would be as hectic as it turned out to be, because I feel like I am an organized person, so things like planning events are second nature to me.

However, when the President of the organization is a Type B personality who tells you he doesn't care how things are done, then complains when you do your job, things get a little sticky. Let's just say, this week was very, very stressful for this girl.

Thank goodness this weekend training went without a hitch and we all made it there and back safely. One ironic thing we learned in the officer training session was appreciating others on our team. As I said before, our team is very close. In fact, we are "those people" who never take the training sessions seriously. We are too busy talking to one another or answering all of the questions the presenter asks. Pretty much, we are the team everyone else loves to hate.

With us being close, we tend to fight often. Like I said before, the President constantly got on my case while I was trying to do my job. Eryn finally told him off, which doesn't surprise me.

Anyway, we learned to appreciate every little thing each person in the team contributes. I think it's a great thing for our team to implement because we tend to make fun of one another, rather than build each other up. In fact, during our working lunch today, the President called me out in front of the team to thank me for my "hard work" planning the event. It was completely unexpected and I didn't deserve it, because I was doing my duties. However, I appreciated it because that was the first time he told me thank you for the entire thing. It felt good.

Overall, it was productive for our team to go. If nothing else, we were able to bond. Who doesn't love team bonding?

Zach, one guy who rode in the same vehicle as me, started saying words replacing "SIFE" with the actual word. For instance, he'd say, "SIFE ya later!" or "What the SIFE?!" It was quite entertaining. It may catch on.

Another side story to this weekend deals with our boxed lunches from today. At the end of the day, they set out the leftover lunches for us to take home if we wanted to. I grabbed one, along with the others in my vehicle, to have something to snack on during our ride back.

As we were leaving downtown Minneapolis, we saw a homeless woman holding up a sign. We sat a red light, staring at her and sharing what each of us normally do when we see homeless people. Instantly, Eryn blurted out, "Let's give her some of our food!"

I agreed and packed up my boxed lunch I picked up for the ride home. Others grabbed apples, bags of chips and sandwiches for her. We pulled up to her and dropped off all of our food for her. She flashed a huge smile and thanked us.

It made me feel good knowing that food went to a better place. She needed that food way more than any of us in the vehicle did. I wonder if she ate the sandwich and other food we gave her. I sure hope she did. It was clear to me that entire situation was controlled and planned by God. There's no way that was coincidence. 9 out of 10 times, I wouldn't have grabbed a boxed lunch, but decided to do that today. Turns out, it wasn't for me afterall. And that's totally okay. :)