Convention 2005
 

Since we are now 1 year away from the 2005 convention here in beautiful Tucson... I thought I'd start the anticipation off by
posting weather reports for the next 6 days so you'll have an
idea of what the weather might be this time next year.

Today is a beautiful, typical pre-monsoon day. The sky is mostly clear with that bright Arizona blue. The only clouds are a few over the mountains. At 10:30 am, it is 89 degrees and the humidity is 13%. Forcast calls for clear with a high of 100 and a low of 71.

Weather update for 1 year prior to the start of the 2005 convention... I know that everyone is waiting with baited breath..... :-)

At 8am (MST) it was 79 degrees. Humidity was 22%. Forcast is high of 97 and low of 69.

Another weather update ....

again another absolutely crystal clear day. At 11am it was 92 degrees and the humidity was 8%. Hi is to be 99 and low 71.

Now everyone chant with me .... "BUT ITS A DRY HEAT"

The Tucson Alumnae are really looking forward to hosting their sisters next year .... HOPE you can make it...

haha! When I was in 7th grade we took a family road trip out west that summer. My father and I had nosebleeds for a full week from being in the "dry heat" (we were used to the Florida humidity!).

Anyways, I'm so hoping to be able to attend. I've never been to convention...so I think it's about time I go!

I have what may be a dumb question, but here it is. If you're an alum and have no specific reason to go to convention, can you go anyway? What is there to do in this case? (Besides just meet sisters from all over and stuff!)

I don't think I would mind dry heat...I just HATE humidity.

Yes you can go to convention!!! You should go!

YES!! YES!! every Alpha Xi Delta is welcome to attend convention. You get to meet alot of sisters from all over the country. You can attend the business sessions, the workshops, and the meals. I've been to the last (and now you'll be able to figure out how old I am) 13 conventions ... this will make #14. Sometimes I've been the delegate from my alumnae association, sometimes not, but its always been fun and very informative.

Looking forward to seeing you here in Tucson in '05!!

Choose Children Community Project
 

And.... if you aren't a delegate, you have the opportunity to sign up for the Choose Children Philanthropy project... that's something that the delegates don't usually get to participate in because they have required National Chapter meetings to attend at the same time.

There is now information about Convention 2005 on the fraternity web site.

http://www.alphaxidelta.org/convention.asp

I'd be most happy to answer any questions about convention or Tucson. There are alot of thing to do/see here ... you just need to consider the heat when thinking about an outdoor activity.

Also, if you are considering a visit to the Grand Canyon... remember it is a 6-7 hour car trip there from Tucson and if you want to stay at the National Park, you probably need to make reservations as soon as possible.

Hope to see you there!

Oooh! I'm so excited. I am going to have to start pinching my pennies so I can go. We just spent all our extra $$$ paying off our Aruba trip that's coming up in March...maybe Santa will bring me a large sack of cash for Christmas! :D

Questions!

1-what are some of the local attractions in Tucson? I haven't been in that part of the country in about 13 years (I think! When was I in 7th grade?) so I can't recall what all is out there. I'd love to go see the Grand Canyon again, but that seems too far to make it during convention. I had thought about staying an extra day or two...perhaps I can see it then.

2-do you have to stay at that resort? I was just thinking it might be less expensive to stay elsewhere. Or is there anything even close to the resort? It wouldn't be worth the extra expense of renting a car just to stay at a less expensive hotel.

3-the website says that airline information will be provided w/ the registration materials, which won't be available until March. Would it be more prudent to try to book a flight now while they're less expensive? Or is there some kind of magical information included in that packet that I have to wait for before booking my flight?

4-it says that college chapters are required to have a delegate in attendance. Is there anyone else required to attend, like volunteer-wise? Does that make sense?

5-about how much pocket $$$ should I bring? I know the thing says that the cost of registration includes specified meals, but how many meals will we have to find on our own? And how much $$$ will I need for souvenirs, local attractions, etc. I'm a sucker for souvenirs, esp. if they've got AZD letters on them! :)

6-how many rolls of film am I going to need?!

ohh good questions ....

1) local attractions ... depending if you want to brave the heat ... there's always golf, tennis, and swimming at the resort. There's the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (which is flora and fauna of the desert), Old Tucson Movie Studio, Nogales Mexico is about 90 minutes away, Gaslight Theatre is always fun, there are art museums down town, Tombstone is about 2 hours away. What are you interested in?

2) The only ones required to stay at the resort are the collegiate and alumnae delegates. There's nothing within walking distance of the resort, you'd need a car if you stay any where else.

3)Flights - usually there's information about the "official" airline which should be giving good rates. I've usually found that booking via the internet is just as good or better.

4)Required to attend - collegiate chapters are required to be represented, Alumnae associations may be represented. I don't know if anyone else that is required to attend.

5)pocket money - breakfast is usually on your own and meals on the "free" afternoon and evening are on your own. Also, there will be vendors with all kinds of Alpha Xi stuff and time to shop at the "store"

6)if you like to take photos, then alot ... there are always things to take photos of .. from photo ops with the National Pres. to awards night to just about anything else...

FYI ...

convention information and registration has been posted on the web site ...

Come join your sisters in Tucson!!!

http://www.alphaxidelta.org/convention.asp

I like...
 

I had liked the idea for those of us who are members of Greek Chat to actually meet if we do go to convention.

Love in Xi,
Amber G.
Iota Eta

We did that in Orlando prior to one of the dinners and it was nice to get to meet people that you've been talking to online
for years.

I really, really want to go, but I just got back from a week in Aruba and don't know if I'll be able to take the time off work. :(

*bump*

So, who's registered to go? I'm still trying to finagle my schedule and come up w/ the $$$ to go. I have a week left to register...hopefully I can pull it off!

I'm going to be so depressed if I can't go. :(

I'm registered ....

I guess I'd better be :-) ... I'm chairman of the hospitality committee ... so I'll be there...all day everyday.

Alright, I have another question.

We've batted around the idea of having Mr. AXiD670 come w/ me. Is he allowed to stay in the hotel w/ me? Are there any convention activities that he is allowed to attend (i.e., any of the dinners)?

Hey ... glad you're thinking of bring your mr. ... yes he can attend any or all the meals.

yes he can stay at the hotel with you ...

my husband and son have come with me a couple of times .. they mostly hang out at the hotel or do whatever attraction is around ... ie in Orlando they went to the parks ..

hope he decides to come ...

All I have to do is convince my work to let me have the time off, and I should be able to go! I hope Mr. AXiD670 can come w/ me, but that extra plane ticket and room rate is going to add up quickly. :( He actually is very interested in coming. :)

Guess who just registered for convention?! :D

yeah!!!!! PM me if there's anything you want/need to know about convention and/or Tucson...

Well that makes 2 of us .... anyone else coming??

I'd like to propose that any GC'ers that want to meet .. meet at the hospitality desk just before the dinner on Wednesday night.

If/when I found out where that's going to be located I'll post it...

Got my convention information packet in the mail today ... convention is comming up fast ... can't wait to see my sister's here in Tucson ....

BTW ... it's starting to get hot ... it was in the mid-90s today

I got my packet yesterday as well!

Quick question -- for attire, what about capri pants? I know some people don't think they're dressy enough. We're not allowed to wear them in our office, but I know people in other offices who can wear them.

I guess my answer would be .. do you feel comfortable wearing your quill with capri pants? I know that I wouldn't be ..

It Depends on the Capri Pants!!
 

I would, and I've got at least one pair that I plan to bring!! The AXiD PTB are far more likely to worry about (and send away) bare midriffs, visible thongs and flip flops than they EVER would about a nice pair of capris.

I'm going to take the liberty of cribbing from the Kappa Delta website, which sounds pretty much like what we do, too, although it sounds like they wear white for all business sessions so I'll do some editing to fit us:

"The Big Question: What Do I Wear?

"Generally everyone dresses up a little bit for Convention. The daytime events (luncheons, [business meetings] and [educational] sessions) are less formal and business casual (nice capris, slacks, sweaters, skirts, blouses, daytime dresses) are most appropriate. The evening banquets are the most formal with the opening dinner being [somewhat] dressy. The awards ceremony dinner is also an occasion to dress up. The final [] Rose Banquet is the most formal with many people wearing long dresses. [No flip flops]

"[For the ritual session], the proper attire is white dress and shoes. A white top and white skirt is also appropriate. Please no casual flip flops with your ritual dress.

"Of course, the [tours] would be casual as you would be getting on and off buses at the various sites and that is hard to do in formal dress and heels."

I have a pair of dressy capris I bought to wear to work...but my boss won't allow it. That's why I was hoping I could wear them to convention. I have a nice top to go w/ them...so the outfit will definitely fit in the business casual category. I also have some more casual capris that I was planning on wearing on the plane ride into Arizona.

I'm sure I'll have more questions for you ladies later! :)

Just a by-the-way ....

"the ice should break on the Rillato River today or tomorrow"

that's Tucson's way of saying that we should hit 100 degrees ....

so when traveling here ... remember to layer .... it may be cold on the plane and in the airport and in the hotel .... but its HOT (even through its a dry heat) outside....

Remember to bring and wear your sun screen and your hats.

When are people going to be arriving? Tuesday or Wednesday?

I will arrive on Wednesday! I am so excited to be going!!
~Amber~

Mr. AXiD670 and I will be arriving on Wednesday. We're flying into Phoenix, then renting a car & driving down to Tucson. Hopefully we'll make it in time for me to freshen up before the convention orientation at 3:30.

hey that's great .. travel time down from Sky Harbor airport (Phoenix) is about 1.5 hours ... just be sure to carefully follow the signs out of the airport ... it can get confusing ... by the way ... you'll want to take I-10 east from Phoenix ... yeah I know Tucson is south of Phoenix but I-10 is an east-west interstate to we are "east" of Phoenix according to the interstate ...

Be sure to look for the ostrich farm at Picacho Peak....

let me know if you need/want directions ... its really easy to get from the interstate to the resort ..

I ordered Tucson, Phoenix and Arizona road maps from AAA, and I will print off directions from the resort's website. I might get you to PM me your cell phone #, just in case something happens.

I'm so excited. This will be my first convention. I can't wait.

GC Convention Meet-Up

When: Wednesday, June 29, 30 minutes before dinner
Where: Hospitality desk

So far we've got me, AZ-AlphaXi, flirt5721, GirlyXi, tcsparky as verified.

I'm assuming AlphaXiGirl and NorthernAXD will meet up w/ us too. :) Have I missed anyone?

Yes, I plan to meet you all there as well.

Yay!

I almost forgot about SoProud2BeAnAlphaXi -- will you be joining us?

Can I join you too??? I'll be flying out from Atlanta! It's my 3rd National Convention!!!

Can I join? I've been talking to GirlyXi on instant messenger for nearly a year now, it's be nice to put a face with the name...

On a slightly different note, was anybody disappointed with their room assignments? I signed up for a 4 person room (to save money, of course) but got put in a double =( Don't guess I can complain too much, at least I'll be rooming with my chapter Alternate - but it would have been so much fun to meet and room with other people...

You bet ... I'm looking forward to meeting up with all the Alpha Xi GC'ers and putting faces with names .... 19 days and counting....

see you'all soon is sunny Tucson!!