Elon at the Plaza - UPDATED

I am so terrible at updating this blog. But I had a wonderful evening this week and I will be so upset if I don't blog about it eventually, so here goes.

I got to feel unbelievably fabulous this week! Elon, my alma mater, is in the process of raising 100 million dollars (yes, I'm serious) for the future of the University. It's a wonderful thing, because as Elon continues to grow and gain prestige, my degree will continue to gain prestige alongside. It seems a bit daunting for the University to attempt to raise so much money during such a difficult financial time. Yet, I think they're on the right track to reaching their goal.

So, for their campaign, they are hosting events for the Elon Alumni in various cities throughout the states to bring Alumni together and convince all of us to give and help to fund scholarships at the University. I was very pleased at how the event was organized and how the evening played out. I'll be honest, I expected to be bombarded with "GIVE US MONEY!!" throughout the event. And, though I would love to give lots of money to Elon, I know that I simply cannot spare any money at this time. So, I was apprehensive about attending the event since I had nothing to give, but decided to go anyway.

The event was hosted at the Plaza Hotel. Yes, the Plaza Hotel - one of the most prestigious hotels in this country. And, with rooms starting at $1000 per night, you can imagine how posh I felt walking into this hotel for an event in the grand ballroom. I mean, look at it! With it's proximity to Central Park and beautiful interiors, it's no wonder people are on a wait-list for YEARS to get married in that place! Just walking into the place is an experience in itself. The doormen, the gloved waiters, and the live strings playing in the dining room, ah, I felt so swanky!

In the Grand Ballroom, Elon started the evening with some mingling amongst alumni, wine and beer, and heavy hors d'oeuvres. Then, we all sat down to listen to Leo's speech and watch a video made specifically for the campaign. In true Elon fashion, it was a heart-wrenching, lovely video that makes you want to be back at Elon as soon as possible and to connect to every single person who stepped foot on campus. It's the kind of video that urges you to pull out your checkbook and write away your life's savings, giving it all to the University's campaign. After the video, three alumni performed (music theater majors) and they were all wonderful. One girl, class of 2003, is now performing in Wicked (which I saw a couple of months ago) Elon kids are going places!!

Plaza hotel entrance

I wanted to take the opportunity at The Plaza to meet some other Elon Alumni, maybe to make some networking connections, but also to make some friends. I reacquainted with two girls, both 2008 graduates, at the event! So, I've officially got some "friends" in the city. YAY!!

Caitlyn, Me, and Allison at the Plaza

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In other news, I had the WORST week at work last week, and I am nearing the end of my rope dealing with these people. I am trying really hard to keep my mouth shut and not to snap and say anything that I would later regret, but they are making it extremely difficult. My plan is to talk to HR to find out what my options are within the company. So, I'm a little apprehensive about working this week - because I don't know what the status of my job will be within the week. Ugh, being an adult really really sucks.