Wow so I really dropped the ball this year on blogging… Randomly I’d be in a mood to write, but other things would take priority (aka what I’m writing this post about). So here we go: Running for president of Alpha Chi Omega was hands down, the BEST, I repeat BEST, decision I’ve ever made. Most of y’all know, but in 2014, Bid Day was not the most fun day if my life. I was defeated from the week and all I could do was cry. I didn’t want to believe it then, but things really do happen for a reason. My mom said something to me that day that I will never forget: “You will get out of this what you put into it. This is your chance to make your mark.” I didn’t realize it in that moment, but moms really are always right. So fast forward a couple years to this time last year, there I was about to give my election speech and pour my heart out to the chapter on why I believed I was the best candidate for the position. My sisters believed in me and that’s exactly what I needed. Going into it, I thought I knew exactly what it would take to be president and pretty much what all of the responsibilities entailed, but man did I have it wrong. It really was like a rollercoaster- I started off feeling like “ooh I’m the boss here, life is great, let me show this chapter what I have up my sleeve” Everyone was doing great things & making me a proud mom. & then BAM a crisis hits! Which way is up? Do I really need to be liked? How is a 21 year old supposed to handle this? AHHHH! & really the only option when life got sticky was to put my game face and my big girl pants on. & then once the first problem was mastered, I was all like “throw ‘em all at me, I’m a pro” & then I had to keep the house plans a secret from everyone for 6 weeks. eek! but now here I am now realizing that my days won’t be filled with texts. emails. phone calls. emails. texts. oh yeah and emails. And maybe my phone won’t die every day at 6 PM for once. (but really it's just going to be me going back to me not being the "popular girl" who always has someone to talk to) So here I am, somehow I survived!!! On a more serious note- I wouldn’t have wanted to run around like a chicken with my head cut off for anyone other than the women of Delta Rho. So sisters, thank you. Seriously from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for helping me learn how to live up to my full potential, teaching me how to be more responsible than I even thought a person could be, and for pulling me back up on my feet after the mistakes I made. I couldn’t have done it without each one of you!
To McKenna- you’re gonna ROCK it! This next year will be the best year of your life! When times get tough, remember why you ran for this position & remember the 415 women standing by your side the whole way through being your biggest cheerleaders! Now someone hand me a box of tissues- gah I’m a baby.
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For the second summer in a row, Graham and I spent a week in Nashville visiting his dad, stepmom, and brother. (& my dog Bella’s parents ;)) When we arrived on Saturday we went to the Farmer’s Market downtown. For some reason I always am drawn to fresh peaches so naturally I had to buy some! I mean c’mon only $5 for a dozen of them!! Graham tried the Mason Dixon soda which was watermelon and habanero flavored from a cute food truck. He loved it, but it was too spicy for me. It was really cute though so that’s a plus!! Now if I had to choose something that I am overly obsessed with (besides pineapples, mason jars, and polaroids of course) it would be succulents. My freshman roommate and I had 4 succulent plants in our dorm and ever since then I have been obsessed. Graham bought me 2 last semester that I put in cute little bowls from Target. I’ve been pinteresting ways to have a planter on the front porch of where I’m living next year so of course I had to glance at the succulents at the Farmer’s Market!! My motto in life is “Never say no to adventures.” We went hiking in Cookeville, TN about an hour and a half from Nashville at Cummins Falls State Park. The hike was beautiful as you can tell from the pictures- it was unique in that a majority of the hike was walking along (or in) the water flowing away from the falls. There’s something about swimming holes that freak me out and awe me at the same time. The water was freezing but I went for a swim anyway! It was worth it! (Sorry for the repeat goofy pose) This year we went to a hill called Lover's Circle that overlooks the city! It was a great view! The trip also wouldn't be complete if we didn't walk around finding murals and taking pictures of them! Or finding a vintage record shop! Some of our favorite places to eat are: -Jeni’s- I’m a sucker for anything salted carmel and they have the BEST salty carmel flavor. Graham always gets the darkest chocolate. -Pancake Pantry- The pancakes literally melt in your mouth. What more can I say? -Las Paletas- Gourmet popsicles. MUCH better than Steel City Pops if you ask me. Graham got Hot Chocolate with Chili flavor both years(can you tell he’s really into spicy things/peppers?). Last year I had mixed berry and this year Cookie- it was vanilla with chocolate chip cookies in it- AMAZING! -Hot Hattie B's Fried Chicken-Kind of like your typical fried chicken joint but at least 1000x better! Don't make the rookie mistake like Graham did and think you can handle the hottest of the hot flavoring! Really though I don't think you can go wrong with any of the food in Nashville. It's all delicious! I already have a list of things I want to do next time we get to visit!! Nashville is a neat city that I fall in love with every time I visit! If you haven't been there before, I would 10/10 recommend you hop in a car or on a plane now and go visit! I somehow always justify spending ridiculous amounts of money on concerts- I mean experiences are priceless, right?! Here's a few I went to in the last couple of months! The Chainsmokers in February for Valentine’s Day with Graham. We may or may not have been the first people in line. Ben Rector in March with Shannon. It was her Christmas gift from me. Fun fact: last year we were actually at the same Ben Rector concert in Fayetteville and didn’t even know each other. Justin Bieber in April with Shannon. We decided the day of to buy tickets, drive to Tulsa, see JB, and drive back. College man. Mumford & Sons in April with Katie and Courtney in St. Louis. I got to be a tourist in their hometown and eat some yummy food! I already have tickets for The Lumineers in October and I’m pumped! Holy moly! I turn 20 in less than a week! Can you believe it because I sure can't.
I wanted to create some life lesson/goal type mottos to live life by this next decade. I am a firm believe that life is what you make it! So here's a list to myself and you too no matter what age you are. 1. Love Yourself - In the wise words of Justin Bieber. But seriously, take care of yourself, love your insecurities, this is the only body you get so be nice to it. You are you for a reason, embrace it. 2. Be Responsible - This is the time in life where we learn to do everything on our own, it's not so easy to rely on our parents to do it all anymore. 3. Travel the World - Be adventurous. Go places you've never seen before, take lots of pictures, soak it all. There are so many interesting paces to visit, near and far, make a bucket list of where you want to travel and cross some off! 4. Learn How to Say NO - Fear of missing out is a real thing, but so is being overcommitted. It's okay to not take every opportunity that comes your way. Prioritize. 5. Don't Be Afraid to Say YES Sometimes - I know those two contradict themselves, but finding balance is important. You never know when you're going to say yes to something that could become your new favorite memory. 6. Take Chances - Life begins when you step outside of your comfort zone! 7. Say "I Love You" More - I'm not a feelings type person but I think it is so important to let those around you know how much they truly mean to you. I hate thinking like this, but you never know when/if you'll see the person again. Life is short. 8. Be Kind - The haters are gonna hate, but there's no reason to stoop to their level. Be nice even when it's hard. Be the reason someone smiles today. 9. Try to See the Good in Everyone - Remember that everyone has a story and is fighting a battle. Every person and every situation has good in it, you just have to look for it. 10. Confidence is Key - It's also contagious. Believe in yourself and carry yourself like you mean it. Act like nobody can stop you and just maybe it will work. 11. Stay Curious - Never stop learning. "Blessed are the curious for they will have adventures." 12. Spend Time With Family - Answer the phone when your grandparents call. Sacrifice a night out and spend time with the people who have been with you from the start. Learn about the family history or reminisce on the good 'ol days. 13. Fall in Love - With yourself, with your friends, with strangers, with your career, with a significant other (done!), with the world around you. "Love changes everything. So fill the world with it." -Kid President 14. Be A Good Listener - Your ears will never get you in trouble. We were given 2 ears and one mouth for a reason. Genuinely care about what the person has to say. And don't forget to choose your words wisely when it is your turn to talk. 15. Work Hard - There's no better feeling than achieving something you never thought was possible. Give 110%, you won't regret it. 16. If It's Broken, Fix It - Our generation is more prone to throw away whatever is broken. Don't fall into this trap. Rather than sitting around complaining, mend it. 17. Don't Be Afraid to Fail - It is SO important to remember that nobody's perfect. Mistakes make us who we are. Mess up, admit it, learn a lesson, stand back up, and try again. 18. Be Yourself - Everyone else is taken. Some people will love you and others won't, so find what makes you happy and don't stop doing it. 19. Relax - Don't worry; every little thing is gonna be alright. Don't forget to have quiet time to yourself. Don't forget to sleep either. 20. BE HAPPY - Live life to the fullest. Smile lots & don't forget to laugh. Remember that one time 6 months ago that I went to Florida? Yeah me neither. But here's a video I made of the week we were there. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed going to Florida every summer with the whole family! At the beginning of 2015 I decided to make a New Year's Resolution as most people do. But instead of "losing weight" or "eating healthy" or "saving money" I wanted it to be a little more fulfilling. So I downloaded an app some friends of mine had used before called 1 Second Everyday. It's exactly what it sounds like, capturing a second of footage everyday. My resolution was to find something good in each day and get it on video. Not only would it keep me looking for the positives, but would be neat to look at at the end of the year to see what had happened throughout the year and how things had changed. WELL, I was really consistent the first couple months of the year (like most people with their resolutions) and then I began to slack. I kept up with it here and there, but it was hard over the summer with work and sleeping too much. So, I decided to make it into a full video a little early. While I can't say I did it the entire year, I can still look back and see that things have changed since January. I'm so happy with the way it turned out, and am ever so thankful for everyone who has been a part of the best year ever whether in the video or not. Here's the finished product! I hope you all like it! I'd be lying if I said long distance was easy, but I'd also be lying if I said it wasn't worth it.
While a long distance relationship doesn't work for everybody, in my case it has been exactly what I needed. Graham and I dated for almost 3 years before we left for college, so you can imagine how much our relationship changed once we were off at separate schools roughly 9 hours apart. It was quite the adjustment to say the least. Like I said before, nothing about it has been easy, but it has taught me numerous lessons that I would not have learned otherwise. It has helped me learn to love myself and be happy alone. I have always found it very important to not rely on someone else for your happiness, but I will admit that it is hard in a relationship. You are constantly being affected by the other person's attitude and choices. However, when you are far away from each other you have to become your own person. You are able to really fall in love with yourself and be the person you want to be. I promise that it will not be a fruitful relationship if you are relying on your significant other for your constant happiness. One person will never be able to provide all of the happiness you need. And trust me, the relationship will be much happier all around if you are able to both be happy alone, but also bring it together. I will admit that there are times when life gets me down and I know that a hug from Graham would cheer me up tremendously, but instead I have to sacrifice. Sometimes all you need to do is to have a little me time doing whatever it is that makes you happy- for me it's binge watching Grey's Anatomy or hanging out with my sorority sisters. Heck maybe you can even take up a new hobby with all of the free time you may find yourself with! You get to have your own friends as well as share friends too. Going off of what I said above, it is easy to be labeled with someone when you are always together. For example, when Graham and I were in high school we were constantly having the same friends because we would always be together and then hang out with the same group of friends. But now, I get to have all of the girl time my heart could desire and he can have all of the bro time he wants. And let me tell you- this is very important! We never have to sacrifice the time with our friends to spend it together. Unless we are having a Netflix/FaceTime date that is. We are able to schedule our phone calls for when we are in bed for the night in order to catch up on our days or have long talks about life. I find it really neat that we get to live our own separate lives, yet live a life together too. After meeting his friends and vice versa, we consider each other's friends our friends too. Trust trust trust. Did I mention that a long distance relationship has taught me how to trust? Big shocker I know. I have always been one to trust easily (sometimes doesn't work out for the best) and I will trust you until the second you make me lose it. After that, it takes quite a bit to bring it back. In the last year I have had to learn to trust more than ever before. This one is pretty self-explanatory, but I do want to comment and say that trust has definitely forced us to become more mature than most our age. Confidence is a must and jealousy is a must not in order for things to run smoothly. The time we spend together is much more intentional and we pick up right where we left off. The longest we have gone without seeing each other in person was almost 8 weeks. I've come to the realization that the first and last weeks apart are the hardest and seem to last the longest. There have been many times where I just want to lay in bed for the next 24 days until we are going to be reunited, but I try to keep busy to make time go by faster. Before our long distance relationship started, we spent almost every day together but the time wasn't always productive. Now that we usually only have part of a day or two to spend together when we go home, we don't just sit around watching Netflix or playing on our phones. Instead we go on little adventures and dates. Last weekend when we were home we went to the state fair on Friday and the OKC on Saturday for a concert. On the way home we stopped at Turner Falls in Oklahoma for a little exploring. Although constantly going going going when we are together now makes the weekend go by faster, it provides more meaningful outings and countless memories. We can make it through almost anything now. The little mundane things in a relationship seem even smaller now that we are concerned with this whole long distance thing. A little argument here and there is nothing, we've survived this difficult task so bring it on, we can do whatever else it takes! Like I stated at the beginning, it has never been easy but I wouldn't trade this journey for anything else. Overall, I think Graham and I would both agree that it has helped us grow stronger both emotionally and spiritually. I have become sure that what we have is real because I would not go through the pain of this for someone I didn't care for and love so deeply. And it makes me so much more excited for the future! While technically we are 514 miles apart, thank goodness Graham is always just a phone call away! After all, they do say that distance makes the heart grow fonder. With Big/Little season quickly approaching, and meeting all of our wonderful new members, all I can think about is how I was that time last year. There are quite a few things I wish I would've known when I was in their place.
1. You have hundreds of new sisters, get to know them! Sometimes you meet you soul mate and you know that you’re going to stay friends forever; but that’s not always true. So it is very important to meet as many new sisters as possible, you’ll never know where you’ll end up. Your first friends will most likely not be your best friends all 4 years. In my case, I clicked with girls on bid day and was convinced we would be inseparable. But once I began meeting all different types of girls, I made the friends that were perfect for me. The coolest thing about the variety of girls within a sisterhood is that there are friends who will always eat with you, the ones who are down to have Netflix marathons, the ones you call when you need to vent or cry, and the ones who are always down to go out and have a good time no matter the circumstance. Make sure to surround yourself with the girls who make you the best you possible. Now go invite someone to dinner or to get coffee! 2. Get as involved as possible! In the beginning, there are so many events to go to whether they are coke dates, functions, sisterhood events, pomping for homecoming, volunteer opportunites, and so so many more. I would recommend grabbing a new friend and attending as many events as possible without overdoing it. I tend to overcommit way too often and usually end up regretting not saying no, but when it comes to sorority life that’s a whole different story. I have made my best friends at events I didn’t want to go to at first and some of them have the best stories to accompany them. Let’s be honest- some of the stories we will tell our grandchildren will be those from the late nights with our sorority sisters. Try not to only go to the required new member events and chapter meetings, but attend everything possible. Don’t forget, school does come first though. 3. You get out what you put in This goes along with the last two points. Sadly, everything in life isn’t going to be handed to you. You have to work for it. If you choose to attend events and get involved in your chapter, you will have a very positive experience. You aren’t going to meet your sorority sisters by sitting on your bed watching Netflix, but you will meet someone new on a coke date. Homecoming isn’t going to turn out the way you want it to if you don’t spend your precious free time pomping. In all aspects, a chapter can’t be run by ten people, it really does take an army(sorry just my little rant). The only way to truly fall in love with your sorority is to participate. 4. Lastly, if you want to see change, change This is one of the most important to me! The newest pledge class is always the one to spark change; after all you’re the ones that will carry the chapter when we are gone. Don’t be afraid to take on a leadership position. Just because you’re new doesn’t mean that you can’t contribute tremendously to the chapter. There are things I would like to see change within Alpha Chi to make us bigger and better than ever, and that is the number one reason I am running for exec this semester. It took me a little while to realize it, but complaining won’t change anything, but taking action and initiative sure can! 5. Represent your chapter in the most positive way possible You may be the one Alpha Chi the guy next to you in your class knows and if you represent it in a positive way, he will start out with a great first impression of it. This works the opposite way too. If that girl hears you talking bad about your sisters she’s going to automatically assume the worst. Never forget that you are representing something bigger than yourself. Just because you aren’t physically wearing your letters everywhere you go, you are representing your sorority 24/7. Stay classy ladies! Ultimately it WILL come to getting out of your comfort zone. Give it time, everyone adjusts differently, but this is the next 3 or 4 years of you life, so jump in! I’m just going to throw this out there, I’m a sucker for adventures. Whether it’s a hike at sunrise or driving an hour to a mural for a photo opportunity, I’m game. Here in Fayetteville, I am always looking for unique opportunities to have fun. Spice up life, ya know. When you’re a broke college student you have to be creative. Life with sorority sisters and roommates always provides adventure companions, so all there is to worry about is the plan itself. Spontaneity is key however. One of my favorite weekend activities in Fayetteville is going to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings in the Downtown Square. During fall and spring, the town square is filled with musicians, fruits and vegetables, flower bouquets, and dogs (easily the best part). I enjoy walking around with my friends petting all the dogs, choosing which flowers to buy for my dining room table, and taking artsy pictures of course. My roommate Cole took these awesome pictures last weekend with her fish eye lens for her phone. Make sure you check out her blog here. Now that I have an actual fridge and kitchen, I have so much more flexibility in the food I eat and make. (Let’s be real though- if you know me you know that I’m such a picky eater so all of the room is filled with unhealthiness.) I do love fruit though, so I bought some peaches. Look how cute, they were so yummy too! Last week I got a text asking what I was doing and I responded that I wanted to go to the local county fair, so naturally we made a plan of it and went. Although it required spending some money, it was a blast. It got my mind off of school and I got to act like a little kid giggling on all of the rides. I have to admit though, the older I get the more scared I am. Probably because I can fully grasp that the rides are moved from carnival to carnival and aren’t really the safest. But I guess that becomes half the fun! Lately people have been going cliff jumping here in NWA and I may plan a trip with some friends to go see what it’s all about. But I am planning a trip to go hiking when my parent’s are in town in two weeks for sure. So stay tuned for pictures and stories!
Hey everyone! I made this blog before I moved back to Fayetteville, but life has been hectic so I'm just now getting around to writing my first post. (YAY!)
Anyway, I wanted to share with y'all a little but about sorority recruitment and bid day. Being on this side of sorority recruitment was interesting to say the least. I had a difficult time going through recruitment last year and was very curious about everything that this side entailed. Out of the billion things I learned over the last two weeks, I learned the most about myself and my sisters. During work week, I had at least one conversation with every single one of my sisters in order to practice for actual recruitment. Some of the girls I had only seen around or said hi to at our various events. But after having legitimate conversations with each of them, I realized how unique my sorority is and how much I adore every one of the girls. Being with 200 girls from the earliest hours of the morning to the latest hours of the night every day for two weeks, you could imagine that we got pretty close. More than ever before I felt at home with my sisters. As was said in a speech to the PNM's (potential new members)- "we laughed, we cried, and we laughed until we cried." Some of us lost our voices and took spoonful/shots of honey together, while others of us found places to nap during every break. There isn't a single moment or experience I shared with my sisters that I would trade for anything. I would consider myself a shy person until you get to know me. I used to be scared to talk to strangers, but this week I realized it's really not that bad at all. After talking to almost 60 girls in one day during open party round of recruitment, I learned that I can have a conversation with just about anyone over just about anything. (However, you still won't catch me on a stage speaking to a group of people. Maybe one day I'll conquer that fear.) At the end of the week- all of the hard work, meaningful conversations, and pointless ones paid off. We had the opportunity to welcome home 140+ new women into the incredible bond of our sisterhood. And boy let me tell you it was one of the best days ever. I tweeted about bid day being my new favorite holiday and it's definitely the truth. Standing next to my sisters in the Greek Theatre, we danced and cheered until the girls opened their bid cards. When the girls opened their cards to see that they were being invited into our sisterhood they ran to us with the biggest smiles on their faces. I saw my two rush crushes heading my way and gave both of them the biggest hugs! I was so excited for them to be my sisters. My heart smiled when I realized how blessed I am to be a part of something bigger than myself and that I now get to share it with some of the most perfect women I have ever met! As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some of my favorites! |