WEEKEND RECAP - BLOOMINGTON

Ah.... what a great weekend.

I feel like I have been saying that every weekend, but it's just the truth. Every weekend is filled with some sort of happiness and fun, and I just love it.

Per my post on Friday, I went to Bloomington to be in the thick of College Gameday hysteria. But not before having a night out in Nashville on Friday and seeing Zac Brown Band at the bar... Seriously - is this life of mine real?!

 Photo compliments of Claire Malinowski :)

Saturday brought a lovely morning drive up to B-Town, making a quick pit stop to pick up my dearest friend Sara Michael. Oh my gosh, it was just a great day. Snow was on the ground, campus looked beautiful, and everyone was having such a good time and pumped for the game. And beating Michigan decisively and impressively made it THAT much better. 

My gorgeous home for 2 years in college... Miss this place and all the people in it! Sadly, didn't get to see Mom Smith... hopefully at Little 500 ;)

Beautiful Union, even when it's cold and there is snow on the ground.

Please move to Nashville ASAP?!

Cheers to a great weekend and a Hoosier victory! Now onto a tough stretch of games... Let's keep that #1 ranking :)

Happy Tuesday!

TELL THE WORLD I'M COMING HOME

 

 

Happy Friday everyone!!!! Is anyone else insanely excited for the weekend to be here? I know I am. I'm headed back to Bloomington, IN - a little slice of heaven in the Midwest. I'm obviously partial, but I can't wait to get back to my alma mater after almost a year since my last visit. This weekend is the Indiana-Michigan game and in case you've been living under a rock, it's a huge, huge game. I can't wait to be posted up at Kilroys, cheering on my Hoosiers back in one of my most favorite places with some of my favorite people... Now if the Hoosiers get a win, that will pretty much make it a perfect weekend!

 Anyone else have fun weekend plans?

Hoo Hoo HOOSIERS

Today at 9:45 pm ET, my Indiana Hoosiers will take on New Mexico State in the first round of the tourney (I'm sorry, I can't get used to the new "second and third round" terms). It's been long awaited, this return to the tournament, the return to being a contender in the tournament, the return to the way Indiana basketball has always been. Except, unlike the beginning of the season, Indiana is no longer on their "innocent climb" as Jay Bilas so well put it. They're back. And they're a team to beat. If I know anything about Tom Crean and the Hoosiers, they will enter this game tonight focused, prepared, and ready to win to make Indiana, Verdell Jones, and their entire fan base proud. Let's go Hoosiers :)

"Tom Crean, who inherited the worst situation a college basketball coach could ever have found, stood on the edge of the court, near the place where on this night 18 years before Knight said he wished to be buried upside down so his critics could kiss his backside. The new coach smiled, remembering the moment he met each of the players who would stick with him when everything else had fallen apart." - Les Carpenter, Yahoo Sports

"It's Indiana. It's Indiana."

Happy Graduation

"You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know. 

And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go."

-Dr. Seuss, Oh The Places You'll Go

This past Saturday I finally did it. I graduated from Indiana University. How fast those four years went by. It seems like just yesterday I was arriving to B-Town and unloading my stuff into my dorm room at Foster Magee, running into Shannon's arms, and so excited for the next phase of my life. I joined Theta, made new friends, became part of IUSF, and lived the college dream. With a blink of an eye, it was over. I will forever cherish the friendships and memories I made living in that Indiana town. Here's to some of the best four years of my life. I will never forget you, IU.

the most wonderful time of the year

I've been a bad blogger the past couple of weeks. With senior year winding down and Little 500 quickly approaching, I have been making sure to make every minute count - spending plenty of time with friends, around Bloomington, and at the Little 500 track.

It's hard for me to believe that in two weeks, Little 500 week will be here. I can remember being at this point last year like it was yesterday. I was painting pitboards, spending every possible minute at the track and with gunners, some of who I am lucky enough to have on Steering Committee now. I didn't have the typical Little 500 week full of concerts and parties and drinking, but to be honest, it was worth everything I gave up. Seeing the race from the infield, sober, has been one of the coolest things I've witnessed. Being at Quals at 6 AM, watching the sun rise and Fiji fans stream into the stadium is something I will never forget. Being at the track until 3 AM on Wednesday of Little 500 week retouching pitboards, driving the pre race truck around will stay with me forever. I am one of the reasons Little 500 happens. Now it's two weeks away. We've put in hours upon hours getting to this point, and it will all cumulate on one weekend, the world's greatest college weekend. I can't wait.

Viva la KAT

Inspired by Natalie's blog...

Dear new KAO initiates,

Congratulations! Today is the day you have officially become members of Theta, and I am so very excited for you all. Needless to say, however, being a senior I am also incredibly jealous of you. You have 3 1/2 years to make the best memories thus far in life, have some of the best laughs, craziest nights, and meaningful friendships you could ever ask for. Don't forget what you learned at initiation. Inevitably, you will forget some of it, but when it rolls around each year, don't see it as a drag, but take it as a chance to remember why you love Theta so much. I have, so here's a little food for thought.

Live in the house 2, if not 3 years. Forget that you have homework and spend lots and lots of time hanging out in each others' rooms, lounges, and dining room. It's completely acceptable to sit at lunch for over an hour because you want to keep talking. Don't skip date parties. You might not be taking the hunk of the party, but the memories you make with your sisters and laughing about everything the next morning is much more important than who your date is. Go on a real spring break. Frat Lauderdale won't disappoint you as long as the majority of IU is there. Don't worry if you are 3 months away from the end of school and have a frighteningly low amount of cash in your bank account. You'll make that money back one day, and it's only money. In five years, you'll remember (or maybe hazily remember) the afternoon you spent on the Kilroys back patio more than how much you spent on Long Islands that day. Take trips with your friends in your pledge class. Whether this is to a lake house over the summer, or just for the day, a weekend trip to Mardi Gras in St. Louis, or just a weekend spent at a sister's house, each one of these moments will become special to you. Go to Little 500 and scream your heart out for Theta. Drunk or sober, it's the coolest event ever. Get involved, whether it's with Theta or another organization. You'll grow more as a person and become passionate about something you might not have thought of before. Take advantage of everything Bloomington has to offer - restaurants, IU athletics, shows at the auditorium. Going out is great, but it's not everything. Be proud of Theta. You've joined an amazing organization with even more amazing girls that will be there for you constantly.

I wish I could be in your shoes, but I also know that I've had my time and it's (almost) over. I can't wait for you all to experience the great things I have these past 3 1/2 years that have made me love Theta and IU more than I could have ever imagined. You all will do great things, and try to remember the crazy seniors when we come back next year.

Love,
Rachel

Hoo, Hoo, HOOSIERS.

I can't deny that I'm an Illinois girl at heart. Growing up 10 minutes away from campus and going to basketball and football games since 4 months old will do that. However, I wouldn't say my friends at Indiana quite understand why I love Illinois. Why I would go to Indiana if I'm always cheering for a rival team?
On Thursday, Illinois played IU in Bloomington. My parents came for the game, decked in orange and blue. I was loyal to my school and wore cream and crimson. I cheered for both teams, maybe even pulling more for Illinois. Illinois was favored to win, and should have won by at least 15 points since IU was missing two starters, Maurice Creek and Verdell Jones. But Assembly Hall was rocking, the students were cheering, and Indiana was playing. And in the end, I couldn't lie and say I wasn't happy for IU beating their first ranked opponent in the Tom Crean era. Tom Crean is a fantastic coach with so much energy and excitement, and I actually am excited to see what he and the Hoosiers do in the next few years with top recruits like Cody Zeller. After all, this is Indiana... a basketball school, a national championship school. And how can you not love Indiana and get excited for Hoosier basketball when you have videos like Brice Fox and Daniel Weber's "This is IU"?

                

        

Living Out the Dream

I’ve always been excited to get back to Bloomington each fall. This year I was especially anxious, knowing that a senior year of complete chaos and memories awaited me. What made me even more anxious was knowing that I would no longer be living at 441 N. Woodlawn, better known as Theta, but in my own house with five of my best friends. Finally, I’m a live out.

I didn’t always plan to live out as a senior. In fact, it wasn’t until I spent the summer after sophomore year living on my own that I really considered the idea. With a pass down live out two minutes away from Theta and many of my close friends living out, I saw an opportunity and took it. 420 Apt A would be my new residence.

And so far, living out of Theta and in 420 has been perfect. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great two years living in that mansion of a house and having no responsibility to cook or clean. I was blessed to know the pledge classes above and below me, an opportunity my friends at other schools never had. While I miss seeing some of my best friends’ faces multiple times through the day, I still feel welcome in the house. We can eat lunch at the house everyday, which saves me the effort of making a peanut butter and jelly and piece together the previous night at Kilroys with my friends.

Now, we have had some minor challenges. We spent days in the new house scrubbing floors and washing walls and still haven’t quite mastered our Smokey Joe grill. Our faucet makes a weird noise if its on too long and the smoke alarm goes off when cupcakes are baking, not burning. We recently came home to a weird smell in the kitchen. After several minutes of searching for the odor, we realized a spatula had fallen to the bottom of the dishwasher and melted completely in half.

Even with these complications, I wouldn’t trade living out for the world. It’s an experience, but I am independent. Let’s face it - I am 21 years old, and should be able to live by my own rules. I don’t have to eat dinner at 5:30 like a person in a nursing home and if I want to have a beer… or four… with dinner, I can. I have my own room with a full bed – a definite plus. We can host parties and pre games and stock our fridge with more alcohol than food. Our neighborhood is like a senior Frat Row, with Sigma Chi, Beta, AEPi, and Phi Psi close by. Boys can come over at any time of the day and I don’t get a $50 fine if it’s past 3 am. I’m living out the dream, and am finally on my own, without really being on my own. Mom is still buying my groceries.

The Past 3 Months in Pictures

I've been a lot of places the past 3 months, from Hilton Head to Chicago to Bloomington to Georgia. Here's a little review of my life the past 3 months. Enjoy!

one section of my daily set up

lifeguard competition, getting ready for the run swim run

our favorite friday night spot: Brick Oven

typical of my roommate and me. She thought her dress looked like a picnic blanket.

Fourth of July with the Mackimms

cubs game with Bethany

IUSF Steering Committee Boats on Lake Monroe... Back to School!

Theta Night Out

trip to Athens! With Jane's sorority sisters