A VERY HAPPY WEEKEND

Oh, Monday. Here again way too quickly. Doesn't it always feel like there should be another day to recover and rest? 

I had the happiest of weekends, and I hope you all did too! On Friday, I got last minute tickets to the Taylor Swift concert through work and oh my gosh. The concert was ah-ma-zing. I've always been a fan of T-Swift, but I was blown away by her show. It's not just a concert, it's a complete production. She sounds incredible live, and just does a fantastic job entertaining her fans. It's safe to say I have never seen so many blinking lights and young girls at a concert, but I loved it. So much screaming, it was hysterical. 

Saturday morning I drove up to Indiana with Claire and Courtney for our Brookie's wedding! The ceremony was in a gorgeous Catholic church and Brooke as well as the bridesmaids all looked stunning. The reception was held at a family friend's house under a big white tent. It was seriously so beautiful. I'm so happy for Brooke and Mark, and wish them nothing but the happiest of a life together. 

One of the best parts about the wedding was that we had a little sorority reunion! Fifteen of us made the trip celebrate the Elliott's big day, and it was just the happiest. It reminds me how lucky I am to have so many amazing, incredible, loving friends all across the country. And whether we haven't seen each other for a couple months or 2 years, nothing has changed between us. We are still the best of friends, having a great time together, dancing the night away, limbo-ing, and breaking into the hotel pool at 1 AM. Fabulous weekend, girls. Let's have another engagement ASAP so we can have this much fun again! Any takers?

Happy honeymooning, Brooke and Mark! We all love you! :)

Have a great Monday, everyone.

friends are all you need

It's amazing what a weekend with great friends can do. I'm seriously so lucky and blessed to have the friends that I do, and even luckier that three of them live in Nashville, just 3.5 hours away from me. After much debating due to car issues (come on Impala.... whyyyy?!), I decided to drive to Nashville Saturday morning and I am SO glad that I did. Sometimes you just need a night on the town, brunch with your girlfriends, and lots and lots of laughs.

And on a side note, I'm completely in love with Nashville :)

 Dinner at Bar Louie

 Theta does Nashville :)

 It really does make sense why it's called Nash-Vegas!!!

 So much fun, totally my scene. Country music and 80s and 90s covers!

My wonderful hosts and beautiful friends inside and out!

Theta Seniors 2011

On Saturday, my pledge class got together to take the traditional Theta Senior pictures around our gorgeous campus. The wonderful and talented Suzie Reecer was our photographer - Theta is so lucky to have her - and did an absolutely phenomenal job. Every photo is so wonderful and brings a smile to my face. Here's a sample of my favorites.

My wonderful roommates and I

In front of the Sample Gates looking down Kirkwood

In front of our favorite place, of course!

Couldn't imagine life without them

So much genuine happiness and laughter captured

This next picture is one of my absolute favorites. We got a little wet from the fountain, but then took it to a new extreme by just playing in it and getting totally soaked. We couldn't stop laughing and got a few honks as cars drove by on Jordan! Such a fun and memorable couple of hours. 

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

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.