home in that evergreen state..

So I am home! Although it was quite the adventure, I did in fact make it, safe and sound. My flight was a disaster, delay after delay, ended up switching flights all together and then experienced the worst and most terrifying turbulence of my life! honestly, like "crying-on-the-airplane-in-public" bad. hmmm... so once I was safely ON the ground, I began to get excited for the time I had ahead of me :) Wednesday was mostly prepping for our large-ish dinner the next day (14 of us in all) Meg and I got lunch, went to Barnes&Noble (which was a mistake I'll talk about later) and sat around, helping cook etc. I got to take an extra-long bath, eat out of a refrigerator, and snuggle with my (now scarily close to the same height) little brother. We went to the newly renovated club for dinner and then Meg and I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which I fell asleep half way through due to the fact that I didn't get into Seatac until 1145pm. neat.
Thanksgiving Day was really nice, we mostly sat around and dreamt about the amazing amounts of food we were about to consume. Dad and I went for a run around the lake, my lungs were about to die from the cold air that I am SO not used to. A pathetic excuse for a born and bred washingtonian, I know. Everyone came over around 4pm, we played scrabble, ate too much baked brie and watched The Family Stone and that other funny movie... National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...?? Yes. Hilarious, always a favorite. Dinner came, then dessert. Mom did an amazing job on our table scape, candles, yellow and orange roses and all. Very pretty. Everything was delicious and I definitely did NOT have room for dessert but somehow ate it amyways..???? ummhmmm.... that's what thanksgiving's all about, right?
Oh, the mistake at Barnes&Noble.... well its pretty simple. I bought Twilight. Yep, bought it, told myself I wouldn't start at school because I wouldn't get my work done and GOOD THING I DIDN"T. That book has been atached to my hip ever since I got home and took a bath. I basically want to be the main character (Bella) or more importantly have Edward Cullen as my boyfriend. Oh my goodness. I'm embarrassingly obsessed and actually have a problem. 276 pages deep and its day two. I would be done if I hade more time to just sit and read it but I'm focusing on the, need to hang out with people part, not the part where while I'm spending time with people I'm thinking about whether Edward is going to tell Bella who he really is. Problem.
Meg is calling me to play scrabble. More later!
happyyyy holliidayyysssss ♥

INFORMAL 08♥

informal tomorrow and home in 4 days!!

I see the finish line, and am home in 4 days!! The days really couldn't feel longer but just thinking about BEING HOME FOR DINNER on tuesday makes everything better, and makes me smile! Last night was our party for our new girls, now fully initiated and everything. I am no longer the baby of the sorority and I thought I would be sad but I kinda like it. I thought about taking a position on exec board for next semester but then voted against it just because I already know how busy I'm going to be with tennis and classes. (I'm taking Non-fiction writing 1, Poetry 1, Shakespeare after 1600, and American Politics) so I think I will be plenty occupied!
Tomorrow is our fall Informal, I'm so excited!!! Everyone's been taking about it since October and it's finally here. Check-in is at 4, dinner is on the couple, and then everyone is meeting up at 7 in the ballroom for dancing, dessert, and funnnn, yah! I'm taking my car over with Hilary and our dates, so we'll all get there together. We haven't figured dinner yet but there are a lot of options at the Morongo so Jenna (social chair) said we should be fine.
I also decided about a week ago that I am officially going to SALZBURG next fall semester. I couldn't be more excited/anxious/don't know what to expect/thrilled!!!! LJ and Abbie (two of my pledge sisters) are going too so we can all room together in the castle on a hill that we live in. Ah! we take trips everywhere, including a 10 day trip to Italy, 10 day trip to Greece, and lots of 3 day weekends to different countries. I have never been to europe period. so EVERYTHING will be new and very different.

Things I have successfully checked of my to-do list-->

*movie review paper
*fiction re-write
*washing my sheets
*getting a mystic w/ jenna
*organizing my desk
*painting my nails
*watching Boy's Don't Cry for philosophy

...and there's still more! i'll be sure to take lots of pictures tomorrow and put them up! :)

so much to do!

I have so much to do it's slightly overwhelming... scratch that... INCREDIBLY overwhelming. I don't know what I was thinking this weekend and where my head was to not knock some of this stuff out earlier. But, here I am, papers and presentations on things I don't even have a topic planned for all hoping to finish before I go home A WEEK FROM TOMORROW. I can't wait until I'm buckled in, on the plane, ready to see my family and eat lots and lots! (Lets just hope I survive this week)
This was my 3 minute break from reading so back I go, but I hope everyone is having good monday's and enjoying the autumn weather... I know I am... it was 88 today. =)

Shorts, a t-shirt, mid-November; when I remember that, I guess papers don't seem that bad...

delta retreat

We got back from our semester annual Delta Retreat. It was in Cherry Valley this time, about 30-40 minutes away. Anyways, we were all told to make/bring collages to share with everyone in some sort of activity and in mine I wrote something to all of my beautiful, amazing sisters. And I'll share it with you---♥

To define a sister is something that is hard to do.
You can’t really say what kind of feeling you get,
When they walk into a room.

You can’t really say what it is that lets you know
It is just them that makes you, you.

I never knew that a sister could mean so much.
I feel like a part of me you carry;
Somewhere hidden and safe,
Somewhere secret and special.

Your part looks different than mine
And it may get mixed up with the others,
It may get mixed up with all our other sisters,
But somehow we never really run out of room.

I know I carry lots of pieces with me.
And sometimes it’s hard
And sometimes it’s too much

But then I look around and see all my sisters,
And I remember that,
There’s a part of me with you, too.

11 (ish) days till I'm home!

I always wake up before hilary. I doesn't matter if I go to bed after her, am sick, or we both crashed at the same time, she's always sleeping when I wake up. So here I am, been awake since 9:37 am, in the dark (kinda) typing away about the morning. Tonight we have our semester-annual delta retreat. It's a time where we all drive to an certain location, sleep over, talk, do bonding activities, and just have girl time. It's the first one I'm going to as an active so I don't really know what to expect, but it sounds fun! Our ten new babies are becoming fully initiated tomorrow too. They don't know when, where, or how, but it's going to be really special!
With thanksgiving in the near future things are starting to pile up. I have an analytical movie review, analytical book series review, and a final paper to do in my lit class. For art history I have a final presentation and take-home exam. Philosophy I have an argumentative paper and sit down final the Saturday before I leave for xmas, and Fiction is more or less handled. Woo! Thats a lot when put in a list form like that but it all seems to fit somewhere. Today I'm hoping to get some things out of the way, like my lit homework, philosophy (we have to watch As Good As it Gets... with Jack Nicholson) sp? and maybe some art history reading before we leave for the retreat!
On a brighter note, LJ and I went shopping at Victoria gardens yesterday! She had to get her ipod fixed and I needed an informal dress... and I found one! Its silver and grey with braided silver straps that form like a V in the front. It goes to about my knees and is flowy at the bottom. I got it for $50 too, on sale! Anyways, it's always hard to find something that isn't TOO formal but is still nice enough and I think we did! LJ is going to be in Hawaii for thanksgiving so she's missing out! But I also can't feel too bad for her since she will be sun tanning on the hawaiian beaches...
I don't know if I wrote about who my date is for this event, did I? Well his names Matt, he's a sophomore, soccer player, and I know him from last year kind of. Hil is taking a soccer guy too and since we're rooming together it will work out because they're friends. We always like to ask guys who know each other so it's not as awkward (since were sharing a room and driving an hour to get there) and so it's more fun! The only possible bump in the road would be the soccer team winning their game tomorrow. They play at 1pm against this team from Minnesota (they're in the SCIAC championships) and IF they win they might have to go to Iowa.... i know. So were crossing our fingers that they don't? I know that sounds awful but there will be five girls in Delta without dates if they leave to go to IOWA... geezzz. SO we'll see. They don't talk about it like they think it will be a problem so I'm trying not to worry about. Matt was explaining in full detail what he plans on wearing to match my dress (cute) etc. I'll keep you posted!!

Arizona Fiji Formal!

My update of the weekend is below, this but these are some pictures I took of our mini-trip cross state lines!! =)


the four of us. Jacob, me, Hilary, and JC


Jacob and I... 5th grade sweethearts and still going strong!! haha


I had a thing for his suspenders ;)


Hil and I outside the front of the resort... there was a fountain and everything, really pretty!!

my familyyy

I cannot believe thanksgiving is right around the corner. This semester has blown by and I have had such a good beginning to my sophomore year. Classes are nearing finals and I frequently get overwhelmed when I think about too many things I still have to do but it hasn't gotten too bad yet. I'm in the middle of my second creative piece and have to turn it in on tuesday, I really like this one actually, and kind of based it off what I think my immediately family will be like in the future. It's weird to think about and the characters themselves are totally fictionalized but I like the feel of it so far. So, we'll see!
This weekend was nothing but non-stop on the go. Hilary and I road-tripped it down to ARIZONA!! to visit our mutual friend Jacob (I went to elementary and middle school with him, hil went to high school with him) and I was his date for his frat's formal. It was a lot of fun! We were kinda intimidated because we really didn't really know anyone else... but everyone was really nice! I don't know, 5hr there and back, so a total of 10hr on the road was a little much. We're just exhausted, but it was a good night! We had a nice sit down dinner, took pictures, went on a party bus, and danced to a DJ. The night started early so we were pretty out by 1am and then on the road by 9am with mcdonalds and starbucks in our bellies!! (I'll put up pictures soon)
This week is going to be another busy one. Saturday day&night we have a delta retreat (camping) and it goes into sunday. The babies are finally becoming active!! This week I have a philosophy paper I need to be working on and art history notes that I need to get better at doing..ha.
Going abroad is also on my mind. Our pre-lim app's are due Nov.17th and I'm deciding between Salzburg, Austria and Barcelona, Spain. If I went to Salzburg I would be with lots of redlands students and travel a ton. In Spain I would live in an apart. with Lizzie!! and be near the beach and explore the country with her, which would be AMAZINGG.
So, they both have pro's and con's....I'm still deciding and I don't have to make any serious decisions yet, so I'm okay so far! :)
On the 22nd we have our annual fall semester informal and this year its in PALM SPRINGS at the Morongo Casino and Resort!!! I asked my date this weekend and am really excited about it. His name is Matt and he plays soccer, my year. Hil is also taking a guy from the team (they're friends) so the four of us will have a lot of fun rooming together!! I can't believe its in less than 2 weeks!!!
Jenna's bday is on thursday and she's 21!!!!!! I'm starting her present tomorrow and have a really good idea for it!! Very exciting :] her and her 21&older friends are all going to Vegas this coming weekend and I'm so jealous. She's going to have an amazing time.
Someone asked me today about my family, siblings, etc. and I was forced to say my sister was 17. 17? I instantly got a really weird feeling in my stomach like we are in some small way growing up. I think in my mind megan will always be 14 and a freshman, but maybe that's just an older sister thing. I can't believe that time goes by as quickly as it does. I'm almost out of my "teens" and even saying that freaks me out. I'm not ready to be 20, in any way. I mean, I guess I have six more months (thank god) but even so. It's not really working for me. All I really want is to wake up Saturday morning, having mom making swedish pancakes, lie around the house watching football and yelling at dad to change the channel, playing scrabble with a fire, all in robes and pj's. (Mom in her one she stole from that place on our way to Carmel, the quail one?) :) I miss it all. I miss it so much. Sometimes I get sad, other times I just lie in my bed and try and remember all those little details, the long lost pink blanket, austin eating on that long black bench seat in our old kitchen and mom yelling at him to sit up and eat... eat something. ha. Oh austin and his chicken and buttered noodles phase, wait, are we out of the phase yet? lol. Those days I love. And sometimes we still have them, our grownup version of them, mom and her egg and corn tortillas and austin on his ipod. oh and megan making signs for SAC. We are all the same, parts of us different or more mature, other parts not changed at all. But I miss it all.
15 days until thanksgiving and I'm back with you guys. Love yaa.

presents

Some pictures from this Saturday, the new girls were officially "presented" to the greek community and we had so much fun celebrating with them! Its so weird not being the "babies" anymore but being active definitely has its perks!

The X Factor


jackie and I before greek dinner


our LARGE family... BT's for life


hil and I at presents park

a hippie and a bunny

All dressed up for our greek function "Keg-o-ween" with Pi Chi. Roomies striking a pose before we head out!! FUN night!!!