Sigma Kappa Sigma K

This past weekend was sorority recruitment. And the first time in 6 years I was not a participant of recruitment as either an active or an alumna member. So in memory of the best 4 years of my life. Here is what it means to be in a sorority :) 

1. Bid day: The moment where you find out if the sorority you want to belong to also chooses you as a member. Now theres a lot of things that goes into this process, but basically it is the moment you find your home. Sure, that sounds dumb, and believe me I thought that until I was initiated and I realized the commitment I was making. 

2. Home away from home. So everyone told me this was my new "home." I laughed, sure this was a group of girls that I would spend the next four years with, but how could they be home? Then I got initiated, and I realized that these girls, and only these girls share a secret bond. We share secrets that very few people in this world know. I thought, how deep do those secrets go? 

3. You learn what the secrets actually mean. You get a Big Sister, and you take a little. You learn that your big sister, is actually a big sister. Meaning she is there for you for every heart break, every rough night, every failing grade. She is there to celebrate you acing your exams, or your new boyfriend, or the internship you landed. And you learn that you do the same for your little. You sit with her in a car with Dairy Queen in hand as cries to you about her break up, or you comfort her with deaths in a family. You bake her goods, you buy her sweat shirts, you make her paddles, only so she does the same to her little. People refer to them as your "greek big" and your "greek little sister" but you know its more than that. They are your family. 

4. Whats family with out fun? You attend all of these sister hood events like paint balling and of course spa night. You go to dances, fraternity dances (which you are so thankful you have sisters there for those weekends!) You tailgate at every football game and you even take 17 of you to the Bahamas for Spring Break.

5. And then its time to leave. Your 4 years is up and you have to leave all of these ladies behind. You will have lasting relationships with some of them, but some of them not. And as you go through the alumni ceremony you realize this is the last time that these ladies, the ladies you went through recruitment with, the 32 ladies you lived in the Sigma Kappa house with, the ladies who have seen every up and every down but encouraged you every step of the way, and its the last time you will ever be in the same room with them, sharing the same secrets. 

But you realize it's time to go. Its time to move on, and every year around this time of recruitment you are reminded of the memories you have made. You can look back and be thankful for the organization who gave you more than just friends, but gave you sisters. And you can look at the new members envious, because they have no idea the experience they are about to have, but you do, and you can look at them and smile knowing their lives are going to be forever changed. 

Memories

The last day of the blog every day in May Challenge and Friday Letters! I wont know what to blog about after this since I will no longer have a prompt! Today's challenge is to blog about a vivid memory. Hmmmm.... 

This one took some digging into some old photos to share with you all. 

I have a ton of memories from joining my sorority! This is a picture of us tailgating before a football game, and yes that is a farm behind us! Grand Valley is located in the middle of cornfields and farms, so at tailgates we often found ourselves admiring the local horses and cows from a distance :) Even though it might not be the best smelling location, I wouldn't change these years for the world! I LOVED my sorority and I LOVED Grand Valley! I wish I could go back and re-live these moments! 

__________
Dear Blonde Hair, your back! I went and got high lights this morning (it has been forever!) and now your back for the summer! 

Dear season finale of Nashville, WOW! You shocked me! I can't wait till the fall and you start back up because I am dying to know what happens to everyone! Great first season, you definitely will be back for more! Dear Erin and Bekah, less than one month away from your weddings! AHH! I am so excited to celebrate with both of you :) Can't wait to see how beautiful you both will be on the big day! Dear week off of work, as much as I loved you, I am so bored! I really don't know what to do when I have nothing to do! I read some books, I still had school, but seriously, i'm bored, back to the grind Monday with summer school! Dear Rachel, I still can't get over how obsessed I am with my new blog lay out! You did such an AMAZING job! I visit my own page all the time now just to look at it :) Thanks again! I am obsessed! 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Top Three

I failed the challenge :( Yesterday was so crazy that I did not have time to even log in to my computer! 

The challenge today is to list your top three worst traits:

1) My obsession with planning. I really have an issue here! I have stated this before but I love to know exactly how my day will go and sometimes, if it get thrown off I get a little anxious. I have done much better since in teaching the plan never goes as follows, but it is still something I need to work on. 

2) I am extremely competitive. I really hate losing! For example, we went to a mini golf/go karting place with my students yesterday for a field trip! It was so fun, but I refused to loose in go karts so I passed most of my 11 and 12 year old students and even made one girl spin out. Oooops :) Sorry guys, you can't win them all! (I really need to work on that!) 

3) I crack jokes when things get serious. It just makes me really uncomfortable and I like to lighten the mood. The problem is the mood sometimes needs to stay serious and I upset people when I do this. I often get, "I am being serious right now" or "can't you just be serious." Sorry! I just get so uncomfortable! 

Friday Letters:

Dear Little, I had so much fun sleeping over at your apartment this week! Nothing better then a nice long talk and sleepover with your best friend :) Dear Big, I had such an awesome time at lunch with you yesterday! I love that we both try to eat healthy but ordered the worst two sandwiches on the menu..oops! We should not use each other as dieting support! Dear Students, I cried yesterday. It was awful! I know I already said goodbye to you when I left student teaching, but yesterday I had to say good bye to most of you who will not be back for summer school because the after school program ended :( I can't believe I have been with you for almost 10 months and now you are off to the Junior High next year all grown up :( So sad! P.s. Thank you for the wonderful artwork you gave me this week, check out the double head dragon below :) Love my job!  Dear Silver Lining Play Book, you were an awesome movie! I love that I am currently learning about all types of disabilities in class and this movie came along perfectly with what I am studying. Great story! Dear Nicholas Sparks, I want to read every single book you have ever written! I just finished At First Sight and no matter the story line you always end things with a shocker and bring me to tears! 

Who is with me?

Alright fellow bloggers, I am in need of some help, encouragement and an online working buddy to get me through these next few months! I am starting the Insanity workout again on April 1st. This is the official announcement, which means I can't back out now...

Starting last August I got serious about working out and have lost about 20lbs since then. 15 of those pounds were lost during the Insanity workout. For those of you who have never done insanity, it is definitely the most intense workout I have EVER done in my entire life (counting basketball practices and track practices in high school). I have never felt so tired and sweaty after a workout, everrr. Well before summer starts, I want to give it one last shot to help shed a few more pounds that are having difficulty coming off from just running. 

Here is a before picture last year at my last sorority recruitment event! 

and heres and after insanity workout

So whose with me?? Anyone? Or if you are doing another work out, lets keep each other accountable by commenting below and updating each other with our success :) 

Now for my Wed. link up:

I can't believe its Wednesday, one more day till I am officially on spring break for a week! 

I can't believe I actually ran this morning, it took everything in me to get out of bed. 

I can't believe I am not in the shower yet, looks like I'm running a little late this morning.

I can't believe how awesome the 5th/6th grade talent show at my school last night was! I was so impressed by beat boxing, signing, dancing, playing instruments, and people doing back flips! I felt like I was watching America's got talent :) 

Happy Wednesday everyone!