Dear Diary, I love living in

Today I’m really feeling appreciative of my living situation here on campus. I moved back into our beautiful sorority house about four weeks ago and it is just as amazing as I remembered it! The location, the convenience and the girls I get to live with make it a priceless experience that I wish could never end.

At my chapter, the entire sophomore pledge class lives in, along with some juniors, seniors and the executive committee. Last year I moved in with the other 70(ish) members of my pledge class and every day was the best day ever. The pranks, jokes and gossip just made every day fun! Girls I had never heard speak until sharing a bathroom with became friends and friend groups shifted and expanded; by the end of the year we were so much closer as a pledge class and as a chapter.

I'm pretty sure these two ran and jumped on each other after chapter one night and safe to say it did not go well. 

As an exec officer I got to move back in this fall with PC’12 and it’s been more fun than I expected. I love getting to know the sophomores better and it’s especially great because me and my friends are rarely part of the drama of their lives, but we get to hear about it so its almost like living in a reality TV show every day. Plus it’s been fun watching them start to act more responsible because they are no longer the babies of the chapter, in fact it’s their job to take care of the new babies.

           

My roommate last year decided to pull a prank and put live goldfish all over the house...

 One of my favorite things about Greek life here at OU is our chapter houses are essentially one neighborhood divided down the middle by one of the major streets in Norman. Other big, impressive fraternity and sorority houses surround my house, which in my opinion is the most beautiful sorority house in the country. Practically every car that drives down our street has Greek letters on the back and our houses are so close you can literally see into other houses at night from your window. It makes us a close-knit community, which is really cool. On nice days like today everyone is out on their lawns or playing basketball with a speaker playing music loud enough for the entire neighborhood. Sometimes it makes me laugh because it really is like a scene from a movie.

I mean who doesn't love a good nap on the lawn?

So as I sit here listening to the boys next door play basketball and blast their music, the Kappas and Thetas come and go across the street and the SAE’s come in and out of their house in waves, watching my sisters come and go, sit on the lawn, and check out the Beta’s walking by on their way to their parking lot as the cars drive by on this beautiful sunny day in Norman- I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. And don’t talk to me about ever leaving… still in denial that one day it might happen.

XOXO

Dear Diary, Bid Day came with the cutest hooties you've ever seen!

Photo by Lori Russell, the mamma of this cute new hootie

          After weeks of working, training and recruiting, we have a brand-new pledge class! This is no average pledge class though, these girls are phenomenal. Each one was hand picked for being the smartest, most involved, well-rounded young women going through recruitment here at OU. Not to mention they are all so beautiful and just lovely to be around. They’re fresh-faced, innocent and so happy to be Chi Omegas. We truly could not have asked for a better group of women! I am so proud to have them I can’t help but to gush about them to everyone I encounter.

Our sophomores waiting on the lawn for their temp littles to arrive

            This year we really wanted to make Bid Day extra special, so we repainted our wooden letters, pre-made the posters with glitter and a group of older sisters helped cut them all 82 of them into owl shapes. Our advisor asked me to paint a new bid day banner and I thought, “Why paint one banner when you can paint five?” So over the summer we had new pulleys installed behind all our columns and as soon as I moved in we got to work on painting these bold, simple banners with the help of my friends, my little and our artsy sophomores. It turned out so well and everyone loved them! I think it really set us apart and made a statement because no other house on campus has ever put up this many banners for one event -  especially a high profile one like bid day. If pictures show up on Pinterest I wouldn’t be mad;)

My pride and joy

            So I hope everyone had/has a wonderful bid day, its an exciting day not just for your chapter but for the entire campus. As older members it can be hard to remember that this day is really about the new pledge class and the young women who have just found their home for the next four years and their sisters for life. Bid day is a great annual reminder of how much we love our sisterhood and how brief our time here is, and at least for me this makes me truly grateful for it all. It’s the perfect start to a new year!

XOXO

Dear Diary, formal recruitment starts tomorrow!

We've been working for weeks and months for this day - formal recruitment is about to begin! We could not be more excited to meet all the great girls going through this year and know that our PC13 could be the best one yet. Best of luck to all the sororities out there during this exciting time!

XOSO

Dear Diary, How to Make a Recruitment Survival Kit

It’s the most wonderful time of the year- sorority recruitment! Some hate it, but I love the entire rush experience- from day one of skit rehearsal to three weeks later standing on the lawn on bid day. It’s so much better from the other side as a member, but it’s a lot of work! Recruitment is a marathon – not a sprint. So how’s a girl supposed to survive the grueling process? A little love from your mom, a lot of support from your sisters and the perfect survival kit! This one came from came in the mail from one of my favorite sisters (miss you Emmi!) during my first recruitment on the other side and it was a lifesaver! Of course you could add anything you'd like but here is what was in my box:

• Magazines for downtime
• Cute sorority-themed trinkets for your new room
• Tumbler to hydrate (with sassy straws)
• Candy to share with your sisters
• Crystal Light to keep you going (caffeine and electrolytes for a bonus)
• Cough Drops for your voice
• Oil sheets to keep your face shine-free all day
• Advil for after rehearsals
• Nutella for when you just need a delicious break
• Mints if you need a pick-me-up between parties

Getting this in a box was such a sweet work week surprise so if there’s a friend or sister in your life who’s going through the member side of recruitment for the first, second, or third time think about sending them a survival kit of their own!

XOXO