Chi Omega Girl!

This past week I participated in Rush to be in a sorority. There are 12 sororities on the Panhellenic council and over 600 girls were rushing this past week. On Monday we had our orientation and after that we were so busy with our various events! On Wednesday we went to seven of the houses and on Thursday we went to the remaining five houses. All the houses had decorated their house so beautifully with their unique themes and we were interviewed by some of the girls from each house. I can't tell you how much water I was served with some fruit in it- strawberries, lemon, you name it! On Friday, we had Philanthropy/House Tour days and I visited seven houses. The houses are beautiful and it was so fun to see what they all look like- it is quite a way to live! On Saturday, it was entertainment round and we visited five houses. Each house did a special skit and showed a video of everything their sorority means to them. On the final day, Sunday, we had preference day. All the girls sing to you and it was a beautiful experience. I pledged Chi Omega and I nervously awaited throughout Sunday to find out if I was invited into the house. I had loved the preference ceremony earlier that day where we were crowned with the Greek crown with rosebuds and we lit candles to express our unity.
After much anticipation...I was so excited to find out that I was going to be a Chi Omega girl! I'm SO excited! I have already met so many wonderful girls in the chapter and I know that this is the place I'm meant to be in. When we found out we ran over to the house and we were showered with hugs and welcome wishes. We were given our new bags and t-shirts and we boarded buses to head to Bucca de Beppo's in Santa Monica. My owl pal (the owl is our mascot) Jillian was so fun to talk to and we had fun dancing on the bus together.
Last night we had our first Monday night meeting in which we were initiated as pledge members into Chi Omega. We had to kneel on the floor, sign a special booklet, and recite a pledge. We were also given our flower (carnation) and received our pledge pin and necklace. We had a lovely dinner after and we were interrupted multiple times by different groups including fraternities. I was given a rose from my friend Josh and I thought that was so sweet!
We had a raid tonight out on the town but unfortunately I was unable to go because of all my schoolwork. I'm so excited about this new experience and I'll keep you updated!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

First Week at UCLA!

Well, it's official! I'm a UCLA Bruin and I feel a little bit of everything. Excited, scared, and more than anything- overwhelmed! As I write this, my classes have already started and I already have so much reading! (About 100 pages a day!). I am so grateful for my AP high school teachers who helped prepare me for this time in my life- I could never have done it without them.
Anyway- I think this has been the longest week of my life. Last Sunday, September 20, 2009, I ventured off with my parents to college. It was an epic moment in my life and I day I'll never forget. The days leading up to it were so difficult and it was so hard saying goodbye to my best friend, Lauren, Evan, my many friends, my grandmas, and my beloved Kiko. I was so nervous as we arrived at UCLA and I was constantly holding back tears throughout the whole day. My parents helped me settle into my room which has now become my own little space and it when it was finally time to say goodbye I could barely stand it. As we shared a slice of Dupar's berry pie, I was so sad to see my parents leave me. My mom dedicated a song to me that I have been listening to every day since. I will never forget the moment I watched my parents walk away- such a difficult separation but I know it will make us even closer.
The first few days were so hard. We were so busy participating in the student activities fair, UCLA's world record breaking Volunteer Day, and many other events. It has been quite the adjustment; getting used to all the food (UCLA has the second best food in the nation for dorm food but it's still not the same) and living in a dorm. My roommates are really great and we all get along so well. God really blessed me in that sense. I really feel so prayed over and I feel comforted to know that I have people praying for me- I feel the love!
I'll keep you updated on my adventures! For now I have so much homework that that is really all I have time for! College is SO different from high school!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Farewells From Home

I leave for UCLA tomorrow- this week has been pretty crazy packing and trying to prepare for this new adventure in my life. Last week my mom and dad hosted a lovely brunch for me and we had a great time. Lauren and I have got to spend a lot of extra time together lately and I'm glad that we've been able to strengthened our friendship even more before I leave. It's been really crazy packing up my belongings; I feel ready and capable- but sometimes I feel excited and sometimes I feel so sad and scared. I've been watching my favorite movies over and over and spending time with my precious Kiko. I am definitely going to miss the comforts of my home but I know that this will be a tremendous growing experience.

Blue Mountain State

Well- yesterday I finished my first acting job!! It was so exciting and it was such a learning experience. We were shooting a promo for the upcoming spoof show "Blue Mountain State" for Spike TV. The show will air in January and the promo should air in late October. I was a cheerleader and it was great working with the cast and crew. Our make-up artist was so great- she was Michael Jackson's artist and she has worked with many other celebrities. It was neat hearing about all of her experiences. We had full on cheer costumes and we had a great time practicing stunts and cheering on set. Also- the food was delicious! We were constantly having the best catered food and this was one of the coolest parts of the experience. We shot on Wednesday and Thursday and we had the best time! I hope I get to have another experience like this again!

Aunt Janet's 60th Birthday

We had so much fun hosting my Aunt Janet's 60th birthday last Saturday night! We had a huge fiesta and I made sure to dress in full costume. The food was delicious and it was great enjoying the fellowship and friendship. I think my aunt had a great time and I'm glad that we were able to celebrate together!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Life Goals: September

Here's an update on what I've been working on this past month and what I have to look forward to:
My new daily affirmation: This is the best day of my life and I choose to be happy.

Goals I Accomplished in August:
#71: Read entire Harry Potter series. I finally finished! Wow- what an amazing series! JK Rowling is such a talented author and I loved reading every page. The last book was especially exciting at the end- such great plot twists! I can't wait for the next two movies to come out!

#123: Read The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. This book helped me become so much more aware of my goals and my life purpose. This was an excellent read and it has motivated me to live my best possible life!

#342: Take acting lessons with the Acting Corps. This was a wonderful experience; I met so many amazing and talented people and I learned so much about myself. I entered into this experience hoping to discover if it was my life purpose to be an actor or not. Although I don't feel that my life mission is to be an actor, I do enjoy it and I did love delving into the human mind through acting. I'm still going to pursue it but I want to pursue many other things in the mean time. It was also really neat because there were so many ethnicities in my class; there were students from Britain, Romania, Isreal, and Denmark. Very cool! Also, I am so grateful for my safety. I had to drive to Burbank and back everyday for a month and I'm so glad that I didn't get in any accidents or get any tickets!

#345: Be hypnotized: I was hypnotized twice last month with my hypnotherapist, Dr. Bunny Vreeland. She is such a kind, intelligent, and helpful woman and I'm so grateful that I was able to receive guidance from her. She helped me overcome a lot of personal fears and she helped me realize my life purpose. Not to mention, I have been listening to her stress relief CD every night and I have been able to relax so much more. I feel like I am in control of my life and I feel so much more safe now. Thank you Dr. Bunny! Tune in to her radio show Monday through Friday from 12:00-1:00 at KKZZ 1400 AM or visit her website: www.bunnyvreeland.com!

Goals I'm Working Toward in August:
#49: Watch AFI Top 100 Movies. Well, I watched Raging Bull and it was as odd as I expected. I didn't really enjoy it. Next on my list is Singing in the Rain and Gone with the Wind. I am looking foward to these two!

#66: Join a sororeity: I start college this month and I'm hoping to join a sororeity if I find the right fit for me! I'll let you know how that goes- I'm super excited to look into that!

#173: Watch a surgery be performed. Even though I'm not interested in persuing a career in medicine, I'm still fascinated by surgery and I'd really like to see a surgery performed.

#196: Own a baby water turtle: I've insisted that I need to have a little friend with me when I venture off to college! I've already named my little turtle- Pebble- we're just waiting to meet!

Sara's Send Off

A couple weeks ago I went to Sara's Send-Off at her house. She is going to Colorado State at Boulder and it was so nice to get together as a family to wish her well. We shared a lot of laughs and tears as we looked back on all the memories and looked forward to all the fun adventures to come. It was also nice to spend time with my two new little cousins; Lexi and Courtney. They are the cutest and sweetest little girls and we're having so much fun watching them grow up. I wish Sara the best of luck at Colorado and I'm thankful for such a wonderful cousin and friend!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Jake Owen and Josh Turner

Every summer it's one of my favorite traditions to go to our local county fair. Every year we have talented musical artists perform and this year, my favorite country singer, Josh Turner, was performing. He was amazing and we had such a great time watching as a family.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We love our cats!

Evan got a new kitten this past month that he adopted from the local pound. We named him Phoenix and he is such a fun little ball of energy! We have had so much fun playing with him and I think it was so wonderful of Evan to save this animal. Not to mention- my own cat- who seems so old in perspective to Phoenix is doing quite well also. Poor guy- he's no longer the baby!

Make a Smilebox slideshow