Happy Green Day!

St. Patty's Day is one of my most favorite holidays. I think it has something to do with the fact that I went to a school whose colors were green and white and this is the only day where it's totally acceptable to put all of that junk I acquired in high school on at once. It also might be because it's totally acceptable to drink at 9 AM on this holiday. (Don't worry - I waited until school was over.) But mostly, I think my love for this Leprechaun laden holiday has to do with the first (and BEST) St. Patty's Day party I ever threw during my senior year of college.
My friends and I went all out: green beer, green gin bucket, tie dyed green t shirts, more green beads than one really and truly needs, homemade green beer coozies, green hands and tongues for days. It was pretty amazing.

First, a Leprechaun visited my classroom yesterday morning. I'm not sure if you know this but Leprechaun's are very sneaky little guys. They're also very naughty creatures. So, we built a trap and tried to catch one with gold and Leprechaun food; Lucky Charms of course.

Apparently this really pissed of the Leprechaun because this is what he did to my classroom:
The other teachers thought I was a little bit nuttsy but the kids totally loved it! They were shocked when they came back from media to this mess of a room. We searched and search for that darn Leprechaun, but he eluded us yet again. Maybe next year...

This year, we decided to keep things pretty quiet. Since neither Antonio or I have a house in which to host this party, we went out a local Irish bar and restaurant. One of Antonio's friends' band was playing some really great Irish rock music and a couple of my co-workers and their boyfriends tagged along.

Jaime and I after acquiring some new green goodies. I'm such a sucker for free junk! Especially on drinking holidays. The glow in the dark Shamrock promptly leaked all over my jeans though.

Jaime, Jamie and I. Yes, this is a new tie dyed green shirt. I'm also a sucker for any excuse to tie dye. I do it pretty much every year.

Well, I think this was a pretty successful "grown up" St. Patty's Day. I even got to eat some Shepard's Pie! MMMM...

A Little Sentimental

*Warning: mushy sorority-related post to follow*

As I've said before, there are times when I desperately miss the good old college days. Hanging out in the middle of the night and laughing with friends, cooking with your roomies, having little to no responsibilities, a shoulder to cry on or laugh with always being a short walk (literally, down the hall) away. As I've also said, almost all of my great memories from college involve Phi Mu in some way. And, as my old chapter welcomed six new members, or Phis, last night, I started to get a little sentimental to my own Bid Day...

I rushed during my Freshman year in Spring 2005. Even though I know that really wasn't all that long ago, seeing the "Spring 2010" Bid Day t-shirts last night made me feel pretty darn old anyway. It's a long complicated story, but I unfortunately didn't originally match in the Top Eight new members that Phi Mu was able to welcome at the formal Bid Day ceremony. I was honestly pretty bummed, but went to work that night and tried to get over it. When I got off, I had a message from Phi Mu asking me to come to one of the sisters' apartments and talk or sign papers to keep rushing or something.

Honestly, I was sort of still bitter and almost didn't go, but I am so glad I did! When I opened the door to the apartment, I was greeted by noise makers, confetti poppers and giggling girls - I GOT A SURPRISE BID! It turned out that Phi Mu actually had 13 spots to fill and I was lucky enough to earn one of them! I had a great time that night meeting a bunch of active sisters and even some fraternity boys (ironically, from Antonio's future frat!) That night was the beginning of a lifetime of memories and great times. I got so close to my 12 pledge sisters, as well as the many, many lovely ladies who came after me.

When I became an alumni in 2008, it was a bittersweet celebration. On the one hand, I was graduating and moving on the bigger and better things. I was also carrying along with me such a meaningful and special experience. On the other hand, I was saying good bye to so many beautiful women, who I had gotten so exceptionally close to over the years. I was lucky enough to go through the ceremony to become an alumni with a lot of the girls I pledged with. I was also closing a very important chapter of my life. In the five years since that surprising night, I have seen over 70 amazing girls become sisters and I couldn't be more proud to call myself a Phi Mu! I leave you with a quote that I think sums up greek life, for all of those skeptics out there...

"From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it."

Story Time

As I was scanning the blogs while being snowed in this weekend, I happened upon this super cute "chain blog topic" (yes, I think I just made that up - but it totally makes sense!) posted by Kell. Luckily, I checked which picture I'd be using before committing myself to this blog post, just in case it was one of those all too frequent ugly/awkward/ridiculous ones I have floating around my computer... Here are your instructions and my story. Enjoy!

1.Open your 1st Photo folder.
2.Scroll to the 10th photo.
3.Post the photo & the story behind it.

This is a photo of (almost) my entire family on the day I graduated from college. From the top left it is my brother, my mom, my dad, Aunt Toni, Kameron, me and my Mom Mom. All that's missing is the sister in law, other niece and new nephew. This was really special day for me, since I worked extra hard to get that degree - I had to complete all the requirements for an English major PLUS earn my Early Childhood Education certification, all while working 10-20 hours a week, taking part in the Varsity Cheerleading team, and staying active in Phi Mu. I was one busy lady for those 4 1/2 years!

This is even more special because it is one of the last times I got to have my entire family, my Mom Mom included, all together to celebrate. I know that my whole family, but especially my Mom Mom, was so proud of me. I had finally accomplished something that no one else in my family had before. She got to see me graduate from college AND become a real life teacher 3 weeks later! When I'm sad and missing her, I can think back to this day and remember how happy she was for me and how I am so grateful for her being able to share such a special, important day with me.