September Fourth: September Thirtieth

Since today is the last day of September, clearly a daily update type post is most appropriate.  I’ll start the inevitable tale of Hailey tomorrow.  It’s a doozy!  Anyway, let’s talk about what’s been going on as of late!

I bought some more clothes for work today.  I now have a few more  black shirts, yay….  I also bought some cute dresses for centennial.

I acquired a ticket to the Georgia game this weekend for free!!!!  And I get to see Keith too, so I’m really really really excited.  I bought a dress to wear, so it’s going to be awesome.

What else?

Drama with Hailey…  Getting to meet my newest babies next week…   Umm, that’s really about all.

I’ve been working and seeing Brody and my friends, mostly Larissa.  Just normal stuff and nothing out of the ordinary, haha.

So, tomorrow, Hailey drama begins!  Or at least the documentation of it…  It’s been going on for a while.

The Fam

So I have a couple of things to talk about and I was deciding between talking about the newest members of my fam or talking about my friend Hayley.  But, I decided that I don’t want to be dramatic quite yet, and I’ll save that for later…  Really Hayley drama as of late could be a multi-part series.  Is that bad?  I promise I’m totally not this dramatic on a regular basis!  I’m actually pretty calm, which you’ve probably seen from this blog, or at least I hope so.

In any case, I decided to talk about my Fam, since a few new members will be joining it soon.

So, I can’t trace my Fam back very far, only to my Grand Big,   My Grand Big got married right out of college, I think her husband is about my age.  Anyway, she wasn’t originally my Grand Big, but she was by the time I knew her.  Her first Little is actually my dear friend Allie.    Some time after Spring 2006, when Allie joined and before Spring 2007, when I joined, my Grand Big, Arlene, adopted my Big, Erika.

I didn’t get to know my Grand Big very well because she was a senior when I was a freshman, and we had deferred recruitment when I joined.  So, I only really had a semester to get to know her.  But before Songfest my freshman year, I was at the house and I needed help with my hair and she helped me tease and pouf it.  It was a little moment of bonding that I really appreciated.

I mentioned my Big once before in conjunction with a little story about my freshman year.  Erika was a junior when I joined the house.  She had a soft spot for taking on Littles, I think.  I was her fourth, and by the time she graduated, she would have five.  Her Littles are:

• Molly, her first Little/my sort of older sibling (Spring 2006):  She had taken a year off when I joined, and would eventually transfer after my sophomore year.
• Renee, her second little/my former older sibling (also Spring 2006, though I think she was COB and not the formal pledge class): She ended up dropping over an unfortunate snafu, and so her branch of the family ended up being adopted by Becky (who ended up serving as the connection between me and Evan).
• Lizzy, her third Little/my older sibling (Fall 2006, informal recruitment):  She and I were the only ones to stay through our graduation dates that were originally Erika’s Littles.  Therefore, I don’t have anything specific to say about her as to why our fam ended up smaller than originally.
• Me, her fourth Little (Spring 2007)
• Kristin, her fifth Little/my adopted twin (also Spring 2007):  My Big Erika eventually ended up adopting my friend Kristin in Spring 2008 when Kristin’s Big dropped.  So Kristin and I are kind of twins, since we are from the same pledge class, but not quite.

I’ve spent a lot of time with my Big, so I don’t necessarily need to recount all my experiences here.  And at the end, I’ll talk more about the family tree.

So in my branch of the Fam, I come after my Big, obviously.  I have three Littles:

• Lilac, my first Little (Spring 2008):  She ended up graduating two years early, before me, even.  She was very driven, but I think she’s a bit burnt out these days.  She ended up having two Littles.
• Stacey, one of my twins (Fall 2008):  She is also graduating early, so I feel for her Little.
• Rebekah, one of my twins (Fall 2008):  She ended up dropping last year, but I still consider her a member of my family.

Lilac ended up having two Littles, both of whom were also twins:

• Briana, my Grand Little (Fall 2008): She and Lilac are actually the same age, but Briana decided to wait until her Sophomore year to go through recruitment.  She ended up having two Littles.
• Kirby, my Grand Little (Fall 2008):  She ended up transferring mid-way through my Senior year.

Briana’s Littles as follows:

• Joey, her first Little/my Great-Grand Little (Fall 2009):  She ended up dropping by the end of my Senior year as well.
• Amber, her second Little/my Great Grand-Little (Fall 2010):  She’s my newest Great-Grand Little, but she won’t know that until Sunday.

Stacey’s Little:

• Sandy, my Grand Little (Fall 2010):  She’s my newest Grand Little, but she also won’t know that until Sunday.

Anyway, I’ve gone shopping for the newest members of the Fam.  The weekend after they find out that they’re in the Fam, I’ll be up for Centennial, so I’ll get to meet them.  I’ll actually be up this Saturday (more on that later), but they won’t know they’re in my Fam yet, so being introduced to a random member’s Big or Grand Big would be a bit suspect.  Anyway, I decided to get them both a frame and have us all take a picture together before the dinner on Friday night.  Then I’ll put the picture in the frame and it will be an adorable momento of the Fam.  I’m also getting some fun sunglasses for them, because you can never have enough fun sorority stuff.  I thought about shirts, but I don’t know their sizes and really, in the end, they’ll walk away with like forty shirts, so why add to it?  I’m also getting myself some stuff, but that’s not important here.  I’m really excited to meet them both, it will make Centennial that much better for me.

So, I’d said I’d run through the rest of my family and, I guess, their relation to me.  So here goes:

• Arlene (Fall 2003): my Grand Big
  • Erika (Fall 2004): my Big
  • • Molly (Spring 2006):  my sort of older sibling who transferred.
      • Nicole (COB Spring 2007):  Molly’s adopted Little, my Niece.
        • Leigh (Fall 2008):  Nicole’s Little, my Great-Niece, she has since dropped.
          • Lidia (Fall 2009):  Leigh’s Little, my Great-Great-Niece.  I don’t know if anyone has adopted her since Leigh dropped, though, so she may not be in my family anymore, or she could still recognize Leigh as her Big, but not necessarily recognize the family line.
            • Joey (Fall 2010):  Lidia’s Little, my Great-Great-Great-Niece.  She won’t find out Lidia is her Big until Sunday, though.
      • Lilac (Spring 2007):  Molly’s adopted Little, my Niece.
      • Lisa (Spring 2008):  Molly’s first non-adopted Little, my former Niece.  She has since transferred.
  • • Renee (COB Spring 2006): My former older sibling.
      • Julie (Spring 2007): My former Niece, but she was adopted by Becky.  She does have a Little, but she got her after she was adopted, so I won’t include the rest of their family line here.
  • • Lizzy (Fall 2006):  My older sibling.
      • Jenny (Fall 2008): My former Niece, but she transferred.
  • • Me (Spring 2007)
      • Lilac (spring 2008)
        • Briana (Fall 2008)
          • Joey (Fall 2009): dropped
          • Amber (Fall 2010)
        • Kirby (Fall 2008): transferred
      • Stacey (Fall 2008)
        • Sandy (Fall 2010)
      • Rebekah (Fall 2008): dropped
  • • Kristin (Spring 2007): My adopted twin
      • Catherine (Spring 2008): Kristin’s first Little, my Niece
        • Stephanie (Fall 2008):  My Great-Niece.
          • Stacey (Fall 2010): My Great-Great Niece.  She will find out she is Stephanie’s Little on Sunday.
      • Lara (Spring 2008): Kristin’s adopted Little, my former Niece.  She has since dropped.
      • Larissa (Fall 2008): My Niece, part of Kristin’s set of twins.
        • Jaden (Fall 2009): My Great-Niece.
          • Renee (Fall 2010): My Great-Great-Niece.  She will find out she is Jaden’s Little on Sunday.
      • Nicole (Fall 2008): My former Niece, part of Kristin’s set of twins.  She has since dropped.

Here is my extended family:

• Arlene (Fall 2003): My Grand Big
  • Allie (Spring 2006):  My Aunt.
    • Katherine (Fall 2006): Allie’s first Little, my former cousin.  She has since dropped.
    • Stacey (Spring 2007): Allie’s second Little, my cousin.
      • Alexis (Fall 2008):  Part of Stacey’s set of twins, my second cousin.
        • Diane (Fall 2010): My third cousin.  She won’t find out that she’s Alexis’ Little until Sunday.
      • Kate (Fall 2008):  Part of Stacey’s set of twins, my second cousin.
        • Amy (Fall 2009): My third cousin.
          • Audrey (Fall 2010): My fourth cousin.  She won’t find out that she’s Amy’s Little until Sunday.
    • Betsy (Fall 2008):  Allie’s third Little, my cousin.
      • Shea (Fall 2009): My second cousin.
        • Blaire (Fall 2010):  My third cousin.  She won’t find out she’s Shea’s Little until Sunday.

So, yup, I have a pretty large Fam all in all, but my branch has gotten a bit small.  I still love them all bunches though!

Pretty Stemware Part 5

Here’s the last part of my series on stemware I really like.  During the last week before the circle degree, the seniors in my sorority are given an Omega Sis.  This Omega Sis gives them gifts and notes and showers them with anonymous love until they reveal themselves at a brunch right before the circle degree.

It’s really very sweet.

Anyway, my Omega Sis, Anna, gave me the following piece of stemware.  I love it.  She decorated it herself and even went so far as to eat glue, apparently.  I miss Anna a lot; she’s really lovely.

I have a lot of updates in the next couple of days, so get excited!

Here’s a photo of my glass, sorry it’s a bit small:

Pretty Stemware Part 4

Here’s part four of the pretty stemware.

Colored Set:  I like that every glass in this set is a different color.  And hey, that way you know what drink is yours, haha!

Pattern:  It’s all about the pattern here.

Square:  I love the square bottoms and the glass ball separating the stem.  It’s an interesting shape dichotomy.

Polka Dots:   I still love polka dots, haha!

Gems:  I like gems breaking up the stems.  The yellow is really pretty too.

Stem:  I like the avant-garde stem.  It’s pretty.

Ribbons:  I just think ribbons on stemware is really classic and pretty.

Black:  I haven’t seen black stemware that much, but these are really pretty and look like they belong at a cocktail party.

Party:  These flutes look like they are having a party.  It’s fun.

Tomorrow I will discuss my favorite piece of stemware.

Pretty Stemware Part 3

And here’s part three!

Rose:  It’s mostly the stem, but the rose color is really pretty.  This comes in eight colors and clear.

Crazy expensive!:  This is on the “dreaming” end of the spectrum of stemware.  The set is $2500, which comes to about $625 per glass, which is clearly out of my price range for a stemware collection.  But look how pretty it is.

Yellow:  I like this yellow the best as well as the hexagon shape of the goblet.  This one comes in six colors, but only four are pictured, so I wonder what the orange looks like.

Frosted:  I like the frosted and chunky stem the best.

Special:  I like the stem on this martini glass.  It’s also on special for a little over half off for a pair.  But look how pretty the stem is.

Tumblers:  I like these tumblers a lot because they look smoky.  The white one is probably my favorite.

Banded:  These are classic.  The gold band is so elegant.

Goblet:  This stem is amazingly gorgeous!!!

Blue:  Ooh pattern and color…  Like I said, it’s all about pattern and color with stemware I like.

Part four tomorrow!

Pretty Stemware Part 2

Here’s part two of the stemware posting extravaganza!

Amethyst:  It’s a color and pattern thing again.

Emerald:  I really love the stacked ball construction of the stem.  I think I like the emerald color best for this flute, but it actually comes in six colors and clear.  The site advertises it as “seven colors,” but I don’t really think clear is necessarily a color.

Cobalt:  I love the color cobalt and the elegant/streamlined look of the stem.  This set also lists itself as coming in seven colors, which it does, in addition to clear.  So at least this is truth in listing.

Sapphire:  I love the dip in the stem.  I think that’s my favorite part of this piece.

Ribbon:  I love the elegant and clean look of the ribbon at the bottom of the glass.  I also really like the shape of the flute.

Sleek Lines:  I like the sleek lines in this the most.  The website notes them too, so I think that’s what most people (and the designer) like about this stemware set.

Polka Dots:  I love polka dots.

Flowers:  It looks like there are flowers starting at the tip of the stem.  It’s really pretty.

Orange:  I don’t really see orange stemware so much.  So I like this color.  Also, I like the shape of the goblet.  This one comes in eight different colors.

Part three tomorrow!

Pretty Stemware Part 1

So the other day, I was talking about two of my favorite things in the decoration/organization world:  the Container Store and collecting stemware.

Today is the day when I share pictures of pretty stemware I’ve found online.  And this isn’t by just doing a google image search for stemware, since there’s pretty much no way that you or I could obtain many of the things listed in those pictures, so instead this is all through a google search of purchasable stemware.  And then, at the end, I’ll post a picture of my favorite piece of stemware in my own collection.  So, let’s look at some gorgeous stemware!

Pretty Stems:  These are just so pretty.  I love the differing colors and shapes used on each stem, even though this is a champagne flute set.  It’s supposed to represent the love between a couple, and the stems reflect the differing body shapes, which is neat.

Swirls:  I love this pattern!  And the nice thing about it, from the point of view of my collection (at least), is that each piece of stemware can be purchased as a single item.  And, actually, the single items aren’t as expensive as it would seem, so the flute and the goblet, which are my favorites, are only $25 (each).

Hearts:  I also love this pattern!  I seem to have a thing for toasting flutes, which is nice because I’ve decided that I plan on having them at my reception, to compliment the open bar, but also strange because how often do people use toasting flutes anyway?  These are only $40 for the pair, which is like $20 per glass!

Flames:  The pattern reminds me of flames and I think it’s pretty neat.  This pattern ranges from $25 to $38 depending on the piece, so I think it’s a pretty good deal.

Sapphire flutes:  I love the color and the cut of this pattern.  I’ve noticed from this website that colored glass is fairly pricey, but still really very pretty.

Red Hearts:  I love the color and cut pattern of these flutes.  I’m trying to say something abut every piece of stemware I link to, but it generally comes down to me liking the color, pattern, or cut of a piece for just about every stemware glass I like.

Hearts (again):  Toasting flutes seem to use the motif of hearts in their patterns a lot.  These are really pretty and the texture is really intricate.

Purple:  I think the website actually calls the color “lavender,” but it’s really a very pretty color.  Also the diagonally crossing lines are really elegant.

Criss Cross:  I love the criss cross and the pattern being bordered by a bold color.  I also like how the bottom looks like a rounded glass ball has been placed at the bottom of the flute.

Part two coming tomorrow!

September fourth: September Twenty-Third

Today was my first day of work, so I’m a little tired to come up with something exciting to write…  Even a letter…  So sorry.

No football scores today, but next week is Georgia and I’m still trying to get tickets!  Oye….

What else….  I get to see Bree on Monday, so yay!

I have to be at work at 8 AM on Saturday for more training, gross.

And….  I’ve been trying to see Brody for a few days now and it’s getting annoying, haha.  Hopefully we’ll go Halloween costume shopping soon.  :)

And…  yup, that’s pretty much it…  Sorry September twenty-third is so boring.

Oh, actually, I have a short story to tell.  So right now the new members of my sorority are in the midst of their new member period, so here’s a story from when I was a new member:

As a gift for our Bigs, we are supposed to decorate paddles and give them to them on initiation.  My Big, Erika, already had three other Littles, so I had to make my paddle awesome.  I had bought a bunch of wood pieces, such as hearts and big double layer block letters.  I also had thirty different colors of paint.  My paddle was going to be awesome!

Kristin and I had bonded at our New Member sleepover, so on the day we received our paddles, we were both riding the bus back to our dorm.  This was back in the days when the bus was awful and sucked at timeliness.

But anyway, we were sitting on the bus when a guy started chatting with us.  “Are those paddles, ladies?”

“Yes…”  We both answered hesitantly.

“I was just wondering…  Who do you hit with them?”

Kristin and I stared blankly at him.  Then we turned to each other.  We were completely shocked.

“Like, do the older girls hit you with them?  Do you hit each other?”

“This isn’t Animal House,” I finally managed to stammer.

And yes, I know, there is no paddling in Animal House…

Melissa and Operation: Room Redecoration-Belongings

I’ve been talking to Melissa today and getting an update on her law school life.  When I scrounge up some money, I’m going to go visit her.  I’ve never been to Texas, so that will be a lot of fun.  Plus, then I can experience Texas drivers first hand…  Apparently, Melissa thinks they’re pretty bad.  She also was telling me about how my life provides her with amusement…  So, here’s an amusing story about Brody, I guess:

I was watching tv briefly the other day, and I saw an ad for the Robin Hood DVD.  I’ve been seeing Brody a long time, clearly, as that was one of our first dates (on its opening weekend, nonetheless).  I guess it’s not really that funny of a story, but it’s all I’ve got today as far as my life providing Melissa with amusement.

Anyway, as far as Operation: Room Redecoration goes, I’m currently lamenting how short my bed is.  At the house, my bed was raised a little and made for great under bed storage.  I don’t know what to do with my book bins and costume box.

Anyway, here’s some of the things I have to aid in the decoration of the room:

Pink Storage Bins:  I use these bins for all sorts of things: dishes, books, binders, whatever.  I don’t think I’ll necessarily need binders anymore and I have shelves for my books, so they may be a bit unnecessary now.  I do use one for my costumes and that’s pretty convenient (39 days!!!).

9 photo frame:  I have a couple of these.  I decorated them with puffy paint to really personalize them.  It’s a fun way to show off pictures.  I also have a couple of frames from the dollar section and some of the Target brand “college: room essentials” pink frames from a couple of years ago.

Pink curtains:  I have two of these and they’re tied back with pink ribbons.  They’re pretty adorable.  They really brighten up the white walls and disguise the ugly blinds that come with the apartment.

Pink Cubes:  I love these!  I like how see-through they are.  I keep my flats and sandals, purses, headbands, and sunglasses and brushes in them.  The see-through aspect is nice because I can pretty much find what I’m looking for with minimal digging.  Also, I have a special place in my heart for the Container Store.  When I say “special place” though, it’s more like a crazy obsession that I will only admit to a few people.  The thing about it, though, is that I’m fine when I’m nowhere near the store.  I don’t really think about it on a normal basis, unless I’m thinking about things I need, but then that requires a trip to the Container Store…  Which is where the obsession comes in…  Once I’m in the store, even if I have a specific mission, I need to walk down every aisle.  Do I need a dog treat dispenser for the dog I don’t have right now but will eventually get years down the road?  Nope.  Am I going to stop and look at it anyway?  You bet!  A trip to the Container Store is an excursion and can’t be completed in twenty minutes.

Pink totes:  I bought two of the smaller sized totes freshman year to cart them to the bathroom.  They actually work really well as storage in a bathroom too.  They keep my bathroom organized so well!

Bubblegum hangers:  You can get a 72-pack of these for just twenty dollars.  I don’t know who needs 72 bubblegum pink hangers, but I’m pretty sure I bought twenty of them?  They’re only 29 cents, so you can’t go wrong.  Their only downside is that they don’t hang tank tops, dresses, or silky shirts well because they don’t have the hooks on them.

File folders:  I have a tiny filing cabinet and these folders help keep me organized.  They’re beautiful and amazing.

Jewelry Organizer:  I love this.  It helps me find my jewelry so easily!  I also have a similar organizer for my belts.

Wine Glasses:  I like having colored glasses around as storage.  They’re pretty and you can drop frequently used jewelry or notes or whatever into them.  I know, most people collect shot glasses.  I like stemware.  And, hey, someday when I need a collection of stemware, I’ll have a really unique story to tell about my stemware collection.  I wish I’d gotten back those margarita glasses from Evan, actually.  And yeah, if anyone ever wants to give me stemware, I am not picky at all.  As long as it’s colored or patterned.  And all of it’s pretty much mismatched.  I even like my plastic stemware.

So, yup, those are some of my belongings.  I looked around the container store website a bit and I might have a few things to talk about in a later post.  Like I said, it’s a bit of an obsession.

Operation: Room Redecoration-The Plan

So, Steph has officially left for Arizona today.  It sucks…  Like having a gaping hole in your heart.  She was a bit nervous last night, so I gave her a pep talk:

“In any case, you know that no matter how far apart we are, we’re still best friends.  Your family will definitely keep in touch too.  And everyone else here feels the same, or at least to some extent and at least the people who really matter.  And Cam will be happy to see you.  Sometimes big changes come along in your life and it’s how you handle them that makes you who you are.  You’re scared now, but in the end, you’ll be fine and it all happens for a reason.”

In any case, today I’m starting Operation:  Room Redecoration.  First thing is, obviously, I still have some stuff in storage that I need to get into my room in the first place.  I mean, you just never know when you might need a masquerade mask or a shot glass necklace.  These things are hard.

I do have a funny story about my storage needs, actually.  After my surgery, when I finally saw Brody, he asked if I needed him to bring me anything.  Initially, I said no, unless there was a particular movie he wanted to watch.  Afterward, I joked that he could bring me a storage closet.  He came to my house and said he had a lock for my closet, but he left it at home and would give it to me later.  Forgetful, but sweet.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a storage closet, so I’ll need to figure something out.

Anyway, the first item on my agenda is to redecorate my walls.  I had a lot of more personal stuff on my walls in the house, but my room now has a bit of old decor.  So, I’ve gotten some hooks to hang my frames and paddles and I’m going to need to get some more tape to hang my house photos, my pictures, and postcards.

I’ve got my hydrogen peroxide ready and I’m set to clean my walls.

Also, I miss my pink desk chair.  I’m at a loss here for storage space.