Search results matching tags 'Greek life' and 'recruitment'

Phi Psi 500!

JoeW — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:08:00 GMT

The Phi Psi 500 graced campus this past weekend. It is one of the last social events of the year and as one of the largest put on by a Greek house.

Phi Psi 500 is a celebration of all the service that Phi Kappa Psi does through out the year. Last semester we completed 813 hours of community service and are on track to pummel that amount this semester. We also complete 500 hours of service the week of 500, which is where the name originates.

It was a large and eventful day. The main festivities began at 3:00 with our beach volleyball tournament; which continued well into a free dinner for all at 5:00 and go-kart time trials at 6:00. (500 has a racing theme.) Then at 7:00 our lipsync competition started. I was in charge of organizing the days events. Because of Butler’s passionate and rhythmic student body these lipsyncs were FANTASTIC- not a bad one in the bunch. However, because this event also showcases our days stiffest competition it was very stressful for me.

After the Lipsyncs were finished on the rise hip-hop artist Krypton Flo took our stage by storm. Keep in mind, this entire event was outside, free, and open to all of Butler- so there were tons of people there. K-Flo was out of this world and you should check him out.

http://kryptonflo.com/HOME.html

The last thing on our agenda was our closed party at 11:00. This was really the only VIP event, but with over 400 people on the list it couldn’t have been too exclusive. 500 was an amazing end to our year, and I’m sure all of the participants agree. 500 let me spend the entire weekend outside in fabulous weather. It was the perfect prelude to my exam week.

Behind Closed Doors: Sorority Sister Week

ChristinaL — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:54:00 GMT

Hey friends! I’m sorry it’s been awhile… things have been craaaaazy here at BU as we just had our first week of the spring semester, and all of that coming right off of formal recruitment for the Greek community. Steph and Liz have done a great job of showing you what it is like to go through as a freshman in their blogs, so I wanted to take some time to talk about the other side of recruitment, which is not so easy to see – the mysteries that happen behind the beautiful facades of the Butler sorority houses!

Ok, obviously I’m being melodramatic. I just know that many people want to imagine Greek life as this crazy hidden web of secrets and drama, and to be on the inside and know how things really are, that makes me laugh.

For those of you who (like me before I came to Butler) know absolutely nothing about Greek Life, let’s do a little primer on Formal Recruitment, or as they may call it in the movies, “rush.”

At Butler, we have our recruitment in the spring semester, so that first year students can take time to adjust to college, grow up, meet people, make their own friends, develop new interests, and observe all the houses before they are asked to make a decision about joining one. The week before classes start in the spring, everyone interested comes back to campus. Men’s recruitment is a little different, but for the women, we have a five-day process. The first day there are eight parties, and for each party, women go to a different house, where they meet and talk to the members for about 45 minutes.

However, imagine hosting 400 girls in YOUR house, all in one day. Obviously it couldn’t just be a random free-for-all kind of party. Who is going to sit where? Where do we put our guest’s coats? How do we get everyone in and out in a timely manner? These are all things that we have to plan from the sorority side. We also have to get our house clean, move furniture, decorate, prepare the entertainment, etc. For these reasons, we a) move back to our house a few days before the freshmen come back and b) pretty much stay in our house all day* – there’s lots to get done! (*exceptions are made for late-night Steak n Shake runs. There is always time for milkshakes and cheese fries, my friends.)

At Pi Beta Phi, we call this time Sister Week, because as much work as there is to be done, you will never find a week when our house is more filled with laughter, inside jokes, and sisterly fun. During recruitment week, people usually ask me if I’m going crazy being “stuck” in my house, but I love it. It is the one week when we don’t have class or work or clubs or anything to worry about except being together and growing closer, and of course, there is nothing to help bond you like working towards a common goal. Whether I’m painting a banner with my best friend, unpacking with my roommate, or going on a hunt for a huge ladder with my small group, there is always fun to be had. And of course, when you're up late decorating... there are BOUND to be some 4 am N'SYNC dance parties.

Me, my roommate Kim, and one of the coolest sophomores I know (Colleen Kelly aka CoKe) doing "the E-Fay" dance move in tribute to one of our graduated sisters, Emily Fay. Don't judge... we had been decorating allllll night... gotta keep it fun : )

Still, we also make sure to have some official playtime. In between our all-house-cleans, decorating and skit rehearsal, we would play Sardines (like group Hide & Go Seek – it’s awesome in a big old house) or share Remember When?s. This is probably our favorite game ever, and consists of someone saying “Remember when…” and then retelling one of our funny stories for the whole house to hear. I love remembering all the funny ones I’ve been around for (or starred in… see the blog about the time I almost burned the house down) but I also love hearing the stories that come from before I even joined the house, and hearing them passed down to our sophomores.

Recruitment is also a time when lots of our alumni come to visit and help out. My Big Sis graduated last year, but she came back to help us decorate and we ran around the house being crazy and ridiculous like always, catching up, and remembering all the good times we’ve had.

My Big Sis Ariel and I! I miss having her around SO much but I was so glad she could come visit during recruitment.

However, my favorite thing about recruitment this year was definitely getting to know all the sophomores better. Since I was studying abroad last semester, I didn’t have as much time to get to know them, and I kind of remembered them as being young and quieter then our outgoing upperclassmen. But when I moved back in to Pi Phi for recruitment, I saw how much they had grown up. All the sophomores now live in the house and have really made it their own. They have leadership positions and always step up to help out; even the shy ones have become outgoing and friendly, and I noticed that they have all grown so much closer to each other and to the older members. They are truly part of the family, and I feel so lucky to have them as sisters. I have gotten to witnes how cool they all are and I love just seeing them around the house with all their antics every day.

Having a home with different generations of women is what makes living in a sorority so amazing to me. The Pi Phis who have come before me inspire me, brighten up my life and make me a better person… and the ones who follow me do, too! I know now that when I graduate, my house will be in amazing hands.

Speaking of the next generation, I am SO excited about our newest Pi Phi Angels!

It has now been exactly one week since we welcomed them into the family on Bid Day, but it already seems like I have known them so much longer. I think I know why. We like to say that Pi Phi is not something girls become; it’s who they already are, and that’s why they were chosen to be here. They have always had that friendly and beautiful spirit that we look for, and so even though I am just getting to know them, I already care about them so much. I am really looking forward to spending time with all of them this spring. Who knows? I may even decide to live in the house again next year so we can spend even more time together.

At any rate, this was my last recruitment from the inside! I was recently elected Vice President of Educational Planning for the Panhellenic Council, which oversees sorority life here at Butler and runs recruitment for the new members. So, next year I will be outside in the cold with the freshmen, lining them up as they eagerly wait to go into the houses and find their new homes. It will be different, and I know it will be very hard to miss Sister Week, but if running recruitment helps women to find a home as happy and wonderful as mine, I know it will be worth it.

Thanks to my friend (and all-star recruitment counselor) Erikaa for this pic of the Panhel side of recruitment!

Tips for Formal Recruitment

JoeW — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:08:00 GMT

I am writing this because I wish someone had given me a little advice before I went through recruitment.

Take things with a grain of salt- Keep in mind that everyone loves their own house and you should not get caught up in how much they like their house, it is how much you like it. Also, please, please, please be wary of some of the theatrics of Rush week. Keep asking yourself if people are being real with you. If you think people or a certain house are not representing themselves truthfully- do your best to sift through the façade. Don’t allow them to shuffle you around.

Ask good questions- When I was rushing I had new (and difficult) questions prepared each day. You need to do this before you leave, if you don’t think of them beforehand they won’t come to you. As someone on the other side of Rush, I can verify that we love questions. It shows you are really thinking about your decision, and you care. You should also not be afraid to ask difficult or touchy questions. Remember, this is a huge decision and if you don’t ask questions like “Do people in your house do drugs, Do you haze, is there binge drinking” they won’t volunteer the answers. There is no reason to ask difficult questions just to try and stump people. Ask questions that you think will yield good answers or reveal things about the house and please, listen to the answers. (something I forgot to do)

Be Yourself- If you act/dress/talk differently than normal and a house gives you a bid-they gave a bid to the person you were pretending to be. Once rush is over and you stop the act- both you and the house will be disappointed. During rush Greeks are looking for the people who are being fake, if you aren’t genuine you will not get a bid. If a house isn’t crazy about you- that’s fine, you would not be happy there anyway. Remember, you can only get into one house after all.

Think it over- It is tempting to go with the house most of your friends like, the house your family members are in, the house with the prettiest colors, etc. but all of these reasons are not enough. Make sure the houses you are visiting are for you. And again, make sure the house you join is one you will be happy in for a long time, not just rush week. While I do not often hear “I like my house, but I should have gone (insert house)”, it is said more than it should be. We schedule recruitment before classes so that you have all the time you need to make a good, focused decision- use your time.

Keep in mind what you want- Each house has lots of positives, but they are not all for you. If a house offers lots of help with your studies but you don’t need help, don’t view that quality as a plus. If a house helps you get involved but you are already involved, you don’t need their help. Lots of rushees find themselves excited about things they don’t even need.

All of that being said my last tip is to have fun. Rush week is fun. It is. But only if you make it. Going into recruitment may seem daunting, but thousands of less friendly, dumber, more boring, angrier, and lamer people have gone before you. Everything will be ok! I promise.

Good Luck!

Christmas x TWO!

SarahG — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:09:00 GMT

The activities of my Christmas day have been a staple for pretty much as far back as I can remember... wake up early to open presents with my parents and brother, then join up with the rest of the family on my mom's side for the remainder of the day. This year, however, we decided not to do extended family Christmas ON Christmas, but to have it on the 28th instead. When I first heard about this... I was pretty upset. I mean, this is tradition we're talking about breaking here! But then I realized that the split would result in not one, but TWO days full of family, games, food, presents, holiday cheer, etc. etc., which I guess actually makes me a pretty lucky kid. :)

Both of my Christmases were fantastic, but I was definitely sad to see my family leave this morning... not only because I rarely get to see them, but also because it marks the downfall of the Christmas season (which we all know I adore haha). Good news for you though: one of my big gifts this year was a new digital camera, which means several photos to put up on the blog!

Now I have just one more week of break left... then it's back to BU for panhellenic recruitment! As much as I'm savoring these last few days at home, I am VERY excited about recruitment week! It's hard to believe I've already been a Theta for an entire year... but I cannot wait to see so many new faces proudly wearing their greek letters on bid day!

To Rush or Not to Rush...

LizM — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:52:00 GMT

First off let me apologize for the video on the last blog...I can't get it to work! But I'm gonna keep on trying because our skit is SO worth the time and effort :) Anyhow, after the excitement of last weekend the actual week was pretty dull. The only thing I have really had to worry much about is whether to commit to going through Panhellenic recruitment or not.
Its crunch time, and I have to decide by Friday if I want to go through recruitment, aka "rushing." I guess that for the fraternities its called rushing and for sororities its recruitment. I feel like I learn something new everytime someone goes through the whole greek life explanation! Anyhow, we have to sign up online by Friday even though rush week is the week before school starts back after Christmas Break. At the beginning of the year I was completely convinced that I wanted to join a sorority. I really wanted to be a part of all their big philanthropy events and live in one of the houses and have that close knit community of friends. I have really enjoyed going to all the dinners and each and every house has been so hospitable--which also makes it difficult to choose which ones I like the best! But this was before I got to know the girls in my unit well and now Its hit me that next year is going to be completely different than this year, especially if I join a house.
I am not a big fan of change, and I have grown very close to the girls in my unit. As cheesy as it sounds I really do feel like they are a part of my family and its odd to think that next year I might not see them on a day-to-day basis. Also, my roommate and I get along really well. I mentioned this in one of my forum posts, we really are best friends but at the same time we respect each others' privacy and have other friends as well. We are both fairly messy and have the same sense of humor--one that a lot of other people don't really understand sometimes haha. There have been so many times when one of us will say something or do something ridiculous and then say "If I had been rooming with anyone else they would think I was a weirdo and not find that funny at all." And then we continue to laugh some more. Life in One East has had its ups and downs, but overall I've really liked it and I feel so comfortable living with the girls.

So these are my three options:
1. Go through recruitment with the intention of joining a Sorority.
This would be what I intended at the beginning of the year. I would go through the week planning on joining at the end of the process. However, I think if I did this then I would feel a lot of pressure to pick certain houses I like rather than just going through with an open mind and no expectations. It would also be really sad to think that I wouldn't be living with any of my friends from 1E next year.
2. Don't go through recruitment, and then room with my current roommate again next year in ResCo, sharing a suite with two other girls from our unit.
I would be comfortable and happy in this arrangement, but I think I would always wonder what would have happened if I had gone through recruitment and feel like I could be missing out on new friendships and all the fun events greek life has.

3. Go through recruitment with an open mind and join if I want to, but not feel pressured to if I decide through the week that I don't.
So that is my final decision. Option 3. That way I won't be missing out on this opportunity, but if its not for me I don't have to join. I feel like this way I will be more apt to be myself too, because there will be no pressure to join. Its not like I would lie or act completely differently to try and impress the other girls, but I just get shy and intimidated sometimes and people who know me know I'm not like that at all :) My roommate and another girl from our unit are going through recruitment as well so it will be nice to know people during the week and not be all alone! I have heard that it is so much fun though, and even if you don't join you meet so many wonderful people during the week. So I am very excited about the decision, but a little uncertain nonetheless.

But in the very near future is thanksgiving break! I can't wait to go home and see my family and friends :) Happy Thanksgiving Everyone, just gotta get through this week!

Re: Traditions!

ChristinaL — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:50:03 GMT

Funny you should ask! This is a question I asked pretty much everyone I know at Butler last year when I was editor of the yearbook and we did a "Butler Traditions" page. Here's what we came up with:

Fountain jumping - This is the number one Butler tradition, in my opinion! Groups of friends run around Butler's campus and jump into every fountain (and of course, photo document it!). The ultimate fountain jumpers make it in every single fountain... even the one in the library : )

Campus golf - Bring your golf clubs to school, because Butler students love to "golf" around campus with tennis balls. "Holes" are popular spots on campus such a star fountain, the observatory, etc.

Soapy Star Fountain - Star Fountain is in the center of campus on the mall... not only is it part of the epic fountain jumping experience, but it tends to be the site for practical jokes. During finals week in the spring someone always pours soap in it so it bubbles over with suds. Always good for a laugh… or even a bath. I jumped in last year on a whim with some friends – the walk home was a bit sticky! haha.

Blue II's Birthday – Our mascot, Blue II is a real live bulldog so last year we started the tradition of a campus-wide birthday party for him. The birthday dog hangs out in Starbucks to take pictures with everyone and play games and there are free cupcakes for all.

Lawn decorations for Homecoming – I don’t know if other campuses do this, but I had never heard of it before I came to college… for Homecoming Week, we have a lawn decorating contest to go with the Homecoming theme. All the Greek houses and residence halls participate and decorate the sorority houses – but you would not believe how intense these lawn decs are! My freshman year, Delta Gamma covered the entire front side of their house with a tarp. Last year Theta had a school bus parked in their driveway… it gets serious! Anyway, I think it’s a really fun tradition because the night before the competition, everyone is out on the lawns decorating until like 3 or 4 am, kind of like a massive decorating party… even if you’re not helping, it’s a great time to walk down Hampton Drive and check out all the action.

Midnight Snack – probably my favorite Butler tradition, and it happens twice a year! During Homecoming and Snowcoming Week, SGA brings in tons and tons of fast food – Qdoba, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Duncan Donuts, pizza, etc. and at midnight everyone RUNS into the Reilly Room and grabs as much food as possible.

Geneva Stunts & Spring Sing – These are two musical extravaganzas/competitions where Greek houses and residence halls pair together to put on musical skits. There is always a theme – for example, I think last year’s was Back to the Future. Anyway, the participants sing and dance, but all the lyrics are rewritten to be about Butler… so it’s basically all about making fun of ourselves. Bring on the campus inside jokes : )

Sledding on C Club trays in the Butler Bowl - Snow days are one of the greatest things to ever happen at college, because even if you’re snowed in, all your friends are right there. Our football stadium is bowl-shaped, so one of the wintertime traditions is to go sledding down the hill. However, being college students, we don’t really have sleds sitting around our dorm rooms… so we have to get creative. Not that I’m advocating this, but a popular sled choice appears to be borrowed trays from the cafeteria ; )

Drive-In movie – During Welcome Week, SGA shows a popular movie out on the Mall (our big grassy area in the center of campus) and everyone brings their blankets and snacks and enjoys movie night.

Playfair – This is only for freshman, but one of my favorites. Playfair is an activity that travels around to different college campuses, and it always comes to Butler during Welcome Week right before the start of classes. It’s hard to explain but it’s basically all these crazy group games that the whole freshman class plays together. It involves running around and yelling and holding hands and all this chaos. It is impossible to go to Playfair and not meet new people! The joke is always that you will meet your future husband or wife there.

VooDoo – Annual Halloween party sponsored by Sigma Nu, one of the fraternities. The guys go all out decorating their house and people sometimes wait in line for over an hour to get in!

Greek philanthropy events – Greeks sponsor lots of fun annual philanthropy events that we look forward to every year. They almost always involve a cookout to raise money, and then free entertainment like sports tournaments, women’s lipsyncs or men doing cheerleading or synchronized swimming haha (blogger JoeW LOVES to do this… check out his videos.)

Humans vs. Zombies – I think Liz wrote about this in her blog already, but I’ll mention it here too. This tradition was around my freshman year, banned last year and appears to have made its resurgence. It is a campus-wide game that anyone can join. If you’ve ever played Assassins, it’s kind of like that. I don’t remember all the rules, but the basic idea is that there are humans and zombies roaming campus (marked by bandanas) and they are both trying to defeat the other side…. you attack by hitting someone with a nerf dart, rolled up sock or a marshmallow (not kidding). It’s not dangerous by nature, but it was banned last year because the administration didn’t think it was safe. I guess this year the restrictions are that you can’t play in the dorms or academic buildings. I have never played but it’s always fun to see people creeping around corners talking about zombies.

Rowdy Row – This is only a Greek tradition, but a memorable sight on campus even if you’re not participating. Our Greek formal recruitment takes place at the end of Winter Break, right before classes start up. On the last Sunday of break, all the new members get their bid cards and find out what house they are in. They run out onto Hampton Drive (usually screaming) where their new Greek families are cheering and waiting to greet them. The street is closed off for the afternoon, and it’s basically a big Greek party in the streets with everyone hugging and taking photos and catching up with all their friends from other houses.

Camping out for skydiving – Every year, SGA’s Out & About in Indy committee sponsors a very cheap skydiving trip. It is very popular, but there are limited spots that are given away on a first-come, first-serve basis. So, the night before the sign-ups, people always camp out in the student union in front of the activities office.

Basketball – Loving basketball is probably the oldest Butler tradition and one that is still strong today. This IS Indiana, after all.

Also, they’ve already been mentioned, but Relay for Life and Spring Sports Spectacular are both fantastic. And Dominick the Donkey is just hilarious… there’s nothing like Christmas-time at Butler to make you smile.

All you need is THETA LOVE!

SarahG — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:38:00 GMT

I'm a KAPPA ALPHA THETA!!!!!!!!

As you can probably tell, I am SUPER excited to be a part of this sorority! Theta was my first choice and I definitely made the right decision! Bid day was an absolute blast.... we got sweatshirts, scarfs, shirts, and totes... ate pizza with our new sisters... and even went ice skating at the pepsi colosseum! I've been so excited this week to wear my Theta gear! I know this post is exclamation overload, but I am seriously beyond thrilled to be a KAO! I would most definitely recommend going through recruitment... the roller coaster ride is completely worth the end result!

If you have any questions about sorority life, just let me know! You can learn along with me!

Bloggers? Sisters!

ChristinaL — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:43:00 GMT

First of all I have to apologize for being an entirely delinquent blogger. Since I last wrote, there has been SO much going on. New Year's, trying to cram in last coffee dates and catching up with my friends from home, a wedding in Vegas and of course, the ultimate craziness... Formal Recruitment for Pi Beta Phi!

I got back to Indy on Sunday the 6th, and basically spent seven SOLID days with my sorority sisters on voluntary house arrest as we prepared for and then held our formal recruitment week. Sounds crazy, I know, but it was the most fun I have ever had as a member of Pi Phi. There is nothing like spending so much uninterrupted time bonding with your friends and working towards a common goal (...and we occasionally did leave the house for some fun Steak n Shake and Speedway runs.) I also moved in with my two new amazing roomates, Jill and Katie and we are already loving all the time we have together.

One memory that definitely sticks out: one of our seniors, KB, surprising us by bursting in on one of our meetings dressed in a blonde wig and singing Britney Spears. She will have you know that the true lyrics are "Gimme gimme PI, Gimme PI, Gimme BETA PHI!" hahaha. We love it. Can't stop singing it! We were all about the late night dance parties this week.

The other really great part of recruitment was meeting so many phenomenal young women. Greeks are leaders, scholars, great friends, women of character and generous servants to their community and I'm not just saying that. Everybody has their strengths, of course, but each girl I talked to exemplified at least one of these awesome characteristics. I met atheletes, class presidents, girls who have taught children in Africa or organized swim lessons for local Indianapolis Public School students... the list goes on. It was really inspiring.

We saw over 300 girls go through our house this week, and after four days, we found the 31 of them who will become our Pi Phi sisters when they are initiated in February. It was a phenomenal year for our house and we are so proud of our new Angels! (that's what Pi Phis are called, and they fit the name to a tee.)

However, one of the most exciting parts is that you now have not one but two Pi Phis blogging for you...

That's right....Anna is an angel too! I am so glad to have her as a sorority sister. After witnessing how positive, honest, and considerate she is with answering everyone's questions on her blog, I could tell that she is really Pi Phi material and when my sisters met her during recruitment they all agreed. We are thrilled to have her and the rest of the new girls.

We would have all loved to dwell on the excitement of Bid Day yesterday but it is back to class today and I already have a paper to write! In the meantime....

....gimme gimme PI gimme PI gimme BETA PHI!

Recruitment

SarahG — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 01:09:00 GMT

Although formal recruitment has only been going on for a few days, I'm already exhausted from all of the events. The first day we went to all seven of the sorority houses, the second day we went to six, and today we went to four. Each day is a little different, and today was definitely my favorite. All of the sororities put on skits that really showed the personalities of their individual houses. So tonight we had to narrow our choice down to two houses. It seems like a simple process, but it has actually been quite stressful. Not only do you have to pick the houses you like, but in turn the houses have to invite you back. I'm not going to lie, it can be a bit upsetting when you don't get invited back to a house you had your heart set on. Luckily, I have two great houses that I'll hopefully get to return to tomorrow. (Curious? -- You'll just have to wait until I join one!) In the end it'll be worth it because I know I'll find the house that is truly right for me!

PS -- Don't get me wrong, this process has been a lot of fun. You get to meet a ton of really great girls who you might have never had the opportunity to know otherwise. If you come to Butler, I would definitely recommend giving greek life a try... it might just surprise you how different it really is here (in a good way)!

2008 and Feelin' Great

ChristinaD — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:31:00 GMT

Sorry about the cheesy title...

So, planning for Recruitment has taken over my life. Literally. It's all I do, all day, and all I think about. I think I even had a dream about it the other night... (At least it wasn't a nightmare, right!?) My committee and I are moving back to BU on Friday, and the rest of my house comes back Saturday, with our first all-house meeting Saturday night. We'll have Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to prepare, and then Formal Recruitment begins on Wednesday and ends on Sunday. It's an exciting time, one of my favorite times to be an Alpha Chi, but being in charge of the whole shindig is a little overwhelming and scary. I know everything will turn out just fine, but I'm such a perfectionist that I worry too much sometimes!

The first day of women's recruitment is basically a get-to-know Greek Life. The second day is called "Philanthropy Day" and it gives those going through recruitment the chance to learn about what all of the chapters were founded on--philanthropy and giving back to the community. Alpha Chi's philanthropy nationally is the prevention and awareness of domestic violence; locally we support the Julian Center, which is a shelter for battered women and children. The third day of recruitment is called 4-party, or more commonly, "Skit Day." It's on this day that all of the houses perform a skit for the women going through recruitment to really show off their chapter's personality. Alpha Chi's skit is all singing; our theme is "Alpha Chi on Broadway," and it's pretty fantastic. Finally, there's Preference Night, when all of the women go to only two houses, before making the decision as to which is their "first choice." Bid Day is the final official day of recruitment, and that is when everyone finds out which house they now belong to. It's a massive celebration on Hampton Drive (the street on which the majority of Greek houses are located) -- the police even shut the street down!!! It's complete chaos, but so, so much fun.

I did take a break from all of my planning to welcome in the new year, and here I am, festive and excited about 2008, with two of my good friends from high school.

There's a lot to look forward to this year, and I can't wait to see what life throws at me =) I'll probably be MIA for the next week-and-a-half, but no worries, I'll be back eventually and fill you in on how Recruitment went. Happy Happy 2008!!! (P.S. If you didn't know, I graduate in 2008. Holy. Cow.)