Back to Kappa...

Recently, I have noticed that I have spoken alot about my sorority. I guess I have had lots of reasons to talk about it:
1) Jenna's wedding - ALL of our great sorority sisters were there. Three full tables of them!
2) Lauren is going through Rush - so exciting! I have been on the national Kappa website as well as K-State's greek affairs website way too many times! I soak in as much info as I can to pass on to my sister -- who probably could care less and has NO clue what I'm talking about!
3) I have joined the Tulsa Kappa alumni association!

I joined the alumni association in Wichita when I lived there, but never attended meetings. I blame this on the fact that I had people there to keep me entertained. In Tulsa, I literally have no one! So I thought I really needed to dig in and find some friends. I will attend my first get-to-know-you event on Tuesday, July 31 and I'm so excited! I have already adopted an active -- TU has a Kappa chapter so I've bought cute Kappa gifts to give to them for recruitment.

I'm sure it will be a little strange... since I will know NO one! But I do have one thing in common with them.

Plus I can sing songs and snap around them as much as I'd like and they won't think I'm crazy because they will completely understand!

Here's to my sisters... Here's to the blue and blue and to the owl, the key and the fleur de lis! (Name that tune...)

My Biggest Fear...

On Friday at midnight, my favorite book series of all-time will release the seventh and final book of a collection that, at one point, really made me consider dropping out of college to go in search of this mysterious school.

Yes... I am a Harry Potter nerd. I admit it... it's an undeniable obsession that comes upon me as soon as the new book or latest movie comes out. And my biggest fear is that the media is going to screw this last book up for me.

You see, the last book had me at a very high emotional state. I cried and cried and cried... it was a tear-jerker. They had killed off an important character, and obviously from the tears, I couldn't handle it.

This time, they are apparently killing off two more important people and I am afraid that as soon as the book comes out, it will be posted EVERYWHERE of which character who dies, which I don't want to know until I read the book! And unfortunately, I have a job that prohibits me from having the entire day to read the book from start to finish, like all of the other 12-year-olds will get to do. (She better not kill off Ron or I'm going to have to write a letter.)

So... I might not be watching TV until after I finish the book. OK, that's a lie... I just might be watching a lot of Law and Order because they won't spill the beans!

I'm not sure what will happen to the Harry Potter Lovers of the World after the last book is released. They will all congregate again when the final two movies are released. But... then what?

I guess I'll just have to wait for the theme park... can you imagine?!! Diagon Alley, Bertie Bott's Jelly Beans galore. I can't wait...

This could be a disorder... :)

Back to Reality...

The wedding and festivities leading up to the wedding are over. I would say it was a complete success! Everything seemed to run smoothly (except the incident with the DJ, but that was fixed!), Jenna was a beautiful bride, and Josh made it through the ceremony without even one yawn! They are now on their honeymoon, which Jenna forgot to book me a ticket to go along with them!

She is officially a married woman now...Jenna Stacey. I only had about two-three major emotional breakdowns over the weekend: first one was when she put her veil on, second came JUST before I was to walk down the aisle (thanks to Jordan Hills for calming me down!) and the third came while I was trying to give my maid of honor toast. It turned out brutal -- or not how I wanted it to! I kept messing up and couldn't stop crying that it just turned out badly! Oh well... it was all with love! :)

I tend to have moments in my life when I go back 10 years and think about what my life was like, what I was doing, yadiyadiyada. Ten years ago, marriage seemed SO far away. Life seemed so hard back then, when really, it couldn't have been easier! Ofcourse there was the drama that came with life when you are 14 years old and I guess now at 24, there is still drama - just a different kind!

I guess you never stop growing up, no matter how old you are... life is constantly changing. As Matthew told me, "true friendship that covers many life changes is rare and Jenna and I have never missed a beat", so I'm glad that I was apart of her big day... it was quite an experience!

Here's to my best friend and her husband... and to their many life-changing moments!

No More Rain/Week-o-Fun

Many know that I am not a fan of Coffeyville, Kansas...and then when you add in Neodesha, Cherryvale, Yates Center...I don't like those towns either because Sedan usually plays them in sports. I know...it's very 15-years-old of me to think that way, but that's how I am! I will also forever and ever hate Caney, but that's besides the point. My heart has hurt this week for those towns (except Caney) that had homes and businesses destroyed due to the intense flooding. These places, and many others, will have to tear down and rebuild. It's amazing how a week ago, we were just tired of the rain and now, we literally cannot have any more rain or these towns will be gone. Keep all of the people in southeast Kansas in your prayers...they will need lots of them!

And now after that sadness, comes the great joy that comes in the next few days. Jenna Marie Doty will no longer be a Doty (well, atleast not as her last name) after Saturday. Her wedding is finally here and I think that she is ready! We spent seven hours of our lives putting together programs on Saturday...all with love! :) I will be making my way to Wichita tomorrow to be her sidekick and help out with whatever needs to be done. The rest of the bridesmaids and our good friends will start to roll into town on Friday. It's going to be a great wedding and I will be sure to get some pictures up next week of the bride...can't believe that this day is finally here!

Happy Fourth of July...enjoy the fireworks and remember the true reason we are celebrating!

Sending Her Out in Style...

Got back Sunday evening from a weekend in Chicago. Six friends (plus me) took my best friend Jenna to The Windy City to celebrate her soon-to-be marriage to Mr. Joshua Stacey -- and to let her have one more weekend of debauchery with her pals... not to say that she won't continue her debauchery AFTER marriage, but...you know what I mean!

I think it is safe to say that Jenna had a great time! Heck, how can you not have a good time when the weekend is all about you, right?! We took her to a piano bar...drank alot...took her to her favorite pizza place in Chicago, went to one of her favorite spots in Chicago, Second City, and then out for a night on the town.

Now, usually, Jenna and I are pretty similar in that we are good to go, but when we're done, we're done. Well...this weekend, I was WAY more done that Jenna! The girl was a party animal and a dancing fool, might I add! I sent her a text at one point in the night to tell her we had found a table by the doors at the bar we were at. Later, when I went to close out my tab, I went to see her and she was STILL dancing! I asked her if she had got my message and she said she had, but she was having too much fun! Hysterical!

It is such a crazy thought to me of why we were even in Chicago -- Jenna is getting married. I know that this has been a well-known fact for more than a year now, but it keeps getting closer and closer and I still don't think that it has completely hit me. I know we all have to grow up someday, but I think that getting married is when you officially cross the line from a fake grown up (that's definitely what I am right now!) to a real one.

I am so lucky to have her by my side always and I am so lucky to be able to by her side on her special day...I probably still won't believe it, even when I am standing right next to her as she says "I do!".

Holy cow....what am I going to do when she has kids?!!! AHHHH!!!!

The First Day at the New Job

Day one is complete...and I am soooo tired! Not because it was a long day on the job, but because I got about two full hours of sleep last night. I could not fall asleep to save my life last night...I blame it on the "new-ness" of the apartment because it wasn't nerves. I was truly not nervous about the first day of the rest of my life...dramatic, huh?!

Got up at 7:30, left the apartment at 8:30 and was at work before 9. The first thing I saw was my very own nameplate on the door of my very own office...this makes it not surprising that it read " Allyson Hills - Assisistant Director/Media Relations." Amazing how you can get my name right, which many can't, and spell assistant wrong! Oh well -- I told Cliff and Cris, my new coworkers and they both got a good laugh out of it, as did I! How could that NOT happen to me on my first day at the new job?!

Was taken out to lunch -- italian, very nice -- and then it was back to the office. I found out earlier this morning that I will be working with volleyball rather than soccer...this is great since I have never watched a soccer game in my life! Volleyball makes life a little more crazy, but I atleast know the game and enjoy watching it, which helps when it comes to the amount of hours I'll put in working on it!

It will take a little bit of time for me to figure out the "ORU Way" -- WSU had their own way of doing things and I grew accustomed to it quickly. Now I must readjust and figure out where things are, who is who, what to and not to do...you know, the fun things that come along with the new job.

All in all, I give the first day a B+....I don't have much to compare it to, so I feel a B is a fair letter grade!

Tomorrow, I learn about benefits and decide what I need to do in that department...I know NOTHING when it comes to this kind of stuff and feel that instead of three math classes that must be taken before you graduate college, you should have to take three classes on "Growing Up: The Things you Need to Know to Live in the Real World" because I am clueless!!!

Happy Monday to all from the Land of Bad Roads and Macaroni Grill! :)

Day One of Moving...

I hate moving. It's just such a big pain in the rear for more reasons than one. Let me list them for you:

1) You forget how much "crap" you actually own.
2) But you don't want to throw any of that "crap" away because somehow everything has sentimental value.
3) When you live on the first floor of an apartment complex, moving sucks.
4) But when you move to the THIRD FLOOR of an apartment complex, the first floor was not bad at all.
5) Once you get to the new apartment, there is no storage so all of the "crap" must go into the very large walk-in closet...that is not a walk-in anymore because there is "crap" filling it up.

I must quote/unquote crap because its not really crap -- its stuff that you never want to throw away like old birthday cards, movie stubs, t-shirts from college, etc. But its the stuff that you have no room for and nowhere for it to go.

So...I have been into my new apartment in Tulsa. When I filled out the application a week ago, I was going to be in an apartment that had a very nice view of the courtyard. A few days later, I get a call that that apartment had actually already been leased, so I will get the apartment...with the view of 81st street. And my luck follows me to Oklahoma...

The moving company will move my stuff in to the apartment on Friday afternoon. So I will trek back to Tulsa for that then come back home for Jenna's bridal shower on Saturday. And then Sunday, I'm there for good. It's a very strange feeling...saying goodbye to everyone in the office was extremely hard. Saying goodbye to Matt was...geez, it hasn't hit me just yet that I won't get to see him everyday anymore.

Well...here's to the day that I won't have to move anymore. And here's to the next moving company I will be calling when I do have to move again!