First Big Senior Moment: Going Alum Status

This weekend was ZTA's senior celebration, and I officially transitioned from collegiate member to alumna. We have a bunch of different charms that signify different achievements (for example, I have a pearl dangle for being on dean's list) and I am currently wearing my anchor charm (which means I'm an alum). Weird. I also got to do the mother's pinning ceremony, which basically is a zeta-mom initiation.


 In the spirit of my four years in the turquoise and silver, I wanted to include my creed. Sometimes sisterhood is hard, and sometimes the politics and leadership positions get frustrating, but it all comes down to a bunch of women who follow these values. Everyone has their favorite lines, and I bolded mine.

To realize that within our grasp, in Zeta Tau Alpha, lies the opportunity to learn those things which will ever enrich and ennoble our lives; to be true to ourselves, to those within and without our circle; to think in terms of all mankind and our service in the world; to be steadfast, strong, and clean of heart and mind, remembering that since the thought is father to the deed, only that which we would have manifested in our experience should be entertained in thought; to find satisfaction in being, rather than seeming, thus strengthening in us the higher qualities of the spirit; to prepare for service and learn the nobility of serving, thereby earning the right to be served; to seek understanding that we might gain true wisdom; to look for the good in everyone; to see beauty, with its enriching influence; to be humble in success, and without bitterness in defeat; to have the welfare and harmony of the Fraternity at heart, striving ever to make our lives a symphony of high ideals, devotion to the Right, the Good, and the True, without a discordant note; remembering always that the foundation precept of Zeta Tau Alpha was Love, “the greatest of all things.”

I believe this chapter made me a better person.

Murder Ballad

This weekend, BW put on it's spring co-op program with Playhouse Square (I don't know what it's officially called, but something like that). The actors are all from BW, the arts management students do all the business stuff, and it's one big conglomeration of Baldwin Wallace working with our theater district.

Murder Ballad is immersive theater, which I had never heard of before (it's also the first time it had come to Cleveland). The stage was set as a bar but the audience members sat at tables in the bar rather than in a traditional theater setting (although there were seats available that were not immersive). The four cast members would run through audience and so depending where you sat, you could get a different experience just based on which character's face you saw. During the show the actors would be texting each other (as their characters) and would throw their phone on the table, and you could pick up their phone and look at the texts or see that one was calling another. It was very cool. The bar tender at one point made a drink and gave it to one audience member in the bar...you get it.

My video isn't embedding again, so here's a link to the creative team explaining more about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb0NA2K8tPs

I absolutely LOVED it. The story was basic (love triangle shenanigans) but it was edgy in the right ways without getting too ridiculous. It ended campy, which I always prefer over pretentious, and it was really short-- only 75 minutes (it's a rock ballad, so you can listen to the whole show on spotify if you want to experience a third of what I did).

I believe in taking advantage of cool opportunities.

TBT: Paige and Burt are grownups now.

Burt's been my neighbor my whole life, and since I can't remember a time that he wasn't also my best friend and (slightly older) brother, let's just say that happened at birth too. 

There are multiple recreations of this picture, but I couldn't find them anywhere. I know we did it for NHS inductions. 

Most of my high school pictures were lost, but at least we have these keepers from middle school.

And just like that, it's the end of senior year! There's a much better picture of all of us as MCs, but I think Momma Hines has it.

Burt drove me to school every morning (usually late). This is him taking us to our last FHS event (late, of course), but again, Momma Hines has the only one of us actually together.

And this is from freshman (?) year when I came home for Thanksgiving

Peach and Bird, besties 4 lyfe. 

Learning Dutch

I finally bought my ticket to Amsterdam! In honor of the occasion, here is a Dutch lesson for all of you.

I believe I can eventually learn another language all on my own.

Gone Girl Trailer

I believe you absolutely need to read this book, if you haven't already.

Ernest Hemingway

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."

"All good books have one thing in common - they are truer than if they had really happened."

Happy Sibling Day!

I believe I have the most forgiving, chill, willing-to-reach-high-places, talented brudder a sister could ever hope for. You rock, Harry Greene.