Fall 2012 Highlights!

As the semester comes to close, here's a post to take you back in time and reminisce the lovely autumn days.

Barn dance! Yeehaw!

Fall biddies take the stage on Bid Day 2012 Part 2.

Puppy snuggling at Rent A Pet during Wish Week!

Chi Olympics- Maureen won the gymnastics competition.

 Deja vu... New Prez and VP?!

Big/Little Week. Andie loves her new letters!

Watching Christy rock hourly costume changes at Dance Marathon.

Outgoing Exec: Always throwin what we know.

 Alice and Katie at Semi! Don't leave us ever!

Surprise! Spirit Chapter and some very chubby bunnies. nom nom.

Chi O Mother's Day! So maybe we made up this holiday, but our littles love to spoil us :)

Kate sure knows how to throw a study party! Yeah, GTB (still) rocks. Happy finals, everyone!

Two Takes on the Olympics

Can't get enough of the Olympics? Neither can Shannon and Caitlin.

While we've been watching the delayed NBC features of the sporting events and helplessly trying to avoid all spoiler alerts, Shannon Slade had the opportunity to watch the games live and in person. As the cousin of an Olympic rower, Shannon stayed in the US athlete house- where she casually ran into Ryan Lochte while getting her hair done- and she attended the women's volleyball games, as well as the men's swimming final to see Michael Phelps compete in his final Olympic race. "The athletes were all wonderful and really modest about what they had accomplished," she says. "My cousin didn't end up placing, but watching him race was amazing, especially since I had never seen him row before... All in all, an incredible trip!"

Speaking of Olympic rowing...Caitlin Lee had a taste of it too! While on her way home from British Columbia last week, Caitlin enjoyed her own chi-aking adventure within the Olympic Mountains of Washington. It's no London, but hey, I'll let these two decide which is more beautiful: this lake or Ryan Lochte?

Here comes the sun!

If I were to close my eyes and imagine pure paradise, I would envision a scene close to this one: the top of the Haleakala Volcano in Maui, Hawaii, watching the sunrise from 10,000 feet above sea level. Sean Ku made this dream a reality while vacationing with her family this summer. After basking in the morning sunlight and throwing what she knows for this token Chi Omega photo, she biked all the way down the volcano, went paddle surfing, and visited a goat farm to sample a variety of cheeses. Jealous? Absolutely. Next time, take us with you!

Keep Calm and Carrie On

Monkeys frighten me. But as you can see, Carrie knows how to keep her cool. While traveling throughout Asia this summer, recent Tau Mu graduate, Carrie Loomis, visited Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali. (To all my Miami sisters: This is no Monkey Jungle.) Hundreds of macaque monkeys occupy the temples in Monkey Forest, and this one took a particular liking to Carrie as he groomed her hair in exchange for a banana.

Spotted: that RING!! Sorry, monkey, Carrie has already found her Tarzan!

National Convention #XO2012

I've always dreamed of meeting over a thousand of my sisters and witnessing the Supreme Governing Council lip sync Call Me Maybe. This month that dream came to fruition when Brittany, Tau Mu G.H., and I were invited to the biennial Chi Omega National Convention held in Phoenix, Arizona. Aside from fawning over Letitia and eating plenty of fabulous food, we attended workshops and official business meetings, listened to successful Chi Omega alumnae speakers, and shared ideas with other chapter presidents and recruitment chairs in an effort to improve the Chi Omega experience even more. And look! We time traveled to April 5, 1895 and met the five Chi Omega founders! Dr. Charles Richardson was quite the bombshell...

After the convention, Kari Broder, local Tau Mu, gave us a proper tour of her home state of Arizona. We went to Sedona and admired the pretty red rocks and giant mountains, experienced the thrill and chill of Slide Rock State Park, and listening to Carrie Underwood on repeat (Brittany was DJing). If anyone else makes it out west, Kari promises to feed you ostrich burgers. Nom?

Kari and Brittany, Little and Big

Kelsey Follows in Letitia's Footsteps

Did you know that Chi Omega's national president, Letitia, is a State Farm Insurance Agent? That's right. She insures our homes and cars by day and leads our fraternity by night...and day. She's a hot commodity, what can we say. So is Kelsey Stiles, I might add. Kelsey is spending her summer interning in the Public Affairs department at State Farm Insurance's corporate headquarters in Bloomington, IL. She spends her days managing State Farm's funds that are used to rebuild schools after they have been hit by natural disasters. She says: "I have had some truly meaningful and awesome experiences in the office this summer. Who wouldn’t want to get paid to spend someone else’s money to make a difference in the lives of people who have lost everything?"

Her second favorite part? There's a mini Freshens steps away from her desk, so she can take froyo breaks in the middle of the work day. How sweet!

Charlotte and Sarah Take On Europe

If you've been keeping up with the Bachelorette, you'll recognize this tourist destination. Emily brought John here during their week in Prague, and though Emily sent John home after a date that didn't flourish, these girls know that all you need is love. Love in Chi O, that is. Charlotte and Sarah have packed up from their weeks in Madrid to visit Prague, among other major cities in their Eurotrip itinerary this summer. Check it out.

"When John Lennon was shot, a couple of students painted his portrait along with lyrics and messages of peace and love, despite the communist government of the time. Ever since then, the wall has become a mural that anyone can add to. We painted our own favorite quotes while a street musician played Beatles songs in the background. At one point as we were pretending to be artists, we turned around to find a whole crowd of people watching us and taking pictures of our additions. Naturally, we added the Chi and the Omega to pay tribute to our lovely sisterhood halfway across the world. The wall gets painted all day, every day, but when we returned the following day, our quotes and the Chi Omega letters were still there. It was an incredible experience to be able to add to the layers of paint that have been there for decades, preserving the ideas of John Lennon." -Charlotte, my favorite twin

Update: They found peanut butter. It's a good day.