Oklahoma Rush!

Rush in three words: crazy hectic mess!

I have to admit... I loved it. The first day, we visited eleven houses in 108° heat. That part was not so great, but the visiting of the houses was unlike anything I could have ever imagined! I was expecting a little bit of singing, probably a few chants, but the clapping head-bobbing madness is something I did not expect! That was something I thought you only saw in movies like Legally Blonde and Sorority Row. That could not be further from the truth. And it might be silly but, I adored it. The whole sha-bang!

The eleven houses were as follows:

1. Alpha Chi Omega - Alpha Chi ΑXΩ

2. Alpha Gamma Delta - AGD AΓΔ

3. Alpha Omicron Pi - AOΠ

4. Alpha Phi - AΦ

5. Chi Omega - Chi-O XΩ

6. Delta Delta Delta - Tri Delt ΔΔΔ

7. Delta Gamma - DeeGee ΔΓ

8. Gamma Phi Beta - Gamma Phi ΓΦB

9. Kappa Alpha Theta - Theta KAΘ

10. Kappa Kappa Gamma - Kappa KKΓ

11. Pi Beta Phi - Pi Phi ΠBΦ

Every night of the process, we had to go into a computer lab and cut out three of the houses we did not care to continue on with the next day. Although, just because you cut a house does not necessarily mean that you will not be attending it the next day. If one of the houses you pref cut you, one of the houses that you cut the previous night will be added to your schedule. Every morning, about 30 minutes before we had to be ready for our first party, our Rho Gammas (adorable sorority girls -- we weren't allowed to know what sorority they were in until the end of the rush process -- who guide us around and help us throughout the week) delivered our schedule for the upcoming day to our door. That was the most stressful part by far -- waiting to see if every house we wanted asked us back. I was, luckily, very fortunate throughout the process. So, we went from day one (eleven houses), to day two (eight houses), to day three (five houses), to pref night (two houses). Even though from "five-party day" to pref night we still had to cut the usual three houses, that cut seemed much larger and much more drastic than any of the other cuts. Each day got more and more stressful, and on Bid Day (the day we officially find out which house we are to join), they made us wait until two o'clock in the afternoon for our results! By about one, every girl on my hall that was rushing was impatiently sitting out in the hallway waiting for our Rho G's.

Anyway, I'm afraid that you are just going to have to wait for my next post to find out which house I pledged! Let me assure you, it is the most amazing house on campus, and I am absolutely in love with it and SO proud to be a sister! It won't be too long before the post is up, so don't fret. And, I will include pictures. How exciting!

Day Two - Eight Party Day

My roommate Whitney & I.

Day Three - Five Party Day

Day Four - Pref Night

Obviously, we were supposed to dress up a little bit more for this night. I wore four inch heels! Definitely not the norm for a girl who is already 6'2"!

Until next time!

Boomer Sooner!

Countdown to Norman!

So, four days left to prepare! I move in on Thursday, and Rush starts Friday! I am a little nervous, but mainly just excited. I will say, it is pretty unfair how much more stressful Rush is for girls than for guys! Girls have to make resumes, get recs, get just the right outfits... Wow! For guys, it seems like a breeze! Nevertheless, I am ecstatic about what the future holds! I know that, either way, I will get in whichever sorority fits me best!

I went shopping with my parents in Dallas this past weekend... Probably bought a lot of things I didn't need! I think my dad shopped more in that three day period than he has in his entire lifetime! But he was a good sport about it all!

Last night, I babysat the most adorable little girl you can ever imagine, Kamryn! I've babysat her a few times over the past year, and she is honestly such a joy! She is so easy to take care of, and she comes from the nicest family! Kamryn loves combination pizza, toasted ravioli, snacks of all kinds, and Barbie Princess movies! She is one of the sweetest little girls I've ever known... I'm hoping that I will get to see her a couple times during the school year and definitely next summer... She is such a lovable little chick! Here she is!

Sweet Kamryn and I!

That's all for now! Wish me luck at Rush!

Life As of Now

Hi!

I'm Taylor, also known by many other aliases such as Tay-Tay, T-Newc, Newc, Jolly Green, etc. etc.

I am 18 years old, and I have an exquisite life. I have

an amazing family that consists of the world's two greatest parents (seriously), two amazing brothers, Tyler & Tobin, who mean the world to

me, and the best sister-in-law a girl with two brothers could ever ask for, Leslie (Tyler's wife). Tyler & Leslie are due their first baby in November, and I am the world's happiest Aunt-to-Be! It's a beautiful baby boy, and I'm counting down the days until he gets here.

I recently took a trip to Arizona to see my best friend, Erica. She moved there last summer on account of her mother's job with State Farm. It was definitely a bummer, seeing as how we had only really become friends about a year before. I

believe that friends like Erica come once in a lifetime, and for some people, not even that. I was a little worried at first... She was going to be thousands of miles away, and even though friends always say they will keep in touch, even with the best of intentions it doesn't always happen that way. Well, we kept in touch! We talked, texted, skyped, and even wrote letters. She visited twice in the fall, once in the spring, and she went to Orlando, Florida with me and my family. We went to Disneyworld, Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, AND... We got to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park a week before even opened to the public! If you are a Harry Potter fan, I strongly advise you to go. It is set up like the Hogsmeade Village, complete with a Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes, Ollivander's Wand Shop, The Owlery, a Butterbeer stand (frozen is delicious!), and a beautiful replica of the Hogwarts Express train at King Cross Station. And, of course, there is a scarily precise replica of the Hogwarts Castle itself! It is... unexplainable by words. While you wait in line for the ride inside, you get to go through rooms such as Dumbledore's office, The Gryffindor Common Room, and even a hall of talking pictures! The ride is also not something that can be explained, but I assure you, it is well worth the wait.

Anyway, back to Arizona. I finally got to go and visit her in Arizona; she lives in a suburb of Phoenix. We had such a great time, and the shopping in Scotsdale is out of this world! And the food... Mmm! In-N-Out Burger -- best burgers ever! Also, Costa Vidas burritos... If you live in the Phoenix area and you haven't been, GO! But the best part of the whole trip was just getting to hang out with Erica. We don't always have

to be doing something to have a good time, because we can just laugh at each other's stupidity all the time!

Here's us on a typical day.

Next on the list, I just got back from Camp Crimson. Camp Crimson is an orientation type of thing for incoming Sooners at the University of Oklahoma. It's a three day camp of singing, chanting, dancing, screaming, and jumping fun! Needless to say, I have no voice right now! Every camper stays in the dorm, is a part of a small group (about 20 - 25 people) and a family (probably about 8 small groups). I was in the Kyncl family (which was the best obviously!). The whole camp was a blast! The best part, though, was probably Retro Night. Everyone wore an outfit from their favorite past era (hippie, for me!), and there was a huge dance. Crazy fun!

My beautiful roommate for the fall semester, Whitney, and myself at the dance!

Here's my small group before Retro Night!

Anyway, that's all for now! Check back soon!

Love.