Greek Is Greek? The "Tri Omicrons"

Today, I'm linking up with Kelly at Messy Dirty Hair to tell you about my "Greek" days! Why is "Greek" in quotation marks like that? Well.... I wasn't exactly Greek, but I was in a "sorority." Meet Erin, Emily, and Rose.  (Erin is also my cousin!)

Yep, we are that classy and sophisticated. Okay, these are a bit more normal:

We were roommates my junior and senior years in college.  None of us knew Emily; she just signed up for our apartment because there was a free space in it.  Rose went to high school with Erin and me and was in band with Erin, too.  We did find out that Emily's boyfriend was in choir and in Nick's (Erin's boyfriend) music frat (Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia).  And thus we bonded quickly.  One of our first weeks together, we did a craft night and decorated canvases with our names to put on the wall.  But this was before my digital camera and the smartphone-era, so I don't have photos of that.  :(  I do remember I almost wrecked driving us home from Walmart and thought I had scarred Emily for life!

We had movie nights, made up games (like "Fun," which is what you see with the streamers), and cooked and baked together.

With our first Halloween together, we started a tradition:

Yes.  I went as a pregnant homecoming queen one year.

Because we started spending a lot of time together, it meant that we spent a lot of time with Nick and Philip and their Phi Mu Alpha friends.  After a while, we got sick of hearing about their fraternity stuff all of the time, so we decided to start our own sorority.

with the guys

And the Omicron Omicron Omicrons were born!

This is us throwing up our sign.

Yes, I know it can be seen as something kind of sexual.  That's half the fun.  ;)

(We first thought we were the Tri Omegas, but Nick clarified that the "O" is not the Omega sign.  *lol*  Apparently, we didn't pay much attention in church or in history class!)

We've been Tri O's through illnesses, vacations, weddings, birthdays, babies, and holidays.  After all, O's are never-ending. ;)

Be sure to say hello if you are a Greek (or non-Greek) popping in!

Be Grateful #5

If you thought last week was crazy, this week was crazy x infinity.  Whoop.  I am tired.

This is a series of photos from our celebration at Mimi's Cafe.  We never got a great picture, but I enjoy these.  :)  The food was amazing (though I didn't care for their mojito and they ran out of chocolate mousse), and our waitress even gave us free muffins!

I started my new job this week as well as continuing on with my three classes.  I am hoping that I will get back to posting sooner in the week rather than later although it may be better to move this to the weekend when I have more time to write.  *lol*  I've been working until six or seven each night to make up my hours in the classroom.  A stomachache also took over one night, so basically, I've been getting home, grabbing something quick to eat, and going to bed.  Here is a quick run-down of things I'm thankful for:

1)  I am thankful for my new job.  It has kept me busy but in a good way.  I feel like I am going to be making a valued contribution.  It's not that I didn't feel that way before, but now it feels even stronger.  I'm still getting my feet wet and imagine I will be over the next few months; I think I'm going to keeell eet.

2)  I'm thankful for my husband who refuses to take things lying down.  I'm also thankful he helps me and pushes me to get stuff done when I doooooooon't waaaaaaaaaaant toooooooooooo.  *cue whininess*

3)  I'm thankful I didn't kill a co-worked on my first day.  I brought a banana for lunch, and he's allergic.  Thankfully, things were so busy that I didn't have time to eat it!

4)  I'm thankful for how shocked and stunned and somewhat outraged my students were when I told them I was leaving.  They know how to make a girl feel special!  And I'm thankful that they are likely going to like the new instructor at least as much as me if not more.  (She has a nose ring and red streaks in her hair.  In short, she is COOL.)  Hopefully, this transition will be easy and smooth.

5)  I'm thankful that old students feel like they can reach out to me when they have an issue or question.

6)  I'm thankful for the support I've received from everyone at work, whether they were involved in my old position(s)  or are part of my new one(s).

7)  I'm thankful we got to celebrate my new job and his new job last weekend and that this weekend we enjoyed a fantastic lunch with friends and a night out at Crystal Bridges for the Black Hearts Ball.

At the Black Hearts Ball, they had funny conversational hearts around the entrance and cafe.  Zach took this one of the wall and tried to pin it to me because of my new job.  He hopes to Photoshop in an "S" before "HE" before I share it on Facebook.  *lol*  They also did a scavenger hunt based on whether or not you were single or taken for one free drink.  We were given clues about an artwork, and when we found the artwork in the gallery, there was a box with coasters for a free drinky drink.  :)

8)  I'm thankful for fun money!  And having a new job means more fun money.  Yes, sometimes I'm shallow, but I want to go shopping.  ;)

9)  I'm thankful Valentine's Day is this week and that we are going to Fred's Hickory Inn this next weekend for brunch to celebrate it.  I have part of Zach's gift, which he already knows about, but I am waiting for another part to come in.  He gave me sheets last month; they were part of my Valentine's, but he was afraid I wouldn't like them and/or would be disappointed on the holiday, so he gave them early.  Zach is giving me my birthday present this week because HE CAN'T WAIT!  I think I know what it is (as mentioned before).  I'm going to go ahead and offer a little something-something here to show him I can guess presents as well as he does.  *haha*  Here is a riddle to figure it out:

What sees, but never is in sight, closes but is never shut?

10)  I'm thankful that my colonoscopy is tomorrow and that I'll be eating some Flying Fish at some point.  Fingers crossed that all is well in Tummy Town!  It's not much of an extra day in the weekend, but I am going to make the evening--after I wake up and am feeling better--count!

11)  And I almost forgot:  I am thankful that Keegan arrived on January 30 at 9:15 p.m.  He was 7 lb. 2 oz. and 19 inches long.  I can't believe I forgot him!  It's probably because I haven't had a chance to see him yet and take pictures.  :(  BUT I am enjoying all of the ones I see on Facebook!  He is a beautiful baby!!

What I Wrote Wednesday

Last week, I sent a little card to my cousin Erin, who is pregnant and on bed rest.

You can see a bit of the card through the envelope.  It is from a set Zach got for me on our first wedding anniversary (paper) with my name and a bird image.  (He used my maiden name and initial as that is what he calls me.  My first name and maiden name go together very well and are usually said in one run-on breath!)  He also got me a wax stamp, which I used, but as you can see, I dribbled a bit of the wax!

Today marks the 29th day of bed rest, and little Keegan Michael has made it to 37 weeks (technically, full term)!  So my newest second cousin should be arriving any day now.  I can't wait to see Erin and her husband Nick meet their son and grow as parents, and I can't wait to love on that baby.  :)

Erin and Nick have been together since we were in high school and went to the UCA together, where Erin and I were roommates for two years, our roomies helped Nick put together his proposal, and we were all in their wedding, etc. etc. etc.  (Nick proposed on the football field after the homecoming game, and then they got married in front of the school fountain.)  In short, we (Erin, Nick, our roommates, and I) have a long history together.  My cousin was probably my first friend as our dads lived in the same town when we were small, so we were just blocks from each other for a few years.  And after my parents divorced and we moved to another town nearby, Erin and I ended up at the same middle school through high school.

I'm so thankful for my cousin and for all our memories.  And I can't wait to have many more, starting with Mr. Keegan!

Erin and I as babies

We are about six months apart.

I hope you aren't afraid of clowns!  Also, I'm pretty sure the kid in the back went to high school and college with us...

 Maybe we were running away together?  I suspect we were about five or so here.

Easter 98?

We were in middle school/junior high and ever so awkward.

my high school graduation in 2003

Since Erin is six months younger, she just missed the cut-off date and started school a year later.  We were getting slightly less awkward here.

NYE 2006-2007

 This is with our roommate Emily in 2007.  Our other roommate Rose had to have emergency surgery to have her appendix removed and ended up having to withdraw before the spring semester was over.  We took silly pictures with chalk messages on the sidewalk next to our apartment and put together an album for her.  This was the year we started living together and began our "sorority," the Omicron Omicron Omicrons.  That's why we are attempting to make the "O" face.  ;)

celebrating Emily and Erin's birthdays in November 2007

my college graduation in 2008

Erin's bachelorette party in May 2008

 

Erin and Nick's wedding on May 31, 2008

Phillip (Nick's fraternity brother) and Emily's wedding on May 23, 2009

 my wedding on September 19, 2009

 my reception on December 20, 2009

 with Kristen, Erin's sister, at our family reunion (September 2010)

Erin's favorite holiday is Halloween, and as her birthday falls shortly after, she and Nick usually host a Halloween party.  This year, they did a murder mystery.  Rose went as a Hollywood glamour gal, I was a peacock, and Erin was a western can-can girl.  We had so much fun trying to capture a photo of our Omicron faces!  (I posted more of our Halloween adventures last year.)

 at the baby shower Erin threw for Kristen to welcome baby Zachary (June 2011)

at Erin's baby shower thrown by Rose and two other friends (December 1, 2012)

I love you, cuz-cuz!!