My main man and me.

On a certain day of a certain month, every single year as far back as I can remember, I have gone on a date with the same person, my Daddy. My Dad is my main man, he is my rock, and he is the person I go to when I’m really really desperate for an honest opinion. (You have to be careful when you ask him. He can be a little blunt sometimes.) My dad is a business man, and as I got older I started to see all the sacrifices that he makes for our family. Even though he is traveling most of the time and on the phone a lot more than he would like to admit, he made it home to dinner most nights of the week. As I got older I came to realize that my Dad had it all figured out when it came to balancing his time. He puts God, family, and friends first, and then there is his business. Through watching my Dad I learned that being successful is great, but true success is measured in the relationships that you build. I thought that every little girl had a date with their dad on Valentine’s Day, but as I got older I realized just how special my relationship with my dad was. Because not only did my Dad take me on Valentine’s Dates, but he also took me to get ice cream when I was a having a rough time at school. He talked business with me when I started my company my senior year. He takes me hunting, just the two of us, even though he could go with a bunch of his buddies instead. He showed me what good music was and jammed to “Red Dirt Road” with me every time it came on the radio. He taught me how to shoot a basketball, and told me hours worth of stories about his glory days while he was playing in high school. He taught me how to put oil in my car, and also how to change a flat. (Again super sorry about driving on it.) He has been right next to my mom at every choir concert, sporting event, or FBLA conference, cheering obnoxiously loud. 

He was there the day I accepted my bid to Zeta Tau Alpha, with a smile on his face so big I cried when I hugged him. But the most important thing my dad has done is when was home for breakfast while I was growing up, he read a chapter of Proverbs that went with the day of the month. Sitting at the breakfast table back then I was just being polite and listened to him read out of a book that had no real importance to me, but now I realize that my dad was instilling values in me that I would carry with me the rest of my life. My dad rocks and my mom rocks even more. She selflessly gave up Valentine’s Day with her husband, so that he could take me. Conveniently I have never had a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day, but I have never gone without feeling special on that day. Daddy would always have red roses waiting for my mom, and right next to them were either pink or yellow roses. (Those two are equally my favorites.) My dad called me “girlfriend” growing up and he was the first man I ever loved. My daddy has molded me into the woman I am today and for that I am forever thankful. So to all the dads out there that think that the little things go unnoticed, trust me they don’t. John Mayer was right when he sang, “Fathers be good to your daughters, Daughters will love like you do.” It might not be tomorrow, but sometime, in the future, your daughter will say thank you. 

So daddy I'll love you forever, I'll love you always, as long as I'm living your girlfriend I'll be. XOXO. 

Why I'm glad I bowed down to the Crown.

I decided to rush because I saw how it impacted my dad and his life after college, but what I didn’t know when I paid that recruitment fee in June was that I was going to go through the most fun, exhausting, stressful, and rewarding week of my life. Going into rush I did the top three thing, but tell everyone you are “open minded” thing all the girls do. I thought I figured out which sorority that I was supposed to be in based on alumni I knew, and the reputations that I had heard about the sororities through older friends that went to the University of Arkansas. I had a rude awakening at the end of day one of recruitment. They take away all technology so that you aren’t tempted to try and talk to a girl you might know in house and all these other crazy reasons I thought were dumb at the time. But now looking back on that week, taking away my phone was the best thing that they could have done for me. I was forced to make decisions for myself, and grow in my faith that God was leading my “gut feelings” to make the right cuts. In the end I found that Zeta Tau Alpha was my home.

            Zeta Tau Alpha in just one semester has been everything I could have asked for in a sorority, and more. My sisters make me feel accepted and loved, something that I had been looking for most of my days in high school, and most importantly they inspire me every day. Some of the strongest Christians I know are members of the fifth link. These girls pick me up and brush me off when I fall and I can bet you five that if I go through a breakup, at least five will be dragging me to Chicken Finger Friday to pig out on our glorious mashed potatoes that everyone knows I’m obsessed with. If I am struggling in school, I have 400 girls behind me encouraging me that I can make it, and then I will probably have another 50 asking if I want the “super great review” they found yesterday for the upcoming test. The girls inspire me to be the best I can be, and to put my best foot forward every morning, because not only am I representing myself, but I am representing them and the many great successful women that went before us. My sisters have been there for me when I was having a horrible day, feeling insecure, and when I’ve been sick. These 400+ girls are not just girls. These girls are my sisters and I know I can depend on them to be there for me no matter what. When I pledged Zeta Tau Alpha back in August, I didn’t realize that this organization was a whole lot more than a service “club.” Zeta Tau Alpha is a sisterhood that will have a place in my heart now and forever. So thank you Zeta babes for being the best thing that has ever walked in my life.

                                                            -ZLAM-

Greek Gave Me Life.

All of my life I was surrounded by my parent’s friends from college and their kids. My dad was a Kappa Alpha Order at Arkansas Tech University and my mom was a Southern Belle to Kappa Alpha Order while she was in college. Naturally as I grew up I was surrounded by men and women that all had one thing in common, a bond like no other, Greek. These men that my father called his best friends not only were a huge part of his life, but they were also a huge part of mine. These men taught me that though life throws you curveballs that you never seem to expect, or the slightest bit prepared for, friends and family are what get you through it. In my dad’s case, his brothers stayed by his side through all of it. I was raised knowing, that whatever happened to my parents in the future, I wouldn’t have to worry about where I would end up. Someone who loved my parents, who loved me, would be there to take care of me.

                So let’s back track a little bit. My mom and dad were affiliated with the same fraternity, I bet some of you inferred that KA is where they met, and you would be right. They dated in college and it didn’t quite work out, but years down the road, watching a Razorback basketball game, my parents ran into each other again. Well you know how the story goes, boy likes girl, girl acts like she doesn’t like boy when she really does, blah blah blah. Well they got married and had me! The greatest child that made all their dreams come true! (Sorry Eric it wasn’t a secret I am the favorite) ;) Just kidding!!  But when I really think about that story, I think about how they met. How my parents just happened to be affiliated with the same organization that is 150 years old this year. I think about what if they hadn’t been in the same organization. Where would I be? Would I exist? My parents are amazing people and they have guided me in the right direction my whole life. God has been the center of our household as long as I can remember, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, the same goes for Greek Life. I was raised watching the effect it had on my parent’s lives after college and on mine. So for those of you that think I pay for my friends, I don’t agree with you, and frankly I never will.

Don't Be Anxious.

Anxious. It is something that I feel each and every day, many people in my generation do. The uneasiness is caused by the stress put on by everyday life. The uneasiness is almost unbearable unless you have something to believe in, something to take the pressure off your shoulders. That is where God comes in for me. Matthew 6:25 says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” This verse says it all. Why would you worry when you have the high and almighty God to take of it for you? Think of Him as the arm around your shoulder your parents were for you when you were younger. You felt safe didn’t you? That is what God brings, safety and security. So this semester instead of letting myself freak out about a stressful situation that is not going the way I had planned, I will be giving it to God. I will not be letting stress run my life like it did last semester, because the stress of the world is unbearable on my own.