December at Disney

T-shirts, nike shorts, and sunglasses- although this attire is not what I expected to wear over winter break, it was perfectly suitable for a Christmas vacation to the happiest place on earth. While my friends in McKinney, Texas were bundled up for the cold back home, I was dressed comfortably for the beautiful, sunny, 70 degree weather that greeted me in Orlando, Florida.

This year, instead of the typical road trip to Houston to visit family, my wonderful parents surprised me and my sister with a trip to… DISNEY WORLD! Now, I am no stranger to Disney World (I’ve been 6 times), yet it somehow never gets old and always succeeds in making me feel like a little kid again.

The many wonderful memories I have from Disney are what make it such a special place to me. Amongst some of them are being carried around on my dad’s shoulders at Magic Kingdom when I was a toddler, watching fireworks at Epcot with my whole family, aunts, uncles, and cousins included, and performing at Downtown Disney with my drill team. Now, another fond memory I can add to that list is going to Disney as a UT student (even better- a UT Zeta! Woo!) and having strangers throw up their horns and yelling “hook ‘em” everywhere we went, a simple act that was a constant reminder of how proud and lucky I am to be a Longhorn. 

Thanks Disney for the memories, and you better believe that this is not my last hurrah here. I will be pushing 100 years old, covered in wrinkles, riding a motorized scooter, but that won’t stop me from being at Disney World- Minnie Mouse ears and all.   

ZLAM!

Tori Smith

ZTA Christmas Party 2014

‘Twas the week of Thanksgiving and all through West Campus, Texas Zetas from near and far came to the “White House” for a holiday celebration like never before. On Monday evening the sisters of Zeta Tau Alpha came to the house in their tackiest sweater to munch on hors d'oeuvres and sip on a hot chocolate bar. I was ecstatic to have a chance to dress up for the festivities and I loved the warm and welcome feel of the house on the night of the Christmas party. When I opened the door the music of the beautiful band drifted out and I could smell the delicious food from every room.

               

 Who better to celebrate the holidays with than your very own sisters? Experiencing face painting, photo booths, and cookie decorating with the beautiful women of Zeta was something that I will never forget. I loved seeing all of the girls eagerly lined up in the chapter room awaiting a seasonal face painting, ranging from a candy cane to the Grinch and even a menorah. The photo booth was loaded with cute and fun props to dress up and take pictures with, and the strips of pictures are sure to make the memories last. The hot chocolate bar was lined with all of the goodies your heart could desire, from marshmallows to whipped cream and peppermint to Twix bars. Singing and dancing accompanied the eating, as all girls celebrated the holiday season and with it, the impending winter break.

               

This experience allowed me to bond with my sisters and share the happiness of the holidays before saying goodbye for almost a week. It warmed my heart to see the smiles and hugs my friends shared while eating away the stress of classes and finals. It was so easy to feel comfortable in this beautiful house adorned with festive decorations; I was home for the holidays. Happy Thanksgiving and happy break to all!

ZLAM,

Callie Blumenfeld PC ’14

PC '14 Mackenzie Beldon and Morgan Mendicino show off their holiday face paint

Check out that hot chocolate bar!

PC '14 girls pose by the Christmas tree

ZTA Sisterhood Movie Night!

What’s better than watching Bridesmaids and stuffing your face with endless pizza? Watching Bridesmaids and stuffing your face with endless pizza in the cozy living room at the Zeta house, cuddled up with your sisters! And NOTHING is better than that.

My roommate and Zeta Tau Alpha sister, Ava, and I made the trek through West Campus to get to the house in the evening of last Wednesday. We were excited and filled with anticipation of another gathering with our friends, this time to watch Bridesmaids. We thought this was an appropriate movie, as we will all someday attend one another’s weddings and be each other's bridesmaids, eager to share all of our stories and memories we accumulated as sisters in ZTA and best friends throughout these past four years.  

And so, for about two hours, we hung out together laughing that this could be us someday, while devouring some pizza. I could only attack a pizza pie with little to no shame in the comfort of Zeta’s walls alongside my loving sisters. I don’t know how we do it, but we sure do devour an insane amount of food when we are all together, which is 99% of the time. There is no way I’d rather spend a chilly Wednesday night than snuggled up with my best friends! 
ZLAM!
Kate McBee, PC '13 

Texas Zeta love extends for over 20 miles

          Five months ago, my best friend and I from high school decided to cross ‘running a marathon’ off our bucket lists. I initially had my doubts that we’d follow through, but nonetheless we chose our training plans (18 weeks long) and registered for the Cedar Park “Frankenthon” on October 18^th. All throughout the summer we trained, beginning with 3 mile runs in the first week, trying to figure out how we would one day make it to the ominous 20 mile run that loomed around Week 15 (at the time, 30 minutes in the Texas heat still left us panting and exhausted). Sure enough, however, as the weeks slowly ticked by and we stayed focused on our one-day-at-a-time mentality, our mileage crept up and up, as did our confidence levels.

          On the day of the race I woke up at 5:30 after being too excited to sleep and drove in the pitch black to our starting location. We’d been talking this up for months now, sacrificing long hours and much sleep to get in our Sunday morning long runs, dealing with the set-backs of busy weeks like rush and midterms, and answering the forever asked “But why??” question. After all that time, finally the starting gun rang out and we were off!

          The first three miles were by far the highlight. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as I talked to the people around me all thinking the same thing, Hey, I’m actually doing this—I’m really running a marathon! Unfortunately, our spirits went downhill from there (while the course headed uphill). At the end of mile 3, the blisters began forming. That’s right, 23.2 miles worth of two monstrous blisters. 4 miles of severe leg cramps (miles 18-22). 1 mile of headphones that ran out of batteries (the last mile). 24 miles in the unsheltered heat and humidity. This totals to over 4 hours of running.

          Finally, I approached the sign that offered much less relief than expected. Mile 26. A mere .2 miles to go… My body was exhausted, shoulders cramping, my hips were sore by overcompensating for my left hamstring which randomly decided to stop working. The motivations and words of encouragement from each passing runner were quickly losing their effect. Nothing in the world sounded better than to just stop moving my legs and to simply sit down. As I rounded that last grueling corner to the finish line, a large smile broke out on my face. I could see the finish line, but more than that I suddenly heard the ecstatic cheers of voices I knew very well.

“Go Lauren! Whoooo! Look her go! Ow ow!”

          Kelsey McGlamery and Erin Eberle, two of my favorite Zetas, drove thirty minutes out of town in the middle of Parent’s Weekend to stand at the dusty finish line in the middle of Cedar Park. They embraced my sweaty hugs and dealt with the strange looks they got for being dressed in game day attire. Whether I run another marathon with or without them by my side, I know there will always be at least a couple of Zetas out there crazy enough to support me along the way…and I couldn’t be more thankful for them.

ZLAM

Lauren Woolfolk PC'13

Erin Eberle (PC'13) congratulates Lauren after crossing the finish line.

ZTA Mentoring at Wooldridge!

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. — Booker T. Washington

Volunteering is extremely rewarding – there is something so special about being able to help others and give your own time to make someone or something even better than it already is. When the opportunity to volunteer and mentor children at Wooldridge Elementary School here in Austin through Austin Partners in Education arose, I knew I had to be a part of it. I have mentored students before and I have consistently found the process to be worthwhile for both the student and the mentor.

To start the process, I attended a workshop to learn how to appropriately interact with the students. I was given information regarding my student and Wooldridge Elementary and then I was given paperwork including questions and activities I could use to help guide my assigned student. Although I have volunteered before, I was nervous for my first day because I didn’t know exactly how my mentee would react to my questions and how he/she would feel about being pulled out of class to talk to a stranger. Lucky for me, my first experience was amazing. Although my student had trouble opening up at first, the sessions have been very beneficial.

My mentee and I have spent weekdays reading several books in the library, in both Spanish and English. Within a few weeks, I have seen his/her reading skills improve already. We have also had the opportunity to play soccer outside and the weather has been beautiful. Some days we have chosen to just sit on the bench outside and talk, and it has given me the opportunity to truly connect with my student. Although our sessions are only 30 minutes long, there is plenty of time for me to hear about his/her week and update him/her on my week as well.

We have gotten to know each other very well and I feel as if I am definitely helping my mentee with even the smallest things, knowing they will have a big affect. What my student doesn’t realize, is that he/she is helping me – I have grown as an individual and I have learned a lot about how to help younger students break out of their shells. I am beyond lucky to have this opportunity and I cannot imagine what my weeks would be like without having the chance to see the smile on my student’s face.

ZLAM,

Brittany Beldon, PC '13

Zeta Parent's Weekend 2014

PC '13 Kate McBee:

I had been anticipating Zeta Parent’s Weekend 2014 since the beginning of the school year, there’s nothing like meeting or reuniting with the wonderful people who raised my best friends and sisters into the hilarious, outgoing, brilliant women they are. Not to mention showing off my kooky parents and explaining to my friends were I get my qualities, whether it be my whacky dance moves or ability to talk to a wall. Unfortunately my parents were unable to make the full weekend my freshmen year, it did gave me the chance to really make the rounds and thank as many Zeta parents as I could for the gift that their daughters are in my life, though.
We started the weekend off with dinner at Olive & June with my three roommates, a few other friends and our parents. Great atmosphere, I highly recommend it. Then we headed to the Hyatt for Casino Night were my dad gambled and my mom and I talked my little’s mom and grandma’s ears off due to the sheer excitement of finally meeting them. Catching up with my friend’s families that I’ve grown to know well over the past year and a half was a treat, especially the out of staters.

Saturday we attended the BBQ brunch at the house, which was delicious as always and of course got our faces painted. It was unreal having my zeta family and our real families all together. I took my parents to a few tailgates where I finally was able to introduce my guy friends to them, my dad’s country accent seemed a bit stronger than usual as soon as we stepped foot inside the frat house gates. I attended the game and my parents went to check on my longhorn alum brother who was unfortunately sick. Sunday my family and I went to brunch at Maudie’s after my parents stocked my fridge. It was a lovely ending to a very lovey weekend.

ZL,
Kate McBee, PC ‘13

PC '13 Nicole Carrabba:

October 17-19 was out parents weekend! It turned about to be a huge success! The weekend started out right with a casino night at the Hyatt downtown. We had a private room, a casino company, and lots of delicious food! All the parents and daughters got a chance to reunite with familiar faces as well as meet new ones! This was also the first chance the parents of the little sisters got to meet the parents of the big sisters! We got to play many different games of poker such as Texas Hold’em, roulette, and craps. There was even blackjack.

My dad and I stuck to the good ole Texas hold'em most of the time. My dad started off rough but gained momentum, and we could not leave. Each player received $100 worth of chips to begin with. As the night proceeded, there were opportunities to purchase. At the end of the night, the poker chips were turned in for raffle tickets. The raffle tickets were thrown into one giant raffle. The more poker chips you acquired, the more raffle tickets and chances you had to win a prize. The prizes included things such as think pink themed basket, movie basket, and a trip to North Carolina (the grand prize)! This casino night was one of my favorite Parent’s Weekend activities we’ve had!

What I liked so much about this night was that all the money went to the Susan G. Komen foundation. Not only was everyone having a good time, but also the zetas and parents were contributing together to a wonderful cause. As our philanthropy is breast cancer awareness and education, this could not fit more perfectly. 
   The following day we had a wonderful and relaxing lunch in the big backyard! We had brisket, potato salad, sausage, fries, and salad. One can always be sure that the food will always be amazing at Zeta. All the parents got to enjoy the house and take tours if they wanted to! It was nice that everyone got to meet together before all of the tailgates and the big football game! A huge thanks goes out to everyone who helped make parents weekend an amazing weekend. This one was quite memorable one for the books!

ZLAM,

Nicole Carrabba, PC '13

Big/Lil Reveal 2014

Big/Lil’ Chair PC'13 Madi Donham with her Little PC’14 Becca Shanks

Big/Lil' Chair PC’13 Mackenzie Benton and her Little PC’14 Jimena Lopez

After much anticipation, excitement, and wondering, the day finally came – Big/Little reveal.

With a new year came a new Big/Little team, to organize all the fun events that the members of PC’14 and PC’13 attended in order to get to know each other, for PC’13 to figure out who we wanted as our next family addition and for PC’14 to figure out where they might fit in best. Co-chairs Madi Donham and Mackenzie Benton worked extremely hard for weeks to make sure everything was perfect, cute and fun, and that everyone was happy on reveal day – something I can say they obviously succeeded in, if the excited screams and huge smiles all around were any indication. 

PC'13 Hannah Matula and her Little, PC’14 Marie-Claire Huff as Mike Tyson and his Tiger

PC'12 Kate Hanna, PC'13 Lindsay Schiff, and PC’14 Taylor Ennen as the Tap Dancing emojis and the Salsa Dancer emoji

PC'13 Brooke Winterhalder and her Little, PC’14 Conlee Hamlin as Little Bo Peep and her Sheep

After a brief ceremony and the big reveal, the new bigs and littles changed into matching costumes and took pictures. Everyone showed their creative side with their cleverly thought-out and created costumes, and it made the whole thing crazy and so fun! 

Even grandbigs and great grandbigs joined in the celebration to meet their new family members! They donned their matching costumes as well for the perfect family photo op!

PC'11 Kali Kirkpatrick, PC'12 Sarah Poe, PC’13 Dru Bickham, and PC’14 Kat Poe as M&M’s

Then the party moved to Jumpstreet, an indoor trampoline park. We were greeted with pizza, foam pits, GoPro’s, and of course, no Zeta event would be complete without face paint! All in all, the day was a perfect end to the many weeks that had built up to it, and I think everyone would happily say that it was worth the wait. We can’t wait for all the memories we’ll make as a new family, and we’ll be just as excited to do it all over again next year!

ZLAM,

Dru Bickham, PC’13

PC'13 Rachel Riseman and her Little, PC'14 Morgan Mendicino at Jumpstreet