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