Spring Break London Style

As the plans for spring break were being put together, in AUGUST let me just say, the majority of my friends were planning on going to Cabo San Lucas. I was hesitant at first to book my trip because it was so dang early to be planning but also because I felt like I wanted to do something a little bit different than I did last year (Gulf Shores). I wasn’t really feeling the beach. My oldest sister, Madeline, had recently just moved to London with her husband around that time so I was DYING to go visit her. With that in the back of my mind I just knew that was where I wanted to spend my spring break. I talked to my mom about it and not long after that me, my mom, and my other sister Jillian had our flights booked to go to London!

            Once we got there seeing my sister was of course amazing, since I had not see her in 7 months, but London itself was breathtaking. My sister, now the experienced Londoner, took us to all of her favorite restaurants and pubs. One of the coolest meals we had was when we went to brunch on the 40^th floor of a building and ate an amazing meal while having this beautiful view of London surrounding us. In addition to that we went to the very top of St. James Cathedral, which was about 600 steps  (kill me), the National Portrait Gallery where I saw my fav girl Kate Middleton’s portrait, and Harry Potter Studios. We had a tour of Parliament, hung out in Covent Gardens, had dinner in Chinatown, went to the St. Patrick’s day parade in Trafalgar Square, went to Buckingham Palace, and spent a day in Oxford! Oxford was really cool because my brother-in-law actually went there so when he was showing us around we got to go into a lot of the buildings that the public is not allowed in, but since we had a alumni with us we got to see a lot more of the campus. We spent the day there just walking in and out of shops, cafés, and the campus.

            Looking back on it I am so happy that I decided to go visit my sister for spring break. I got to spend a lot of time with my sister, who I don’t get to see anymore, and I got to spend 5 days in my favorite city. Seeing all the pictures on the beach did make me a little jealous, but nothing could have beaten spending a week with the Brits. I can’t wait to go back!!

ZLAM,

Leah Haugh PC '13

Spring Breaking with Young Life

As spring break approached, I was starting to feel doubts about the choice I had made. Instead of deciding to go to Gulf Shores, Alabama with the majority of our PC, I, along with 7 of my other Zeta sisters, chose to go to Destin, Florida with Young Life for their annual spring break trip. 

In the days before we left for Florida, seeing everyone’s Instagram pictures, Snapchats, and posts in the GroupMe about how much fun they were having in Gulf Shores made me feel as if I should have gone with them instead. I initially chose YL spring break over the typical freshman experience in Gulf Shores because I wanted something different and a chance to meet other people with the same beliefs as me, but after seeing all of my sisters having so much fun on the beach together, I was starting definitely feeling some #ragrets. 

Luckily, those doubts went away just as soon as they came, and Young Life spring break ended up being such an incredible and fulfilling experience!

A typical day consisted of devotional in the morning with all 200+ people who went on the trip, followed by breaking up into our small groups to dig deeper into the message we just heard. After that, we were free to do whatever we wanted on the beach- most of the time we spent laying out, swimming in the ocean, or playing volleyball. At night, we would reconvene for worship where we sang songs together and listened to another speaker. 

One night, after worship, we had the opportunity to write our prayers down, post them on the wall, and go around the room to read what people were struggling with and to pray for them. This was one of my favorite nights of the trip- it was such a humbling and beautiful thing to be able to watch people who were once strangers at the beginning of this trip open up to one another, be vulnerable, and pray together. It was this night that my sisters and I had a heart to heart and really got to know each other on a much deeper level. 

The last night of our trip really was the perfect end to a perfect week. We all waded out into the ocean with our sister Kelsey and stood by her hand-in-hand as she got baptized at sunset with dolphins swimming behind us (it sounds too good to be true, but I swear it happened). Sharing this special moment with my beautiful Zeta sisters made me feel so incredibly silly for having those doubts coming into the trip.

It sounds cheesy and cliche, but I’m sure the girls who were with me on this trip would agree that we were meant to go on Young Life spring break together to not only grow stronger in our faith, but also closer to one another as sisters.

ZLAM, Tori Smith 

Sun, Beach, Sand, and Zetas Galore!

Spring Break! It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. For months we all excitedly anticipated the sound of waves crashing and the feeling of sand between our toes. Gulf Shores, Alabama is a popular spring break destination for UT freshmen, so the majority of our pledge class booked houses along the shore. We couldn’t wait to spend the week working on our tans with all of our Zeta sisters and all of our other friends on the beach!

                After a cramped 15 hour ride accompanied by a 2 hour delay from a flat tire (the worst of times), we finally arrived at our beach house! Although it wasn’t the nicest house, it definitely had the most character. Every day was full of swimming in the ocean and meeting up with all of our other fellow Zetas and Longhorns on the beach (the best of times). I loved taking pictures with all of my zistas with such a beautiful background!  We were all pleasantly surprised by how pretty the beach was, and we all looked forward to the amazing sunsets each night.

                Despite all of the fun we had, we were all ready to go back home by the end of the week. The sun drained all of our energy; we were all exhausted from getting bad nights’ sleep on pull out couches, and the sunburns were starting to kick in. We loved spending a week on the beach together without academic responsibilities, but we were ready to get home to our own comfy beds and the sight of the UT Tower. Spring Break 2015 was definitely one to remember, and I was so lucky to have been able to spend it with my best friends, otherwise known as my Zeta sisters!

ZLAM,

Megan Igoe PC'14

Rewarding Rituals

Rituals week was set up with five days for five different qualities embodied in Zeta women. Each day had a theme that offered our members the opportunity to post a picture to represent the attribute. Rituals week is especially near and dear to my heart because of my position in Zeta. I applied for the rituals assistant position because I loved the traditions and secrets that our fraternity holds. So, naturally, rituals week was something that I was very excited about! It was a chance for me to spread the word about the sorority that I love and show how wonderful it is to be a Texas Zeta. Living by the creed is extremely important to me, as it is for all of my sisters. This was a chance for us to share a little of our philosophy about sisterhood with the world. But what makes rituals week truly special is that it extends beyond our sisterhood to our friends and family. 

        Rituals week is different from most Zeta events because it is an independent event. Each one of us was instructed to post a picture that represented our sisterhood in some way and a portion of the creed that was applicable to the theme of that day. It was important because it caused each member that participated to apply the creed to their life and think about what being a Zeta truly means in our daily lives. It was interesting to see which part of the creed each member felt was important. It reveals a lot about each sister and which aspect they chose to emphasize about our sorority.

        This event made me analyze our creed- our way of living- with different eyes. I was forced to pick aspects to emphasize and examine. Even though I did this on my own, it connected me more with my sisters, because I was examining our common bond. Overall, this event was very inspiring and unexpectedly brought me closer to my sorority! And just because this event happens once a year doesn’t mean that we can't continue to analyze the creed and live every day by its values. I am ready to continue to use what I learned during rituals week to spread the Zeta love!

ZLAM- Rachel Kennedy

Cheers to Our Dads!

The weekend of February 28th to March 1st wasn’t your average weekend here in Austin, that’s right … it was DAD’S WEEKEND 2015!! After a few months back at school, getting the chance to see our fathers was highly anticipated by the entire chapter. With dads coming to Austin by way of planes, trains, and automobiles, from a wide range of states, it was bound to be a great weekend full of father-daughter bonding. 

The Weekend began with a Friday night dance at The Rattle Inn in downtown Austin. The DJ was playing the best songs and it was great to see the dads let loose and dance (and embarrass their daughters)! I was surprised when the dads started a dance circle, and even more surprised with their “sick” dance moves. Saturday brought some dreary cold weather, but that didn’t get in the way of a good time! Bundled up head to toe in boots and our Zeta rain jackets we set out to show our dads a good time in Austin. We did lots of different activities with our dads including Graffiti Park, Top Golf and Salt Lick BBQ. We never let the rain get in our way!

The best part of Dads Weekend was introducing my dad to all of my amazing zistas and being able to share my wonderful dad with all of them. It was nice to show him how I spend my time while here in Austin and share some of my favorite places with him. Now I think my dad wants to come back to school and be a Longhorn! Reflecting on my first Dads Weekend, I am so pleased with how it turned out. The weather may not have been perfect but it was still such an amazing experience to spend the weekend with the most special guys in our lives. Love you Daddio!

ZLAM! 

PC '14 Jules Maxwell

Skatin' Sistas

Blading. Canes. Sisters. These three things mixed together were bound to create the perfect recipe for a sisterhood event of a lifetime. Wednesday, February 25^th, all of the Zetas were to get together in their best 80s gear at Austin’s Playland Center to rollerskate the night away, munch on chicken fingers, and make some unforgettable sisterhood memories. I couldn’t wait.

            I got together my most colorful leggings and brightest scrunchie, and waited in anticipation for the night to begin. I finally arrived to a room full of my favorite people in the world, my sisters, and the delicious smell of mounds of Cane’s Chicken Fingers filling the air. This was my kind of party! Finally once we had all had our fill of food and good conversation, it was time to get our blades on. Girls spilled out of the party room and lined up by the bucketloads to grab their skates and get going. 80s music was blaring and we just couldn’t wait to get out on the floor and get blading. Colorful neon jackets and pink tutus twirled around the skating floor and our smiling faces screamed the words to “Your Love” by the Outfield at the top of our lungs. The photo opportunities were endless. We raced and we laughed; we even fell on our faces a few times, but who’s counting.

            Looking back on the event, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. A whole night to spend with my sisters having fun, wearing silly outfits, and making memories is priceless. I’m so happy to be a part of a sisterhood that places so much value on enjoying life to its fullest and never ever forgetting to laugh along the way. Zeta, thanks so much for showing me what sisterhood is all about, and, most importantly, that sisters who skate together, stay together. 

ZLAM- Kelsey Applebaum PC '14