Zeta Zki Trip

     It had been four whole weeks since we all dispersed from Austin to spend the holidays with our families. As the long winter break dragged on, everyone was counting down the days until we were all reunited on January 3^rd for our infamous Ski Trip. I was especially anxious; it had been years since I last skied and I could not wait to be in Colorado. I embarked on the fraternity-organized trip to Breckenridge, Colorado. Everyone was so excited to be back together with their sisters and college friends who lived in different parts of the country to go enjoy skiing and snowboarding in the beautiful Colorado Mountains.  

     After a draining day of traveling, from our long flight to our lovely 2hour bus ride, we finally arrived in Breckenridge. The entire group was exhausted and after dinner everyone hit the hay to be ready for the slopes in the morning. Surprisingly, each morning all of us managed to wake up bright and early to enjoy days filled with lots of skiing and snowboarding among friends. Everyday, we would all pile on layers upon layers of clothing and head to the mountains. The temperature was perfect for skiing, and it even snowed 2 of the days! Each of us had different levels of experience skiing, and it was funny watching each other wipe out on different runs- but we always laughed it off and helped each other up. It made for some good stories to tell at the end of the day. At noon each day we all stopped for lunch on the mountain and each night we all bundled up in our clothing and went downtown in Breckenridge for dinner. There were plenty of yummy restaurants including a delicious hot chocolate place that was my all time favorite. We spent a lot of our time around the fire in our cabins listening to music and enjoying each others company. 

     As the week came to an end, nobody wanted to leave. We all had to go back to our own hometowns and cope with separation anxiety for ANOTHER week until we would all be together again in Austin. The ski trip was filled with lots of shredding (not always successfully), laughter, and memories that will last a lifetime. It was such a nice getaway with so many Zeta sisters and other friends from college! Colorado sure was a great view, but I know we are now all anxiously awaiting to see the Austin skyline at the end of this week!

ZLAM,

Kendra Lipar PC’15

Arubian Winter Nights

In my life, family vacations usually go one of two ways: my brother and I fighting mercilessly, or on the preferable and rare occasion, we get along and enjoy ourselves. This being our first period of extended time together since I had left for school, I didn't know what to expect. 10 nights in Aruba sounds amazing, but without friends or activities to entertain us, my brother and I tend to get restless. I mentally prepared myself to take this opportunity to really relax and prepare so I could continue working hard next semester. It would turn out I was better at relaxing than I thought.

Touching down on the "happy island" was exciting, but the four hour line for customs was not. I immediately began to worry, does this entire island move this slow? However, I knew I was lucky to be there and kept my attitude positive throughout the entire un-air-conditioned experience. Pulling up to the hotel I was excited; it was already dark out, but the holiday lights and wreaths gave off a cheery and comforting aura. I couldn't wait to change out of my plane clothes and eat some dinner.  Our first meal really took me by surprise. The restaurant was casual, the staff was amazing, and our meal was delicious. At that moment I knew I was really going to enjoy our stay. I envisioned long days of laying out by the pool, walking along the beach and snacking on the extensive poolside menu.  And that's exactly what I did.

I feel incredibly lucky to have been given experiences like my trip to Aruba. I have been able to see the world and its treasures, which is a unique opportunity. Beyond that, enjoying a beachside vacation with seemingly no worries or responsibilities was heavenly. Spending quality uninterrupted time with my family reminded me of how much I had missed them, and sometimes I wish I wasn't so far away. That being said, I know they're always a phone call, or a plane ride away. Then I began to understand just how special it was to have a family worth missing.


-Rachel Weisenthal, PC '15

A Very Merry ZTA Holiday

Alex Carter (left) and Emily Ballard (right) show off their holiday facepaint. 

PC '15 cuties pose by the fireplace. 

Ever since I joined Zeta I had heard murmurings of the famed Christmas party. Every year at the end of the fall semester, we come together as a chapter and enjoy each other’s company and the Christmas spirit. Being as Christmas obsessed as I am, I was incredibly excited for this. I walked into the house Monday night before the festivities began to get some last minute studying in and already found the rooms filled with colors of Christmas and poinsettias, in addition to the already erected Christmas tree and strung garland. I could hardly pay attention to my awful online lecture with all the magic unfolding around me as the party began.

Santa even made an appearance! 

One thing I can always brag on Zeta about is the food. A ribeye steak complete with mashed potato balls, green beans, the whole nine yards! I was still studying with Haleigh, Brogan, Rachel, and Laura as we devoured the meal. My lecture went on the back burner pretty quickly, as did everyone else’s academics. Now was a time to enjoy each other’s company. Rachel and I went to the hot chocolate bar (the best surprise of this semester) and I put just about everything I could in it with a heavy emphasis on peppermint. It was delectable on a different level. Soon, another Zeta favorite of mine came into play- face painting. Luckily the table was adjacent to me and I jumped in line. I tried to be creative and got some swirly snowflake magic covering the left side of my face; an instant photo shoot opportunity if we’re being honest. Brogan and Chandler went all out with the Grinch consuming their face.

Leaving the house in the glow of the lights wrapping around our grand columns, I’m reminded for possibly the millionth time that I am home; that these are my people, and this is my place. Everyone could set aside their stress for their upcoming test and bask in the holiday season all together for the last time this semester. And goodness, I will never forget the picture of Chandler in bed with green remnants on her face making Grinch references. It was definitely a night for the books.

Brogan Nielsen (left) and Katherine Shepard (right) hug under the Christmas tree. 

Some Good Old Thanksgiving Football

           

Some Good Old Thanksgiving Football

Jenn Francis and her twin brother, Jordan, supporting the horns.

         As my family and I headed to the Thanksgiving game at Darrell K. Royal like we do each Thanksgiving, we were ready for the last Longhorn home game of the season. Stuffed with our Thanksgiving meals, it was nice to relax and spend the game and day with family. Knowing that it may rain, we purchased ponchos at the team store and headed to our seats. 

PC '14 Jenn Francis at the game with her dad and brother.

I sat in between my younger sister who hopes to be a Longhorn someday, and my mom who was one. As the rain started to pour, we put on our ponchos and tried to stay dry and warm. I got to see some of my Red Raider friends who came to the game, and spent time with my family. As the Longhorns were picked to win, we watched and cheered and hoped! The game itself was great. At halftime, Jimmy Vaughn performed along with our band and put on a fun performance. It was strange seeing an almost empty student section, and looking around to see so many families and friends fill in the stadium. The second half of the game was crazy: so many great plays and so much excitement from fans in the stands. 

Tara Tillery and family. 

The Thanksgiving game was a awesome, but was a different experience from most games. Instead of going to tailgates and sitting with friends in the rowdy student section, I got to eat and relax and enjoy with my family. It was a little bit saddening knowing it was the last home game of the season, and the last home game for all of the seniors. It was such a great experience and I hope I get to spend Thanksgiving rooting on Texas every year with my family!
Tara Tillery, PC ’15

Parent's Weekend at the Zeta House

Leading up to Parent’s Weekend, there was a strange feeling of pride mixed with nerves, at least for the freshman. We finally left our nests to fly off to the big world of college, and now our parents were to join us at our new homes on November 6^th and 7^th for Parents’ Weekend. For some of us, this was our first time seeing our parents since we left in August. It was something to prove—show them that we had grown up even just a little bit since we left. Parent’s Weekend consisted of two days—one dinner and fun night at Abel’s North and one bar-b-que tailgate at the Zeta house. As the weekend grew closer, the excitement and  anticipation grew stronger.

                My father is notorious for being right on time for everything, so of course we got to Abel’s North as one of the first family’s there. My parents immediately wanted to be introduced to the other families there, and each time there was a split second of fear running through my head of, “Oh my God please tell me I got her name right,” even if we had become close friends. Everyone casually talked about flights or drives into the city after such big storms the days before, or where their children came from or what each parent did for a living. The next day at the Zastle, everyone got in line to pile their plates up with bar-b-que, the girls so used to the routine from Chapter meetings while parents’ eyes glittered with amazement at the beauty and care of our large white home. More conversation ensued and parents and kids alike gleamed when their parent could remember the names of the other parents or child that they were talking to. There was introducing dads and moms to new Bigs and parents wanting to capture every second. Jumping from tailgate to tailgate proved an interesting task as each house provided new and interesting entertainment.

                My two worlds collided as I introduced my parents to each of my new friends. The sense of pride never wore off because going off to college is hard and strange, but that all payed off when I knew I had some wonderful friends and wonderful parents to show off like toys. Coming from a performing arts high school, my parents were just giddy to be introduced to so many male friends! I never thought I would be dragging them to tailgates or big white houses filled with happy and familiar faces. But now that it has come and passed, it was all so easy to fall into a rhythm of home and new life mixed.

ZLAM,

Tatum Zeko PC '15

Country Casual

October 22, the moment we have all been waiting for: a date event! Or should I say, a Zeta event. The concept of a date event is both exciting and scary. Who am I going to ask?? Should I ask a friend? A love interest? A random? All of these questions are crucial to finding your perfect date. But then there’s always that terrifying thought -- will they say no?  As there were three other date events that night, the answer to that last question was definitely true in my case…three times. But eventually everyone found a date and we were all ready to two-step the night away at the Coupland Dance Hall.

A little before 9:00, everyone met at the Zastle. The house was filled with lovely ladies and their handsome lads as they talked and mingled until the buses arrived. Mama G had a lot of meet and greets to say the least! After about an hour of dancing through the aisles of the charter buses, we finally made it to the venue. And it was beautiful. Twinkling lights were strung across the ceiling, with a huge open dance floor in the center. It was the perfect place to dance, socialize at the bar and pool tables, eat food, and hang out.

As the night ticked away, it was evident that everyone was having a great time. The more experienced couples were swinging, twirling, and dipping each other all around while others sang on the stage or danced in big groups. The band was so much fun, and extremely interactive. 

 

They had no problem with the hoards of girls on stage pretending to be back up dancers and singers.  I never wanted the night to end, but the blisters from my cowboy boots were saying otherwise. And at least we had Chicken Finger Friday to look forward to the next day. This date event was definitely one I will never forget!

ZLAM,

Natalie Vigo PC ‘14

Big Little Lovin'

OU weekend went as fast as it had come, and many Zetas were feeling exhausted, yet relieved, that the previous week’s stress had come to a close. However, it wouldn’t be a true UT school week if we didn’t have seemingly a million planned events directly after the others ended. That Wednesday, October 14th, was “I Love My Big Night,” an informal gathering to express your love for the special connection to PC 14, a formal bond that takes “zistas” to an elevated level. Unfortunately, it seemed as though many girls were consumed with schoolwork or previous obligations that prevented them from attending the event. That being said, there was still a substantial amount of girls that filed into the Zeta living room, every little attached to their big.
“I Love My Big Night” creeped up on me. I always knew I would perform something for my big, but I had no idea that October 14th would come up so fast (seriously, where has the time gone?). On Monday, Hailey Bailey (PC ‘15) and I teamed up to form a rap for our bigs, best friends Chelsei Brown and Ali Murray (PC ‘14). The rhyming dictionary became our best friend that night; we stayed up so late that Hailey had to look up what rhymed with “blue.” Hailey, literally there are so many words that come to mind instantaneously that I’m worried about how delirious we were becoming by 2 AM for you to have to look that up. But that’s beside the point.


Anyway, as we sat around the living room, surrounded by two abnormally large sheets of cookie cake (shout out to the Big/Little chairs), we had the opportunity to spend a little part of our Wednesday with our bigs.
Most littles stood up, one by one, to say a little about why they love their big. Even though it wasn’t long, it was admirable to see how much these littles cared for their older counterparts. Hailey Bailey and I, semi resembling males in our “swag” apparel, performed our raps for our bigs, stuttering through the words as we laughed too hard to get some out. I’m not big on public speaking, or in this case, rapping? But it didn’t matter. Based on the lengths my big is willing to go (did you see her on big/little reveal?) for me, I have no problem somewhat embarrassing myself for her.
Some girls gave a gift, whether it be Tiff’s treats, ZTA jewelry, or maybe both; others teamed up and read a poem, like Alexa Ryder and Chandler Cherry. When I heard about this event in the past years, I pictured some huge theatrical production. And that gave me an incredibly large amount of anxiety. The fact that it was set in the familiar part of our shared home, in casual clothes, made the whole ceremony more meaningful. No girl felt an immense amount of stress to impress their big, or compete with anyone else, but rather they just got a chance to share their experiences or connections with their big.
 In my opinion, the first things that comes to one’s mind and on ­the spot reflections are the most accurate and deep. As a little, I loved the opportunity to do something for my big. We’re used to receiving baskets full of t­-shirts and other Zeta goodies for seemingly no reason, but we often overlook the amount of effort that went on behind the scenes. Littles, there’s probably a big t-­shirt that was in your bid day basket that tore your big up to give away. Ali, I know that pink shirt with the flower pocket was hard to part with, and I love you for that! I cannot be more thankful for my big and all she has/will do for me in the coming years. It has made the transition into college and Zeta so much smoother, and that’s something that I’ll forever be grateful for. So, littles, if you didn’t get the chance to attend this event, or even if you did, be sure to send your big some extra love today and everyday. You have 72 Zista’s your age, but only one big, so don’t let her forget how much she means to you.

ZLAM

Taylor Gray, PC '15