I've got a list for that

I am a compulsive list maker. With everything. I carry around a set of neon green post-it notes with me in my purse so that, in case a series of thoughts come into my head that need to be organized in such a way that I know I’ll remember them, I have a place to write them down. These lists are promptly stuck into my planner (which is also a mecca of lists as well) because I know by the end of the day I will have opened my planner and seen my various lists, reminding me of what still needs to be accomplished or planned for later. Lists keep me organized. Being organized makes me happy. Lists make me happy.

If I’m having a particularly busy and/or stressful week, I will make sub-lists of my to do lists, usually broken down into the major categories of responsibility of my life. At any point this year I probably could have had 5 separate running to-do lists: School, Teach For America (both as a CCC and incoming corps member), Sigma Kappa, practicum, and “other” (which is really code for everything else that I have to do that doesn’t fall into one of the other categories-- grocery shop, laundry, cleaning my room (sometimes), go to church etc.). If lists aren’t written on green post-it notes, they are written in my planner highlighted by color according to their category. These colors are also coordinated with the labeling system I use on both my gmail and SLU mail accounts. Some of you may think I’m a bit neurotic, but like I said, lists make me happy.

I tell you this story because, as of Thursday at 1:30pm all of the “school” related items that were on my to-do list disappeared, as I completed my last undergraduate final and submitted my last undergraduate paper! Both were slightly anti-climactic as most finals are, but it is still good to be done. I have 18 hours left to complete at Southside before I have fulfilled every requirement of my bachelor’s degree. Having this new found freedom also has an incredible impact on the above mentioned to do lists, and THAT my friends makes my heart EXTREMELY happy :) So for those of you who are still struggling through finals or the end of the school year, take heart in knowing that this is what I need to accomplish in the next 8 days....

1) Get my eyebrows waxed
2) Make dinner reservations for my family on Thursday, May 19th and Friday May 20th
3) Get a manicure
4) Participate in a photo shoot with my BFFLs from SLU
5) Attend two more happy hours and/or bar crawls with various organizations that I am a part of
7) Pack my room up (OK, this is kind of a big one).
8) Go to lunch and/or dinner with my friend Katy

I will relish in the fact that this is my life for now...because I know that in about 17 days (May 30th AKA the day I start TFA) life will be real different. But I’m sure that my list making will come in handy as I juggle lesson plans, seminars, institute, house hunting, packing, moving, and starting my life in Memphis...

Now let me just get a green post-it note to write all of that down!

GO TIGERS!

**disclaimer: some of you may think that what I am about to say is not that exciting. And I totally appreciate that. But in the end, this is my blog. So I get to write about what I want :)

OK, SO...the big news that I am sharing with you all, as the newest Sigma Kappa alumnae of the Kappa Theta chapter is....

Sigma Kappa has been invited to re-colonize our Epsilon Mu chapter at the University of Missouri!!!!!

This seriously is INCREDIBLE news! Truth be told, I get real excited when we colonize anywhere. It is always exciting to watch my sorority grow. However, getting the opportunity to re-start a chapter at a major state school is a) not something that comes along all the time, and b) really, really exciting to watch.

You may all be wondering why in the world I am so excited when I don't really know anyone at Mizzou, and I will be leaving the state of Missouri in exactly two weeks. Epsilon Mu has become very near and dear to my heart because two of our advisers, one of which is our collegiate province officer (that's Sigma Kappa speak for the link between our advisory board and the national organization) are members of Epsilon Mu. So when they push us to do more, to work harder, and to go further, I know it's because they don't want us to go through the experience of having our chapter close. Colonization won't happen until fall 2012 (more SK speak meaning that the first formal recruitment we participate in won't be for over a year) but it still makes me happy. I am happy for the organization, but I am really happy for my friends who are getting their chapter back. They deserve it, beyond what I can say or describe.

Yesterday was a WONDERFUL day, and the way things are looking it should shape up to be a FABULOUS weekend: we had initiation this morning, I will be heading to church tonight and then over to a party at one of my dear friend's apartments. Sunday I will be enjoying probably my last professional baseball game for a long time. Then I will go to mass tomorrow night. At some point, I may study. With two weeks left to go, I am living and loving every second I have on this campus!

Guess Who's back, back, back....

I've returned!

For the like 3 of you that read this blog, please excuse my momentary absence from blogworld. The good news is that the 27-30 pages that I talked about writing in my last post are now completely signed, sealed and delivered to their appropriate professor! The only thing standing between my bachelor's degree and I is one one test for my community social work class, one final essay for my Spanish class, and like 50 hours at my practicum! It is SO CRAZY that the semester is winding down as fast as it is. Seriously, my first day of orientation for TFA Memphis is May 30. That is 23 days away. WHAT. And what is crazier is that my journey at SLU ends in less time--14 days. Two weeks. What.The.Heck.

Also, I have some AMAZINGLY exciting news to tell you all...but I am going to wait until tomorrow :) It coincides appropriately with the fact that I will officially be an alumnae of Sigma Kappa! It is crazy how fast 3 years went by. But I've loved every second of it...and I could go on and on about how much I love my sorority and the amount of personal growth I've experienced because of it. But we can talk about all of that....

tomorrow :)