Day 21 marked the first day of formal sorority recruitment for the Hillsdale College greek system. The first day is always open houses, when we dress in our matching pencil skirts, wine-colored sweaters, black pumps, pearls, and arrow pins. I remember how excited I was to watch the women of Pi Beta Phi stride out of the house, singing. I sincerely hope that this year’s potential new members were equally blown-away.

Day 2 is always skit parties, where members of each sorority put on a little show for the potential new members. This year, our Vice President of Member Develpment, Erin Alderson, took it upon herself to rewrite our skit. It was such an improvement! The new theme is “Angel Airways” (we used to do “Grease”) and each stop of the “airplane” represents one of our six core values (Integrity, Lifelong Commitment, Honor & Respect, Personal and Intellectual Growth, Philanthropic Service to Others, and Sincere Friendship). For this round, our name-tags were stewardess wings.

Day 3 is dessert parties and day 4 is preference parties (where girls make their final decision as to which sorority to join). This year, we were fortunate to welcome 18 beautiful new angels into our sisterhood.

Today, I made the 2.5 hour journey back to Hillsdale, Michigan. It was wonderful to be home and see my family, but I’ve really missed my Pi Beta Phi sisters and all of my other wonderful friends at school.

I did’t tell any of my sisters that I was engaged, until tonight, because I wanted to tell them all in person. I am so glad that I waited because the experience was much more special.

About 6 months ago, Chuck decided to try out the Primal Diet. Not only has he lost weight, but he sleeps more soundly and has more energy throughout the day. Although I was super skeptical at first, Chuck benefited so much that I decided to give it a shot, too. 

I have been primal since New Year’s Day (except for the other night, when I fell off the wagon and ate a half-bag of truffles). I, too, am sleeping more soundly, waking up with more energy, and I don’t find myself exhausted after lunch. I really can’t believe how good I feel!

This is the delicious breakfast I made for myself this morning:

fresh spinach and scrambled eggs, topped with a tomato. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the Primal Diet, visit www.theprimalchallenge.com (did I mention Chuck writes for this blog?)

I found a wonderful surprise waiting for me when we got home from Georgia! My grandmother (Mimi) had sent us our very first gift. 

Since my grandmother is an artist, she paints her own cards.

I can’t wait to use this in our home. :-)

The day after Christmas, Chuck and I headed to Georgia with his parents to visit some family. On the second day, we all (Me, Chuck, Linda, Jr, Rhonda, Kevin, Lindsay, Wyatt, Mumaw, and Pupaw) visited Amicalola State park and climbed the 600 steps to the top of the falls. The view was beautiful in the middle of winter, so I can’t imagine what it must be like in the summertime. 

Later that night I went out to the backyard with Chuck, his dad, and his cousin, Wyatt, to shoot some targets. The top photo is me using Wyatt’s .22 and the bottom is me using Mr. Grimmett’s 9mm automatic. 

Chuck and I have been together for over 3 years, now. We went to high school together, accidentally ended up at the same college, and fell madly in love. Last month, he was hired on at The Foundation for Economic Education, so he decided to graduate early. We had been talking about getting married for a while, and I figured that an engagement ring would come soon. I just didn’t realize how soon it would be!

Chuck’s plan was to wait until we went to visit his family in Georgia, show me around downtown Atlanta (where he will be working), and propose over a nice dinner in the city where we will begin our lives together. He had the ring for two days before he just couldn’t take it anymore. He proposed at 12:30am on Christmas Eve in the park where we first kissed. 

We will be married after I graduate from college in 2013. 

While I finish college, Chuck will spend 6 months working for FEE in Irvington, NY and then move with the company down to Atlanta, GA. We will be apart for most of this time, so I thought it would be fun to start a blog documenting my adventures over the next year and a half from the perspective of my engagement ring.