Things I Never Thought I'd Be...

Speechless? Somehow though, the idea of writing my maid of honor speech for Miss Kelly Ann Shanley is leaving me with nothing to say. Or maybe it's just the opposite there is so much to say and not enough time to say it. What do you say to your best friend, of 10 years, the sister you didn't have, on the happiest day of her life?

Well let's be honest, she doesn't care what I say. It's her wedding day, she just wants to make sure I do not expose her deepest, darkest, secrets. Well, maybe not those, just her terrible stories that I have to remind her of every once and a while just so she knows someone hasn't forgotten. But the truth is, on her wedding day I know the last thing on Kelly's mind is my speech.

My friends, on the other hand, are taking bets, counting down, and well... have been excited about this since we all started thinking about weddings. I've threatened Kelly with heinous things I can do during the speech for the past 10 years probably and the truth is, I've talked about them so much, it won't have the shock factor I'm looking for. I will figure it out. I always do. I had three speeches prepared when I graduated high school so you would think this would come more naturally.

In other wedding news... no, I'm not engaged, let's be real. The other news is that yesterday I sent Angela the first draft of our wedding song for the Best/Shanley wedding. To be fair, that involves rhyming so it's impressive that it's done. This weekend during the JMU tailgate, we will rehearse. Lasso that!

The past few weeks have been fun. I had some sweet visitors the past few weekends. My sisters came two weeks ago in search of the beloved Dawson. Luckily for Ashley Jones, we found him :)

and enjoyed a night out :)

So we had this little thing called a Fall Concert last week and let me tell you, it was awesome. I could not have been prouder of my group. If I could get my phone to send pictures to my email properly I would show you. So, check out my facebook for a video for "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot.

We also celebrated the birthday of one of my favorite friends, Miss Katherine Ann Kolkemeier by enjoying a night at Wine and Design where you get to bring your own wine and they teach you to paint :)

In closing, I'm confused why friends value taking pictures of me sleeping so damn much. I mean really, am I that cute when I sleep, or is it that I can just fall asleep ANYWHERE?

Just let me live, please :)

I'm THAT girl...

I think it is important to own your identity whether it's something your proud of or something unavoidable therefore I'd like to publicly share all some of these things with you:

I'm that girl...

-who checks the tag on the item of clothing for the price before trying it on
-who dances in public and doesn't care
-who shouts to their friend in the movie theater to tell them where we are seated
-who laughs and makes other cringe
-who eats the same thing for lunch for a week straight
-who tells all her friends about her newest crush
-who loves her job
-who would rather read a magazine than a book
-who writes a blog because she's a bad writer and hopes it will help her get better
-who checks twitter more than cnn.com
-who listens to the same song over and over onces she decides she likes it (shout out to LK who HATED this as my roommate).
-who still asks her mom for advice
-who doesn't mind always being the bridesmaid
-who loves to be the center of attention but only when she's in control
-who loves to be in control
-who watches bad movies on tv just because they are on
-who still wishes it was socially acceptable to make song lyrics my away message to articulate how I feel
-who drinks white over red
-who refers to her sorority sisters still as her "big" "little" and "gbaby"
-who still loves being a sorority woman
-who is convinced the lasso is a great dance move
-who loves getting a card in the mail or a note on my desk more than anything on earth
-who plans for the worst but hopes for the best
-who wants to make others happy
-who loves a soft pretzel
-who can't spend less than $50 at Target
-who can't resist a cute sundress
-who matches her eye shadow to her outfit
-who makes jokes to make others feel better
-who teases people she likes
-who doesn't pay much attention to those she doesn't
-who thinks the glass is always half full
-who thinks people deserve a chance
-who gives her whole heart without thinking twice
-who can't do a push up
-who works out only so her pants fit
-who isn't embarrassed to share her weight or her pants size
-who makes corny jokes
-who is awkward around...everyone
-who orders what's on special
-who loves a good sandwich more than any other meal
-who makes her own spaghetti sauce
-who winks but it's not cute
-who wears heels to feel pretty
-who wears flats to feel comfortable
-who prefers a good meal with friends more than anything else
-who only camps for s'mores
-who roots for two teams that everyone else hates
-who wears teal every Tuesday
-who learns more from her students than she teaches them
-who cracks her neck in public
-who rewrites songs about her friends
-who blogs about who she really is, not about who she wants people to think she is.

That's all I have for now.

Peace and Blessings xoxo

Deep in my heart, I love my...

Well clearly for my sisters you know the rest of this line is "My ADPi's" and the truth is I do, among other things right now. This weekend was recruitment here at UNCW and my first time on the advisor side. Let me tell you, it almost gets crazier behind the curtain. Luckily, I have two amazing sisters who advise with me and kept me laughing all weekend. Even when it was 4 am and we were on a bench in the dark. Even when salt and vinegar chips were dinner. Even when the the conversations turned grouchy and or random. We laughed, and laughed and laughed. Today, when I saw those 32 new girls come in with their bids, one being a student of mine, with tears in their eyes. I knew it was worth it and man did I remember the day I got mine. Being in Alpha Delta Pi changed me life. My sisters have forever changed me and I continue to grow and learn from them every day. Now, it's not only my Epsilon Chi sisters, but my Eta Alpha sisters both alum and active members. So I must give a shout out to Whitney and Katherine, my two advisor sisters who put up with bell curves, 100%, skateboards, nike shorts, Chilies, MOH and tons more and kept me laughing through the late hours of the night. It's amazing to me that hearing the words from the preference ceremony brought me back to my time in Epilson Chi so quickly, perhaps not as quickly as the SHHHHHing before the the knock before a party, or the excitement of "SHE HAS TO BE MY DIAMOND", or the dance practice and awkward conversations but man oh man did I quickly remember what it was to be on the chapter side of recruitment. Overall it was a great weekend, and today, like most days, I was proud to be an ADPi. 

Luckily... 6 of my dear Epsilon Chi sisters are coming this weekend and I can only imagine the stories, laughs and craziness that will come of it. Stories to come. I promise.

Like I said, deep in my heart I love my ADPi, among other things.  Have I told you how much I love my ACErs, because man I do. They have each planned and implemented some amazing programs over the past month and I could not be prouder. On top of that, they have sold out their fall show, Anberlin and Switchfoot.  Talk about an exciting start to the year. I am reminded every day that I am luckily to have found a job I love so much and to work with students who day after day make me proud.

And of course, deep in my heart I love, my family and friends. The past two months have seemed crazy. Through it all I have had the most amazing support network. Whether it's a dinner date to take a break from the craziness, and e-mail from my roommate to make me smile, a card in the mail from my mom or far away friend, or a weekend at home just when I needed it. I am lucky to have people around me who love me so much and continue to support me, whether I ask for it or not. 

In other news... I got to be a part of something really awesome which was a student initiative to commemorate 911 check it out!  (yes that is me in the red pants... hottie)

Other than that I'm just living the dream... hope you are doing the same :)

xoxo  Stef

Cher's not the only one who wants to turn back time...

Hello Friends,

First I must say happy first day of school to all my teacher friends. I can't believe it has been two years since I myself was taking classes, even longer since it was my first day of school K-12. I was in Virginia Beach this weekend and drove back to Wilmington this morning. As I drove back and noticed all of the kids waiting for the bus, or walking to school and listening to the morning radio stations I couldn't help but think back to my time in school.

Do you ever wish you could go back to a certain day in your life and live it over? I guess it's normal but I started thinking about what would be my days...
Here is what I came up with:

-First day of senior year
-Ring Dance
-Any day with my Dad
-First day of college
- 2008 CHI burning
- High School Graduation
-CWSCA elections 2003
-My bid day (January 2005)
-Workshop staff year 3
-Three 6 Mafia/Girl Talk Concert at JMU
-PCB spring break in Spinkers
-Job interview at UNCW
-Big/Little night spring 2006
-The first DGSC night
-21st birthday party at Theta Chi

I'm sure there are so many more days, but I figured those are the ones that jump out. Some of course because they are so fun, others because I'd love to pay more attention to certain details of the day. There are so many more days that are simple and fun and I can't identify with a particular event.

I know I'm getting deep on a Tuesday night. Perhaps this week is one of reflection, I think the entire nation will be reflecting on 9/11, and our lives this week. I'm sure everyone can remember where they were or what they were doing. "I can't believe it's been 10 years" I think is what everyone is saying, can you believe it? I have tried to avoid all the interviews and tv specials, mainly to avoid crying. It's unimaginable what happened that day, and how different our lives are since.

In other news, my newest obsession is the app Heytell. If you have an Iphone or Android phone you can download it for free. It is basically a walkie-talkie app that allows you to "hey tell" someone what's going on. It basically is a voice recorded text message. If you don't have it, download it and hey tell me, ASAP :)

I think that's all of my thoughts of the day...

                                                            Super fun weekend at home