I hope you enjoy Paper Towns!

Thank you. :) Honestly I would not be able to handle this situation so admirably if it hadn't been for something similar that happened last year. Last year I pitched a diva fit and had a really hard time focusing on the positives. I was awful!

Preference!
 

I woke up last Saturday morning very happy to have been able to sleep in. Because we had no classes, I was finally able to organize my desk a bit more (which needs to be organized again, whoops!). Cleaning helped me take my mind off the fact that I would not know until noon whether or not I would be going to Lord of the Rings for Preference.

So 12:00 pm finally rolls around and I get a text from a friend of mine in my Gamma Chi group who also only has Lord of the Rings left. She has a party tonight! If I'm invited back, this means we will probably be sisters, which is a happy thought.

Finally I get a call from my Gamma Chi at 12:15. I can tell by her tone that she's happy. I have a party tonight, she tells me excitedly. I tell her how excited I am to be going back to Lord of the Rings and start getting ready. I also text my mom to tell her the good news, since I don't have a lot of time to get ready (I had to paint my finger nails, so I needed plenty of time for that).

The Party:
I didn’t have anything to compare it to, but if I had to guess, this sorority had the most personal and special preference 'ceremony.' We took the longest entering the suite because the President announced our names individually-- "Lord of the Rings welcomes ErinHope.” And the girl I had talked to at skits came forward to bring me to my seat.
We talked a bit, and I told her most of what I had been feeling this week. That I felt like I kind of lost myself, then found myself again. I can’t be something I’m not and I know I don’t have to be anything but me with them. She had told me at skits that that's how she felt when she rushed. She knew she could be herself in Lord of the Rings.
They had a special ceremony showing each girl why she had been invited back. Some senior members told stories about their recruitment and the home they had found with Lord of the Rings. I didn't cry like I had expected to; I think I dried myself up crying the day before. But it moved me all the same.

When I left the party, I grabbed my ranking card and found my Gamma Chi. I ranked Lord of the Rings number one for one final time, and even included a smilie face. With that, I left to go back to my dorm.

I left feeling great, and almost certain I would have a bid from them.

Bid Day!!!
 

I didn't receive a call from my Gamma Chi this morning, so that meant I had a bid! I was (almost) officially a Lord of the Rings sister! I went to meet my group at 12:30 to receive our bids. The way bid day works here is the PNMs get their envelopes at 1:13, and we can open them at 1:15. Until then, we sit with our Gamma Chi group and talk about our best and worst moments of rush. Everyone in my group was there, so everyone had a bid. The excitement was tangible, I could almost feel the room buzzing!

A little off topic, but just so you can have an image of how this worked:
The event took place in an arena. PNMs and Gamma Chis waited 'backstage' (I don't do sports, I do theatre/opera, so I don't really know what else to call it) while the actives were in the bleachers.

Also before getting our envelopes, our Gamma Chi had us write down what sorority we thought she was. I guessed Catcher in the Rye and Tale of Two Cities randomly, though I couldn't ignore the hunch that she was really Lord of the Rings. She showed us some special shoes she decorated just for bid day. They actually had LotR's mascot/symbol on them! Everyone in our group thought she was a Lord of the Rings after that, but I was like, "She'd never be so obvious!"

Finally it was time to open our envelopes! Our group was full of happy girls who all got their top choices. We rushed across the court to meet our new sisters in the bleachers. Three other girls in my Gamma Chi group got bids from Lord of the Rings, so we grabbed on to each other to run there together. I found my bid day buddy and talked to some of the girls around me. Girls I had talked to throughout the week hugged me and told me how glad they were to have me.

It was time to for the Gamma Chis to reveal their affiliation. The Gamma Chis gathered in a big circle on the court around a bunch of sorority t-shirts spread all over. They did a long cheer that included a cheer from each sorority there. When a Gamma Chi's own cheer began, she would step into the circle and grab a shirt. My eyes found my Gamma Chi; I didn't want to miss seeing what sorority she belonged to. Finally the Lord of the Rings cheer began. I watched as my Gamma Chi stepped forward to grab a shirt. I couldn't help but start crying. My sister! My Gamma Chi is my sister! After all she had helped me through this week and everything we'd been through, I was so happy to call her my sister!

I don't think I could have asked for a better recruitment experience. I know that Lord of the Rings is where I was meant to be all along. I'm very happy and extremely proud to say that I am a new member of...

Pi Beta Phi!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Bless your heart, I was on pins & needles for you! I don't know when I have ever been happier to see the successful end to a rush story! I know that you will love being a Pi Phi :)

YAYYYYY!!!

Ahhhh oh my goodness yay! So happy for you! :) Best wishes to you and your new sisters!

I had a hunch it might be Pi Phi! Congratulations!

Congratulations!

You are adorable! Congratulations on Pi Phi! And I'm so glad your Gamma Chi did turn out to be your new sister!

HOLY COW :D:D:D:D:D

Congrats on Pi Phi! You are going to love it, and they are so lucky to have you.

YAY!

Pi Phi obviously saw what a wonderful young lady you are. Congratulations!!!

Congratulations to you & Pi Beta Phi!

Thanks, everybody! :)

Congratulations! What a great story!