[IrishLake]

So preference... I was so excited. Potentially, Amanda, Julie and I could all end up in the same chapter if we all decided on Columbus. But Amanda was pretty dead set on Toledo. Julie was up in the air.

Preference was formal, and I borrowed a skirt from Ann to wear. It was a Saturday evening. Columbus came first.

Those Columbus girls, dressed in matching black dresses, were absolutely stunning. I was paired with Erin again, and she made my choice seem so very easy. I felt so very welcome and comfortable. The ceremony was beautiful... and it made me cry. I am NOT a crier, not in public anyway. The ceremony made me homesick though, and I had not been homesick at all since leaving home for school. It really impacted me. When I left, I felt very confident about being a Columbus. A lot of girls squeezed my hands or gave me a hug, and genuinely said they wished to see me in their bid day shirts the next day.

Then came Cleveland. What a beautiful ceremony! Again, all the sisters were wearing black dresses. Again, I cried. I was paired with Monica, and she told me "You know you belong here, right? You've always been a Cleveland." It was then I began to feel so conflicted. She asked me which other preference ceremony I attended, and I said Columbus. She... didn't look happy. She didn't say anything bad, there was no bad-mouthing, but she just said "Oh, ok." I didn't know how to take that, and I didn't know what I was going to do. She must have known it was a difficult decision for me.

So I left, and went to the student union to sign my bid card. My RC was busy with other girls, so I talked to another. I sat there for 2 hours, wrote down names, scribbled them out. I wrote down pros and cons lists, and really, there weren't very many cons for either group. I tried to imagine myelf in both letters. Which meant more? Which group did I feel I could get the most out of, and which group would benefit from me being a sister the most? Finally, my RC was finished with other girls, and came and sat with me for another hour. It was about 1am at this point. She told me... "You know where your heart belongs. One group has your heart, the other group has your head. In cases like this, either group is a good choice, but which will hurt more if you choose the other? Your head, or your heart?"

Oh crap. More tears. I didn't want to disappoint any of the girls who had befriended me, and who beleived I would be their sister the next day. But I had to make the decision for myself. So I wrote down a name one final time, gave it to my RC, and left. I knew if I didnt get the first choice, I would happily take the second. I found Julie, and we agreed not to tell each other. I went back to my dorm, and talked to Amanda. She went Toledo, all the way. I was so happy for her. I wished my decision had been that easy. So would make an awesome Toledo sister!


Sunday morning. Amanda, Ann, Melissa and I went and got breakfast, and when we came back... our RC was there with our bid cards waiting for us. Amanda opened hers and let out a loud WHOOP! She was a Toledo girl! Yay! Melissa opened hers, and she got a bid from Columbus! Ann and Nicole opened theirs, and they both got their first choice - Cleveland! Amazing! Nicole was crying so hard she had to go to her room and call her mom and grandma, who were also Clevelands. I opened mine... and didn't want to look at it. It said....


"The Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta cordially invites (my name here) to become a member at Ohio Northern University."

I got my first choice!!!

So was Theta the Columbus, or Cleveland?