And A Happy New Year...

Every year, as Christmas comes to a close and the latest, greatest year approaches, I feel nostalgic (as I assume most people do) and I can't believe how fast the years fly by.  At the risk of sounding like the great-aunt you tried to avoid over the holidays, life moves so fast and as much as we want time to stop and take a chill-pill, it never seems to get the memo.  To most, New Years is an overrated and over-hyped holiday, full of awkward interactions, drunken mistakes, and the dreaded midnight kiss.  I never loved the holiday until a few years ago when my family and several close friends decided to get together to ring in the year with a party at the lake.  My very best friends from home combined with their families and a few other friends made for a night full of good food, fireworks, s'mores, and LOTS of dancing.  All of the girls grew up dancing together at the local studio so dance was always a requirement.  My brother was the only boy at the party until a few years ago - this year we even have a fiancé to join in the fun! I love spending time with everyone, these are the people I have known for years, who know me better than I know myself, and are consistently there for me no matter what.   Over the years the conversations have evolved from high school gossip to college decisions to real world jobs and relationships and other scary adult things.  I can't imagine a better way to ring in the new year than with people I love.  I know typically New Years is designed for drunken dancing at a strange club, desperately seeking the perfect midnight kiss - but I have to say, over the years I have become partial to a semi-quiet New Years by the water with my family and friends.  

Cheers to a wonderful New Year full of as much love, happiness, and fun as the last! 

♥ Caro

Sorority Secrets: Big/Little Reveal

In case you were wondering, it is TERRIFYING to be a present.  My best friend Bailey is inside the present for Kristy, and I am in the present for Lennox! If you hate not knowing what is going on around you and you don’t like confined spaces, don’t try this at home! ;)

This year our chapter Big/Little Reveal was in Central Park! If you want to know more about how sorority families work check out my post here and if you want to see some of the things I gave my Little during Big/Little week, you can read about that here! The Big sisters and their “Phamilies” went to the park an hour before the Littles were set to arrive.  The plan was for the Big sisters to be wrapped up like presents for the Little sisters to unwrap!  We were all wrapped up for about 15 minutes before the Littles got there and we were met with a lot of curiosity.  Some people thought we were being hazed, others thought the giant people-presents were some kind of live art gallery in the park.  Tourists were taking pictures with us and posing amongst the sisters.  Despite the strange looks and mild judgment we received from the Upper West Side park goers, it was a cute idea and the day was so much fun! When the Littles finally got there they unwrapped us and the park was filled with excited sorority squeals and lots of sorority squatting for pictures!! After reveal my Phamily and I went to dinner, there the new Littles got to know the rest of the Pham and we had a chance to hang out after a week of avoiding each other! The day was full of excitement and smiles, plus some birthday cake to celebrate my 20^th birthday that occurred the next day! Over all reveal helped make my birthday weekend unforgettable! I am so lucky to have such amazing girls to call my Pi Phi Phamily.

 {Started the morning by making a sign so my Little would know where to go!}

{Can't look at this picture and not laugh}

 {How cute is my Little sis?! Meet Lennox!}

 {Throw what you know!}

{Welcome to the Pham, Angels!}

♥ Caro

Sorority Secrets: Big/Little Week

A few weeks ago I was paired with my perfect Little sister in my sorority! If you are confused about what I mean by this, check out the post I did about sorority families here.  The week before Big/Little reveal is like Christmas in October! It is an awesome week full of presents and secret clues, plus adorable fake Facebook pages where the Bigs get to find every embarrassing selfie of their Little to post in anticipation! Last year when I was getting my Big sister, reveal was on my birthday – this means the week leading up to my birthday was full of candy and surprises! Needless to say, it was a very fun time! This year I am a Big so I got to sneak into my Little's room everyday (with a little help from her roommates!) to leave presents, candy, and clues for her to find! The Big/Little reveal is supposed to be a surprise, but some times girls can figure out who their Big is. My Little had a good idea who I was by the time reveal came, but you're still never sure until you see them on reveal day! I had to be super sneaky all week and pray I didn’t run into her with a mysterious box of doughnuts or bag of presents.  Some schools consolidate this week into one day, I personally love that we have a whole week to spread out the surprises; it makes the process last a little longer and it is so fun to spoil your new Little sister! It was a crazy week full of crafting (not to mention scheming to get the Littles away from their rooms for a few minutes) but in the end it is totally and completely worth it! 

Most days I left an apparel item, little trinkets, and a craft I had made - plus a few clues of course! Some of the clues were lies to throw her off and some were true, it was up to her to figure out which was which! ;) 

Halfway through the week I decorated her room with the help of my Big and Grand-Big! We put streamers and balloons EVERYWHERE! And her Grand-Big (my Big, Laura) got her some yummy cupcakes!! 

On the final day I crafted this initial letter for her by painting the Pi Phi Lilly print on it! I was so happy with how it turned out, I painted a pin box in the same pattern so she would have somewhere to put her sorority badge upon initiation! Over all it was a very successful week! I never got caught and reveal was SO much fun! I am so excited to finally be a Big sister to my gorgeous and sweet Little! 

If you liked this post, be sure to check back tomorrow for a post all about Big/Little reveal in Central Park!! ;)

♥ Caro