Orange and Navy, Orange and Navy

Where do I even start? Room 244 has really been lacking in our blog posts since Christmas.


Maybe with the National Championship?!

War Eagle!

We are so proud of our Auburn tigers! Auburn had a celebration in the stadium and 78,000 people came! It felt like fall game days all over again! Campus was so crowded with families, students, and alums-it was great! Until we were trying to find somewhere to eat. That proved to be rather difficult. Auburn is just a really small town and can't quite handle all of the fans!

   

Brooke and I decided that it was time to do something with our plain Walmart coffee table. I've been talking about painting it or doing something with it since we moved in. 

                       

We got a little distracted with our fall weekends that were completely consumed by football but now that we have more open weekends we seized the chance and made a little trip to Home Depot. We bought chalkboard paint! 

We painted several coats on it to make sure it was just right!

And then came the hard part. We had to wait 4 DAYS before we could write on it. Room 244(and Brooke Jackson) wasn't exactly patient. Brooke Jackson might have come in our room every 3 to 4 hours every day asking me "can I write on it now? pleaseee, just a little 

bit?!"

Day 4: the Brookes waiting anxiously to write on it!

The directions said to prime it by covering it completely with chalk and then erase it before writing on it.

       

After we erased it, we could write on it! And it has been so much fun! We've had anything on it from Bible verses to Spanish homework! Who would have thought we would actually use it for academic purposes? Michelle and Katie both used it to study for their Chemistry test and did practice problems on it.

Christmas on the River

As of Friday of last week room 244 has successfully finished ALL FINALS!!! YAY!!! Although we are all ready for a break five weeks is going to be an awfully long time without my roomies :(We all thought that we would be able to reunite in Arizona but the Auburn lottery hates all of us so none of us were fortunate enough to win National Championship tickets. Oh well, we will just proudly cheer on the Tigers, save that money, and watch it in the warmth and comfort of our own homes. Also, hopefully over the break our sweet Schel will get to feeling better. The day before finals started she hurt her neck (could it not have come at a more convient time?! I mean seriously) We felt so bad for her, but of course being Schelin she never complained not once. At least we got to visit some with her parents :)

Room 244 and 245 exchanged tshirts this year as our Christmas presents. We each drew one person's name and then bought a tshirt from our hometown. I drew Schelin's name and got her a Christmas on the River thsirt (although given the weather our last week at school I should have purchased a long sleeve). Rachel drew my name and now I can join the group in proudly reping a "Keep Austin Weird" shirt. I love it!! And it came in handy for me because I literally had zero clean clothes.

As for me I have officially been out on break for a week now. Life has been average so far here in the 48 (aka Marengo County). Let's hope it stays this way...lol So far I've been up at 6:30 every morning cleaning cages, walking dogs, and feeding the animals. Then in the afternoons my brother calls for me to "meet him with his truck" and then he begs me into helping rake leaves for hours. But I can't complain. Money talks and I am a poor college student.

Just 11 more days until Christmas!!!!!!!!! Hope everyone is enjoying their break and have a very Merry Christmas, and a blessed and Happy New Year!!!!!

In Everything Give Thanks.

Be joyful always; pray continually. In everything give thanks(or give thanks in all circumstances) for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How many times have I heard or read these verses? Probably more than I can count. However, in the past week I feel like I've heard it more often than usual. Maybe because it's almost thanksgiving or maybe it's because the Lord knows I need to hear it and is opening my ears to it. Either way, I have been thinking about it a lot.

Generally when I hear "In everything give thanks," I take it at surface level and think of course, we should be thankful for everything God has given us. But the other day when I heard it I felt like I had heard it for the first time. In everything or in all circumstances. That means even when we're going through something hard, we're supposed to be thanking the Lord for that trial, thanking him for struggles. That's kind of hard, at least for me. When things are tough, I'm probably more likely to ask Him to take it away. Instead, I need to thank Him for this trial and realize that He is working out everything for my good. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

Be Joyful always; pray continually.

Being joyful isn't the same as being happy. I think being is happy is more of a temporary feeling while we can live our lives in a state of joy. Joy is our hope in the Lord, knowing that He has a plan for our lives and that He loves us with a love we can't comprehend. Prayer is the root of that relationship with Him. We're called to be in constant conversation with Him, to turn to Him with everything.

*I am not saying that I am strong in these areas or that I really know what I'm talking about. Because I don't. I just wanted to share what has been on my heart and thought it was somewhat relevant since it's almost thanksgiving. 

Speaking of thanksgiving, I hope yours is wonderful! I wish I could celebrate with the beautiful girls of 244 but I know they're all loving the time they get to spend with their families!

Also, on a completely unrelated note, I have the number one item that will be on my Christmas list. A Pillow Pet . I feel pretty confident that if you watch the video, you'll want one too. Maybe it's because I was camp counselor for 7 and 8 year olds this summer, but I find myself more and more obsessed with precious children's items. 


Honestly, how can you resist this little bee?

And, a bonus! When I was looking for a picture, I discovered that the company supports families fighting pediatric cancers and other life-threatening diseases. I'm sold.

TIme to play catch up

A lot has been going on in the lives of the occupants of 244 in the past couple of weeks. First of all Michelle's big sis (Meredith) made Panhellenic President!!!!!! (but Michelle will comment on this more later).

Two weekends ago was Auburn's Homecoming Game and Parent's tailgate for Tri Delta. That same weekend we had our 2nd annual DHOP (Delta House of Pancakes) which benefits Camp Smile a Mile. We are happy to report that it was a huge success and we raised over $4,00o this year!! We also had slating that same weekend. And Michelle is our new Music Chair and I am going to be the Activities Chair. Also, Michelle made Panhellenic Cabinet and will be the new Scholarship Chair!! (You GO GAIL!!!) I know she is going to represent Tri Delta well :)

In other news, HALEY GOT ACCEPTED TO AUBURN!!!!!!!! It was the perfect "War Eagle Moment". She came down to visit Brooke during Veteran's Day and while they were by the stadium when she checked her phone and saw that she had received an email saying she had been accepted. WELCOME TO THE FAM HALEY!

This past weekend was another fun filled weekend. Friday night was our Fall Formal. We started the night by taking lots of pictures in the chapter room and then moved our party to Austin's house where his parents had prepared us an awesome meal!! Then we stood outside in the freezing cold for 20 minutes while waiting on our bus to arrive (thankfully all had good manners and offered us their coats). Once we arrived at formal, after an entertaining and a really get to know your date bus ride, room 244 and 245 were front and center on the dance floor. All in all it was a very successful and fun night! And the Georgia game Saturday (need I say more?!) WAS AWESOME!! I made my debut on the Jumbo Tron and.... Auburn is now the SEC CHAMPS OF THE WEST! Yes, we will see you in ATL on December 2 (or at least our room is hoping to attend). We applied for lottery SEC tickets and will find out Thursday if we are the lucky winners.

That our lives in a nut shell for the past two weeks. Hope everyone has a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! Eat lots of food and only 3 WEEKS TIL CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!!

WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT!

Proverbs 18:24

"When we consider the blessings of God-the gift that adds beauty and joy to our lives, that enable us to keep going through stretches of boredom and even suffering-frienship is very near the top."

-Donald W. McCullough

The Lord really knew what he was doing when he put me in Tri-Delta at Auburn. It intrigues me when I think about how everything happens for a reason. I am not at Auburn just to learn, make memories, and hopefully witness to people while I am here. I feel like God also put me here to make the best friends, and be a best friend. Anna Katherine, Schelin, Michelle, Rachel, Nicole, and Brooke have been the greatest friends with all the best qualities to me. I am soo thankful that the Lord put them into my life, and I can't imagine what my life would be like without them.

Thanks for being such great friends guys!

Every sigle one of them is going to do something great in life; they already are for that matter. I can't wait to see what other adventures the Lord has planned for us.

I love Auburn like my name is Pat Dye

Michelle and Rachel signed leases for their apartment for next year on Thursday! Of course, we had to capture the moment. There are so many "wow, we really are adults" moments happening!

On Friday night we had a little gathering to ring in the fall. We made pizzas, carved pumpkins, and got really excited about the game on Saturday. Since we don't actually have a kitchen(we used the one in the chapter room) we don't have any pans so we improvised with foil! It worked pretty well.

Oh, hey Carley and Nicole. Aren't y'all precious.

Carving pumpkins seemed like a really wonderful fall activity. And it was until we remembered how bad they smell and how gross the inside is. Oh, well! We still had a lot of fun with them!

          

Look at what we made!

What a precious way to ask someone to formal!

On Saturday we all went to the Auburn vs LSU game! It was incredible to say the least! It's so great to be an Auburn tiger! 8-0!

Also, I'm a little obsessed with the Auburn creed and I feel like after that game it's just perfect timing to share it on the blog...

I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work. 

I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully. 

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men. 

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities. 

I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all. 

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all. 

I believe in my Country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by "doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God."

And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it.
-George Petrie (1945)

Isn't that the most wonderful thing you've ever read? I just love Auburn and everything that it stands for.

Today, Brooke and I got in our workout carrying the Tridelt composite from Wire Road to the chapter room. The delivery man called me and informed me that he was in an 18 wheeler and proceeded to ask me where I thought he would be able to park a vehicle that big. Since I have never driven or parked an 18 wheeler, I wasn't sure what to tell him. Don't worry he just pulled up on the sidewalk-that's totally legal, right?

He then handed us the incredibly large and awkwardly shaped composite and told us he thought we could handle it from there-after all it's only 67 pounds. So, Brooke and I carried it all the way back. Good times. I'm so thankful that Brooke came to help me! There's no way I could have carried it by myself!

Shake It Like A Salt Shaker

Room 244 has been a happening place lately. We are all test free (for the most part) this week, so it has been much more relaxed. At least it has been relaxed all but from about 6:00 to 8:00 Monday night. Our most beautiful and poised roomie, Anna Katherine, absolutely rocked the Miss Greek Week pagaent. Look at the picture....I mean come on, is that not the prettiest little delta you have ever seen? Schelin, Michelle, and myself were probably more nervous than she was as we watched her glide on stage to answer her question. Of course, she had the BEST answer about pound cake and family. It was the greatest. The night ended with SUPER exciting news in room 244. It was the perfect ending to a great night.

Our room has been decorated for the Halloween holiday by Schelin, and looks absolutely amazing! Pictures will hopefully be following soon. I am quite looking forward to carving pumpkins and making pizzas on Friday in celebration of the fall. Yay!

BREAKING NEWS: Michelle picked a major! She will be majoring in Exercise Science once November 5th rolls around. Yay for her and physical therapy!

Schelin and myself went back to Copper Beech on Monday. Sadly, they couldn't show us a model home, so we luckily got to sit in the lobby for about 30 minutes while they tried to find a place for us to look at. Carley, Brooke Jackson, Schelin, and I enjoyed laughing at the hand sculptures, Buddah, and Elephant fingurines placed throughout the lobby. Oh, Copper Beech, we still love you. One positive aspect of the trip: 4 nice boys showed us their house...and bedrooms. haha. Just kidding, but seriously.

Fun fact of the day: Michelle likes to sing "Saltshaker" when she gets out of the shower because she is, in fact, both naked and soaking wet.
Oh and Happy Greek Week...GO BLUE and DELTA