My Newest Project

One of my goals for a while now has been to create and maintain a list of Alpha Sigma Alpha bloggers and to create a page for us to get together and network and get to discover new sisters and new blogs.

Last night, I finally decided to take charge and made that goal a reality. It has a very humble beginning, but I am excited to introduce to you Alpha Sigma Alpha Bloggers. My goals for this page going forward are to maintain a comprehensive list of sisters who blog, do a weekly on bi-monthly post that spotlights a sister and her blog, and work on getting a pretty design up (thanks to a friend and fellow ASA!), and get it a .com address (let's face it, the current URL is kind of long!).

I realize that this may only interest a small percentage of those of you who read my blog, but if you are an ASA, I would love to have you join in! Please follow the blog and send me any blogs written by sisters that you know of and of course, yours if you have one.

Love in ASA,
-Masha

Friday Five- Lilly Pulitzer and ASA

Last week, I about squealed when I logged on to the Lilly Pulitzer site. I knew that my beloved Briar skirt was going to come out on the 10th, but I did not expect to see ladybugs galore. I squealed and squealed and squealed and my husband ran and hid his credit card. Le sigh. While we may still not have our own Lilly print (not that I'm bitter or anything), this second best is pretty darn awesome. I'll take it.

Today's Friday Five is dedicated to two things that I love dearly- Lilly Pulitzer and Alpha Sigma Alpha. Sisters, if y'all are lucky enough to go to Convention this summer, wear one of these please in honor of me.

1) Blossom Dress- $228

Seersucker with Embroidered Ladybugs- Swoon
2) Briar Skirt- $98

My world will pretty much end if I don't get this one ASAP.
3) Felicity Dress- $178

Cute but strapless is not my style so I'll stick with the skirt.
4) Spring Garden Bracelet- $58

My birthday is in July. ;)
5) Belline Dress in Doodle Bug Daisy- $158

While not as noticeable, this dress does have adorable little green ladybugs on it.

close up of the print

 What are your weekend plans? Anything fun?

p.s. This is my first post using the new blogger layout. I don't care for it at all.
p.p.s. Today's TLS's squadron had their Chili Cook off and I won third place. :)
p.p.p.s. Today marks T's 8 year anniversary in the Air Force. Congratulations honey, I'm so proud of you.
p.p.p.p.s. Don't forget to enter my giveaway with the Bellevue Collection if you haven't already.

Preppy Sorority Girl Favor Needed

First of all- notice anything different? A huge thank you to Kimmie for redoing my blog for me!

Second of all- I'm sure by now you've heard that Lilly Pulitzer every season or so has started making prints for several sororities. So far, the lucky sororities have been Kappa Delta, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Zeta, Delta Gamma, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Chi Omega.

Today, voting was opened up to determine which three sororities will next get Lilly prints of their own. The 3 sororities with the most votes will get them.

If you are an Alpha Sigma Alpha, please be sure to like Lilly Pulitzer on facebook then go here to vote for ASA.

You do not have to be an ASA to vote, so anyone, parents, husbands, boyfriends, roommates, etc. can vote. (My mother and husband have already voted.)

Also, if you are reading this and are not Greek, or if your sorority already has a print, could you pretty pretty please vote for ASA?

Let's make this happen!

Calling all ASAs

When I first found out that Vineyard Vines does custom tote bags, I immediately knew that I simply had to have an Alpha Sigma Alpha one. I contacted them about a year or so ago about creating a custom one for us, but it turned out to be too much of a hassle for me. I was disappointed but knew that one day I would own a tote.

My preppy sorority girl dreams were answered today when I logged onto facebook and saw this:

A member of our Theta Gamma chapter at Christopher Newport University is now my personal hero. I mean how perfect is this? I literally squealed with excitement. And immediately told TLS that I would be needing $60. Yes, that's right- this beauty is priced at $35 less than the Vineyard Vines Classic Totes go for on their website. Heaven.

I cannot wait until the day when this wonder arrives in my mailbox.

I figured I cannot possibly be the only one of us out there who has been wishing and hoping for such a tote, so I am posting on here to see if any one else wants a tote as well. Email me and I will let you know about how to order from the girls.

ALAM!

weekend recap or why MRM's digestive tract may quit on her

This past weekend, my sorority's regional leadership team had a meeting to prepare for next week's regional conference. This is a bittersweet moment for me as it will be my last one. (If any ASAs who plan on attending are reading this- it may be a good idea to bring at least 100 boxes of kleenex with you. I plan on using every single one of them. Waterproof mascara may not be a bad idea either.) I spent both Friday and Saturday night at a sister's house. I tell people that what sets ASAs apart from everyone else is our dietary habits. In such, here is a food summary of my weekend.

grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast
water
cup of Earl Grey tea
Twizzlers provided at meeting
mini boxes of Milk Duds provided at meeting
Lunch at meeting: grilled cheese sandwich, cheese fries, and coleslaw
Dinner at Melting Pot
Cocoa Puffs and Twizzlers for breakfast on Sunday

For anyone who was wondering what it is I do for a living, this post provides you with a big hint- I am not a nutritionist.

Are we seeing a pattern here? It may not have been such a bad thing that Yom Kippur was yesterday. It gave my body a chance to burn off some of the 80 jillion or so calories that I consumed over the weekend. It may or may not be such a bad thing that District Day may be my last event, since I'm not sure how much longer my digestive tract can tolerate me being an Alpha Sigma Alpha. (Emails regarding nourishment for this event included mention of a value-size tub of Twizzlers from BJs.)

My other big excitement of the weekend is that I was contacted by Accent Furniture to do a product review for them. Since TLS and I are starting to think about our house and what we'll need for it, I jumped at the chance to do it. It turned out that they carry one of the items that we registered for, so in a few days, this baby will be mine.

I cannot wait to try it out! (As if I needed an excuse to open a bottle of wine.)

On a totally unrelated note- Preppy Coastee and I had plans to go to the Lilly Pulitzer Warehouse Sale, which I was looking forward to immensely. Sadly, after realizing that we need to pay for a $950 marriage license, I don't think I will be able to buy anything there unless it's on like 90% off sale. I will still be planning on attending, so if there is something that you absolutely positively have to have and are willing to pay the shipping from NY, email me, and I will see if I can pick it up for you. (Since I can only carry so much, I can only make guarantees for the first three people who email me.)

and I'm back

I apologize for my lack of a post yesterday (yes, KMH, I know you're still bitter about it, deal). I had an absolutely amazing weekend and wish that I could go again. I still have ASA cheers stuck in my head. Despite the fact that I went as a facilitator, I learned so much from the program. Most of the chapters that sent delegates to this conference are not from the district that I volunteer for, so I got to meet a lot of new women.

In the grand tradition of doing things the MRM way, of course I had an epic travel adventure getting back to New York. Due to storm warnings in New York, the FAA delayed flights arriving into JFK, so we were stuck on the runway for an hour waiting for the go ahead. When we finally took off, once we got close to New York, the storm had already started. We were told we couldn't land and had to fly around in circles for a bit, basically. We were starting to run low on fuel, the pilot ended up having to land the plane in Scranton, PA. The original plan was to land in Scranton, refuel, and fly back out to JFK, but the FAA had other plans. When it became clear that we couldn't take off, Delta tried to find a bus to take us from Scranton to JFK. (3 hours 15 minutes on a bus vs. 20 minutes on a plane.) We finally arrived in JFK at 2am, when we were originally supposed to land at 7pm. I was also starving because I only ate breakfast and then some fries in St. Louis. I did not have a chance to get food in STL and I figured I could eat when I landed in JFK. The Scranton airport is small and the restaurant and all of the food shops there close at 6:30 and the bus did not make any stops for food. My only consolation was that the Delta flight attendant felt bad and gave me like 20 packets of cookies and peanuts. I spent the past two nights in my mother's house and was going to go home tonight for the first time. I just realized that somewhere in between St. Louis, Scranton, and New York, I lost my house key. Of course my mother doesn't have a spare. How is my life not a sitcom?

I'm an Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sig until I die

This is a shortened work week for me. Tomorrow morning I will be boarding a flight to magnificent St. Louis for a sorority leadership conference. This is going to be my first time flying Delta after the Chicago debacle, and to be honest, I am a little apprehensive. They still have not responded to my email from two weeks ago, and I have since sent another one. I have to say their customer service does not seem to be oriented towards actually serving the customer.

I have been to several sorority conferences, but never this one. This is a leadership institute geared at training collegians towards assuming leadership positions. Unlike our other conferences, alumnae have to apply in order to go to this one to act as facilitators. I feel so lucky to have been selected and cannot wait for the conference. My schedule will be 8am-10pm most nights (eek!) so it does not look like I will have any time to explore the city, but that's ok. My favorite polka dotted ASA mug is chipped and needs replacing, so I am hoping to get a replacement for it at the Emporium. Lis, if you think of something that you want me to pick up for you, let me know.

I am going to attempt to do a scheduled post with my weekly favorite things for Friday. I tend to be a bit technologically incompetent, so I apologize in advance if it does not go as planned. I am not allowed to have my phone on me during the day, but I will tweet updates at night time. I will catch up on all of your blogs when I return.

Happy Unbirthday to Me

It is time for me to post my weekly favorite things post. Partly because it's Friday, and partly because KMH has been harassing me about it all morning. My mother is on vacation now, and before she left, she told me that I need to start thinking about what I want for my birthday. Every year for my birthday, Hannukah, and New Year, she asks me to do this and it always ends up being an excercise is futility since she never gets me what I ask for, and decides to get me something that I will never use. However, it has been brought to my attention by KMH that 1) I will be in Chicago two months before my birthday and the birthday festivities will commence then, and 2) my friends would like to get me presents for my birthday that do not cost $600 so I need to post something more affordable. With that said and done, this week's favorite things is also known as "MRM's birthday wishlist."

Fuzzy Bunny Slippers

Being that I am basically the world's biggest dork, I have always wanted a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers because I think they're quirky and fun and cute. This falls under the category of things that I would not buy myself but would love to own. $29.99 at Runaway Rabbit.

Lost Shaker of Salt

If you haven't figured this out about me from reading my blog yet, I like Jimmy Buffett. While perusing Jimmy Buffett related sites, I found this:

The lost shaker of salt. Totally something that I do not need but want. Badly, for my bar. $6 from Margaritaville.

A Nutcracker

Sure, what the hey, let's put it on the list and see if this is the year that mommy actually gets me one...

A Pink Pen

This is the most random thing on my list. And also the cheapest. When I started my recipe journal back in college, I devised a system for it. I write the recipe title in pink, and then the ingredients and directions in blue or black. My pink pen has gone AWOL and I have not replaced it. Every time I go stationary shopping or order office supplies, I always seem to forget to get a pink pen. This has not boded well for my recipe journal. If someone could please get me a pink pen, I would really appreciate it. Actually, come to think of it, I need a new recipe journal.

A New Badge

When I was getting initiated, I really wanted to get a nice badge, but was not sure how often I would wear it. Since then, I have gotten to wear my badge quite a bit and have regretted not getting a pretty one. This is the one I really really want:

Gold with pearls and ruby points. I have no idea how much this cost because it seems like every time I look at the jewelry order form, the price has gone up.

A Monogrammed LL Bean Boat and Tote

I love these bags so much and want more. In just about every single color that they come in. I have so many bags that I cannot justify possibly getting myself another one, but if someone wanted to get me one, well then it would just be rude of me and bad manners to not accept it, no? Mommy, take note.

$26 at LL Bean.

Pearl and Starfish Necklace

Hey KMH, it isn't $600. :p I love pearls and starfish. And most things Tiffany. So this is an obvious one.

Couldn't get a better picture, sorry. $350 at Tiffany
Now for more Tiffany items. I have a slight fascination with really tiny jewelry/trinket boxes. You know the ones that can never hold more than two rings or a pair of earrings or so? I have quite a few of them and like to buy more when I go somewhere. I have one big jewelry box for my necklaces, and the rest of my jewelry in in these tiny little boxes. Obviously this is the most efficient use of space ever, but I like them so I don't care. These are my top three favorites:

Pink Leather Travel Jewelry Box ($75)

Tiffany Blue box ($75)

Duck handpainted Limoges Box ($215)

Yes I am well aware of the fact that given the price tag this will not be happening. But considering that I have been collecting rubber duckie stuff since 1998, I couldn't not put this on my list.

Lilly Pulitzer Party Crown

I have a weird fascination with wearing weird things on my head for pictures, and as soon as Lilly came out with these, I knew I had to have them for my birthday. No ifs ands or buts. KMH, you will be getting these for MRM's Birthday Celebration, the Prequel.

$10 at Lilly Pulitzer

sorority life

I cannot go into a lot of details here because I don't know if any of my girls know about this blog or not, but all I will say is that I am no longer a sorority advisor. I know I should at least be a little upset or nostalgic about this, but the truth of the matter is that I'm actually a little relieved. As much as I love my sorority, I do not love spending 6 hours commuting to and from a meeting where the girls are completely rude to me and roll their eyes at me in a meeting (really classy, I know) and blatantly lie to me about everything. To any sorority girls that are still in college reading this: be nice to your advisors. They have it a lot tougher than you think. I don't want to post too many details on here, but if any of y'all want to hear more or exchange advisor horror stories, feel free to email me.

Meet me in St. Louis

So I don't have much of a weekend recap. I had a pretty uneventful weekend. Spent Friday nigh/most of the day on Saturday at my best friend L and her husband C's house. It's still weird realizing that my friends are married. Saturday I spent the night at my mother's house and just relaxed. I do, however, have a very exciting piece of news to share with y'all. About a month or so ago, I applied to be a facilitator at a sorority leadership conference in Missouri this summer knowing that they couldn't possibly take all of the applicants and there was a really good chance that I would not be picked to go. Well, always apply for things even if you don't think you'll get them, because I, am going to St. Louis in July!!!! I am so excited about this for three reasons 1) I am the biggest Alpha Nerd ever and absolutely love my sorority, 2) flying is my favorite thing in the whole wide world- to me there is no greater feeling than takeoff and landing, and 3) I haven't drank in Missouri yet and now I get to cross it off my list. I'm so excited right now. Unfortunately, in between Chicago in May, and my birthday/St. Louis in July, I'm not sure if I'll be able to swing going to the Lilly Warehouse Sale any more, but I will certainly try my hardest. I already told one of my sisters that I may get Lilly letters for the conference.

I *heart* being an advisor

As some of you know, I'm an advisor to one of my sorority's chapters in the area. As much as I love my sorority, I frequently tell people that these girls are my reason for drinking. The girls have a big problem with attendance and showing up on time to things, so I have started to be stricter with them when it comes to excuses. Last night, one girl showed up 30 minutes late to chapter. When she walked in the room, she announced that she was late because she was giving her bunny a bath and couldn't leave until after she had finished blowdrying its fur. In case I didn't believe her, she brought the bunny with her to chapter. Dead serious. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.