Hurricane-Proof

Hey guys! The last time I wrote was pre-Gustav... Don't worry, the storm passed us without doing much harm to my house (or Tulane!) Amber (my roommate) and I were able to come back to the dorms on Saturday, which happened to be our friend Michael's 20th birthday! You know we had to celebrate... On the right is a picture of Amber and I with Michael and his roommate Greg at The Palms.

Getting back into the swing of classes wasn't as much fun as celebrating Michael's birthday, but it was good re-reuniting with everyone again and asking about their "Hurrication" stories. GWA (Green Wave Ambassadors) also hosted Louisiana Week for all the Louisiana high school seniors interested in coming to Tulane, so I had fun leading a tour, eating at Bruff, and sitting on a Q&A panel for some of y'all!

For those of you that have heard lots of talk in the news about hurricanes lately, here's a little bit of info for you guys. Hurricane season officially lasts until November, so you'll probably see a few more named storms on tv. I know some people still associate hurricanes with New Orleans and Katrina, but you should know that not every hurricane attacks New Orleans with such impact or has such terrible effects as Katrina. I think the most Gustav did to New Orleans was knock out power for a little while and shake a few tree branches loose - minimal damage. And since Ike went to Texas, all New Orleans felt from the storm was some very gusty wind and a little bit of rain for the past few days. Basically, though hurricanes can be very dangerous, they're not all "out to get" New Orleans and Tulane. And a really good thing about these types of storms is that hurricane trackers give you warnings days in advance, so it's easy to get out of the projected path. Tulane takes care of its students really well in hurricane situations, giving you plenty of time to book flights or find rides out of the city (and they don't allow ANYONE to stay in the dorms, just in case!).

Well that's my little weekly update and hurricane blurb... I'm going to hunker down and get some work done before making plans for tonight! As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments. I love hearing from you guys! ahollier@tulane.edu

Love from breezy NOLA!

Go Away, Gustav!

So I had started this blog entry earlier this week, and I'll just tell you - it had a TOTALLY different tone on Tuesday. My first draft of this entry - the first blog of my sophomore year - was all about how excited I was to return to campus, reunite with all my friends, start classes, meet lots of new freshmen faces, and to be back in New Orleans in general.

I'm writing now from my house in Youngsville, LA (outside Lafayette) instead of from my dorm room, because Tulane called for a mandatory evacuation of campus Friday due to Tropical Storm (now Hurricane) Gustav. My roommate and I have been hanging out in Lafayette with my family, anxiously waiting to see what this storm will do. Despite my anxiety about all this, I have to say that so far Tulane has done a really good job handling the situation - watching the storm as it brewed, evacuating all of us early, and keeping us informed via text message and email. It's really sad being away from school (especially since we left campus on the third anniversary of Katrina), and we're all praying that Gustav won't have too bad of an effect so that we can return to New Orleans soon.

Now, rewind to a few days ago, when I wasn't worried about any storms... it was SO exciting getting back to Tulane as a sophomore! This summer felt like the longest one of my life, because it was really hard being away from all my friends and the school I've grown to love so much. I was so happy to see everyone around campus and to meet some of our new (huge) freshman class - especially on Greek Move In Day, where I helped some of our new students settle into their rooms in Sharp. The days before classes start were so fun, because we knew we didn't have homework yet; my friends and I got to catch up and do lots of fun things together. On the left is a picture of me rebonding with my friends Kate and Anne ... we look a little messy because we had just TACKLED each other!

So this has really been a bittersweet week... to New Orleans and back, running away from a storm that might just follow me home. Hopefully I'll be able to move back soon. I'll keep you posted, Readers.

Until next time...

Tulane changes over the summer..

I mentioned in my last entry that Tulane's campus seems very different during the summer session(s)... I thought I would describe that in a little more detail for you guys, since I don't have much else to report this week! So here are some things I've noticed: \

• Dorms are emptier, and a lot of the residents are at Tulane for special programs, Orientation, or summer workouts (for athletes).
• There's a very different crowd at both Reily and Bruff - a lot of this is due to the summer camps going on right now ... there are so many!
• It's much easier to find a parking space.. yay!
• Um, it's hotter. I'm glad it's not THIS hot/humid all year, because it would make walking to class every day a miserable experience. (I'm just glad my summer classes are in the morning!)
• I miss eating in Bruff, and I miss a lot of my friends.

You'll notice that over the summer, you'll really miss Tulane, New Orleans, your friends, etc. I felt that "homesickness" earlier this summer, and I know my friends are too - some of the lucky ones actually make a trip back over the summer. Actually, two of my friends (one from Maine and one from Connecticut) made it back to NOLA for the weekend, so I was excited to have visitors!

Alright, I'm going to get back to studying; I have a test tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Home Sweet Home away from Home

That's right, readers -- I'm back in NOLA! I moved into Mayer, a sophomore residence hall, on Sunday afternoon and I started my classes Monday morning. I'm taking two really interesting classes - "Music in New Orleans" and "Sociology of the Family." Summer classes work at a totally different pace than fall- and spring semester classes. Tulane has two five-week sessions, May-June and July-August (there are certain six-week classes offered, like lab sciences, that start at the same time as the five-week classes but just end a week later). There aren't too many people on campus right now - just summer school students and athletes - so it's strange being back at Tulane without a lot of my Tulane friends. However, those of us that are here decided to go out together Tuesday night to celebrate being back in New Orleans. On the left is a picture of me with my friends Tim and Jessica at Bruno's.

Since I'm a sophomore now, I can buy a parking pass to have my car on campus - that changes things a lot too! Even though I've only been away from home less than a week, my family misses me already (I guess they just got used to seeing me every day), so I'm driving back to Lafayette tomorrow for a visit. You bet I'll let my parents help with laundry and take me grocery shopping while I'm there!

Feel free to email me with questions or comments... I love hearing from you! ahollier@tulane.edu

Summer Fun / New Orleans in the News

Hey y'all! Here's another summer update...

After spending a week on the beach in Florida with my family, I took a little trip back to New Orleans to visit Amber. We headed over to the House of Blues on Decatur Street (something you should check out) for the Rooney concert. I've had a crush on the lead singer, Robert, for awhile... if you guys have seen the movie The Princess Diaries, he's the one who played Michael Moscovitz! Anyway, all three bands that played (The Bridges, Locksley, and Rooney) were fun, and all the performers were really nice after the show. Amber and I took pictures with almost all of the band members, including my crush, so I was really excited! There's my picture with Robert on the right.

The next morning, I went over to campus to help out with Orientation. I was on a panel that answered parents' questions about freshman year and Tulane in general... so feel free to ask me any questions you might have!

Not much else has been going on here... I've been working pretty much, but I went out with my friends from high school to celebrate my friend Kate's birthday Monday night. I also got to hang out with my friend Jacque that went with me from STM (our high school) to Tulane... he's missing it too!

Oh, also -- I found this USA Today headline on the Tulane New Wave, and I thought y'all might be interested: Freshmen flock to New Orleans Enjoy!

ATTENTION FRESHMEN: The Definitive List of What to Bring to College

Alright so if any of y'all are as excited (think eager) as I was last year about starting college and moving into the dorms, or you just like shopping as much as I do, or maybe you really like lists (my friends tease me about that ALL THE TIME), you'll really like this post! There is a really helpful website called College Confidential that has a great list of stuff you'll most likely need to buy to bring with you to school, so I'm going to borrow some of that list, post it here, and share some of my input with you guys. I started my dorm shopping mid-summer, in order to beat the mad rush at stores like Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Linens and Things, etc. It honestly can be pretty stressful fighting a crowd of nervous mom-and-teenager duos for that last shower caddy, so my best piece of advice on this subject is to start a little early. That doesn't mean buy EVERYTHING right now, while it's still June -- just pick up or order a few things you think might sell out later and aren't too big... you don't want all your new stuff crowding your room!

You might not NEED all of this, but here's almost everything that you might want to bring. Just to be helpful, the list is grouped in categories for you!

GROOMING
acne wash/cream
comb/hairbrush
contacts, case, solution, and glasses
cotton balls, cotton face pads, and q-tips
curling iron, flat iron, hair dryer
deodorant
face lotion/moisturizer/cleanser
fragrance: perfume/cologne/body spray
hand and foot cream
headbands/hair pins
lip balm
loofah/sponge/wash towels
makeup and remover
nail clippers and file
nail polish and remover
shampoo, conditioner
shower caddy, shower shoes
soap/body wash, soap container
toothbrush, case, toothpaste, mouthwash, and floss
towels
tweezers

FOR YOUR HEALTH
allergy medicine
bug spray, anti-itch cream
bandages, band-aids, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, neosporin
cold and cough medicine, cough drops/lozenges
contraceptives
dayquil/nyquil
eye drops
kleenex
pain and fever relief: tylenol, advil, ibuprofen
razor, shaving cream, aftershave
sunscreen
vitamins

DECORATING AND ROOM BASICS
bins, boxes, containers, drawers
blanket
bulletin board and pins
bedding: comforter/quilt, sheets, mattress pad, pillows
desk lamp
desk organizer
dry-erase board and markers
futon (if you have space)
lamp
mirror - full length is best
photos and picture frames
plasti-tak
posters
rug
trash can

TECHIE STUFF
alarm clock
batteries
cables: you'll need an ethernet cable and a coaxial cable for your tv
camera
cds and cases
cell phone and charger
computer
cordless phone
dvd player and dvds
extension cords, power strips
headphones
ipod and dock
laptop case
mouse
printer and paper
radio/stereo
tv
video games

LAUNDRY ESSENTIALS
coat hangers
clothes (duh)
drying rack
fabric softener
iron and ironing board
laundry basket/bag/hamper
laundry detergent and stain remover
lint roller
**quarters

CLEANING SUPPLIES/TOOLS
basic cleaning supplies - clorox disinfecting wipes, febreze, lysol, windex
duct tape, masking tape
hammer
paper towels
screwdriver
sponge (if you have a sink in your room)
tape measurer
vacuum

EATING
blender
cereal
chips
disposable utensils
fruit, fruit juice
gatorade
granola bars
microfridge
microwavable meals (easy mac, lean cuisine, popcorn, ramen noodles, soup)
mints/gum
plastic plates, cups, and bowls
pop tarts
powder drink mixes (lemonade, kool-aid, crystal light)
reusable water bottle
teabags
water

SCHOOL SUPPLIES
backpack/messenger bag
binders/notebooks
calendar
calculator
college-rule lined paper
day planner
folders
foreign language dictionary
highlighters
manila envelopes
paper clips
pencils and sharpener or lead
pens - different colors
post-its
rubber bands
sharpies or other permanent marker
stapler, staples
tape and dispenser
three hole punch
white-out

ETC.
address book and correspondence supplies (cards, stationery, envelopes, stamps)
bike (optional), helmet, lock
board games
flashlight
frisbee
pack of playing cards
**rain gear -- you will definitely need this!!! at least an umbrella, but I'd suggest rain boots too
religious stuff - bible, prayer books, etc.
robe
sunglasses

Missing NOLA

Hi readers, and Happy Summer! I know it's been awhile since I've written... sorry! Here's a little update for y'all:

I'm back in Lafayette right now, at home with my parents. I have a summer job and have been having fun catching up with my friends from high school and hanging out my family. (There's a picture of a group of us at one of our favorite sushi restaurants in Lafayette. ) However... I can't deny that I'm missing Tulane, New Orleans, and all my friends there like CRAZY! I've already been back to visit twice since school let out... I am definitely one of the lucky ones that lives within driving distance! Here are some highlights from my visits:

VISIT 1:
I celebrated my birthday (May 30) in New Orleans, since most of my Lafayette friends were out of town that weekend. My sorority sister and future roommate, Amber, let me stay with her in her summer apartment on St. Charles for a few days and we had LOTS of fun! (There's a picture of us in her apartment on the left. ) Celebrating 19 in New Orleans was a cool experience; at midnight, we went to Bruno's, where you have to be 19 to get in. The next afternoon, my ΣΔΤ Big Sister treated me to birthday lunch at Felipe's, a popular restaurant for Tulane students, and then a big group of us went to Happy Hour at The Boot for a little birthday party/reunion. It was so good to see everyone again, especially some of my sorority sisters. (There's a picture of me, obviously very excited to see Amanda, on the right.) The next day we ate some "birthday cake," which came from one of my FAVORITE places to eat -- Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro. Yeah, that's right, we had Killed By Chocolate cheesecake! Saturday some friends and I had a pretty late night at F and M's, so we relaxed Sunday by seeing some movies - The Strangers and Sex and the City. They were both AWESOME, but I'm not gonna lie - we were pretty creeped out that night in the apartment! I came back on the Monday, in time to go back to work. Of course, I started to miss NOLA again as soon as I come home... something about that city makes you never want to leave!

VISIT 2:
This time I stayed with Erin, my ΣΔΤ Big Sister, and her roommates Amna and Amanda in their apartment right off campus. I was there to help with some of the summer orientation sessions; I participated in some parent/student Q&A panels. This was a totally different visit, but it was really fun too! Some of our friends came over Monday night to hang out, and we picked up some dinner from Felipe's.. yum! Amna cooked for us Tuesday night, and then Amanda and I went to The Boot, where we ran into LOTS of our Tulane friends! (There's my friend Becky and I on the left.) I helped Erin and Amna set up and decorate their apartment, which was really fun for me (I love doing that stuff!), and then Erin and I went to dinner at The Melting Pot with our friend Lindsey. Amber and our other friend Grant both work there, so they helped us figure out the whole process of a fondue dinner. By the way, it was AMAZING and so fun, and I definitely recommend eating there! Being back on campus itself was really cool too, especially since there are multiple film projects going on and lots of new freshmen around! Here are some cool New Wave articles to read:
Campus Heats Up for Orientation
Filmmakers Arrive on Campus

So that's what I've been up to... make sure to tell your dads Happy Father's Day, and enjoy your summer! I know I will - in a week from now, I'll be relaxing on the beach in Florida... ahh... But I'll be back on campus for summer classes at the beginning of July, and I can't wait to get back!

As always, email me if you have any questions or comments: ahollier@tulane.edu

Bye friends!

New Look

I hope you guys like the new look of my page! I just wanted something fresh for spring...

I appreciate your emails, and I'm working on answering those as quickly as possible, so look for new entries soon!

Since Spring Break...

Life has been crazy-busy again! Sorry that I've left all you guys hanging since my last post, during Spring Break...

A quick rundown - I spent half of Spring Break in Destin, FL and the other half at home with my family and best friends from high school. But I really missed Tulane and was glad to get back! Since I've been back, there has been so much going on.

My first weekend back included an all-Greek service project called Letters for Learning - we spruced up a "modular school" (lots of trailers) in New Orleans. It was great working with my sorority sisters and my friends in other fraternities and sororities to make Sarah T. Reed school a more cheerful place for its students! (On the right is a picture of my ΣΔΤ sister Erica sawing some wood for our building project)

That night was our sorority's formal, which was SOO much fun! It was held in the back courtyard of this really classy restaurant, Broussard's, which was right in the French Quarter... so of course we hit up Bourbon Street at the end of our night! (On the left is a picture of my ΣΔΤ family: my twin Sam, my grand-big Dana, my big sister Erin, and me) The next morning I gave a tour for Honors Weekend (despite the lack of rest I'd gotten the night before) and hosted a prospective student, Amelia. It's so cool seeing so many people on campus! I've been giving lots of tours and participating on panels lately for Destination Tulane, which is going on all April, so basically, I'm getting a chance to meet a lot of next year's freshmen!

The next weekend was busy too: Relay for Life was Friday night in Fogelman Arena, Beautify Broadway was the next morning with ZBT and Kappa Sig. (Right: me, Gillian, Sam, Erica, and Carlie picking up trash on Broadway) That night we had a fun 90's-themed mixer with ΔTΔ. There were a lot of great costumes - I was Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell!

This past week meant elections for USG (Undergraduate Student Government). I was running for re-election, and I won a seat as a Senator for the class of 2011! It was very exciting, and I can't wait for our new term to start! Thursday night some of my friends and I went to a party at one of the fraternity houses (FIJI). Friday evening I went to "family dinner" with Dana, Erin, and Sam on Magazine Street at Nacho Mama's - sooo good! We went to a party after, but rain kind of killed the party mood. Yesterday, I had to get up early and give another tour for Destination Tulane... and then my parents and grandparents arrived on campus for a visit! They took me out to Commander's Palace, a really famous restaurant in the Garden District, for an awesome Jazz Brunch. It was delicious food, awesome atmosphere, and great company... a great day with my family! (There's a picture of my mom and I in front of Commander's Palace). After a couple hours, my ΣΔΤ family and I went to FIJI's Karaoke for Charity party. There were lots of people there, and all the freshmen in my sorority got up on stage to sing together! It was really fun, and all the money they raised went to the Red Cross.

Whew! Now you're just about caught up. I've also been really busy with classes and studying and stuff... finals are coming so soon! There are two other really big things going on in my life right now: Crawfest Board and Tidal Wave Committee.

This year, the Associated Student Body is hosting Tulane's second annual Crawfest - an all-day free music and crawfish festival right here on campus. I'm on the planning board for this huuuuge awesome event, which will be happening this Saturday, April 19. Everyone tells me that the first annual Crawfest was one of Tulane's best events EVER, so I'm eager to experience my first one this year. If you'll be in town, you should stop by as well - it's free and open to the public. We've been working really hard and I'm super excited about it! One of my next posts will be completely dedicated to Crawfest, so look for that soon...

Tidal Wave is the committee that plans all of the events for Homecoming week. I'm this year's Court Chair, so we're already working to come up with the theme and activities for Homecoming '08... look forward to the game on Saturday, October 4 - it's early this year!

So now that y'all are filled in, I'm going to do some laundry and get back to some homework. As always, email me with any questions or comments. I look forward to hearing from y'all! -- ahollier@tulane.edu

NOLA♥

Prospective Question #2

"Hi, I really enjoy reading all of the Tulane blogs, it really gives you a good feel for experiences people have at Tulane. I noticed that both you and Lauren joined sororities, and I've heard that about 1/3 of people do. I was wondering what made you decide to rush. Could you also talk about Sigma Delta Tau and Pi Beta Phi, the two that you joined? I've never wanted to be in a sorority, but reading your guys' experiences makes me reconsider. Thanks!"
-Mary

I'm sure a lot of you guys have Greek-related questions, so I'll try my best to answer some of them here!

From the last statistic I've heard, about a third of Tulane is Greek... so that means that about 70% of our students are NOT. Basically, either way you go, you can still have a lot of fun!

Sorority Recruitment (what many of you may know as "Rush") is a two weekend process held in January, during the second semester. You guys will have all of your first semester at Tulane to figure out if you're interested in going Greek. When you actually go to all the different houses in January, you'll get a good idea of what each house has to offer, and you'll usually be able to tell which sorority would best suit you. Even if you don't plan on pledging (joining a sorority), I'd definitely recommend going through Recruitment - you'll meet so many great girls in the process!

I've provided links below for all of the different sororities and fraternities at Tulane; I don't know the histories of each one, but you can read up on them if you'd like!

There are 10 sororities at Tulane:

• 6 NPC sororities
  Alpha Epsilon Phi (ΑΕΦ) "AEPhi"
  Chi Omega (ΧΩ) "Chi O"
  Kappa Alpha Theta (ΚΑΘ) "Theta"
  Kappa Kappa Gamma (ΚΚΓ) "KKG or Kappa"
  Pi Beta Phi (ΠΒΦ) "Pi Phi"
  Sigma Delta Tau (ΣΔΤ) "SDT or Sig Delt"
• 3 NPHC sororities
  Alpha Kappa Alpha (AΚA)
  Delta Sigma Theta (ΔΣΘ)
  Zeta Phi Beta (ΖΦΒ)
• 1 multicultural sorority
  Delta Xi Nu (ΔΞΝ)

There are a lot of fraternities - 15 in all

• NIC fraternities
  Alpha Epsilon Pi (ΑΕΠ) "AEPi"
  Delta Tau Delta (ΔΤΔ) "DTD or Delt"
  Kappa Alpha Order (KA) "KA"
  Kappa Sigma (KΣ) "Kappa Sig"
  Phi Gamma Delta "Fiji"
  Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠΚΑ) "Pike"
  Phi Kappa Sigma (ΦΚΣ) "Phi Kap"
  Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣAΕ) "SAE"
  Sigma Alpha Mu (ΣAM) "Sammy"
  Sigma Chi (ΣX)
  Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦE) "Sig Ep"
  Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) "ZBT"
• NPHC fraternities
  Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ)
  Kappa Alpha Psi (KAΨ)
  Phi Beta Sigma (ΦΒΣ)

Hopefully this entry answered most of your questions... If y'all have any other questions, send me an email! ahollier@tulane.edu

Spring Fever

Hi readers! It's been another beautiful, exciting week here at Tulane... In a few words: Auction, Initiation, Honors Weekend, Vampire Weekend! Alright, now for a little about each topic...

Auction
Saturday afternoon my New Member Class hosted an auction at our house to raise money for our sorority's national philanthropy, Prevent Child Abuse America. We auctioned off different "service packages" (for example, mine was Double Date - two of us will have dinner with the highest bidder and his friend at Fresco's, who donated a complete meal for four), sold baked goods, and had several raffles. It was very fun and successful - we raised over $600!

Initiation
Sunday morning the girls and I got up early (9am and before = early for us!) and put on our white dresses for our ΣΔΤ Initiation Ceremony. It was really special, full of tradition and meaning... and it means that my New Member Class and I are now official members of our sorority! We got our gold torch pins, which are really pretty, and we can now wear our letters! It's so exciting to finally be a full fledged member! (On the right is a picture of me with my "family" after being initiated. Top row: Erin, my Big; Dana, my GrandBig; Sam, my "Aunt." Bottom row: Me; Sam, my Twin; Juleya and Anna, my "Cousins.")

Honors Weekend
As both a Green Wave Ambassador and a member of the Honors Program, this weekend was HUGE - Sunday and Monday made up the first of this year's two Honors Weekends, special events for accepted high school seniors who have been invited to join Tulane's Honors Program. We were all so excited to see so many prospective Green Waves on campus, so I had to get involved! My friend Dan and I led a campus tour together and I hosted a prospective student, Liz. I love showing people my school, something I'm so excited about and proud of! Sunday night, a group of us that were hosting got together to take out our prospective students. We wanted to show them a little piece of New Orleans, so we rode the streetcar downtown, had beignets at Cafe Du Monde, and walked down Bourbon Street just to take in the sights (there's a picture on the left of all our prospective students enjoying Bourbon Street). We piled into a cab and rode back to campus, where we enjoyed some late night food from The Rat in the LBC, a Tulane student tradition. The next day was Monday, so the hosts had classes, but all the prospective students got to enjoy some BBQ and create their schedules for the upcoming fall semester. To all of you who came to the first Honors Weekend, we hope to see you guys around campus in the fall!

Vampire Weekend
This might be the most exciting topic of this post! I don't know if you guys have heard of Vampire Weekend, but they are an AWESOME band -- in fact, Spin magazine called them "The Year's Best New Band." So why am I mentioning them in my Tulane blog? Because THEY PERFORMED A FREE SHOW ON CAMPUS YESTERDAY! They're currently one of the most-played bands in my iTunes, so obviously I was so excited to see them here on campus. They performed on the patio outside of the LBC, overlooking the quad, so lots of people came out after class. Seriously - how awesome is that?! A concert conveniently placed on campus, performed by an awesome band, completely free of charge... hats off to TUCP (Tulane University Campus Programming) for setting up such a great event for Tulane. The guys were really cool; they hung out after the show to talk, take pictures, and give autographs. I had come straight from class, so all I had for them to sign was my math notebook! (On the left is a picture of the guys performing, and on the right is a picture of me with VW's Ezra.)

Well, that's pretty much it as far as exciting things that have happened in the past few days... I also need to point out that the weather has been warm, sunny, and PERFECT! Aaaaand I'm leaving Friday afternoon for a Spring Break trip to Florida with some friends!

Until next time,
NOLA♥

Quick Post...

Okay guys, I am craaazy busy this week (mid-terms!), but I promised I'd write about a few things, so here's a quick life-update!

Last week was Big/Little Sister Week in my sorority. Every day I'd get a package full of goodies delivered by some of my favorite fraternity guys. Each gift had a theme (beach day, sleepover, etc.) and a clue about the identity of my Big, but she was really sneaky and gave me fake clues! We had our Reveal on Thursday night, and all of us got to meet our families (Big, GrandBig, and Great GrandBigs)... some of us are even twins! Most of us were given costumes from our Bigs, so we either matched our families or were wearing something that has been passed down through our families from year to year. (There's a picture of the bottom half of my family: my twin Sam and I with our Big, Erin. We were the Hannah Montana twins, and the letters on our tshirts had our "family fabric.")

I also told y'all that my mom was coming in for a visit... For Christmas I had given her two tickets to the Michael Buble concert in the New Orleans Arena, so she decided to take me as her "date" for the night. We went shopping together, had dinner at Superior Grill, went to the concert, and spent the night in her hotel room... sometimes it's so good to just get off campus for awhile to spend time with your family! I just wish my dad could have come too - my parents and I are really close, and there are times when I really miss them. One of the good things about Tulane for me is that I'm only about three hours away from home, so it's not too much of a strain for my parents and friends to drive over for a visit.

(And now for a corny segue...) Speaking of visit, we are going to be having a LOT of visitors on campus this weekend for the first Honors Weekend! Spring is the busy season for GWAs (Green Wave Ambassadors) because we have lots of activities planned for admitted prospective students - Destination Tulane throughout March and April, two Honors Weekends in March, HomeRun in April, and LOTS of daily tours as people are making their college decisions. I definitely recommend visiting each school you apply to, because choosing a university is about much more than how a place looks on paper. You have to be there and experience a place to see if you'll like it. I know the first time I came to visit Tulane, something just clicked and I knew this is where I wanted to be! Alright, I'm not going to get mushy or anything... If any of you guys are coming in for Honors Weekend, look for me! I'll be giving a tour at 12:45, having dinner with some of you guys at 5:30, and hosting a student overnight. Also, if y'all have any questions about this weekend, send them my way! I've enjoyed hearing from you guys on Facebook, and my email address is ahollier@tulane.edu. While I'm talking about prospective students, I thought you guys would enjoy this article. Happy reading, and I can't wait to see you guys on campus!

(Wish me luck on my exams!)

♥ from Sunny NOLA

S is for Sigma Delta Tau, Seniors, Saints, Sacagawea, Sleepwalkers, and Sigma Chi

Hi! I know it might seem like I'm going a little overboard with the postings lately, but I just want to keep you guys updated before I forget the awesomeness of the stuff that's been going on lately. This weekend, I went to Senior Night and an "S" Party, and I participated in Sigma Chi fraternity's Derby Days field day... all of which were extremely fun!

Senior Night (Friday) was a super fun, super top secret event for my New Member Class planned by the... you guessed it... SENIORS! These events are always fun, because we bond closer as a class while getting to know our older sisters better.

Immediately following our Senior Night activity was The "S" Party, held at the house that one of our seniors (Kristy) lives in. It was a really fun theme costume party celebrating Kristy's 22nd birthday. The theme -- S! Everyone at the party was dressed up as something that started with the letter S. As you can imagine, there were some very creative and hilarious costumes -- seran wrap, suds, stegosaurus, the solar system, Solja Boy, and many others were in attendance. (Right: Sam dressed as a sleepwalker, Christina as Sacagawea, and me as a Saints football player.) Sometimes I prefer an independent party like this weekend's because it allowed me to hang out with friends in all different sororities, fraternities... and even my non-Greek friends! I really enjoyed catching up with some of my girlfriends who have ended up in different houses; Tulane's Greek Life is pretty "chill" - just because we're in different sororities or fraternities doesn't mean that intense rivalries will form on our campus. I guess that's another example of the "diversity" of my friends here!

The morning after the party (Saturday), my sisters and I went outside for a fun field day competition with some of the other sororities, hosted by the fraternity Sigma Chi for their annual charity event Derby Days. Some of the activities were hilarious (three legged races and mini-tricycle relays) and everyone had so much fun! (Left: Dani and Joanna had a lot of fun competing as a three-legged pair.) I'm proud to say that SDT's team came out first in the tug of war competition! (There's a picture of us pulling hard against Chi Omega.) Derby Days was a week-long competition between the sororities, and Sigma Delta Tau came out in second place!

So there's my weekend update! Hope you're enjoying reading... if you have any questions, send me an email (ahollier@tulane.edu)

Coming soon:
- Big/Little Sister Week
- Visit from Mom
- Honors Weekend hosting

Until next time, NOLA♥

EAT LATE, Life is Great

Hello Friends! I felt compelled to write a short post today...

Last night my pledge sisters and I participated in a well-known event at Tulane: ΣΔT (get it... our letters look like "Eat") Late. We baked all kinds of delicious sweets to sell outside of The Boot from 9pm until 2am. Let's just say there was a very hungry crowd..! It was fun working the booth with my sisters, and it was for a good cause; all the proceeds go to ΣΔT's national charity PCAA, Prevent Child Abuse America. We did really well - we raised a few hundred dollars and even had to close early because we ran out of desserts! More sisters will be serving up sweets tonight at The Boot, so hopefully will pull in even more money for our charity...

(Left: Claire and I selling our cupcakes and cookies.
Right: a picture of the poster we made for our event.)




Coming up:
- ΣΔT Senior Night
- "S" Party
- ΣX Derby Days
- Big/Little Week
- A visit from Mom!


Until next time, ♥ from (rainy) NOLA!

Times as Crazy as the Weather!

Hey guys! We've been seeing some crazy, quick-changing weather in the past week and a half since I last wrote... It may be sunny and beautiful one day, but you'll have to put on those rainboots the next! It's unpredictable, but at least it keeps things interesting!

I've had a crazybusy week! Let's see, a quick rundown...

I last wrote early on Ash Wednesday morning. That night, we had our ΣΔΤ (that's Sigma Delta Tau) New Member meeting, which involved elections. I am now ΣΔΤ's New Member Class President (more informally, Pledge Class President)! We've got a lot of stuff going on in our group... that Friday night was our sleepover at the house, which was an awesome way to get to know the other new girls, my sisters! Also, we sent out newsletters to some of our alumnae... so we're already hard at work for our sorority! (There's a picture of some of my sisters stuffing envelopes.) Saturday was Sophomore Night; the sophomores planned a surprise top secret activity for us that was really fun AND helped us get to know the sophomores better! All of the activities we're doing really make me feel important to my sorority, and I know that by the time I'm a full-fledged member, I'll know my sisters really well.

On a non-sorority note, my parents came to visit and have lunch with me on Saturday. It was really good hanging out with them, and lunch was delicious (Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro...yumm). They didn't stay too long, because we just have so much going on... I miss them already! Sunday was really busy - lots of homework, a USG Public Affairs Committee meeting, Mass, dinner at the ΣΔΤ house, and a meeting for Crawfest Board.

Monday I had lunch in Bruff with a prospective student, and I took her to see my room and meet some of my Wall friends after. I love being a Green Wave Ambassador, because I get to show people the school and friends that are so awesome and important to me. If you're ever here for a visit, let me know!

Almost every night of this week, there was something going on for my sorority. To save you some reading time, I'll just list the names: Study Hours (Monday), dinner on the front lawn of the house (Tuesday), New Member Meeting (Wednesday), and Jungle Mixer with KA (Friday)... a mix of serious and social events. I can already tell that being in a sorority is going to become a big part of my life, but I'm not worried about it taking over my life. It's all a matter of time management and creative scheduling! (The picture on the left is of my KA friend Jacque, myself, and my sophomore sorority sister Erin at the Jungle Mixer. You can see a bunch of the wild costumes in the picture on the right.)

And now, I'm packing to head off on my New Member Class Retreat! More later! ♥

Throw Me Somethin, Sister!

Not to sound like a broken record, but so much has happened since my last post! I know I'm posting at a crazy hour... that's because I'm hanging out in the basement of the LBC in the WTUL radio station helping Spencer out with his 4-6am radio show. Interesting way to start my day, right?!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the snap-back-to-reality day after several days of Mardi Gras celebration. If you guys have never experienced it, all I can say is that Mardi Gras in New Orleans is indescribably fun, and you should definitely make your way down here to see it for yourself as soon as possible! I'll share some pictures with you from my Mardi Gras experience:
(Left to right) Hanging out at ZBT's parade site with my new sister Claire; me with my boyfriend Spencer and our friends Jason and Christine at the Endymion Parade; watching parades with my Sig Delt sisters Dana and Sarah

(And going backwards...) You'll notice in the previous paragraph the words "Sig Delt" ... I just recently went through Recruitment and am now a New Member in the sorority Sigma Delta Tau. I love love love my new member class, and I'm so excited to be a part of SDT! Here are some pictures - some of my new sisters and I on Bid Day at Mardi Gras world, in front of our house for a group shot, being serenaded by fraternity guys, and a group of us at Color Night:
I've also been doing lots of fun stuff with Green Wave Ambassadors! In the past few weeks, I've gotten to show my room to some prospective students (two Louisiana girls!) and give a few tours. I love meeting all of y'all, and I'm excited about hosting some students during the Honors Weekends in March! Feel free to email me with any questions -- ahollier@tulane.edu

Until next time, love from NOLA!

Where have I been?!

Welcome back, y'all... and sorry it seems like I've been gone FOREVER! Things got so crazy at the end of last semester, but now I'm back into the swing of things at Tulane for Semester #2, getting Spring Fever already!

I hope you guys enjoyed your winter break; I know I loved my month at home with family and friends... but I was missing Tulane the whole time! Here's a quick shout out to my family and all my friends from the STM Class of '07... it was great catching up with y'all!
(On the left is a picture of me with one of my best friends, Dayna, on the night of her birthday)

So Mardi Gras season has started (both in New Orleans and at home); I'm so excited, you guys have no idea! The night before coming back to Tulane was spent at this really cool ball for one of the krewes in Lafayette, Krewe of Carnivale en Rio. It's a fairly new krewe modeled after the Carnivale celebration in Rio, so as you can imagine, the ball was very festive. My uncle was the king this year, so my family and I got all the "royalty perks" -- invitations to the pre-party, great seats, cool party favors, and a really fun time.
(On the right is a picture of me with some of the ladies in my family decked out in our dresses and beads at the Rio ball)

Here's what's new at Tulane: I've changed my major from Architecture to Communication (don't worry, I'm hanging onto Arch. as my minor!), I'm taking 19 hours of classes (I have a GREAT schedule... no class til 12 on MWF!), I'm going through sorority recruitment (weekend 1 is over... 3 more events to go), and I'm in a relationship (there's a picture of me with Spencer at the ΣAE fraternity date party on the left)... I'll keep you posted on all these things, don't worry!

Next week's post will be about the Sorority Recruitment process, so look for pictures and hopefully a very exciting announcement!