Everything I need to know...

Series Part II: Everything I need to know I learned from the U.S. Constitution.

My Constitutional law professor Dr. Steven Brown told our class something I doubt I'll ever forget. This class is absorbed with anything and everything 14th Amendment/equal protection/due process... You got it. Reading cases from Marbury v. Madison to Roe v. Wade to Planned Parenthood v. Casey to Stenberg v. Carhart is vital to understanding where America stands on this issue. Having an opinion is one thing, but if you can't back it up, does it matter? Our class depends on discussion, but the discussion depends on educated responses... That's why Dr. Brown so eloquently told us,

"Not everything true is useful."

Moral: Think before I talk... Does what I say benefit anyone else? Does it have to benefit anyone else?

live in love,

grace

Celeb twin

Sooo which celeb do you look like??

Saved-by-the-Bell sweetheart Tiffani is pretty legit.

I also got Snoop Dog and Ron Howard. Is that some kind of sick joke? Not too funny...

Third times a charm... Candlelight magic

Sooo we sorority ladies have a special way to celebrate engagements inside our sororities. It might be cheesy or highly glamorized by pop-culture and Greek-the silly show with a solo cup as its graphic-but it's no less special for us classy Southern sorority gals.

It's a candlelight.

The tradition has changed its image and meaning through the years, but the excitement of mentioning it still brings tears to giddy girl's eyes. News of a candlelight makes girls run down the halls screaming, place bets on the lucky girl and sit anxiously through all of chapter until it's time at the end to start the tradition.

At some schools, this started with a pinning, lavaliere or engagement. The sorority girls circle up and pass around a flower arrangement with a long-stemmed candle in the middle.

The trick as in anything sorority related: secrecy!

Unless you can tell by the blush on her cheeks, no one knows who the candlelight is for until she blows the light out on the THIRD round. Once blown, everyone yells, claps and gathers around for her to tell the engagement story...

Today, Auburn sororities usually practice candlelights for engagements only.

In some schools and while my mother was in Auburn, sororities have a candlelight if you start dating a fraternity guy, and he pins you with his fraternity letters. Candlelights can also be called if a girl is lavaliered-fraternity boy gives girl a necklace with greek letters, another form of pinning. It's considered a sign that he's ready to be exclusive and more serious about the relationship... pre-engagement, if you will.

In this blog's particular love story, I have had two best friends/roomies have candlelights this year. Actually, they have been the only candlelights Alpha Delta Pi has had this year.

The first was Brittany Tucker. Both Gump-town natives, she and Mark have been dating since around 9th grade... Want to tell her she's getting married young? She has been committed to Mark longer than most people in blog world have been married or dream of staying married.

The second was Katie Watson soon-to-be Anderson. Jordan Anderson... gosh, that names sounds familiar. O yes, he's the RHODES SCHOLAR. The two have been dating for one year officially, but honestly, he's been in love with her for a respectable amount of time. They will be married Sept. 4, and then it's off to England! How blessed? They start their marriage together studying, traveling and learning about life and love allll by themselves in EUROPA.

I wanted to show some curious souls the delight of a candlelight... Not ABC's version, but real girls sharing their special engagements with sorority sista friends.

"I get to marry Mark Bethea!" -Brittany soon-to-be Tucker

Roomies aka 36 Mafia

ADPi seniors...

New semester, new guy and gal, but same routine... This is Katie and I after HER special surprise!

36 ladies are becoming pros at this. The Alpha Chis even took a pic throwing up the diamond while hiding in our kitchen waiting for the big moment.

Goooood job Jordan...

"AU concrete jungle where dreams are made of... "

Tiger Walk welcomes TOP recruits to our amazing family... WDE!

http://www.wareagleextra.blogspot.com/

Thanks Andy Bitter for the update...

CAMERON NEWTON, MICHAEL DYER and I welcome these to name a few of the 28:

Joel Bonomolo- DE

Corey Lemonier- DE

Trovon Reed- ATH

Roszel Gayden- OL

Kenneth Carter- DT

Ed Christian- OL

Steven Clark- K

Shon Coleman- OL

Jessel Curry- LB

Chris Davis- ATH

Justin Delaine- DE

The flower SOLE train...

For Kelli's bridesmaid luncheon, my uber-creative mother and I, her mere shadow, decorated these wire shoes as table decorations.

Thanks Kathy G.'s for the perfect venue at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

"Whimsical" was our theme... Mission accomplished.

Feel free to copy and paste our whimsical theme at your own partays...

What you'll need...

base: wire shoe, purse, etc

colored ribbons of all sizes, styles and fabrics

moss

Green Vinyl Tie Tape

Oasis Floral Foam

FlOwErS: roses, carnations, gerber daisies, pom pom mums, snaps and lilies

We started with the simple wire shoes.

I wove ribbons through the wire starting at the toes and ending with a blushing bow at the heel.

Next, Tom Thumbelina and I filled the shoes with the moss and Oasis Floral Foam.

After the Oasis is fixed in place, use the green vinyl tape to secure it in the shoe's soul... or sole.

Last, but not least... We arranged the flowers into the Oasis.

Bride-to-be Kelli, the KWO charm cake from Olexa's in Mountain Brook Village and her Anthony-designed, whimsical-inspired shoe...

live in love,

grace

With this speech... I thee give you away

Soo... Some of my friends have asked me what I said during my speech at my best friend's wedding rehearsal dinner. Here it is.

Hit it maestro: So I figured the last person in the world to stand up and give any kind of romantic advice that would actually benefit anyone including you two is me… Honestly, I’m OK with that because that’s what mommys, daddys, grandmothers and grandfathers are for. Looking at the excellent example of love from your own parents is proof enough that romantic love does last.

But I am going to stick with the only kind of love I know. It’s not necessarily always neat and pretty. It is rarely fairytale, but every princess has to start somewhere and she usually starts with this first.

I am talking about the love of a best friend. The love that comes from days spent jumping on the trampoline doing the … and peeing our pants laughing so hard. Love that comes from so many Little Debbie Zebra Cakes it makes my metabolism shudder as I speak. Love that comes from birthday parties spent riding together, skating together, sitting together, spending the night together- you get the picture- we were inseparable. Love that comes from a strong, confident 7^th-grade best friend who will always sacrifice her hott dance partner to get me out of the girl’s locker room and find some poor soul to dance with me (I’m being nice to myself because that happened until freshmen-year homecoming). I always knew they would only dance with me because maybe Kelli would dance with them next… Love that comes from laughter and good times, and love that's overwhelmingly mutual.

But it wouldn’t be love without the hard times too. So I hope you never have to, but understand you inevitably will face love that comes only from the humblest of circumstances and most broken of hearts. Love that unselfishly comforts one when she doesn’t make the dance team despite that the other did. Love that comes from disappointment by a midnight phone call with a pitiful excuse of why he changed his mind resulting in a sweet, broken-hearted girl fallen on my doorstep, who only my dad can pick up and carry to my room.

Jay, at the time of heartbreak and myworldisover, I didn’t understand why.

Looking at you two now, and your commitment to Kelli, I never have to question whether you’ll change your mind. You’re here to stay like a true friend. If I had truly wanted to, I couldn’t have designed someone using a paint by numbers kit more fit for Kelli… You’re not perfect. You’re her compliment.

So new best friend, I have advice: Embrace one of Kelli’s most admirable qualities, and the quality I have found most precious: loyalty. Since 1^st grade, her loyalty has only strengthened. Even when it hurts her, she’ll stick by your side and defend you. It works well for you because she’s rarely wrong, but she’ll even defend you if you both know what you’re doing or saying is absolutely wrong.

Now, I’m going to read this letter I wrote at the end of 8^th grade for this very day:

Kelli, You are and have been since 1^st grade my other half. I have always been terrified of this day because it ends with me giving you to someone else to complete him and be his better half. You’ll clean his room and make him sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles. You’ll make him the happiest person alive because he’s whole now. I am still so scared and anxious, not for myself, but for you! You’re going to really do this (like sleep in a bed with a boy)! But your maturity has yet to let me down, and I’m excited for us both to learn through this.

Fill in the Blank.. JAY, I can’t think of a better friend or man I’d rather give my other half too (and the better half at that). Remember, you don’t deserve love and neither do I, but we have a Father who has graciously given love to us with one requirement: we give it back. So, all I ask is that you love her with the love that never fails and forgives even though we know she’ll never do anything worth needing forgiveness.

I am a little embarrassed to admit it, but I’m so jealous. I’m jealous of you Jay because you now get my best friend as yours. Love her despite and inspite of yourself. But I trust you because she wouldn’t keep you if you weren’t worth it…

When you get frustrated or she gets frustrated, remember she has that old best friend who loved her first but gladly gave her to you as your best friend.

I now toast to the love of youth and mine and Kelli’s fairytale: the love of best friends.

Then we CHEERed!

Save the date... though Hallmark won't let you forget

Happy early Valentine's Day... You shall hear my six pence (none the richer) soon enough.

If the draw-dropping list of talented actors in this movie wasn't enough... and when has Julia Roberts or Bradley Cooper not been enough... You were probably laughing out loud at the other half of the 1:31 trailer.

If you weren't, get a Zoloft and book your Fandango ticket now for this movie because I'm convinced it'll cheer you right up.

Since the first Valentine's Day was celebrated, commercial America, Hallmark cards and Beanie Babies have nobly tried to season the other half of the crowd, the single crowd, with sugar and spice appropriate for this bittersweet holiday.

They try to make us fat with chocolates, sentimental with George Straight and Seal songs or hopeful with Father of the Bride marathons...

The best is when Hollywood succeeds at making all the single ladies and gents waiting to get a ring on it appreciate our season of singleness. (Thankfully, it's not Hollywood's job to make us thankful for this God-ordained time, but I am nonetheless grateful when Hollywood throws me a bone)

Best contribution on this day: laughter.

When laughing, Beyonce's crowd isn't excluded but included on this blissful February 14. Excluded is the way I feel having to watch the train-wreck effect of two young lovers making out on my charming walking campus... Stop that by the way.

I strongly dislike when people refer to Valentine's Day as Single's Awareness Day. It makes them sound bitter, and who is attracted to bitter people? Well, probably other bitter people, which is just an ugly cycle.

Back to our Valentine's Day plans... laughing.

Since when did dinner and a movie become roped off as couples only? We could all do it together. Come on. It'll be fun. We'll sneak a box of Hot Tamales and a Dasani into the theater and laugh the night away.

The single's crew is revamping V. Day this year.

Depending on which work out video you got yourself for Christmas- Pussy Cat Dolls, Dancing with the Stars' ABs or any of the Wii Fit options- we should be looking toned by Feb. 14, 2010. It'll be more than a month after we made resolutions to loose # pounds, run once a week and skip the fries at Chick-fil-A. We will be in good spirits with the amount of successful relationships eHarmony is cranking out, and we have a reason to laugh.

This Valentine's Day, I echo John Mayer... I'm perfectly lonely, and I'm laughing loudly.

live in love,
grace