Openyoureyes.

Delta Gamma's philanthropy is Service for Sight, an organization that helps blind and visually impaired individuals. The other day, a fellow Deegee and I took a blind man named William to grocery shop at Walmart. I was pretty nervous, not knowing what to expect, but it turned out to be a really great experience. He just needed someones shoulder to hold on to while he was walking or the grocery cart and he was fine. We followed a list and helped pick out certain things he wanted and even laughed some along the way.

It was a really eye opening experience to see up close and personal how blindness affects a person. I couldn't even imagine how hard this man's life must be. Simple things like finding a certain textbook or grocery shopping, he can't do alone. But he didn't complain once. He was even making jokes and asking me to roll down the window because it was a beautiful day.

We can learn so much from people who are totally different from us. People should keep their eyes open to new things and their minds open to those who may not be just like us. It is more rewarding than I could have imagined.

Thanksgiving.

I cannot wait for Thanksgiving!!!!! Not only am a I ready for a break from classes, but I cannot wait to see my cousins and the rest of my family. Our gatherings are always so much fun. This will be the first Thanksgiving, or the first holiday period, where my parents are divorced. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm glad that we'll have a chance to spend it with each of them.

I haven't seen my cousin, Molly, who is practically my best friend, since June! It's going to be a glorious reunion! We are all getting together this Saturday, so I'll have a full week of leftovers, plus more food on Thursday. I cannot wait. This will be the longest I've been home since I left for school. All of my high school friends will be back in town too! Oh, it will just be glorious!!!!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, because we all celebrate together. Christmas is wonderful too, and after thanksgiving, we get to put up Christmas decorations...YAY!!!

Search.

Search is a retreat that I went to in June 2006. It's run by high school students for high school students, and I can truly say it has been the most amazing experience of my life. Without Search, I would not be who I am today, and I doubt who I would be would be very good. I found myself, my closest friends in the world, and most importantly, my faith at Search. After staffing my 4th retreat this summer, I didn't think I would be able to go back since I was going to be in college, and it was heartbreaking. I was so upset. I was afraid that I would lose all that I had found through Search, yet here I am staffing the upcoming December Search, and I couldnt be happier.
I'm going to give the commitment talk from a college perspective, and I'm really nervous. This talk and the fact that I'm going to be staffing have been making me think about my faith a lot lately. I have been so much happier in the past few days than I have been probably all semester, which is weird, because I have actually been going through a pretty rough time. God has held me in the palm of his hand, and I am so grateful. I hope that the retreat is amazing yet again and that my talk reflects what God is asking me to say. I hope I can keep this great feeling that I've been having for the rest of my college career, and hopefully even the rest of my life!

I feel home.

After being in college for a few months now, I have pretty much gotten used to the lifestyle-responsibilites, freedoms, etc. At first, I never wanted to go home, but the longer I stay away, the more I miss it! The last time I went home, I felt like a visitor, and it was such a weird feeling! Is it going to be like that from now on? Will I always feel like an outsider in my own home? Well, maybe not an outsider, but it wasn't the same as it used to be. I'm going home this weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing my brothers. They are 14 and 12, so it's weird to see how much they've changed since the last time I have gone home. Logan has shot up in heighth and his voice has changed!! Luke still looks the same, but he acts differently. They are changing so much, and I'm not there to notice it. As much as I miss home sometimes, when I go home, I miss here. It's hard to find the balance. They say home is where your heart is, and I think that is completely true. I have a home here at Southern and a real home back in Madison with my real family. I love them both and wouldn't trade them for the world.

Election

As the Presidential campaign winds to a close, most people have their mind made up on how they will vote. Whether their reasons be their party allegiance, the ideas of the candidate, or the color of the candidate's skin, almost everyone has decided which route they will go this coming Tuesday. I, on the other hand, have absolutely no clue who I want to vote for. I feel pressure from different ways telling me to vote for different people, but I don't think its fair to vote because of what other people tell you. I want to make my own informed decision. I haven't kept up with the election; therefore, I know nothing about the candidates except what I hear from others. I wish I had done things differently and actually watched the debates and followed the speeches, but I just always put it off. Now, there is no more time to put it off. I'm going to have to do some quick last minute research and evaluate my beliefs really fast to make sure that I make the right decision. People say that one vote doesn't count, but that is so untrue. If a million people were to say that their vote didn't count, then that could be the difference needed for the opposite candidate to win the presidency. We live in a country that allows us to choose our leaders, so we should take advantage of that at every opportunity!

Sisterhood week

This week is Delta Gamma's sisterhood week. Sisterhood week is the week before the new member initiation where the girls have to abstain from the 3 B's: booze, boys, and bars. I like the fact that we are taking a week off from 3 things that can be very distracting to a college student's life. I think that this week will be a good opportunity for us to all grow closer as sisters and to learn things about eachother that we have not been able to find out so far.

Some of the activities we are doing include dinner with a DG, a sisterhood retreat, a pledge class retreat, and some other random fun things together at the Delta Gamma house. This week is really exciting for me, because I can't wait to become an actual initiated member of DG. The sorority has already enriched my college experience is so many ways that I couldn't begin to explain. The friendships I have established in these few short months will last me a lifetime. After this weekend, Delta Gamma will be cemented into my life forever, and I am so ready to make that commitment.

peace out. Paige.