My Last Undergrad Semester/Sorority Goodbyes/Formal

We're finally here.  We made it.  

My last semester of my undergraduate career.  

I graduate in 5 days.....

I may be going crazy.

I have been in school since I was four years old.  That's 18 years of education.  As my last semester comes to a close, I am left with so many feelings.  The first: relief.  I am quite done with school.  My whole life has been filled with lectures and exams.  & as so many of my peers are feeling, I too am battling senioritis.  All of the extra assignments my professors throw at me seem like literal attacks.  This semester has been one of my most challenging.  I honestly thought last semester was my most difficult, but I was wrong.  Spring 2014 has been very difficult and trying.  

I am also feeling quite a bit of sadness.  This was not just my last undergrad semester, but also my last semester as an active sister in Iota Delta Sorority.  I love my sorority and will miss seeing all of my sisters several times a week.  I am very glad that I can come back as an alum and still be part of the sisterhood.  I received two littles and a grandlittle this semester.  I am most sad about having to leave them before knowing them well.  I do feel very fortunate to be so close to them geographically and I know that I will see them often.

Here is a picture of my beloved Tiny Family, at our last ritual. 

Starting at the top right and moving clock-wise is my Big Alex, Auntie Jess, Grandlittle Karla, Little Carina, and myself.

 Only one of my littles was present for this.

Starting from the bottom and working up, my grandbig Ann, Big Alex, myself, Littles Carina and Alma, and grandlittle Karla. [My first little was not present].

5 Generations of perfection, after our Greek "Graduation"

My Big and I posing with our graduation caps.

Class of 2014♥.

This semester we also had our 26th annual Founder's Day Formal.  My big was in charge of last year's so we had very high expectations.

Our theme was 1920's Gatsby, and it lived up to it's name.

Here is a picture of my boyfriend Dave and I on the way to the hotel. ♥

A picture of my big and I posing in one of the mirror's in the bathroom.

I am including this picture to show her adoration for me!♥

& That's why we won Big and Little of the year, 2014!  We honestly really were hoping for this award. Her and I are completely inseparable.  We truly are a perfect match.  In our short time together, we have been through so many things, good and bad.  All of these things have helped us to become super close and thick as thieves. ♥

Our formal chair is also in charge of making senior pillows for those graduating.  Mine was spelled wrong, but is beautiful and actually goes with my bedding perfect!

Here is a picture of my first Little [or O.G. Little, as she's come to be known] at formal.  The even took place at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach, California.  The venue was beautiful!  My dress was from a pin-up shop and was 1940-1950's style.  I did my hair in 1940's style victory rolls, and paired it with a handmade feather head piece and headband, in 1920's style.  Even though most of my outfit was not theme-perfect, I received a lot of compliments for dressing "to the theme".

This semester has been amazing.  No doubt I will be posting many more blogs about it.  Even though it has been so stressful, I know that my Bachelor's in Business Administration will make it all be worth it.♥

♥Riley

P.S. HUUUGE Congratulations to my biological younger sister who is graduating later today from High School!

Engagement News!

My best friend is getting married!! 

Hayah, that is. 

Here we are at our "engagement shoot", after she had told me her amazing news!

If you read my blog, you know that I talk about her constantly.  She's my best friend of 12 years, and we're inseparable.  

I knew that there was talk about her getting married, but I was still so surprised to learn that she was engaged.  It seemed to come out of nowhere.  

Before I go on, I just want to say that the lucky guy is an amazing kid who I know will make her happy in life.  He's sweet and kind and pretty much a male Hayah.  

They had known each other for years before their announcement.  Their families have always been good friends and gotten along well.  It really only made sense that they would become family themselves. 

It's so exciting to see her life unfolding before me.  We've been there for each other in thick and thin for everything. See, the thing is, we've never really had bad patches. We've never been fair-weather friends.  We don't only call each other for the bad, or for the good either.  Our friendship is life-encompassing.  

Her engagement party was amazing.  It was a traditional Muslim affair, and it was beautiful.  It was intimate, with only family and some friends invited. [The wedding will be packed, however.]

Hayah and I, on her engagement day. ♥ [I love borrowing her clothes!]

Cute little table decorations outside, where the kids sat!

This picture is a little blurry, but I love all the flowers on her! This also shows her mehndi [or, henna] and her new shiny engagement ring!

Treats I made for the event! Mickey and Minnie Mouse chocolate dipped oreos!

The best girls I know, or the self-deemed "Bridesmaids"! :]

They had these adorable boxes of treats made up with their names on the ribbon!

Her BEAUTIFUL engagement ring that I just had to steal to take a picture of.

It was a very sweet ceremony, and we have hundreds of thousands of pictures to remember it by! 

I don't really feel comfortable posting pictures of people without their approval, so that's it for now! But isn't it just the sweetest?

Update: I now have approval to post some more pictures, this time with the groom-to-be, as well! 

Hayah's house was done up beautifully for the event, with lights, curtains, chairs, rugs, tents, you name it!

All of the pictures captured are sooo cute.  It's hard to have them be anything else with how adorable they are!

All the girls got ready together. I can't post pictures of that, but here was my  look!

Gal-pals, the bride, and the groom!

I feel the need to tell you all that this photo was staged! We forced them to reenact the proposal so that we could film it. They've already thanked us for making them do this!

They're currently hoping for a December wedding, and I cannot wait.  More opportunities to wear shalwar kameez? I'm in! 

♥Riley 

P.S. If you're reading this Hayah, sorry if it was awkward! LOL

Life Update!

One of the reasons I was gone so long from posting was that my sorority had our summer retreat.  We did all kinds of activities that promoted bonding and getting to know each other even better.  It took place over a weekend at a sister's house.  We spent the night each night and we were far enough from school that we stayed there but not too far so that we didn't mind driving there.  It was really nice to see everyone there and catch up.  It was a bit overwhelming though.  My sister's are so loud! But we had a ton of fun! :]

With summer retreat brought the realization that school is really almost here.  It's the 23rd today and school starts the 26th.  Back to school time brings up a lot of feelings for me.  Mainly, anxiety.  I have always been a very nervous person.  I was an extremely anxious child.  I'm hoping that the anxiety will decrease a bit with the fact that I only have 3 days of school this semester.  Another much more confusing feeling is the one I got when I realized that this is my last year in school. Ever.  [If I don't go for my Master's, which won't be for a while anyways.]  I don't know how to be anything other than a student.  That sounds kind of silly, but I really don't.  My family kind of discouraged me from getting a job until I finished school. [So I didn't get any experience, and now it's harder to find a job, but oh well.]  

I am also excited.  I've always loved back to school season.  The back to school clothes and supply shopping, the choosing of classes, seeing friends again.  I am very excited to see all of my friends again, but the truth is, I really am sad to see summer go.  My summer was two and a half months long and I wouldn't mind if they made is a little longer.  My classes this semester seem easy enough, and I know I have sisters in at least a couple of them.  

I am really excited to spend time this year with my best friends, sorority big sister, and sorority little sister.& of course my blood sister, but it's much easier to see her!  

My best friend Hayah and I need to spend as much time as possible this year. & every year! She keeps me sane.  She knows me.  We do the funnest things together.  She's my Disneyland pal!  A year ago we worked out our schedules so that we could go to Disneyland 3 times a week! [We don't live that close to it either!]  This year she's transferred to another school, so it'll be a little more difficult to go now, as we are on opposite sides of the park.  

I've mentioned it before, but Hayah is Muslim.  I only bring this up because it brings up the idea of marriage.  I know that she will be getting married soon and that I also want to get married in the near future.  This doesn't mean that we won't see each other, it just means that things will be different [hopefully for the better!] Her and my boyfriend Dave get along really well and we all spend time together often.  I know that we need to make the most of this time and spend as much of it together as possible! ♥

I also can't wait to spend time with my big sis Alex!  [It's very weird for me to call her by her first name!!]  Even though she is my "big" sis, I am older than her.  But I'm a year behind in college, so we're both graduating in Spring of 2014.  We've had almost a year together now as Big and Little.  I always have so much fun with her.  We're very different but we also have a ton in common.  She is so accepting and never holds anything against me. We can talk about anything and know that it won't be shared with anyone it shouldn't be.  

My Big is going to be less involved in campus life this semester and I'm super excited about it.  Senior year is stressful enough as it is without having positions in sorority and the campus activities board [aka she ran the school lol], which is what her Junior year was like.  With all of her newly opened time we're going to spend loads of time together! :] She also has a Disneyland pass! So we'll be going there a lot this semester.  ♥

Aaaand finally my Little.  Last semester I got a little sister in sorority and I'm too excited about it still.  I semi-stalk her.  But in a loving way I promise!  I won't get to see her this semester at all, at least not in person.  She's studying abroad in England.  I'm extremely excited for her!! But I'm sad to see her leave so early into our relationship.  The bright side: It's only for one semester! I'll get to spend a bunch of time with her in January term and Spring term next year!

Just thought I'd update you guys a little into what is going on in my life right now!
♥ Riley



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