[Lovethesand]

The weather in lovely Oklahoma was stifling, sauna like, hot as you know what during recruitment. My overheated mind started wandering to cooler weather and the ocean breeze. I remembered growing up near the beach, wearing a bikini in public (the thought of that now - horror!), the sand between my toes, the ocean breeze, the warmth of the sun. And not the sun that could fry an egg on the sidewalk. With those fuzzy memories buzzing around my head, I felt a beach themed recruitment story (and maybe a stiff drink or two) was just what an empty nester mom needed.

A little background on my snowflake Debbie: a solid student who met the minimum GPA for Panhellenic but not a 3.5; a very good athlete (varsity, competitive travel sports), leadership roles in student body, and involved in extracurricular activities, no history of Greek affiliations in her family, and OOS (not one of the surrounding states). Debbie had no preconceived notions about any houses and was the epitome of an open mind. At some times I think her mind was a blank slate and I'm not sure if that was good or bad.

I've been reading GC for a few months and realize recs are necessary even if the school’s Greek Life said they weren’t. Why do they say that? I digress. So my Debbie has recs for every house, her social media's been cleaned up and private for months, her outfits are ready, and she's as ready as she can be.

Debbie's school doesn't make the Super Competitive thread list. Supposedly it's not even the most competitive recruitment in the state. Looking back, it definitely felt competitive to Debbie (and me vicariously). The dictionary defines bedlam as a place or situation of noisy uproar and confusion. Yep, that would be Debbie's recruitment at times.

So Bedlam Recruitment starts right after I say goodbye. Let me tell you she was a rock while I was a marshmallow. I really wanted to be strong for her but I failed miserably as I said goodbye to my one and only. She gave me a hug, had some tears in her eyes, told me she loved me, and walked away. I got into the rental car, drove to the local Super Wal-mart to return some items, and bawled like a baby in the parking lot. I apologize to the young man helping me with my return who had to deal with a very emotional 40+ year old woman. Not one of my better days.