Pref Party week! I actually do remember what I wore this week because I put skirts on LOL. Monday night I wore my HS graduation dress which was a lavendar and blue plaid. Not exactly seasonal but this wasn't the sort of place where people showed up with their rush wardrobes in separate garment bags for each day.
The first party I went to on Monday was
Susie's Casuals. This was held in the same dorm rec room where their theme party had been held. It had a more serious tone and I do remember that they sang Pass It On (that had to happen in at least one place). I still liked these girls a lot and was still kind of amazed that they had invited me back - they seemed so much more poised and polished than me.
The second party was at
Reunion. They held it in the campus weekend dance space. They seemed a little unsure of what they were doing, which made sense since they were still a colony.
Tuesday night
Ups & Downs and
County Seat were holding their parties.
Ups & Downs was the first party of the night. This time the party was held in their dormitory suite. Sisters lived in a wing of the dorm and the study room at the end of the hall served as their chapter room. Once again
Cindy and
Kimberly made sure I was being showed around. Cindy took me on a suite tour and was pointing out different things that had to do with their philanthropy, sisterhood events etc...I liked it, but it just seemed like she was too gung ho - like EVERYTHING related back to
Ups & Downs and there was no life outside of it. (That is way more dramatic than I wanted it to be.) Eventually it was time for the preference ceremony. Each rushee was holding a candle and flanked by a sister and
Kimberly stood behind me. They sang a sorority song and then one of the sisters recited a poem about their sisterhood and most of the sisters were bawling by the end of it, along with some rushees. They then sang another song and started escorting us out.
Kimberly gave me my favor and told me to make a wish and gave me a hug. It was very powerful and moving and I had tears in my eyes too.
It was also VERY VERY HOT. I was wearing a tank top dress with Molly's thick shaker knit sweater over the top. There were approximately 80-85 girls in a not very large suite, in fall clothing, WITH CANDLES. Bleah!!!! I desperately wished there was a way to take a shower or at least stand in a freezer before the
County Seat pref, but no such luck!!!
I don't remember much about
County Seat's pref either, except I think the sisters were all dressed in white. It was held in the same classroom they held their theme party in. They had a hard act to follow - the pref parties obviously only occurred once so if anyone was coming from
Ups & Downs they probably couldn't help but compare the two.
Wednesday night
Foxmoor and
Ormond held their pref parties. Molly and I went over to the
Foxmoor house together but I could tell she was already anticipating
Ormond. I wore a pink and black rose print sweater (the other 80s girls will know exactly the kind of thing I am talking about) and my friend's black knit skirt. (This is another reason deferred rush is awesome. If I had had to completely wear my own clothes for rush I would have been up sh%^ creek.)
Foxmoor again held their party at their house. Everyone was in dressier clothes and the conversation was quieter but there was still that comfortable feeling. When it came time for the ceremony, all the rushees went downstairs while the sisters prepared the main room. We came upstairs to see candles and soft lighting - it looked beautiful. We were each given one of the sorority's jewels (a faux one of course) and told to take it up to the wishing well and make a wish. As we did so, they sang the sorority's hymn. I went up and placed it in the well - as in put my whole hand into the bowl so it didn't bounce. I didn't realize there was water in the bowl. Hahahaha. I don't think anyone noticed though. We were given roses and left the house quietly.
I wished Molly good luck at
Ormond and went back to the dorm. Rush was over for me, party-wise anyway, since the only group holding pref the next day was
Merry Go Round. Bid signing was on Friday morning. I had a whole day and then some to do nothing but think! Yay!