We were so happy for her that we almost jumped up and down on the marital bed; eight long weeks of pledging, and she had reached her goal and survived.

The next day she called at noon. “Okay, I’m going to a birthday party now, I am freaking out with happiness, but this has been the most nerve-wracking experience in my whole life.” I said, “So the rest of college should be a breeze now, right?” and she said, it will.

Here is something that boggles my mind: Alexandra and I each had a goal, a dream, for the last few months. She wanted to receive her bid, pledge, survive hell week, and get into the sorority she had chosen last summer. My dream was to publish a book before I die. I was working on my sixth manuscript, a Young Adult paranormal novel titled Immortal Link. I felt in my gut that this would be the one that would make it. The writing, proof reading, rewriting, editing, waiting, changing things, querying agents, finally deciding to self-publish, creating the cover (with my daughter’s hand reaching for the indestructible, ghostly handprint of Alexander Campbell in cell #17 of the Old Jail in Jim Thorpe, PA), all these things consumed me since March of last year.

On Saturday, a friend helped me finish the cover on her laptop at our monthly writers’ group meeting, and I submitted the pdf files for the text and cover to CreateSpace which is connected to Amazon.com. The format got accepted a few hours later and I ordered my proof early Sunday morning.

Alexandra and I reached our goals on the very same day…

Do they like care packages or is it exaggerated?

Wednesday, April 13, 2011: Al,

Thanks for the picture last night, I saw it this morning.  So you have your letters and your shirt, when is the pin supposed to arrive?

How was it last evening, what kind of rituals and celebrating did you do?

Congratulation on your accomplishment, now please go back to prepare for your classes and finals coming up. You’ll be done in less than a month, wow.

Also, please decide what places you want to apply to for a job.

When shall I get you on Friday? Mom

shirt and letters are the same thing...my big got me to sets of letters and a bag with the letters on them as well =]
the rituals are secretive but it was really nice and very professional then we took a ton of pictures and got gifts
i'm doing a campus clean up in the morning so i guess u can get me at like 2 on friday?

okiess =]

Her sorority got awarded highest GPA!

From our text messages on Wednesday, April 27, 2011:

I got ur care package J (Alexandra)

Cool! Is it good? (Mom)

Yeah, it’s delicious! (Al)

Did others get one? (Mom)

Yeah, a lot of ppl got them. (Al)

Her university sent out a letter to parents (every semester) to select a care package for their student for finals. They’re around $25 and there is a lot of stuff in them, so we ordered her one. Obviously it was a good thing to do.

Hell to pay to get in

Thursday, April 07, 2011: okay
i just ordered my pin for xyz...that should be safe right cuz it went through an official website? Anyways it came to exactly $200 BUT it looks really nice and professional so yay! anyways i'll see you next week cuz im not coming home this weekend

Friday, April 8^th 2011: What’s up? What did you do last night and how is everyhing going? Is it doable? Is pledging almost over? I transferred the money. Talk to me, Mom

yeah, pledging is fine its not bad or anything
saturday is the test and we all have get a 100 or we keep going with pledging so we are studying really hard cuz none of us want to pledge anymore cuz it’s like the hardest thing ever cuz everything has to be perfect soo if we dont all cross on saturday and we have to go another week i'm gonna lose it lol

if we dont do good on saturdays test that means we dont cross on tuesday and we go another week so it can be as beautiful as it wants to be outside and ill still hate everything so keep your fingers crossed that we cross!

I sent her a text message in the morning saying that Oma (her grandmother in Germany) lit a blessed candle for her and will keep it on all day. “Cool,” Alexandra texted back. All day Saturday, I was nervous and awaited the test results from her. After my writers’ group meeting in the late afternoon and no word from Alexandra I finally texted her:

?

She answered: What? The test is tonight and into the morning.

I texted back: Into the morning?!

She: Yup its all night u can come visit me at the looney bin cuz that’s where I’m gonna end up after all this is over.

A few hours later: Don’t text me, it has started.

I lit a blessed candle from Lourdes, France, and prayed a double prayer. Then hubby and I watched a movie with Russell Crowe, “The Next Three Days.” We couldn’t really enjoy it, being so nervous about how she and her group would do. At exactly midnight, just as we climbed into bed, my cell phone buzzed.

This is her text message from Sunday, April 10, 12:01 AM: We crossed!!! Don’t call me ill call u tomorrow.

We were so happy for her that we almost jumped up and down on the marital bed; eight long weeks of pledging, and she had reached her goal and survived.

The next day she called at noon. “Okay, I’m going to a birthday party now, I am freaking out with happiness, but this has been the most nerve-wracking experience in my whole life.” I said, “So the rest of college should be a breeze now, right?” and she said, it will.

Here is something that boggles my mind: Alexandra and I each had a goal, a dream, for the last few months. She wanted to receive her bid, pledge, survive the final week of pledging, and get into the sorority she had chosen last summer. My dream was to publish a book before I die. I was working on my sixth manuscript, a Young Adult paranormal novel titled Immortal Link. I felt in my gut that this would be the one that would make it. The writing, proof reading, rewriting, editing, waiting, changing things, querying agents, finally deciding to self-publish, creating the cover (with my daughter’s hand reaching for the indestructible, ghostly handprint of Alexander Campbell in cell #17 of the Old Jail in Jim Thorpe, PA), all these things consumed me since March of last year.

On Saturday, a friend helped me finish the cover on her laptop at our monthly writers’ group meeting, and I submitted the pdf files for the text and cover to CreateSpace which is connected to Amazon.com. The format got accepted a few hours later and I ordered my proof early Sunday morning.

Alexandra and I reached our goals on the very same day…

No contact for one week!

Thu, 31 Mar 2011: (Notice how the days pass without a word from her) Alexandra,

What have you been doing all week? Are you coming home this weekend? Mom

i've been super busy cuz we r almost done pledging sooo
i am coming home this weekend but i have to make an apetizer for alumni dinner which is on sunday at 4....no ur not allowed to come, family dinner is in the fall and u can come to that lol so i have to be back on sunday pretty early
i'm prob not gonna come home next weekend cuz its "hell week" nothing bad but we have like scavenger hunts and other stuff to do on thursday friday and sat and then there is no point coming home for just sunday and then hopefully i'll cross not this coming tuesday but the one after that so anyways i have my sleepover tonight after our meeting which is good cuz i dont have class on friday so i can just sleep and then do hw and then be ready for when u come get me
soooo thats it for now
bye! =]

Greek Life in College, better than we thought

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

pledging is fine we're almost done i got my big sister yesterday!!! :D
nd thats good i hope grandpa gets to go home soon

She told me before she returned to campus on Sunday that she signed up for helping at her school’s Open House next Saturday, which means she will stay on campus for the weekend. So far I haven’t heard from her, but assume she’s not coming home. My father is doing better and is being released from the hospital today. I might fly home this May instead of for my parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary next year in July. He might not be around then. I am trying to stay here long enough so I can finish my semester, because if I just miss one class, I am lost. Missing two classes would be the end for my course (English Composition 121).

Alexandra worked at her school’s Open House on Saturday, so I picked her up afterwards. Her first words were: Mom, by the way, I changed my major. To Communications. I said, “Praise the Lord.” Really, I am glad, because Marine Biology includes so much math, chemistry and physics, she would have been overwhelmed and frustrated. Now she has much easier math ahead of her and courses she can do, like public speaking, which is no problem for her. She spoke to rooms full of people during her years as a Girl Scout and since she was seven years old, she danced in front of hundreds of people, in shows and competitions. I am really relieved, because Communications is a broader and more versatile field, and easier for her. She is not all that into studying, thankfully she has great memory and social skills which hopefully will bring her far in life.

She got her big sister in her sorority and is so excited about belonging to that sisterhood. Whether sororities and fraternities are negative or positive, this is how I look at it: Before she even started college she researched the Greek organizations on her future campus and talked to people in different sororities. During “Meet the Greeks” she already knew exactly which group she wanted to apply to. She went to every one of their meetings, made friends during her first weeks on campus, and when the night of the bidding came, she received her bid. It was a huge deal. Out of 15 applicants, she was one of 4 freshmen who received a bid, a guaranteed spot for the next semester. She called us at 1 in the morning, exhilarated that she just got the call and was accepted. So, she decided what she wanted, showed her face at all the meetings, made friends, succeeded in being accepted, went through the pledging process, and reached her goal. Her sorority is involved in community service, they tutor each other because you need to have a good GPA to stay in it, and during the six weeks of pledging, there was no partying and alcohol allowed what so ever. Doesn’t this sound great to us parents? And for the fact that sororities and fraternities do nothing but party… if kids in college want to party, they will, whether it’s with a Greek organization or on their own. I trust that she made a good choice and picked a good sorority, not the ones you hear bad news about. She did all the research herself and reached her goal, and I am proud of her.

Meeting her new roommate

Monday, January 17, 2011: The second semester is underway. Alexandra is back on campus since yesterday and the house feels empty and sad. We got used to having her home again for one month, and she was great. She actually spent time with us. We watched movies together, she hung out with us, not just her high school friends, and she was really nice and helpful around the house. Since the time she was a teenager, this is the first time that I feel like I’m having my “little girl” back. Let’s hope the new semester is less dramatic. Here we go…

Hey Alex,

how was your first day and night?

What did you discuss at the floor meeting? How are your other floor mates?

Please try to find as many used books and maybe art supplies as you can. Maybe you meet kids who had some of your courses last semester and you can get it cheap from them? Also announce your books and the recorder for sale or trade or whatever.

How is Frannie? Does she snore? Is she bossy? Did you figure out where to put the TV?

How loud is it at night, did you get any sleep?

Just tell me what your general feeling is about your new roommate. If she asks you if it bothers you when she brings in her girlfriend overnight, don't say ‘it's okay’ right away, tell her you don't know yet and will have to see how that works out.

What are you all doing today? I am home, so call or write anytime. Love, Mom

heyyy
last night was good i really like my new suitemates...Fran didnt sleep here last night idk where she was and shes still not here but she was here for a while last night and she seems nice so i have a pretty good feeling about this room. i had lunch with Meghann and now im going with Tina and Josy to target just to get notebooks and folders and they have some art supplies there for cheap so yay! my floor meeting got cancelled till today so ill let you know =]

I was just outside walking Max and then we played soccer in the snow and he looked like a snow puppy. He keeps lying by your bedroom door, waiting for you. I told him you're back in school and that's life, but I do take time to play with him in the snow and walk him across the fields.

I'm sooo glad to get a good report from you, I pray all the time that you will have the best college experience possible. Dorming, pledging, sorority, frat parties to some degree, not too wild I hope, getting good grades, meeting a bunch of new people, problem solving, all this will be part of your life experience and the person you become. Make the best of it, because when you look back many years later, it might very well have been the best time of your life.

Did you figure out on which side to hook up the TV?

I just created my account on CreateSpace, the self-publishing print-on-demand site through Amazon, now I need to wait for my manuscript to come back from the editor I hired in Wisconsin, make the corrections, format it, and change it into a pdf file. Kathy will help me with the cover on Adobe Photoshop.

ttyl, Mom

i put the tv on my desk for now
we went to target but couldnt find any art supplies but i got folders and note books, and some soup lol
i need magazines for my art class so save them please ill get them this weekend
i miss max soo much!
anyways im going to dinner soon and then watch greek so ttyl!