The Monster Mash: A Halloween Party

The Monster Mash Halloween Party was a blast! I decided to dress up as Ka-Mario, and my little (Kaitlin) dressed up as Ka-Luigi. Together we were the Ka-Mario Sisters! We also got a few friends to dress up as Toad and Waluigi. We actually ended up winning the best dressed couple’s costume!

There was lots of dancing, treats, and games! I would like to thank Kristen Santa Maria and the Halloween Committee for planning such an awesome party! Everyone who came loved it! 

All Things TBS, Kaitlin Style or MLITB

So, I promised a post about this a while back ( a long while back) and I don't think I ever provided.

Well, here it is.

I am a proud member of Tau Beta Sigma, Theta Eta chapter. We are a band service sorority. My sisters are girls that are passionate about music, leadership and service. Together, we make wonderful things happen. We plan and carry out fundraisers and events for the band, as well as bond with each other and make lifetime friendships.

As with other sororities, we have "bigs" and "littles." My big is one of the most fantastic people I know. Her name is Kamari and she is always there for me. With or without a delicious beverage from Jamba Juice, she's always around when I need her to listen to me complain or just be ridiculous. She goes out of her way to make sure that my life is well. She is an extraordinary example to me.

Sarah Ruby "Honette" Keene

I have tried to start this blog several times since it became my turn back in May, but I never finished a draft.  I have decided that there are two reasons for this: 1.) I don't want to feel like my year is over.  2.) I am not capable of using words to wrap up how I feel about TBS - about my sisters, my growth in the chapter, and my wonderful year as Theta Eta's president.

So I have decided to get over the fact that I can likely only get half of what I feel across in writing.  I am going to write it all out in the next half hour (before work) and let it be what it is.

To address my first concern (not wanting my year to be over):  I am leaving my term as president, but am lucky enough to have another year to be a part of the chapter.  AND I am leaving my position to my wonderful, beautiful, talented friend and roommate, Marie.  Sometimes she says she feels nervous or inadequate, but I know she is going to do wonders - and will take the chapter even further (as it always should be).  She's a very fast learner and almost always excels at what she does.  And I only said "almost always" to pretend that she is still a human.  Because I can't think of anything she doesn't excel in... and I don't want to start thinking that I am living with some kind of mutant or government experiment.

The exec council is so wonderful.  I KNOW they will all do wonders for our chapter in their respective positions.   Betsy is from my class and I am excited for her to start her first semester in exec council.  Secretaries are so freakin special, so never take them for granted!  I still wake up sometimes feeling the need to buy Sherrie Lynn presents.  Kamari..... gosh, she's been a leading force in our chapter since the beginning.  I am so excited to see what she brings to the table as VP/SP.  Rachel is so beautiful and fun to be around/work with - and she is clearly very responsible.  I mean... she was a Freshman last year.  I wouldn't have been able to tell if it hadn't been common knowledge.   Such a detail-oriented job.  Only for the most responsible people with great smiles. :)  

KRISTEN!  I am biased; she IS my little.  I love this girl.  She is so...... gosh darn talented.  Everything she applies herself to ends up being jaw-droppingly awesome.  Her artwork is not only good - it's PROFESSIONAL good.  And she marches like none other.  I wish she knew exactly how talented she was.  I mean... this girl can do anything she wants to.  Anything.  And she's so creative.  Historian is a great position for her.  Who else can fill the shoes of Jessie?

I am afraid of writing too much...  You know what my favorite feeling was at the close of last year?  When I watched the sisters of Theta Eta at state days and felt so proud of all of them.  Seeing first year girls reach out and participate - and hearing their wonderful ideas in meetings and seeing them volunteer gladly to serve.  I love them all so much.  I thought I'd leave my year as president feeling good about what I did.  Instead, I ended up  feeling proud that I was able to use my strengths to serve those wonderful girls every day.  And it felt much better than just being proud of myself. :)

Think about what USU bands would be like without Theta Eta! I don't mean imagine the band without apples or water.... Think of what we have come to represent and the influence we have on the overall attitude in our band department.  How many people in band willingly volunteer their service - and without ever expecting any reward?  All the faces I think of are our sisters (and KKY brothers).  Our example positively impacts the entire department.  Dr. Rohrer wouldn’t put it in writing if it weren’t true (Tri-State memos).   Remember that this year. :)

This year I am not in exec and I am not a committee head.  I haven't been without a position since my very first semester and I think I will actually end up having to work harder than ever before.  This year, I am going to focus on being a good sister.  I am going to work on my biggest weakness: my ability to open myself up completely to others.  I often love from a distance.  But I am going in hoping to really form that bond that I talk about so often.  That's why my role model this year is Jessie.  What I can hardly imagine doing comes naturally to her.  She is the kind of sister who is always there for everyone.  She was the glue that held us together as a family last year as I focused more on the organizational aspects and functions.  I want to be part of the glue this year.  Heaven knows I love everyone enough.   I just need to know how to SHOW them.  I'm going to spend this last year before graduation learning how to do that.

"We're Sisters in the bond.  When we're together, we are one. Our bond is strong."

Thank you, Theta Eta, for being there for me when I was a scared underclassmen who didn't believe in herself.  Thank you for giving me the space to experiment with leadership - to find my voice and my passion for music.  Thank you for giving me friends who love me unconditionally.  Basically, thank you for being the foundation that allowed me the chance to have the future I am so excited to start.  In a parallel universe, there could be a Sarah Keene who doesn't even know how much she loves band.  Is there a more sad thought???


MLITB

Sarah Ruby "Honette" Keene

Passing the blog on...

Dear Theta Eta, 

Last year at this time I had no idea if I would still be doing TBS. I was disappointed and even heart broken that I had not been elected to serve on exec council and I did not know if I could handle it. By the time the school year started I decided I would make the best of it and was excited to serve in any capacity I could. I was saddened when Ana told me she could not be historian anymore, but I was excited at the possibility of serving in this position. I did not know what the year had in store for me, but through the ups and the downs I have loved it all. I want to thank you all for trusting me in this position, I have been far from perfect, and it has not always been an easy task, but I have learned much from serving as your historian. As this school year has come closer and closer to ending I have thought a lot about what I wanted to leave with you and maybe all I can leave with you is my heartfelt thanks. I feel that it has been a very successful year for me and I hope that some of my passion and enthusiasm has rubbed off on all of you. I want to thank Ana, for her courage to know she had more on her plate than she could handle, and I want to acknowledge the commitment and loyalty that Ana has demonstrated to this chapter throughout this year. She has been a huge example to me. I want to thank my littles, Cierra “Osita” and Megan “Bear Cub”. They have kindness and service instilled within them and I am continuously amazed at the great compassion and love they show me and others in this chapter. I thank the members of the past exec council: Sherrie Lynn, I have come to look forward to our conversations, to talk about life and the things that no one else quite understands. Marie, I really don’t know why it took so long for us to become friends, but when I have had little faith in myself you were always there with that extra faith that would push me forward. Plus, you have spidery long legs that I would almost kill for, if I was that kind of person. Emily, it has been primarily your enthusiasm that has rekindled my enthusiasm for this group of girls. I have loved working with you on many projects this year, and every time I have worked with you I get a little more excited about life. Elena, you have always had a shoulder for me to cry on and an ear ready to listen. Empathy is a gift that you have. Sarah, I have said it before and I’m going to say it again, and I desperately hope you believe me when I say it. You are my Wava. Sarah, you have been the biggest example to me out of everyone in this chapter. In my eyes you have been a pioneer for our chapter, you have pushed through thick and thin to get us to where we are now. You have held this chapter together this year, you have pushed us to be our best, and you have shown us what it means to truly love. Sarah, you have inspired me to follow my dreams, to be a strong woman in my profession and in life. You have been there for me this year as no one else could have been. You have lifted me up in my hour of darkness. My success I attribute to you. 

Each and everyone of you have been there for me at some point this year. I charge all of you to continue this bond of sisterhood that has been established. I have never felt this level of sisterhood in any year previous to this. I charge that you embrace who you are and bring your strengths to the table. You all were bid for a reason which means you have a place here and whether you are in a leadership position or not, your voice matters. I encourage you all to make Tau Beta Sigma a priority in your life. This organization is truly what you make of it, so if you all make it a priority and uphold your commitment it will be something you will never forget. Learn the history of our sorority. You can all have a life changing experience within this group if you set your mind to it. I charge next years exec council to become close and fast friends, you will soon realize that you depend on them more than you think. I charge my successor to the historian position to take what I have done and run with it, make it bigger and better than what I can imagine. If anyone can do this, Kristen, it’s you. I am so proud of you, Kristen. I have seen you grow the most, possibly because we grew up together and I have seen where you have been more closely than anyone else. Your love for band is infectious. Never lose that. And when times get tough and stressful as they will in this position, remember that I am always here for you and I will lend a helping hand whenever I can.

I couldn’t have hoped for a better year to serve on the exec council. But, I am also excited to see the direction that Marie, Harsha, Kamari, Rachel, Betsy, and Kristen take the chapter in. Support them, help them, share your ideas. This is your chapter. I look forward to this next year and I support you all in your future endeavors. 

Obviously, the best are in the west, but I want to emphasize that I believe the best are here in this room. Thank you for being my sisters.

Love, Jessie “Mama Bear” Whittaker

2012-2013 Theta Eta Chapter Historian

Betsy and Juleea

TBS is great, that is why we do what we do. I am Vans this is Betsy and this is our statement.

Why hello everyone! This is Betsy and my little (who is also “writing” this with me) Vans aka Juleea. We decided to write this together because we basically don’t function individually anymore because We are just that awesome (according to Vans) or We just love each other that much (according to Betsy). From now one we are going to write in 1st person because that’s easier and we are lazy.
I’m going to be totally honest with all of you. I didn’t really know why I joined TBS in the first place. Meetings were long and sometimes super boring, I just didn’t know why I was there. In these last couple months I figured out what my problem was. I didn’t apply myself at all. Because of that, I was missing out on all of the truly amazing things that come with being a member of this sorority. So. I started to apply myself. It’s amazing the kind of difference something as simple as that can make. All that can really be said is TBS has become something that I look forward to. I love the sisterhood that is shared between all of the members of Theta Eta (really everyone in TBS).
Story Time- from Vans
Disclaimer: This will not be in first person anymore. This one time Betsy and I (Vans) went snowboarding/skiing. I snowboard cause I am awesome, and Betsy ski’s cause she is almost as awesome as myself. Anyways we went at night on a Monday, and the weather was out of control...to say the least. At one point in time we were innocently driving and all of the sudden we were spinning and ended up spinning 180 degrees and landed perfectly in the other lane. It was terrifying, but kind of cool it helps that Betsy is a good driver. We got there the snow was great, and we had a blast..and tried super hard to get back for our meeting on time but we kind of failed...partly because I was starving and probably would have died without food. When we finally got to the meeting, people gave us roses for being such awesome sisters. The End
DISCLAIMER:VANS REALLY WANTED TO WRITE THAT STORY... For some reason
I hope you liked it.
In a nut shell (This is Betsy now by the way Vans is distracted) we have both grown to love TBS and everything that comes with it. I’m sorry if this has been confusing because we kinda traded off writing a couple of times and such. We like new friends even if Vans is scary at first ;) (as I’m being pummeled) Betsy is scary too, no worries that is why we are friends.
...
I think we need to be done before we embarrass ourselves... More...
Or you just die of our awesomeness!
MLITB
Betsy "Oops Oreo" Nelson and Juleea "Vans" Fordham

Kristen

Dear Sisters,

My experience in TBS has meant a lot to me.  Those who know me know that I love band. It’s one thing that has always been there for me. From the first moment I watched my biological older sister Jessie on a marching field I knew that was for me. I have never been the one to feel like I fit in anywhere and I’m definitely the kind of girl who is a Jack-of-all-trades but a master of none, and because of this its hard for me to become a part of something. But despite of all that I am able to devote everything I have to band and the people in it. My favorite thing is band and I don’t know what I would do without it.

This past weekend I was able to go to my first District event and my love for this organization has grown immensely. I made so many friends and I’m so glad to have met everyone. Some of the most influential people in my joining TBS include my sister Jessie, Sarah Keene and Zachary Giddings.

My sister has been such an example to me all my life. As we have grown together we have become so much more than blood sisters, we have become best friends. I know she has done a lot for me and was the reason I joined TBS. The love she shows for everyone she comes in contact with is means a lot to me and I look up to her a lot. I don’t know what I would have done without her up here in Logan. I am so grateful for her and glad that I’m able to go to school with her.

My Big is Sarah Ruby Keene. I love her to death and the love and dedication she has and shows towards our organization has inspired me a lot this year. She has the biggest heart and I’m glad that I have gotten to know her this school year. I definitely look up to her.

Zachary Giddings is one of my favorite people in the world, and I also look up to him. From the time I was a freshman in high school Zach has been someone I could turn to at any time. He has always been so kind and loving to everyone he knows and is not afraid to be himself. I’m so glad that I was able to work and grow under his leadership as a drum major and even though that was his title he served the band long before it was, and was able to encourage others to give there all. I am glad that he is now my sister in the bond and I will always love him.

All the people I met, Sammy-Q, Hans, Jon, Clint, Pedro, Pablo, Erik, all my brothers and sisters mean so much to me and I will never regret my decision to be a part of this organization. I will always dedicate my heart and soul to bands and higher learning because music has always been such a big part of my life and I love surrounding myself with the people that feel the same.

MLITB

-Kristen Santa Maria

Megan T.

I came up to Utah State University as a freshman fall 2011. Fundamentals week was a whole new experience for me. I had never been in marching band, so I was learning everything from the very beginning. Maybe even more scary than learning to march for the first time was joining a band where I didn’t know anybody! I was quite surprised when I received a bid for TBS; I didn’t know anything about it, and debated whether or not I should do it. After asking a lot of questions and thinking about it for a while I decided this was a good thing to do. I would have opportunities to serve, be involved with band, meet new people, and make new friends!

I’m glad I made the decision to join TBS. It has helped me to grow so much. This year I have had the opportunity to be the service head, which has helped me venture out of my comfort zone and become more involved. TBS has brought me so many great friends, and expanded my love for music. I always want music to be a part of my life. Through TBS I have found a way I can stay connected with band and with all the friends I admire who are part of this great organization.

MLITB

Megan