"Sisters are different flowers from the same garden."

I have ‘technically’ been apart from my sorority for almost 2 years now. There was a period of time where I would pop up at random events – ones I more than likely wasn’t supposed to be at – because I just couldn’t let go, because for my first 2 years of college it had been such a huge part of my life. It was everything. My entire life in Orlando revolved around it.


I went through different phases – bitterness, disappointment, anger, hatred, betrayal. I guess they all kind of fit into the same category to most, but I can definitely remember feeling each individual feeling at different moments in time. And while my feelings for the sorority are no longer quite as angry as they once were, I will never have the same passion for the it as I once did. I shouldn’t blame all of these feelings on the sorority, the reason that things happened the way they did was because of my own fault, but for some reason blaming them made it easier on myself…for a little while.

My sorority provided me with some many amazing things during the short time that I was an active sister, things that I can’t say that I would ever want to give up. I oftentimes find myself saying that if I could go back in time, joining a sorority would be the last thing on my list of college experiences I would want to have. But then I step back and actually think of all the fun times and the amazing people I have met and almost instantly I retract that thought. I think the most important thing that I gained from it was a closer relationship with my older sister. Sitting here now it’s so weird to think that I never had a close relationship with her before sorority life, but I am so glad that we had that bond now. I am also so thankful for the lifelong friends that it has provided me - I have found Bridemaids for my wedding (someday) from my sorority, ladies who have truly become a family to me, and provided me with a home away from home, people who I would have never survived the past 2 years without.

I’ve finally accepted that I’m in a different place in my life. A place where sorority life isn’t my number one priority as it used to be (well…after school that is…and we see how far that’s gotten me)… By the way, I am fully aware that it sounds like I am talking about a break-up with an ex-boyfriend – call me a loser if you must, I don’t care.

I actually went to an event today. Today was the 1st Annual Cars, Keys and Fleur de Lis. I was instantly impressed. And it’s the first time that I can say I was proud of my Chapter in almost two years. I sat in my roommate’s boyfriend’s truck and watched girls wearing my letters – girls who I had no idea who they were, and who for sure had no idea who I was. I was totally okay with it.

Life goes on.

“People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.”

I definitely believe that every person that Kappa has connected me with is in my life for a reason. And while those specific reason may sometimes be unclear, there is always a purpose.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I just wanted to wish all of my readers a very Happy Valentine's Day. Whether you have a Valentine, or are like me and lacking one, I hope you all take some time out to spread the love! I just wanted to share with ya'll some of my favorite quotes. Enjoy!

1. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."

2. "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

3. "The circus is a lot like love...if it's a good one, if it's truly a good one... it's beautiful and terrifying and magical... All at the same time"

4. “If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were.”

5. "The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”

6. “I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.”

7. "After awhile you just want to be with the one that makes you laugh."

8. “Love is like an earthquake-unpredictable, a little scary, but when the hard part is over you realize how lucky you truly are.”

9. "Love is not a feeling, it's an ability."

10. "It doesn't matter if the guy is perfect or the girl is perfect, as long as they are perfect for each other."

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

Folks, there really must be something in the air….and for this lady right here, it is most definitely NOT love. Just wanted to clear that up from the beginning. There is no love to be seen within like a million mile radius around me. And I’m totally cool with that.


I don’t know what it is. I woke up yesterday and was just happy. Yes, I’m typically a happy person (for the most part), but this was a different kind of happy. The kind of happy that you only feel when you realize and fully understand that everything is going to be okay. The kind of happy where you are completely content with everything in your life right at this moment and cannot find a single reason to complain. Sure, you may not be where you thought you would be, but that’s okay.

I actually walked into work today a little before 10 o’clock this morning in an amazing mood…and surprisingly left the exact same way 12 hours later. And it’s weird. People notice. They notice when you spend the entire day happy and in a pleasant mood. I actually had a few people ask me what I was smoking and that they wanted some of whatever it was.

I don’t need the boy (boyfriend, fiancée, husband, sugar daddy, whatever), the white picket house thing, the 2.759 children, the gazillions of dollars, the absolutely perfect job that lets me balance said boyfriend/fiancée/husband/sugar daddy and 2.759 children with my desire to travel everywhere, see everything, do everything and skydive. There is a reason that none of that is a part of my life at this moment in time – I’m not ready for any of it and I am so glad for that. Someday, maybe? But today I'm just happy being who I am.

I mean, can you seriously imagine me with 2.759 children….awkward….

To all of my darling readers - I wish you the happiest of days tomorrow, and in everything you do!
 

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

Little Hermione Granger Is All Grown Up

Maybe it’s just me, but I have been very impressed with the Burberry ads featuring Emma Watson.


I must admit, I have never been a fan of Burberry, it always seemed very old lady-ish to me. I can remember going shopping with my friends in high school and walking into the Burberry store and quickly walking out because it never had anything good, we would then walk quickly to the Coach store next door and be in heaven.

The past few months the Burberry ads have been my all time favorite collection of ads to look at in Vogue. To be honest, they are one of the things I look forward to in my monthly Vogue’s. Maybe it’s my undying love for anything Harry Potter (yes, I am so one of those geeks) that always makes it stand out but I just love it. Seeing little Hermione Granger all grown up just makes me so happy.

I can't say that I will be going out and purchasing an abundant amount of Burberry anytime soon, but I will definitly be more open-minded the next time I do go into one of their stores.

The first six pictures are from the Spring 2010 Burberry Collection, and the first picture is the one I found in my Vogue this month. The bottom three are from the Fall 2009 Burberry Collection. LOVE them all!

What's In A Name?

For any of my regular readers, you have obviously noticed the sudden change in my blog....the Title. I have wanted to do a little revamping on my blog recently without having to up and get a whole new one...so this is what I have come up with.

I have always wanted a Title that just screamed "Mariah" but could never really find one. 'Inscribed In Wet Cement' never actually meant anything. To be honest, I don't even know where it came from and I always hoped that somewhere down the road I would come up with a really cool story to go with it. But over a year later, I still had nothing. So I changed it.

So, here is the story behind my name....Mariah. And no, it has nothing to do with Mariah Carey, as so many people have taken to calling me - thus resulting in my Doppelganger for the week on Facebook.

My Mother was very much into music and musicals when she was a young child. She spent many hours learning different instruments - her favorite being the piano.  She learned songs from just about every musical on the planet. She tried to pass this love of the piano onto my sisters and I, but as we all know I am not one to sit still for very long, so the piano (and any musical instrument in general) was not something I ever picked up. Her favorite musical to play from was "Paint Your Wagon" - very popular at the time (1951), but has sort of gone by the wayside in this generation; it starred a very young (and very dreamy) Clint Eastwood. By the way, my mom was not alive in 1951, don't want to give her age or anything....but she's not that old. The song that she played the most was "They Call The Wind Maria." No, I did not leave off the 'h' accidentally it is spelled M-A-R-I-A, but it is pronounced the way you say my name. Now, everytime I visit my grandparents in Philadephia I can just picture my Mom, as a young girl, sitting at the piano and playing My Song.

I have always known where my Mom got my name from but up until recently I had never actually heard the lyrics. I heard my Mom play it on the piano, but never knew exactly what the words were...just that one line..."They call the wind Maria." One summer, when I was working on the cruise ship, one of the passengers who had just adored me went out and purchased the DVD for me, thinking that it was a crime that I had not heard the entire (lyrics and all) song that was my namesake. They actually spent the entire day hunting it down when they were shopping in Baltimore after their cruise was over and delivered it to me promptly before we were departing on our next scheduled cruise. It has quickly turned into one of my favorite musicals of all times.

I like relating myself to the wind because it's constantly changing, and you can always tell how the wind (the weather) is feeling just by watching it (watching the trees, or a flag, or the waves in the ocean). They are all being moved by the wind. I too think that I am constantly changing. Always learning something new and trying to make a difference in the world. You can always tell how I'm feeling just by the look on my face and I never try to hide anything - my face is always giving away my emotions. And I also think that it is so appropriate because the wind is what moves the sails on a sailboat....and boats are one of my favorite things! =)

Just for knowledge’s sake, I looked up what the name "Mariah" means, and found out it means 'uncertain.' While at first, I must admit that I kind of took that negatively I quickly realized that it isn't necessarily a negative meaning - and I can't deny it I am very uncertain a lot of the times...and that can all go back to the constantly changing aspect as well.

So, all of that being said, Welcome to my remodeled blog!