Tri-Mixer Bartab

Special Projects Haunts decided to triple the fun this week with a tri-mixer with Absolute Texxas and Iron Spikes. The three organizations came together Thursday night downtown at Roial Austin. Spirits got to mix and mingle with the two organizations, while enjoying the nice weather and view of downtown Austin on the rooftop of Roial. Thanks to Absolute Texxas, Iron Spikes, and our lovely Special Projects Haunts for an amazing event!

Spring 2012 Tap-In

Spring 2012 Tap-In was a success! Weenie moms Aly Kasberg and Dionne Dias introduced 25 beautiful ladies into Texas Spirits Weeniehood at the Scottish Rite Dormitory. 

Give a big yee-haw to…

Alexa Gould

Allison Amman

Aly Starling

Anjali Sethi

Carmen Collins

Danielle Gibbons

Doha Hussein 

Hannah Roberts

Hannah Sabella

Heather Dai

Isabella Pereira

Jac Mizeur

Jessie Neuendorff

Joanne Chien

Jordan Kohler

Kayla Kotara

Kaytelynn Fabre

Mary Slater

Maya Brown

Michelle Nguyen

Molly Farrell

Morgan Bruton

Olivia Tibiletti

Quynh Pham

Willa Altman

Welcome to the Tradition Spring 2012 Weenies!

Spirit of the Week: Maggie Widodo

Meet this week's Spirit of the Week: Maggie Widodo

Meet Maggie, a Fall ’11 weenie and education major here at UT Austin. Her favorite Texas Spirits tradition is face painting because she enjoys talking with the kids and seeing them smile; it just “tickles her pink!” Her nicknames include Maggles and Magpie but she goes by anything. Many people might not know her hidden talent: touching her tongue to her nose. If she could pick any song that would describe her, “it would have to be “Dirty Pop” by N’SYNC.” If four words could describe her, they would be “Girl can dance, mmmhhmmm!” Maggie has been an enthusiastic and sweet addition to the Spirits family and we are so proud to recognize her as Spirit of the Week!

UT Mens Basketball vs. Baylor

With the final score at 77-72, it was an upsetting loss against Baylor this past Monday. At the end the first half, we were leading the game. But as Baylor took the lead, the Spirits section continued to cheer our Longhorns on with our new additional members! It was the first game day for the spring ’12 weenies!

There will be many more games for us to cheer on the basketball team in our burnt orange. We did not lose without a fight thanks to J’Covan Brown for playing a phenomenal game, tying his record high with six three-point goals, totaling 18 points. Go Horns!

Tap-Out Spotlight: Jessica Cox

Our next tap-out spotlight is the first tap-out from the Fall 10 weenie class, Jessica Cox! We are all very proud that Jessica has been able to finish up all of her credits so quickly and prepare for graduation ahead of her intended schedule. Jessica is a Public Relations major and when asked about her plans after graduation she says: “Stay tuned! I'm not quite sure what continent I'm going to be on yet! I'm going to interview in New York in April, I'll be in Spain in July and I don't have a ticket home yet, I'm considering hanging out in South America and floating the Amazon-- anything could happen!! Life is an adventure and I plan to try to do as much as I possibly can!”

            Her favorite memory with her weenie class is Initiation. Jessica told me “it was so special becoming an official spirit and really bonding with Fall '10. We'd each grown so much, learned so much about each other and had truly become best friends--it was so wonderful to celebrate the evening together.”

           

            Her favorite Spirits event is Alumni Reunion. She finds it “important to honor our history because it is such a vital part of our organization. We're very unique to have such a rich heritage (from Margaret Berry to Susan Claggett, Rachel Greene to Caitlin Cash, and everyone in between) and Alumni Reunion is a great opportunity for old and new members to come together and share their favorite spirit memories.” Jessica says she can't wait to keep coming back to continue making new memories with her weenie class.

            When I asked Jessica what she will be taking from Spirits as she graduates she said, “I will take my man! I am eternally grateful that such a special guy was brought into my life at a Spirit’s event, who woulda thought (special thanks to Kenzie Neel and Gaby DeLeon)?!” Jessica offers the advice, “hang in there ladies – yours is out there! Keep hitting up Band Jam, next year one could be yours!” She also wanted to add that “in Spirit’s terms, I will take endless giggles along with me. Fall ’10 has some of THE funniest girls that I’ve met in my entire life. I will forever treasure their friendship and their humor!”

            And what advice does Jessica leave for current Spirits? “Live together! That is the one thing I most regret not doing! I am so bummed out that I will not have the chance to live with Becca, Ghada and Tori as we’d planned, but I know they are going to have an amazing year. I’ll always wonder what it would have been like to get ready for mixers together.”

            We are so proud of Jessica, and we will have to soak up this last semester with her as much as possible! She has been such an asset to this organization and everyone who has had a chance to get to know her and experience that contagious smile knows how special this Texas Spirit truly is.

Men's Basketball Game vs. Tech

There’s no better way to start off the semester than a Texas Spirits + prospectives + UT Basketball combo. It was a great opportunity for some of the prospectives to see what it means to be a Texas Spirit and to see how much fun we have.

On Saturday, February 4^th the Spirits got to put on their best white blouse and tie on the orange scarves to cheer on the Men’s Basketball Team. The Longhorns went for the victory and beat Texas Tech 74-57. Hook Em!

Valentine's Day Special

Need some fun Valentine's Day ideas to do with your weenie sisters or a boyfriend? Fall 2009 Weenie Amaris Chang gives Texas Spirits the scoop:

Get inspired to get a little pink and give a little love this Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re single and ready to mingle or you have a significant other to spend this holiday with, here are some heart-y ideas to fill your day with. 

Get a group of your girlfriends together to have the epitome of a girly night. Let loose with some Valentine’s Day Treats and make sure to get some of the girliest movies Netflix or RedBox has to offer. 

Treat Wise:

Get in to the spirit of the holiday by whipping up some heart-shaped treats. Don’t be afraid to get others involved in the food department, make your party a pot luck so everyone can share some love.

For the Heart,

-1/4 cup butter

- 4 cups miniature marshmallows

- 5 cups crisp ripe cereal

1. Melt margarine in a large sauce pan. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and well-blended. Cook 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

2. Add cereal and stir until well coated

3.Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly and firmly in a buttered 13x9 inch pan. Cut into 2x2 inch squares when cool.

For the soul:

o1  12oz can frozen Lemonade concentrate (I used Minute Maid)

o1 pint fresh or frozen raspberries

o1  750 milliliter bottle Sparkling Water

Combine lemonade and raspberries in an ice-filled pitcher. Stir in sparkling water. Makes about 6 cups. 

Make it a movie night by selecting a few movies for the group to choose from. Some fun indie films could include “Paris, J’taime” or “New York, I Love You”. You could always go classic with “You’ve Got Mail” or “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”.  If you are feeling a bit more sappy, by all means check out “Love and Other Drugs” or “Like Crazy”.

Feeling extra fun? Throw in some MadLibs or go old school with a quick game of MASH.

Want to get craft? Try some fun nails at your girl’s night in.

On this Hallmark Holiday, it is a known fact that the boy takes care of the details. But everyone knows it wouldn’t hurt to give back a little. To make the deal a bit sweeter, make a special treat or put together a cute present to celebrate the true meaning of Valentine’s Day.

A Sweet Tooth,

Make this classic from scratch,

Put a little love into a snack,

Make a meal to say “thank you”

Breakfast for Champs,

Lunch for “thanks a bunch”

Hopefully this will get you into the SPIRIT of this loving holiday!

C-I, not-so-secretly, love Hallmark and Chocolates – W – Y.

- Amaris Chang

Girls Night Out!

After a long day filled with stress, textbooks, and classes, a girls' night out with your Spirit sisters definitely sounds ideal! On Thursday, January 26th, Spirits gathered at "The Local" to enjoy some 90's music, grab a bite, and catch up after the winter break. First-round applications for the Spring 2012 class had just been distributed a day prior, which meant the semester was well underway! All of the wonderful ladies in the recruitment process were invited to take a break from their applications and spend some time with our organization.

Service Haunts, Jocelyn Matyas & Mayte Salazar, were the hosts of the night. They set up multiple games so that prospectives and actives could mingle in a pressure-free environment and get to know each other. Games included "Find Your Pair," which allowed prospectives to meet multiple actives until finding her match, and "What Am I?" which encouraged girls to get creative with their questions and attempts to guess the person or character taped on their back. Aliyah McRoberts, a Fall 2011 Weenie and one of our newest JI's, found the environment to be much more casual and relaxing than the usual, hectic Meet & Greets. "I was able to talk to more girls for longer periods of time," proving beneficial for all actives getting to know the many prospectives! Alysse Fisher, Spring 2012 Weenie, found GNO to be a great opportunity for Spirits and prospectives to let loose, hang out, and have fun.

As Jocelyn and Mayte recount the success of the night, they proudly said, "Overall, we think the event went really well!" This was the first Spirits event organized by our newest Service Haunts and it went wonderfully! Girls Night Out is the newest addition to the recruitment process and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.  We hope that it becomes a regular event each semester!  

To add the icing on the cake, a percentage of the night's sales went directly to Texas Spirits' Texas THON goal! (More blogs on THON to come!) Great work, Ladies! 

Wranglers Bull-Riding Bartab

The 2012 Special Projects Haunts kicked off the new semester by wrangling us up a bartab with Wranglers complete with a bull! Actives got dolled up for downtown and headed to Spill, where they mingled and mixed with Wranglers. Everyone tested their skills to see how long they could last on the bucking bull. All in all it was a great and memorable way to start the semester! Thanks to Ari, Cynthia, and the Texas Wranglers for such an awesome event! 

Tap-Out Spotlight: Megan McKinney

              As the light filtered from street lamp to windshield, I commented on the crystal ornament dangling from her rearview mirror. A Parisian gift from a best friend at OU, Megan spoke with a kind of gentleness that made me feel like I was as precious to her as the crystal. I was one of 24 of her Weenie class, but a conversation with Megan makes you feel special because she is special… The first time we’d really bonded, who knew that trips to Bennu for late-night accounting study sessions would carry so much gravity?

Megan, a Spring ’10 Weenie, knows the power of a Weenie class. When asked about her favorite memory, Spring ’10 as a whole, takes the cake. “I cant pick one favorite memory, so I am going to be cheesy and say Spring 10 is my favorite memory, because the majority of the memories I love, Spring 10 is involved. From our EPIC spring break trip to just hanging out on a Tuesday, these girls have become everything to me.” 

Despite the changes of name, Spirits are still pretty “Spook”y. With traditions dating back to the 1940s, it’s not surprising that this aspect of Spirits is a favorite among members. When asked to pick a favorite among so many, Megan’s “favorite tradition is "CIWY" because its cute and creepy all at the same time and it means something special to every Spirit. And its feels pretty tight when people ask you what it means and you respond, ‘Well, I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.’ Just kidding, I don’t really say that, but it is awesome when you tell people you can’t tell them what it means.”

Megan holds a distinct role in Texas Spirits. Spirit Haunt 2011, she was the motherly figure that ensured that the Weenies understood the magnitude of their position on the UT campus. They were to be Spirits, they had a standard to uphold; this message was made clear. Whether providing occasional, but much needed, comical commentary in classes, making notoriously funny faces or demonstrating her drop splits before you could say “I dare you,” Megan is the kind of friend that is able to make any situation a positive one.  Luckily, as much as Spirits has become better because of Megan, she insists that the feelings are mutual:

“It was an absolute honor to be selected back in February of 2010. Spirits has changed my life, has shown me so much love, and will always be in my heart.”