Party Like a Weenie

Thursday, September 22, was a day of love, friendship and laughter, but mostly it was a day of competition. The Special Projects Haunts, Nancy Tan and Gaby DeLeon hosted the annual Weenie Active Mixer, or WAM, in the activity room of Gregory Gym. WAM is the weenies first opportunity to get to know the actives, and each other. What began as a tame mixer with light mingling and polite girl flirting, ended in raucous laughter and fond memories.

After the new weenies introduced themselves in front of the organization and shared with us one thing they had never done (can you believe one weenie had never ridden on an airplane?!), we proceeded to play Human bingo. The weenies were sent on a scavenger hunt to find Spirits that fit the specific  criteria listed on their bingo sheet. The first one to completely fill out their grid won. It was mad dash and a whirlwind of weenie enthusiasm. Pens were flying, and papers were waving as the weenies tried to find an Active that “was Paint Princess” or “had a sibling in Spirits.”

After the bingo frenzy drew to an end, the Spirit Haunts divided the organization into five groups of weenies and actives alike, to play one more game. Once in our groups, Nancy and Gaby gave us a buzz word and the task of finding a song that contained that word. As the game progressed around the circle, each group belted out in unison the lyric of a song that had the special word. The entire room would silence itself the moment a group began to sing, waiting for an opportunity to laugh. As it turns out, Texas Spirits is very lyrically skilled; girls chose to sing everything from The Beatles to Marvin Gaye. If a group failed to come up with a song they would be considered disqualified and the game continued until only one group was left standing. Then the victors claimed their spoils: candy.

All in all WAM 2011 was one for the History Haunts' books.

Tap-Out Spotlight: Callie Coulter!

This week’s Tap-Out Spotlight is Callie Coulter, a Fall 2008 Weenie and 2010 Scribe Haunt. She is an Accounting major and in the Integrated 5-year Master in Professional Accounting Program in the McComb’s School of Business. She will graduate in May of 2013 with her Masters in Accounting! After graduation, Callie hopes to work for a Big 4 Accounting Firm in Houston. In fact, she will be interning in the tax department at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Houston this upcoming spring semester. She’d like you all to know that if you need someone to do your taxes in a few years, she’s your gal!

Callie’s favorite Spirits tradition is Tap-In. At Tap-In this past week, she caught herself remembering her own Tap-In three years ago. There’s an interesting fact about Callie’s Tap-In that some of you may not know. “My pledge class was the last to get our scarves at Tap-in instead of waiting until initiation. When they told us to turn around and face our JI’s, they tied our scarves around our necks. I’ll never forget getting back to my dorm that day and realizing that in my excited rush to get back and call my mom, my scarf had blown off in the wind!  I lost my beloved scarf the first day I got it, but thankfully they had an extra one for me!”

When asked what her favorite Spirits memory is, Callie had to say that becoming Scribe Haunt in 2010 was definitely one of her favorite Spirits moments. “When I was getting my new scarf at Initiation Brunch, Becky Holmes (Scribe Haunt 2009), surprised me by crowning my head with her pencil hat that she had used as part of her campaign. My entire year spent on GC was so rewarding and I became such good friends with my fellow haunts (Spring Break ’10!), but that first moment was so exciting for me.”

Callie’s advice for younger Spirits?  “Go to the Alumnae Reunion! I say this mostly because I made the mistake of not going in Fall 2008. We are an organization with so much history and tradition, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can learn from hearing our alumnae speak. The bonds of this sisterhood become apparent when you see the love from all the ladies who are reuniting.  Also, especially to the weenies, cherish the moments you have your entire weenie class together and really get to know them all because weenie sisters have a bond like no other. And most of all, enjoy these years of your life because they go by way too fast!”

We’ll miss you, Callie! Thank you for all that you have put in during your time in Texas Spirits!

Spirit of the Week!

This week’s Spirit of the Week is Aly Kasberg! This Fall 2010 Weenie is in her sophomore year at UT and is enjoying life as an active Texas Spirits member. Throughout the past year in Spirits, she has remained very involved through various committees and events while always upholding a positive attitude. This semester, she’s working on Reunion Committee and she took on the position of Drag Paint Chair to maintain that tradition. Her hard work, big smile, and love for Spirits has made her a great asset to our organization.  Keep up the good work! 

Name: Alyne Marie Kasberg

Hometown: New Braunfels, TX

Major: Spirits. ha but really, no clue.

Thing you can't go a day without: CHAPSTICK.

Favorite ice cream flavor: World class chocolate, or anything from TCBY.

Song you wish would start playing through the walls as you enter a room: Cannibal by Ke$ha

Favorite male actor: Ryan Gossling. I'd be his Rachel McAdams any day.

Favorite color: turquoise!

One word to describe Texas Spirits: family

Next time you see me ask about: My signature dance move. Or @we_say_no on twitter.

Tap-Out Spotlight: Tiffany Yep

This week featured tap-out is Fall 2008 weenie, Tiffany Yep. She served as Spirit Haunt in 2010 and is majoring in Corporate Communications. Last semester Tiffany was featured while she was in Orlando, Florida for the Disney College Program. Read about some of those experiences here. Now she’s back in the Lone Star State, and we were lucky enough to get to ask her some questions about her future plans and experiences during her time at UT and in Texas Spirits. Here are some of the fun things she shared:

What are your plans after graduation? "I'm going to Disney World! Well maybe, but I'd really love to work in the field of customer service with some management and marketing aspects. Since my major (Corporate Communications) is so broad, I'm not positive on what exactly I want to do...I just want to work with people and wake up every day excited to make a difference!"

What has been your favorite Spirits tradition? "All of them! But if I have to choose a favorite tradition it would have to be the never ending bonds of sisterhood. My best friends are Spirits, and when I left for my Disney internship and came back, my friendships seemed like I never left. I had girls texting me, calling me, and facebooking me throughout my entire program asking me how I was doing. It was simple things like that that showed me how special Texas Spirits are. I know some of these girls will be in my wedding and if they're not in it, they're invited to it. As much as I love the drag paints, the flashcards, the secrecy of some of our traditions, our scarves, and our service adventures, it wouldn't be as fantastic as it is without the girls doing each and every tradition right there with you."

What is your favorite memory from your time in Texas Spirits? "My favorite memory would have to be the entire year I got the opportunity to be the Spirit Haunt. I had the chance to watch two weenie classes grow, learn, and find out things they never knew about themselves. I loved and cherished every second of it, and now I get to see those babies that I mentored to be the next leaders of the organization. Freaking amazing and it makes me so proud!"

Advice for younger generations of Spirits? "Live each day with a purpose to make the world better. If you want to do something, do it. Don't hold back. Never regret what you do because you obviously learned something from it, whether it be about yourself or about life. Laugh at yourself. Gah, I could go on forever, but really don't doubt yourself and truly take in every moment, lesson, and experience life throws at you. You are a Texas Spirit. Out of hundreds of girls, you made it. You have something special that you, and only you, can offer the world. This is huge, and so much bigger than any of us could ever imagine, so take in it, soak it up, and live it! This is your time."

Micah 6

This past Saturday, a group of Spirits helped out at Micah 6, a local food pantry helping the homeless and impoverished in the Austin area. On many Saturdays throughout the year, you are sure to find Spirits there helping out this great cause. It is a very rewarding experience and something we all look forward to. 

During our time at the pantry we have the opportunity to distribute food to the patrons, help them bag up their goods, as well as mingle with some wonderful, hardworking people. 

Helping at Micah 6 is not only a great way for us to give back to the community, but a delightful way to start off our Saturday's!

Open Mic Night

Service Haunts Ana Hernandez and Nicole Dietze put on another successful event on September 1st. Open Mic night was held at JAX Neighborhood Café on 29^th and Rio Grande. Local artists performed, including Zachary Caballero, AUX and Spirit’s own musical geniuses Katie Koehler, Jenna Fahle, and Gabe Dobbins, as well as a Texas Iron Spike's brother Nick Joseph.

“Open Mic Night was in full swing with great performers and great company,” Spring ’11 Weenie Kendall Connolly said. “It was so fun to see my fellow Spirits showcase their amazing talents!”

Current Spirits, perspective Spirits, UT students and Austinites came out to support a good cause. A portion of all drink sales went to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

 “I loved how it just brought so many different people together for one cause,” Spring ’11 Weenie Jenny Feng said. “It was so much fun mingling and just getting to know prospective and other people from organizations!”

Open Mic Night gave us a good taste of what Band Jam will be like in the fall and got us excited for all the amazing things to expect from Ana and Nicole this semester.

Chief Haunt, Katie Koehler

“There are few things better than sitting and enjoying the night with friends while listening to talented musicians and supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation all at the same time,” Service Haunts Ana and Nicole said.

Save the Date

Every fall, two words strike fear into the hearts of Texas Spirits and spread feverish panic through their little black books: Date Dash. Date Dash is an opportunity for Spirits to ask boys or good girl friends out for a night on the town a la Sadie Hawkins; the only catch being no one except the Special Projects Haunts knows when Date Dash will be, or where. This year, Gaby DeLeon and Nancy Tan wasted no time in sending girls into a dateless frenzy by informing the Spirits on their third Wednesday meeting that Date Dash would be held the following night on Sixth Street. So on September 7, 2011 the man hunt began.

All eligible bachelors were called/invited/harassed by individual Spirits to accompany them as dates to The Stage on Sixth Street, for the evening of September 8, 2011. Armed with empty camera memory cards and in downtown casual attire, the Texas Spirits and their respective dates hit the town with The Stage as their final destination (a country-western bar with an Austin, Texas flare). Mixed drinks were served in giant boots, the bar was ablaze with neon lights and games such as washers and a mega-sized Jenga were available. The music, courtesy of Johnny T, was mostly covers of new songs and popular classics all sung with a country twang. The calculated atmosphere provided Texas Spirits the perfect venue for fun, friends, and good old fashion dancing.

Thanks to the fabulous Special Projects Haunts and always entertaining Sixth Street, Date Dash 2011 was a great success for Texas Spirits, and their dates.