Photoshoot pictures are in! I'm so excited to share some of the wonderful photos Dan Davis and I created. Click to view larger. Enjoy!

Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below and that could be the one I submit for the National Photogenic competition!

Throwback Time

So I've been working with Dan Davis for years and have had the opportunity to shoot with him on multiple occasions. When looking at my newest pictures, I thought how cool it would be to see the progression of me growing up so I've put photos of myself by Dan together. These range from 2009 to today. Enjoy!
 
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Between all the craziness of recruitment, I was able to sneak away early on a Saturday morning to support an amazing and touching cause. The Hope & Hearts run is put on by the Missing Grace foundation which raises money to inform families on how to prevent stillbirths and support those families who have been through the loss of a child. It was so touching to see so many families and friends come together to celebrate and sometimes mourn for their children. There were prayer tents available if needed and a whole ceremony where balloons were released in that lost child's name. Kayla (teen) and I were able to help out with that part as we passed out balloons to the walkers once they were done with the 5k. Earlier in the day there was also a kids race where each little kid received a metal. So many of them wanted us to know about it! Kayla and I had so much fun talking to the kids that came up to us and the families at the run. We also ran into the Cambridge City Queens and got to hang out with them for a little bit too (which turned into a mini photoshoot, no big deal).

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One of so many cute little girls!
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Balloon time!
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All volunteers helping out
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Cambridge Queens
 
A huge part of my life is being in my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. These girls get excited when I have appearances (and two even came to see me get crowned) and get me through my tough times when I feel like my planner is going to explode. We all have been incredibly busy these last few weeks preparing for and being a part of recruitment. At the University of Minnesota 650 girls signed up to rush so I did a lot of talking these last few weeks, which is just fine by me. I've met some incredible ladies with a passion for volunteerism, a high value on academics, and a great, bubbly personality. Hmmm....sound like pageants?

What goes on behind the scenes of recruitment is crazy. We have a whole week dedicated to getting ourselves prepared for recruitment. What I love about Alpha Chi is that no matter what year, you're opinions are always valued which I saw as we prepared and throughout the week of recruitment. I was able to help our main recruitment chair by being her "right hand woman" during the first day.

Each day had a different theme throughout the week. Day 1 was open house where we quickly met a handful of girls and got a feel for each of their personalities. Day 2 was house tours so the girls going through recruitment could see how beautiful the inside of our house is (and yes, my crown and banner were on display in my room). Day 3 was Philanthropy where we tied fleece blankets to donate to Women's Advocates, our chapter's favorite place to volunteer, and the ladies learned more about how we help the community. And finally on Day 4, Preference. This is a very special night where each house is able to show their sisterhood and the ladies going through recruitment can see if they see themselves in our house for the rest of their college career. All of recruitment is done on mutual selection, meaning we love the ladies we meet and they love us! One thing I really enjoy about recruitment at the U of M is that every single girl who goes to all the houses she's invited to is guaranteed a bid!

And today was Bid Day where the ladies received their bid cards from Alpha Chi Omega! We were all so excited to welcome 47 new members into our house today with a throwback to the 90s theme. It still seems surreal. These girls are going to be lifelong friends, roommates, support teams, and sisters for life! Below are some great pictures from today. I ended up taking over photography for a sister who had to go to class, so I got to photograph most of the day-so fun! Our lovely new members are in pink and all the current members are rocking the black.
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AXO sister Ingrid and I making the Alpha Chi sign
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Just some of our many amazing & incredible new members. I'm so excited to get to know them all!
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I had a great time running around with a camera, capturing the feeling of the day
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A very special new member, Rebecca, who I talked to throughout recruitment and on the final night
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I love being an Alpha Chi Omega!
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AXO sister Sabrina and I having fun with signs
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Showing off our Alpha Chi sign
 
This post is going to be not quite pageant related, but still very important to me My boyfriend and I recently did a photoshoot to celebrate our two and a half year. We're high school sweethearts, now in college and I thought it was time to document our relationship. What better way than a photoshoot!? I kept Ashish in the dark until the day of the shoot and he was a great sport. My good friend, Louise Messina, took these photos to increase her portfolio and all three of us had lots of fun shooting that day.

Click photos to view larger