Come on Down to The Price Is Right!

We were up bright and early on November 26th to board the buses at 7:30 and make our way over to the CBS headquarters where they film The Price Is Right. 
We all got our name tags (who knew that they personally handwrite each one?!) and then we were interviewed as a group by the producer of the show. Entering into the actual set was surreal! It was very psychadelic with bright colors all sparkling and flashing and then out walked Drew Carey! He actually addressed one of our members right away and started asking her questions!






We were lucky enough to be put in the 3rd and 4th rows right in the middle. The audience was amazing and so full of energy that it made the entire experience so enjoyable for all of us. The entire taping took about an hour and a half during which one of our members got called down to bid! We were all so excited to watch one of the contestants win a new car and a trip to New Zealand! 

Overall, we could not have asked for a better experience! And the best part is, CBS donates $10 per person to the philanthropy of our choice! Yay literacy!

Jumpin' for Joy!

Our very first event with our new members made us bouncy with happiness, literally! We went to Sky High: a place filled with trampolines!

Many of our girls had mad jumping skills where others were happy just to not fall on our faces.

One very entertaining part was when we all watched each other bounce from a trampoline into a large pit filled with foam blocks. Some of the more daring Pi Phi's even did a flip into it! Getting into the pit was easy, but climbing out of it took some serious effort. Who knew that foam could be so hard to navigate!

We were all sweating and so tired by the end, but very happy. Both the trampolines and our new sisters really lifted our spirits!

P.S. Sorry for all the awful puns. Sometimes I just can't resist.

:]

Bid Night 2012

After a long and stressful recruitment we were rewarded by New Member class of 55 girls! On September 30th we waited anxiously in front of the house for our beautiful new angels to come running down the row.

Our bid night was a Carnival! It included games such ring toss, Pi Phi pong, Tic Tac Toss and many more!

If coordination wasn't your strong suit, we had airbrush tattoos that were customized specifically for Pi Phi as well as a photo booth complete with props!

A carnival isn't complete without some deep fried food and candy! We had corn dogs of many different varieties--pepperjack corn dog anyone? Yum!--as well as popcorn fresh from the machine, cotton candy, and an entire candy buffet!

There was even a live band that played classics like "Jessie's girl" and "Are you gonna be my girl?" for those of us that love to dance the night away!

The night concluded with a raffle with amazing Pi Phi themed prizes! By the end of the night we were exhausted, but couldn't be happier with our new members! They were outgoing, energetic, and so much fun to be with! We love our new sisters!!

Bruin Bash

Sunday night couldn't come fast enough! Bruin bash is one of our favorite events in the fall! We all got dressed up in our brand new shirts and headed out super early to claim our spots--front and center! We danced the night away. 

Los Rakas had some very smooth music and started the evening off right. The Ra Ra Riots were amazing and I loved the bedazzled violin. Of course, Chiddy Bang was the highlight especially his freestyle with words from the audience that we called out!

Dancing before the artists come out

The stadium completely full!

We were so excited when we were put on the jumbo screen! We may have lost our voices, but dancing with my sisters doesn't require any speaking!

Game Day!

On Saturday we braved the 110 degree weather at the Rose Bowl to cheer on our Bruins. We all jumped on a bus and pumped ourselves up on the way there by singing game day songs!

 We brought signs to keep our boys motivated and a few just for Sarah, the captain of the cheerleading team and a Pi Phi of course!












Even though we lost the game and the stadium was sweltering, we made sure that our sweat was gold and blue! Nothing can stop us from cheering on our favorite team!

Angels' Retreat

To begin our Spirit Week we all went to a beach house in Redondo. We spent the evening playing games, swimming, and catching up after a long summer apart. It was everything we could have wanted. The retreat made each of us grow so much closer, which I didn't think was possible after having known these girls for at least a year and some close to three years.

We had relay races in the sand, made up skits that had us roaring with laughter, and ate great food while enjoying each other's company. Sunday morning we had a photo shoot to update the pictures in our house on the beach. Unfortunately, I do not have the photos from the professional photographer, but we took some cute ones of our own! Enjoy!

Arrowdash: A Race for Literacy

As many of you know, Pi Beta Phi's philanthropy is FirstBook. An organization that is dedicated to promoting literacy for children. This year our fundraiser was a 5K race! This was a brand new event for us and turned out to be so much fun! We chose to do a race because we really wanted everyone to be involved. From alums, to students, to Greeks, to faculty, this race was perfect for everyone! Although the route was mostly uphill, people crossed the finish line smiling!

ADPi pulled out the Big Guns for this race!

Sigma Nu went for a Hawaiian theme

Pike's firemen costumes were a spark of genius!

The race was split into individual runners and groups. Individual runners were competing for the top 3 times. Groups (mostly fraternities and sororities) were scored cross country style and could also dress up in themed costumes to gain extra points. We had a great turnout and a beautiful morning.

After the race, we all headed to Sunset Recreation to celebrate our fight for literacy. There were prizes given out for games such as Pie a Pi Phi and Speed Reading. And finally, the winner of the groups was announced...Congratulations Pike! Your commitment to the costumes and your grueling training paid off!

The Finish Line!

"Pie a Pi Phi" got a bit out of hand

The winners!

Thank you to everyone who participated in Arrowdash and we cannot wait to see you again next year! Go Literacy!

Six Flags Sisterhood

As the end of the year wrapped up, we all needed a little stress relief. What better way to relieve stress than to boost our adrenaline on high-speed, dangerous rollercoasters?!

After the initiation of our Spring Pledge Class we celebrated by taking a trip to Magic Mountain! It was a gorgeous day spent with our amazing sisters. With finals coming up and the end of the year approaching fast, this sisterhood was a wonderful way for us to have one last incredible day together and spend quality time before many of us depart for our summer plans.
The rides were a blast, but the best part was holding hands and screaming my head off with the sister next to me.

Alumnae Tea

On May 20th, we were privileged to have over thirty alumnae visit us at our home for our annual Alumnae Tea!

Marian!

Our youngest alumna just graduated a year ago at UC Irvine! Our oldest alumna, Marian pledged in 1942 at UCLA! She remembered the house when smoking was popular and we had the highest GPA on the row because "all the men were away at war so the only thing to do was study!" She told us all about the old layout of the house (many of the rooms used to be balconies!) and had many fun stories to share.

Enjoying the food!

Dorian, Kelsey, and
our wonderful AAC Jennifer!

 And of course, we had people from every age in between! We were also excited to have out-of-state alumnae there too! A few of the ladies that now live in L.A. graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison!

Jackie Shepard and her mom! Pi Beta Phi runs in the family!

 We had the house all sparkly clean because each alumna got a tour of the house. Many of the alumnae present had been a part of the CA Delta chapter and could point out exactly which room they lived in! Others from across the country were excited to see the house and tell us the similarities and differences with their house! We showed them a slideshow of our year and all that we have accomplished and then had a very moving CS.

Reminiscing!

Whether they graduated from UCLA or not, the message was the same: Pi Beta Phi was where they made their lifelong friends that stuck with them through thick and thin. It changed their lives for the better and they couldn't imagine their lives without it. We are all sisters together and it was heartwarming to know that whatever stage of life we are in, Pi Beta Phi will always be there for us.