Christmas on 5th Street: KΩT Christmas Tree Lighting.

W.T. Ellis once said, "it is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."  Recognizing the meaning in this quote, the Kappa Omega Tau Fraternity presents Baylor Christmas on 5^th Street from 6-10pm tonight, December 2, in honor of celebrating our Savior.

The main activities include The Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, Christmas Marketplace, Cocoa, Cookies, and Carols, and Baylor on Ice. 

The 45^th Annual KΩT Christmas Tree Lighting will begin with a concert at 7pm, and the tree in the Burleson Quadrangle will be lit around 8:15pm.  The artists performing are Matt Wertz and Phil Wickham. Proceeds will directly benefit the Mocha Club’s education project in Africa.

The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will be hosting Christmas Marketplace at the Bill Daniel Student Center.  It is a great place to purchase a few Christmas gifts and view handmade crafts from retailers all throughout Texas.

Cocoa, Cookies, and Carols will begin promptly at 6:30pm in the Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Danielson Student Center.  The Baylor Religious Hour Choir will be performing popular Christmas carols, accompanied by the vocals of American Idol’s Mandisa.  This will be Mandisa’s kickoff concert for her 2010 Christmas Tour.  (Fun fact: Mandisa was a Chi O!)

Lastly, Baylor Interfraternity Council is hosting Baylor on Ice at Fountain Mall until 11pm tonight.  This ice skating rink will support Santa’s Workshop, which provides toys to underprivileged children in the Waco area.  Admission is free with the donation of an unwrapped toy, or skaters may donate $5 to Santa’s Workshop.

Other activities include carriage rides, a petting zoo, a live nativity scene, and pictures with Santa.

So come out tonight and share some Christmas spirit with Baylor students, faculty, and alumni.  It will fill you with Holiday cheer and get you ready to celebrate the birth of Christ.

A Little Bit About Me...

Want to get to know me better? The following are a few links to projects I have created that show my personal background, values and personal qualities. Enjoy!

My Shameless Plug:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-xplFlPMBA

An interview I was asked to do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB3BHWek6ko

My online resume:
http://www.visualcv.com/users/218540-madelinelloyd/cvs/261806

Fall Break Plans!

Shorter holidays are always slightly awkward for out of state college students. Being from Chicago, I am only given the chance to go home twice a year. My first homecoming is for Thanksgiving and the second is for Christmas. I don't know if it's a personal thing, but whenever shorter holidays come around I always feel a bit uneasy.

Will a friend invite me to come home with them? If so, is it out of pity or friendship?

Last year I went home with my friend Elizabeth to Baton Rouge, La. This year, however, my sister and I decided to just stay in Waco. Maybe a part of us wants to avoid the intrusive feeling we get from going to other people's houses. Maybe we just want to eat, watch movies, and sleep in our own home.

Whatever the reason, we will be living it up in the Wack this weekend. Come by the Pink Door House on Bagby if you're staying on campus too!

Chi Omega Chili Cookoff Advancer

Every forty minutes Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wish of a child living with a life-threatening medical condition.  This one granted wish gives strength and hope to those children as well as their family. 

Recognizing the good and compassion associated with Make-A-Wish, the Theta Kappa Chapter of Chi Omega at Baylor University established it as the Chapter’s philanthropy in 2000.

Chi O’s President Kelsey Riley stated, “Make-A-Wish Foundation is such a wonderful organization for Chi Omega to support.  In interacting with them to grant wishes for children in Waco, I have no doubt that we are making a difference in the community. The granting of a wish may seem so simple, but it makes a world of difference for that child and their family.”

One of Chi Omega’s main events is its annual Chili Cookoff.  All proceeds go directly to Make-A-Wish.

This year Chili Cookoff will take place at 6:00pm on November 12 at Fountain Mall.

All Baylor students are encouraged to participate.  The cost is only $5 at the entrance and this includes unlimited chili!

It is $25 to enter a team into the chili competition and teams can have a max of 5 people.  They are given the opportunity to create their own, unique chili recipe.

The following is the link to sign up a team for the competition: http://www.baylor.edu/studentactivities/campusprograms/index.php?id=73952.

Recipes over the past years have included an odd assortment of ingredients.  Some teams take trying new things to a new level.

“Last year I tried chocolate chili.  It was actually really good! The team used chocolate and graham crackers.  Needless to say, they won,” said Emily Lloyd, a member of Chi Omega who was a tester for the competition last year.

Other than eating Chili, the public may attend a free concert given by a student band or participate in Bed Races made available by Alpha Tau Omega.

“The Bed Races are my favorite part!  I love seeing what teams dress up as, it’s hilarious.  It definitely makes for an enjoyable night,” said ATO member Austin Klarich.

This event is a great way for Baylor to give back to the community of Waco.  In 2008, Chi Omega raised $12,146.27 through this event.  Two wishes were granted to children in the Waco area.

One of these children was Ernesto, a five-year-old boy who wished to go to Disney World.  Chi Omega was able to send Ernesto and his family on this great vacation.

The first wish to ever be granted by Make-A-Wish was to Christopher James Greicius, who dreamed of becoming a police officer. 

In 1980, 7-year-old Chris was being treated for leukemia.   Tommy Austin, a U.S. Customs Officer who knew the boy, wanted to find a way to make his final days joyful.  Chris was taken on a ride in a department helicopter and was then sworn in as the first honorary DPS patrolman in state history.

            When Chris passed away, his parents’ anguish turned into a hopeful sense of acceptance after seeing how happy their son was during his final days.  This led to the development of Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Chi O strongly supports Make-A-Wish and encourages everyone to come out on November 12 for the Cookoff.  The goal this year is to raise $15,000 but that all depends on the participation of Baylor’s Student Body. 

Make yourself happy by eating unlimited chili and spread that cheer to a child by granting a wish!

Alex Benda: Semper Fidelis

The Marine Corps has made three commitments to America.   They promise to make Marines, win our Nation’s battles, and develop quality citizens.  These commitments alone give great sight into the characters of the Marines themselves.  I am proud to say that I know a United States Marine and I believe she personifies every commitment made by the Corporation on a daily basis.

Alex Benda is not only a Marine, but she also represents a “quality citizen” who values persistence, respect, and faithfulness.  She has embodied qualities of a Marine ever since she was young.

“I always tried finding ways to test my limits.  I think that’s one of the most important things to do in life – test your limits.  You never know what you’re fully capable of until you actually put yourself to work,” Benda told me over dinner on Sunday.

Currently a senior at Baylor University, she spent the summer enduring intense training in order to obtain this credible title.  Not only did she have to get accustomed to early morning workouts, but also early nights.

“Life as a Marine is just so different,” Benda said with a smile.  “It’s not anything like college life.  It was definitely a wake up call.”

Although one might think that spending an entire summer in the Marines and then proceeding to start senior level college classes might warrant a break of some sort, Benda has already committed herself to studying for the LSAT.  Law school is also in her life plan.

Upon asking Mccall Benda to describe her sister, she replied, “There is no single word to describe Alex. Well rounded is too vague.”

I full-heartedly agree with Mccall.  Not many people today have the privilege of saying they are a Marine, a soon to be Law student, a member of Chi Omega, and a member of the Baylor Club Soccer Team.

As captain of Baylor’s club team, Benda is able to give light to her leadership skills.  She is also Chi Omega’s Intramural Chair and oversees all of the sorority’s competitions.

“She does an incredible job of motivating the team.  We play so well when we’re all together…We’re like a family,” said teammate and fellow Chi O Amy Wofford.

Although I am not on the club team, I am one of Benda’s sorority sisters and I agree with Wofford.  We are a family.  Maybe not by blood, but by compassion and faith.

In 1883 the Marine Corps adopted Semper Fidelis as its official motto, meaning “Always Faithful.”  Benda embodies this statement.  She constantly uses her talents for the good of others, whether they are teammates, sorority sisters, or common American citizens.  She is not only a role model, but a prime example to all of what hard work and respect can accomplish you in life.

Fake Celebrity Obituary: Death of Jesse James

American television personality and CEO of West Coast Choppers Jesse James, 41, of Los Angeles, died Friday of a drug overdose.

            Ex-wife Sandra Bullock found James unconscious in his home in L.A.  The police say he consumed a heavy amount of the painkiller Valium minutes after calling Bullock to discuss their marital problems.

“She wouldn’t talk about the incident for days, but she’s come to terms with it now,” a close friend of Bullock told reporters.   “She has been such a strong support system for his daughter (Sunny).  After all the humiliation he put her through she is still an angel to him.”

In an attempt to turn his life around after the affair with Michelle “Bombshell” McGee went public, James attended a rehab facility in Arizona specializing in drug, alcohol, and sex addictions.  He had been home for one week.

“I talked to him a few times during that week and I really thought he had changed,” said a friend of James’.  “He told me he wanted to make things right with Sandra.  He also told me he knew he had lost the best thing that ever happened to him.”

James was introduced to television in 2000 when the Discovery Channel issued the documentary Motorcycle Mania.  He even had his own stunt show called Jesse James is a Dead Man, which premiered on Spike TV in 2009.  His celebrity status, however, is accredited to Monster Garage, a show that required James and his group of mechanics to fix vehicles within a given time period.

Monster Garage allowed James to meet Bullock when she requested him to be her ten-year-old godson’s Christmas present.  The pair married in 2005. 

In 2010, however, rumors involving James’ infidelity surfaced.  Apparently he had been having an affair with McGee while Bullock was filming The Blind Side.   Bullock filed for divorce on April 28, 2010.  She took care of Sunny while James entered rehab.

Bullock has taken full custody of Sunny and they now live in Austin, Texas.

The date for James’ service has not been publicized but it will take place in L.A.

Elite Circle Grill

It might be personal, but I always value a restaurant's history over its appearance or menu.  Whether the history is displayed through pictures on the walls or an excerpt of information on the menu, the restaurant has a story and it wants to share this story with its diners.

One such restaurant is Waco's Elite Circle Grill located on 2132 S Valley Mills Dr.  Not only does Elite have an excellent variety of dining options, but it also has a credible history.  It was originally opened in 1919 and stood as a source of substinence to all people living in the area.  Even idols such as Elvis Presley, who was stationed at Fort Hood in the '50s, used to eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches at this exact place.  That explains the shirts the waitors wear that say, "Eat with a legend."

Although it has been remodeled since the time of Elvis, Elite still represents a place with delicious food and incredible history.  So next time you're in the mood for a grilled meal and a great story, stop in at Elite Circle Grill.  Chances are you won't be disappointed.