A highlight of Sigma Chi Grand Chapter is the White Rose Luncheon for the women behind the men of Sigma Chi. This year’s luncheon was quite an adventure… It began at about 11:30 am when we boarded the bus that would take us to the Capitol Hill Club. Our bus driver took the “scenic route,” which is a nice way to say that we were all trying to figure out if she knew where the hell she was going. It was supposed to take about 15 minutes to get there and it took more like 45 minutes. Upon arrival at our destination, we look out the bus windows to discover fire trucks and firemen all over the outside and on the roof of the building. Yes, the building where the Capitol Hill Club is housed was, in fact, on fire – a small fire, but still on fire, nonetheless. So, our bus driver turned right and found a place to pull over. We ended up sitting on the bus for about another 30 minutes while the firefighters finished up and gave the “all clear” for people to return to the building. The luncheon started late, but it was still a great time getting to know the different women. Great conversation, the Singing Sigs, and good food made for a fun time.
After the luncheon was over, tours of Capitol Hill had been arranged for us. We broke up into smaller groups and walked to the Capitol building. You will note in the photo that the sky around the Capitol Building looks a little gray…
The tour of the Capitol was fantastic. The building is really amazing. We got to see the old House of Representatives meeting area, the old Senate chamber, the old US Supreme Court room, the Capitol Rotunda, and the Capitol Crypt. It was so awesome to hear about the history and see the rooms where the highest levels of government once worked. To hear the history and stories was really a neat experience. At the end of our tour, we stopped in the Capitol Hill Visitor Center to discover that it was pouring rain. Nearly all of us did not have umbrellas with us. So, we all trekked to the gift shop to see if we could find umbrellas or ponchos. Well, there were rain ponchos… Child size… As in, only covering the top half of my body. Figuring that was better than nothing, we put them on and begin our trek from the Visitor Center to where we were to meet our bus – approximately a ten-minute walk to the circle drive. Suffice it to say that we all got pretty wet. Of course, the rain eased off and virtually stopped while we were waiting for a bus that *never came*. In the end, it was cabs back to the hotel in our rain-soaked clothes and shoes. We all joked that this was certainly a memorable White Rose Luncheon and, two years from now, we will look back and laugh.
After getting cleaned up from the great adventure, we spent the evening at the Sweetheart Reception. Congratulations to Mary Sugden for being chosen as the next International Sweetheart! The Sweetheart Reception is one of my absolute favorite parts of Grand Chapter because I know that in the end that group of unique and diverse brothers will sing, “The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi” to the new International Sweetheart. It’s an amazing experience and one that gives me goosebumps every time. There is truly nothing like it.
