And so it began - The feeling of going to the airport with just Chris was an amazing feeling. Us, carry on bags and the thought of my first Starbucks coffee in months. Traveling without kids and within the USA is a piece of cake!!
The plane flight was almost too short - I barely got into Sarah's Key - my new book. Chris was busy working away on the laptop. Guess we kinda miss the 6 hour trans Atlantic flight. Nicole and Sam met us at the airport and swept us away in their fabulous minivan. We headed straight to their house and out to lunch with John and Saundra. We loved the time just chatting with John and Saundra as they have a tendency to make the area feel like home to us. John is wildly successful working for the University. He work with big donors and is so good at his job he is thinking about adding - financial anesthesiologist to his business card as they say he separates folks from their money painlessly.
Since we were without Nicole we had to rely on my sense of direction which we all know is horrible. Sure, i went to school there - but i hardly had a car.... Thankful for the Iphone GPS we made it too lunch. Since our battery was dying - making it back to campus was another story. Thankfully John was able to reel us help us find a parking spot and ended up giving us a very informative tour of North Campus as well as some much needed Michigan Engineering sweatshirts which i am over the moon over =)!
Here are a few fast photos of the beautiful day up at North Campus. Its amazing just being back in the University setting - there is so much potential in every class, student and faculty member. We poked our heads into a lecture hall to see them prepping for an Entrepreneur Lecture where one of the Twitter founders was due to speak. If we didn't have a million things to see and do, how amazing would that be?!
The bell tower was new as i left the University and the Media Union as well. It has been renamed and they have added SEVERAL new buildings - I was kind of lost - to the point where Chris was wondering if I ever really went here.
Yes sir!! There is my photo right there on the wall - I am legit. John knows just about everyone in the department and i must admit - the names were a bit foggy to me - but we walked into the department office and said hi feeling a bit star struck (me of them at the moment).
After a fabulous North Campus tour we headed back to central campus and linked back up with Nicole for some strolling and cocktails.
Here's some diag photos as we were making the most of the BEAUTIFUL fall day
A quick jaunt over to North Hall - the home of everything ROTC which is where Nicole and I became best Buddies. At a University so BIG - ROTC was were I found my little niche as well as countless lifelong friends. I still remember that first meeting watching John and Ryan tell us all the things we would learn and do. Than hopping into that canoe where I would meet Nicole for the first time. She was a confident Michigan resident and I the overwhelmed outta stater. We still laugh and chat about the things that MATTER so much during our years at school. The matters that kept us up at night, long hours studying, parties, boys, Army, school - its amazing the turns our friendship has taken over the years and I am forever thankful for the growth we have enjoyed together.
Now, onto some PT -
Not only was this one of the many PT locations, but we used to host a fanatic haunted house every Halloween.
one more stop at 1218 Washtenaw court - our home for 2 years of our college life. Not much has changed - about the house.... us too right?? Can you believe we have 6 kids between us? Who woulda thought.... not me!!
After Nicole headed back to home dinner with her kiddos we popped into the Chem building. Another 'memorable' spot for me.
I know Chris would like to think I did a lot of sleeping here - although there was time for that - I must admit - it was my favorite 2 classes. Looking back I wish i would have stuck with just Chemistry as i had a sick love for Organic Chem.
Something about seeing the same notes from the SAME instructor just felt heartwarming - and for a brief second I felt smarter - than i tried to fully understand what was written.
I couldn't get over how beautiful the trees were and didn't want to take any of it for granted.
We had to walk through Nicols Arcade to make sure the Dry cleaners I worked at was still there - yup
More fall beauty
Our final stop for the evening was Good time Charlies (which Chris called Carlos and Charlies all night).... Alaine was a bartender here and I was a waitress. Fabulous college food and beer (or so we remembered) Stefanie Sterken (a former roomate too) met us out for the night as she lives in Ann Arbor now with her daughter and husband. We love how we all manaded to live together being so different. Stefanie was know for using the other side of her brain as she is very artistic and creative. She still have some cool photos that she use us as models in - see - creative!! Alaine (our roommate for all 3 years - I say that because you don't get to choose your freshman year) and an advertising business owner - made it in from her drive from NC (10 hours in the car and they arrived just in time for happy hour-well planned lady!)
There was a girls side of the table and a boys side - here is Chris, Chris and Ian
Shane came out with Vito later on - here's me and Shane
Sterken (now Horvath - but i can't stop using our maiden names!), Nicole and Vito!
Shane and Vito were also from our college days. We met them in South quad our freshman year. They were actually roommates all four years along with my college boyfriend Rib. He and his wife Heidi had a HUGE tailgate here a few weeks ago that we couldn't make, but I am thankful to call her a friend too - crazy right?? I would call it lucky =) But with my relationship with Rib, I am lucky to know these guys so well. If you listen to our stories, maybe a little too well - remember I was a sleepwalker....
We have to take 2 photos to make sure we get the photographer in there too - hey alaine =)!
Beautiful shot
We all packed it up and headed home later on - but Shane and Vito ended the evening the way all evenings should end. Yum. We will implement this idea tomorrow night - shame on me for forgetting =)!
Friday was a beautiful fall Michigan day, Saturday..... a rainy COLD Michigan day. YUCK but you gotta take the good with the bad right? Ian wins for best dressed.
Shane was stocked up on bloody Mary's - not his first rodeo
We must send out a HUGE thank you to Shane and Vito for orchestrating this fabulous tailgate. Even though they were out late on Friday enjoying some Pancheros, they were up early on Saturday making breakfast casserole, loading tents, grills, and all the fixings to make a day in the rain more fun.
This Cornhole game is a mainstay, and yes, we tailgate on the University of Michigan golf course.
See that fairway behind the cornhole game
Vito was knocking out a little dentistry with Brandon
Love for Shane - I have 2 Shane's in my life and their birthdays are 3 days apart - we think they will be good buddies some day
Here is the much talked about bathroom tent - when your bladder gets full, this is the solution
and when the bucket gets full, water the grass.....
getting 'warmed up' for the game - finally a photo of Saundra - I am not sure how John managed to escape unphotographed!! Andy and Michele too... I am hoping they will send me photos so I can update...
with some beers, jello shots, 99 bananas under our belt - lets head to that cold wet stadium to cheer on a WIN..... and take a nap....
ready ladies? snuggle up, its cold in there.
At about half time we all retreated for a warmer dryer location. We managed to link up with Michele, Andy, Vito, Shane, John, Saundra and even Alaine's brother Craig drove in from Plymouth as we warmed up at BW3s. It was fun chatting and playing my all time favorite question game to those willing to participate =)! Now we will all be watching Modern family as well as re-runs of the Ateam and Cosby show - maybe Alf too!!
We all started to go home from there - but of course as a final kid-less night for Alaine, Ian, Chris and I, we wanted to continue on so Vito and Shane muster along as we hit up Ashley's and ended the night right at Pancheros.
I love these weekends. There are a few times when we digress to college days stories- but now its about getting to know each other today with the foundation of years ago. I love meeting the new folks that have completed our lives and see how well they mesh with the friends of years ago. i love thinking about living there one day as Michigan still feels like one of my many homes.
Sunday morning we were up early, Nicole and Laine took us to the airport and within a quick hour we were back home in Virginia. The boys loved their new Michigan swag
Here is the new game day look for the Leadbetters!
Thank you all for such a wonderful weekend. Thank you for making it seem like it was yesterday that we were all there together. Now when is that pilgrimage to Disney world? Love you all!
