Going to College!

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, most of our weekends are all about Tate...from friends' birthday parties to his soccer to the random playdate to dining at the French Fry place.  

Finally there have been a couple of Mommy weekends.  I shared them with Tate, but they were definitely not kid-geared. (with the exception of this afternoon)

Last weekend after swim lessons, I loaded Tate up in the car and we headed up to my alma mater,  Southwestern University.  I graduated in 1989 and I absolutely loved loved loved my college experience from dorm life to challenging classes to sorority life to study groups to fraternity little sister life to the lifelong friendships I made in that special place.  Loved it.  Those four years on that campus have made me who I am today.  My dad had a vision of what he wanted my life possibilities to be and he brought it to fruition.  I never would have looked at this small liberal arts college of just over 1000 students without his guidance and fore-thought.  I can never thank him enough, nor repay him for providing me this wonderful education.  For I grew up in a family where going to college wasn't an option; it was what you did.  As such, your parents supported you and paid for it because it was no different than elementary school or high school.  I intend to raise Tate in the same manner.

In any event, I decided to go to Homecoming this year because for the first time in 60 years football has returned to SU!!!  We are a Division 3 school with no athletic scholarships.  None at all.  There is no real sports culture on Southwestern's campus; at least there wasn't while I was there.  But even when Lindsey attended 15 years later, there were no athletic scholarships, and she was (still is) an amazing soccer player, playing on the SU team all four years and team captain her senior year.  This was after tearing her ACL for a second time as a sophomore!  But enough bragging about Lindsey.

Football!!  I love me some football.  (Don't tell Tate; I don't want him to play.)  I was so excited.  I have many friends who are really torn about the idea of football on SU's campus and some who are downright against it.  Me, I'm just not thinking that hard about it.  I like football.  I like Southwestern.  Put the two together, and meh I'm happy.

I wanted to go back for a game this inaugural season, and lo and behold :) a game was being played the Saturday of Homecoming.  It was a no brainer that I would go.

So after swim lessons I dropped Tate off at daycare, went and had a fantastic 90 minute massage, grabbed some lunch, then picked up my child and we were off to Georgetown!

 

Tate did quite well in the car.  He's an amazingly easy going car rider even though we don't do long car trips all that often.  Now I'm not saying he didn't whine at any points, but we both made it through with minimal extra gray hairs for me.  He surprised me by only playing with his leappad for 30 minutes.  The rest of the time he happily listened to his Thomas CD or just looked out the window.  

We arrived, checked into our hotel and Palmi showed up a few minutes later (we were sharing a room).  We got all situated and headed off for dinner.  Now I've been back to Southwestern many times especially given that Lindsey didn't graduate until 2005, so I made a few trips up to visit her.  Palmi however was shocked by the changes in Georgetown itself, and when she saw campus Saturday she was blown away.  I too was quite taken aback how my sleepy little college town had changed...just unbelievable.  We had dinner at Burger University which was 'Cafe on the Square' when I attended SU.  Back then, Georgetown was dry, and you had to have an ID indicating you were allowed to drink within city limits at a restaurant.  This was not your regular state ID or driver's license, but a special card to allow the purchase of alcohol.  Obviously I never got one :)

We enjoyed some yummy burgers, fantastic atmosphere and gorgeous views of the square.

We went back to the hotel, and I got Tate down for the night, much to Palmi's chagrin, but he was exhausted.  I actually love going out of town with a kid who goes to bed early.  I love that I don't feel like I need to be doing chores or anything;  I can just chill.  So chill I did.  I washed my hair, hung out and was sound asleep by 10:30.  Though as per my usual I didn't sleep great, but at least Tate didn't have us up until 6:15 :)

He watched his precious trains on YouTube while Palmi and I snoozed then we got dressed for breakfast and headed over to campus to check in and see the school!

Had to stand under the ADPi sign of course!

Leave it to Tate to find the one train in the entire
Student Union Building (the SUB as we used to call it).
Of course it now has been redone and has a totally
different name that escapes me now!) 

My old freshman dorm...Mabee Hall.
It was brand spanking new when I moved in in 1985. 

We briefly walked around the campus, went into the Lois Perkins Chapel where I spent many a night studying and just reminisced.  We raided the bookstore and came out with armfuls of paraphernalia for the game that day!

We opted to blow off the picnic we had paid for and headed over to the high school football stadium, yes our college team plays at the high school football stadium...remember I said some people are not happy with football at Southwestern; funding for a stadium is far far far away...for some tailgating.

Tate's first time tailgating.  In fact I think it was my first time too!

All decked out in our new SU gear complete
with foam finger, but of course it's not really
a foam finger...this IS Southwestern after all.
It's a foam pirate sword :)

I ran around and talked to old friends...just absolutely lovely.  And such a beautiful day.  Later on the cheerleaders walked through.  Cheerleaders!  At Southwestern!

  

Lindsey showed up and made Tate's day...

Finally it was game time.

Not that we scored a touchdown (Ok they haven't scored a touchdown all season.  No, not one.) but it was so much fun anyway.  Palmi, Tate and I sat with some old KAs (well old in that they actually graduated a couple years after us, but ya know) and had a blast.  I've missed me some Lumpy.  Tate got all into too.  Whenever Lumpy would yell at the refs or make derogatory comments about the other team Tate was right there egging him on, repeating after him.  It was hilarious to see my sweet boy jumping up and down yelling "GET HIM!!! STOP HIM"

I love the progression of these photos as Tate tries
to get in the picture.  That's Lumpy (aka Marc) with
the hair on his face :)

Though Tate and I left at halftime we had a fantastic time.

Tate was pretty done with all the adult activity;  I had brought no toys for him to play with while we were out and about, so he was itching to get back to the hotel and play with his trains.  So we left at halftime, and went back to the hotel.  I piddled around and read and played on the computer while he played with his beloved trains for a little over an hour.

We met up with my sweet diamond sister, B and her son H who is  freshman at SU for dinner at El Monumento.  It's a lovely restaurant on the San Gabriel River.  On the San Gabriel River.  So very hard to believe there are restaurants up and down the San Gabriel River.   In Georgetown.

In any event, dinner was lovely (I had picked up a grilled cheese for Tate at Burger University), just lovely.  We sat outside and though it was quite chilly, the scrumptious margarita warmed me up considerably.  Palmira and her older brother, who came up from Austin to say hi, joined us as well.

A beautiful evening full of love, friendship and joy.  And here's the thing...Barbie was a freshman when I was a senior;  we are sorority sisters.  I loved that girl when we were in college, but I had not seen her in 24 years until this past January.  But she has not changed one iota.  Not one bit.  Her beautiful loving spirit still shines through.  It emanates from her.  I know this because as soon as Tate saw her at the football game when she came down in the bleachers to say hi, he launched himself into her arms like he would never let go.  

He does not do that with people whom he doesn't know.

But this past January when we were in Dallas for Julie's 'Fight Like a Girl' weekend, she took him up in her loving arms when I was at the end of my rope with his screaming, crying, whining self of 3 hours.  She took him outside and carried my 3 1/2 year old hiccuping crying child out in 40 degrees to try to calm him down for me.  

And it worked.  

He had just met her the night before and thrust himself into her arms that night too.

Here we are in January just seeing each other again for the
first time in over 20 years!

Tate can't get close enough! 

Can't you feel that love?

I love this girl.

I don't think she and Palmi even knew each other while we were at SU.  Well certainly knew each other, but shared a meal?  No.  Hung out?  No.

But sitting outside together 24 years later, it was like we were 20 again brought together in this beautiful place.

Tate and I headed back to the hotel after dinner and I had him asleep by 7:30 again.  Palmi was able to go out on the town for a bit :) and I got to bed early.  

Sunday morning Tate had everyone up and moving a bit at 6:17.  But unluckily for us the time changed overnight, so it was really 5:17!!  UGH!  That extra hour does not exist for people who have kids :)

We made our way home that morning after breakfast.  Tate was quite antsy to get home and play with his toys.  He did start crying a bit about halfway home and sadly said "I miss my train and my cat." 

As soon as we arrived home, he was up playing with his trains happy as could be.  We did run out for groceries, but other than that we stayed home Sunday afternoon.

It was a lovely weekend.  I so enjoyed reconnecting with people I haven't seen other than FB in years and seeing those I haven't seen at all since leaving the campus in 1989.  Since year is my 25th reunion, so I truly hope many of my friends will return for that celebration.  I intend to leave sweet Tate home for that weekend.  

I think he'll be sad though...he was so excited about his weekend at college.  All week he had talked about how he was going to college on the weekend.  

Boy is he ready to go to college...

 

However, I'm not quite ready for him to go to college yet. Thankfully I have 14 more years to compose myself and mentally prepare.

I'm going to need each and every one of those 14 years to mentally prepare.  I want him to have the same or similar experience that I did.  I want him to make lifelong friends.  I want him to embrace learning for ever and always like he is now.  I want him to party hard and study harder.  I want him to love where he chooses to go.

I just don't want him to go.