As previously noted, dear husband turns 40 this December and it was to be celebrated early in style. Thanks to a devoted wife (that would be me), I finagled asking all of his college buds to join us at PSU for a wkend of Football and walks down memory lane.
Husband and friends were beyond excited for this trip. It was a chance to return to their campus where they spent 4 (or in some cases 5) years as a student. A place that they still think fondly of...very fondly of. These alum's (and I dont speak only about my husband's friends) all alums of Penn State seem to have this ....cult like thing...this gleam that they get when talking about their Alma Mater. A place where, 20 yrs later, they still can remember every bar they went to, every fraternity event, and of course, they all follow their beloved JO-PA each and every Saturday during Football Season.
I went to a small college in Western Mass. We were lucky to get 250 to attend a football game. Tailgating was relatively tame and I have to strain to think of some of the names of the bars that we went to. College for me was 4 years spent getting an education, meeting some friends, having fun, and frankly..moving on.
Not for the Penn Staters of the world.
I kid my husband all of the time about his love of this place. Really,I have no right to because I hold the same love for my overnight camp that I attended. I can recite every line to our old fight songs and beam when I run into a fellow "CTN'er. So, with that said... I was eager to go to PSU and experience what the alumni felt...pure bliss.
It was a while to get there because we first headed to NYC to drop the kids off at my in laws. It was nice to have the second leg of the trip without the boys. I got to listen to "my" music and enjoy the quiet and scenic views. By scenic I mean foliage and cows. Lots of cows. Oh, and passing signs with towns ending in "ville".
Nothing says a getaway like an emergency call from ADT while you're in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania telling you that your house alarm is going off and the police have been dispatched to check it out. False Alarm. Im thinking my cat set off the motion detectors and thanks to a good friend, alarm was reset, plasma TV still there (Husband's big concern) and the wkend could continue.
Upon arriving at campus we immediately stopped into the college bookstore to do our "shopping". I joked that we would run into the rest of the group there and after 2 minutes of browsing..we did. There we all were, surrounded by more Penn State paraphanelia then I could imagine. And there I was, feeding into it all, donned in a new sweatshirt, hat and carrying "Nittany Lion Pasta" to bring home for Youngest.
We checked into the hotel shortly after.. the "Sleep Inn". No need to elaborate.
I admit the weekend was amazing. Good friends reuniting. Dear Husband showing me around campus, lots of remarks on "remember this" and look what's not there anymore, lots of fried food, appetizers, $5.50 pitchers of beer, shots being thrown at the guys with names like "Car bombs" and "Cement mixers", fried food (oh wait, did I mention it twice? That's because if I never see another fried anything, it wont be long enough), dive bars, sticky shoes from stepping in spilled beer and laughs, a lot of laughs. (Not to mention that Penn State killed Eastern Illinois 52-3)
I was sad to leave my weekend behind. Not only because I got to act like a 21 year old again and throw the word "responsibility" out the window for 48 hours, not only because my husband and I got to relax with a great group of people and stay out past 10 without worrying about how much the babysitter was costing us, but because it reminded me of a time when things were easier. Worries were of where to go and what to wear, should I skip my AM class because I was out so late the night before...good times, little worries.
Reality hit when we entered my in laws in NYC and were greeted by a 4 and a 6 year old happy to see their Mommy. I got hugs and kisses and a lot of lovin'
Would I trade my real life to go back and be 21 again? Not for a minute...
But maybe for a few seconds!
I leave my wkend behind and face my third load of laundry.
It was fun while it lasted....right Mar? (tx for reading. I know you are!)
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