A Weekend of Fun Blessings

As I sit here, it is hard for me to believe how much has happened this weekend.  It is very surreal. Friday Jerry and I went to garage sales.  It was basically the venue for just spending time together and chatting.  It was fun to drive around and run into a few friends and look for some fun deals.  My husband is just the best.   We did that together in the morning, and then that evening he let me go and meet some of my college friends for dinner.  

Then Saturday morning Jerry and Steve taught a cooking class for the women's spring event at our church.  They made yummy food for twelve gals while I took the kids to chic-fil-a.  When I returned, the women said just the sweetest and kindest things about my dear husband.  He is just wonderful.  Then Jerry let me go catch up with my college friends again. 

This weekend was our "Taylor Girls Weekend."  Nine of us got together to just visit and catch up. One of our friends moved to Upland in the last year, so we were not only able to see each other, but we were able to revisit Taylor together.  This was only the second time I have been able to go.  It seems I have basically been pregnant or nursing most of the other years.  What a rejuvenating time!  It was so good to just talk and laugh and listen and laugh some more.  Those of you that couldn't make it this year, you were dearly missed.  I so hope that there is a time when we can all be together for one of these.  

It was amazing to walk around the campus together.  We were walking on the sidewalk that leads from the DC (where we ate) to our dorm.  It was just surreal for me.  How many times did we do that very walk in college?  Then, we got to our dorm... I haven't been back to the dorms since we graduated, so that was just fun.  Someone said the picture of Grace had faded.  Someone else said it smelled the same.  We went into the lounge and then we had our own ring down for our friend that got married last year.  It was so fun to just laugh and remember those times from college.  She passed around her ring for all of us to see.  Then she stood up on the bricks for us and told us how she got engaged.  Then another friend that got engaged after graduation shared her story too.  We cheered after each of them told their story.  A few people walked through the lounge while we did that.  We are all married now, and there was just something so sweet and surreal and fun about celebrating that in an old fashioned Taylor way.  

Then we went on our wing.  The room I lived in as a freshmen is totally gone and is now part of the laundry room.  Of course we were just talking and laughing.  We even joked how we are "those people" now.  We could remember when other gals would do this when we were in college.  Now we were the ones going down memory lane, amazed by what had changed and what was the same.  Everything would trigger another story.  The bathroom has been remodeled, which only made us laugh about time when the dividers to our stalls ended up under the bell tower.  

Then it was off to Ivanhoe's for lunch.  We had dinner at T.O.P.P.I.T (The Only Pizza Place in Town).  Breadsticks and more fun down memory lane.  Later that night we were able to get shakes from Ivanhoe's.  We had lots of time to visit and relax.  It was much needed down time for all of us.   Melynie has some great pictures up, and I'm sure Traci and Heather will add some soon too.  

We had a class tonight at church and some dear friends were asking about my weekend.  I feel like it was just so rejuvenating and like a time to just reboot.  That may sound silly, but I can't really describe it.  I think the fact that we were there together when it wasn't a crazy alumni time made me way more reflective.  It just looked like a regular spring Saturday at Taylor.  It just hit me how back then I wondered what was I going to do?  Would I get married?  Who would I marry?  Where was I going to live?  How was God going to use me?  Would I have children? So many questions and challenges.  Then tonight it really hit me how God has just been so faithful.  Different memories would come to mind as we walked around campus, and oh, to just tap the old me on the shoulder and say, "Don't worry.  God is faithful.  Trust Him and trust His timing."  Now we are all in a different season and there are new questions, but God is the same.  He is faithful.  His timing is perfect.  I am just so thankful.  What a blessing these women are in my life!