Reunion!

Reunion!

It only comes every 5 years, which not is not nearly often enough! This time we were lucky to have Rachel and Josh come out a day early, so we were able to hang out and watch the Twins game before heading down to Northfield. Some of us (i.e., those that had to go to bed early because they worked 7-12 that day) enjoyed the game more than others (i.e., those that stayed up late enjoying home-brew and walking through our screen door - yes, Anna, you're now not the only one to have done this!).

We then made the trek down to Carleton and got all checked in to our room. Mike and I had a delightful little double in Evans - right over the lounge. Uh-oh. This did not bode well for those of us that need our beauty rest! Alas, although I had forgotten my glasses, showershoes, and phone charger, at least I remembered ear plugs!

Thursday night we hung out in Evans for awhile, then headed over to the Cow for beer/wine and Chapati. Oh, and a 50's music singalong. (?!) It turned out to be great fun, even if (or, perhaps, because) I did have 2.5 glasses of wine, which is waaaaay over my limit!

Friday morning we slept in, some of us longer than others. I went for a quick run, then returned again to this:

After rousing Mike from his "nap" (he and Brad had been up until 4am?!), we gathered Rachel, Brad and Katie and headed over to Anne Sawyer's for brunch. We weren't super close at Carleton, so I really appreciated the invite. We had a lovely time and the food from Anne's farm was delicious!!

Mike also became good friends with Calla, Mike and Margaret's younger daughter, and they hung out a lot for the rest of the weekend.

After brunch we had to hurry back to the Hill of 2.5 Oaks for "lawn games."

I rocked at croquet (no photos since I was playing, so you'll just have to believe me!) but Jess and I stunk it up at badminton...Um, I mean, since there were no photos to prove it, she and I were awesome! Also, it turns out that Rachel was quite good at Rotblatt!

Then we putzed around for awhile until it was time for dinner and then karaoke, dancing, and fireworks. It was fun, but I was trying to keep to a semi-regular schedule to prepare for surgery so I ended up going to bed a little after midnight.

Saturday morning I woke up bright and early, along with all the kid-folks. I ended up eating breakfast with Mike, Margaret, their kids, and a bunch of other alums and kids. It turned out to be quite nice to chat with Margaret, even though I felt a little out of place at the kids table!  At 10 we lined up for the "Parade of Classes," which is a semi-alarming way to confront your own mortality. My favorite was the '91 alum who was shouting "this is you in 15 years - wear your sunscreen!" Just as it was our turn to start parading it started pouring!! I was so glad that I left my camera in the room because I was soaked by the time we got to Sayles. (Yeah, we skipped out on Convo. What else is new?) We then spent the rest of the morning hanging out in Sayles. (Again, what else is new?)

After lunch we did out class photo (see here), then Mike and I participated in the trivia challenge vs the class of '71. It was so much fun, even though I did get the one psychology question wrong. (Can you name Jung's country of origin? I could not.) Despite this, I'm still not convinced that our team didn't win...

We then traipsed around downtown Northfield. Mike got a coffee from Monday's and I got a Chocolate Peanut Butter Revel cone from Hogan Brothers. We hung out for a bit, then it was time for Beer Tasting!! Mike a great job organizing the event and, despite a few last-minute hiccups (like some wrong beers getting ordered, and not the correct quantities) I think people were quite happy with the event. Way to go, Mike!

After dinner, a small group of my friends hung out in my room for awhile. We had the most hilarious conversation ever! I was reminded all over again about how awesome Carleton people are, and I really think that evening made the weekend for me.

And that was it! Sunday morning we had breakfast "with" the President (in quotes since he wasn't actually there), then Mike and I walked the new labyrinth (I'm trying to convince him that we should install one in our backyard). Then we packed up and headed home. (Note that I still haven't attended a single lecture or academic-ish event at a reunion. Oh well.)

I know that it wouldn't be nearly as special if it happened every year, but I'm sad to think that I have to wait another 5 years for more reunion fun! My only hope is that the next reunion won't be overshadowed by anything - our 5 year was overshadowed by my grad school misery, and this one was overshadowed by my impending surgery. Next time it will be 100% reunion fun - got it, universe?! Oh, and as long as I'm putting in requests... please, universe, arrange for Anna and Jane and Mitra to also be there next time!