This weekend, Brandon and I were lucky enough to head down to Oxford, Ohio, home of our alma mater- Miami University. We had rented a cabin with 4 of our college friends, collectively known as the "601 guys" in reference to the apartment they lived in while we were all in school.
Luckier yet, we got to leave Henry and June behind with Grams and PawPaw in Marion. And luckiest- Aunt Jenni called on Saturday demanding that we let her take Georgie for the weekend so we could really enjoy ourselves! Now with a first kid, we might have been reluctant, but Georgie is our third, so we packed her up and sent her off to get some attention from her wonderful aunt and uncles and adoring cousins. We really, really, really appreciate everyone giving us the weekend off. We haven't slept this great in months and appreciate everyone sacrificing their sleep. As Aunt Jenni said, it's a good thing Georgie is so cute and happy during the day, because it takes a lot to make up for how poorly she sleeps at night.
Back in Oxford, we had a great time revisiting our old town and eating out at all of our favorite restaurants. I may have mentioned it before, but our group probably weight a collective 100 pounds more when we were in school. I sure miss those days. On Sunday, I went for a run around campus (something that NEVER happened when I was in school) and visited some of my favorite places. This is Phillips Hall, which houses WMUB- the NPR station I worked at while I was in grad school.
This is Shriver Center- probably the building most central to my entire college experience. It's the student center and the building I met Brandon in when I was working in the deli and caught his fancy while he waited in line for a spicy chicken sandwich.
I was also a manager for the catering service that was centered out of Shriver and we eventually held out wedding reception in this building.
I was devastated to find out that Miami intends on building a new student center and tearing down Shriver. It really broke my heart. The good news is that since they plan on getting rid of it, they haven't done any updating and the interior is exactly as it was when we left Oxford 7 years ago.
So much has changed since we left. It was actually very shocking to see all of the changes that have been made. Still the same is our old dorm- Thompson Hall- out on the fringes of Western College.
This is Kumler Chapel- where Brandon and I got married almost 8 years ago. Luckily, it hasn't changed much in the 92 years since it was built and I think they'll keep it that way.
Last, and certainly least is the grubby little house that for 6 years housed at least one Turner and Griswold and many of their friends. (Uncle Adam and Mike lived there and turned it over to Brandon and Jeff when they graduated.) If there's one building in Oxford that deserves to be knocked down- it's probably this one. But even so, I was glad to see it again.
It was a very nostalgic weekend in Oxford, as I haven't been back in almost 5 years. And for the first time since leaving, I did feel nostalgia and dare I say, even a little pride in my old alma mater.
And it was a great pleasure getting to see these guys again. Same time next year?
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