Sunday, November 16, 2008

Yup, another weekend trip

Surely it surprises no one that we were traveling again this weekend. Not another wedding this time though. I don't think we have any more weddings in 2008! Instead it was off to Harrisonburg, Virginia, home of Rob's alma mater. Rob and his best friends from college plus significant others and kids all headed back to James Madison University for a ten-year reunion.

The original gang is Rob, Jason, Christian, Heather and Jake. Jason seems to be the linchpin in the group. Rob and Jason went to high school together. Jason and Christian were freshman year roommates in college. Heather and Jason were in the JMU marching band together. Jake transferred to JMU and roomed with Christian. And that is how the crew formed.

Heather is now married to Blair, also a JMU alum, who was a good friend of Christian during their semester abroad. Heather and Blair met at Christian's Halloween party in DC a few years after college.

And of course, Rob and I are married thanks to the pairing of Jason and Christian as freshman year roommates as well. Christian's brother Dave went to grad school at College of Charleston where he became friends with Carly who later became my roommate and kindred spirit in DC. Carly met Christian and later Rob through Dave, which eventually led me to meet Rob.

Ah, fate. :)

Jason is also married to a JMU alum -- Beth -- but they met after college as well. And Jake is married to a non-JMU-er, Catherine.

Now that I've explained everyone.... The ten adults and four kids rented a big house near JMU for the weekend. We toured campus on Saturday for a football game. The campus was gorgeous. The game was excellent. (JMU won!) Then we grilled out an reminisced on Saturday night.

The four kids -- Sophie (Heather and Blair's), Katie (Jake and Catherine's), Calvin & Casey (Jason and Beth's) -- were so much fun. Calvin is very spirited and enjoys smashing his face up against yours and all sorts of tackling games. He and Katie had particular fun joint tackling me on repeatedly on Sunday morning.

Rob and I drove Christian and his girlfriend Maria back to DC on Sunday afternoon. On the way we stopped at a winery with what seemed to be the world's longest wine-tasting. I think we tasted 20 wines. Whoa. We also had a spirited round of the cow game on the ride back, which Christian and Rob won with an astounding 6002 points to Maria's and my, um, nothing. Ouch.

All in all, it was a really great weekend. It's always fun spending time with old friends and making new friends. (I'd never met Maria, Jake or Catherine before.)

Here are some pictures.

Casey, Katie, Sophie, and Calvin.

Catherine, Katie, Calvin, Jason, Rob, me, Casey, Beth, Blair, Sophie, Heather, Christian, Maria. (Jake was off parking their car.)

Jason, Calvin, me, Casey, Beth, Rob, (the back of) Sophie('s head), Heather, Blair, Christian, Katie, Catherine, Jake. (Maria was in the library.)

1 comment:

Heather & Blair said...

Why is Sophie watching the MRDs in every picture?! :)