Nostalgia

Okay y'all . . . this is my last post about Autumn. That means I'm officially caught up on here! Whoop-whoop!!!

Many of us probably have those friends with whom we were once really close but rarely {or never} see anymore. I know I have many friends like that. However, there are just of few of those friends that when I do see them, we pick back up right where we left off . . . almost like nothing has changed. Those types of friends are true and truly special. 

This past October and November, we were able to see an unusually large amount of people who we hadn't seen in years. Several of them had never met one or both of my children. Many of those encounters took place at my Grandpappy's funeral, but we were blessed to spend time with some friends we hadn't seen in a long time during other parts of the season as well. 

When I was 15, my family and I had just moved to a new state and I was pretty lonely. I went to church camp that summer and became fast friends with a guy named Adam. We knew our friendship was pretty special from the beginning, and 17 years later we are still friends. While we've only seen each other a handful of times in the past 10 years, we truly cherish the time we've spent together.

Adam and his family live in Nashville, but he has a brother that lives not too far from where I do. In early October, Adam and his family came to visit his brother, so we met up one day for lunch and an afternoon of play. 

We took the kids to the park to run and play for a bit. Our kids are all different ages, but get along well!

Nathan (7), Brenson (1), Reagan (5), and Brianna (3)

After an hour or so at the park, we all came back to our house for more play and visiting. It's so fun to watch my kids play with his kids. Kinda crazy, too. This was their first time to meet Brenson.

I've really enjoyed getting to know Adam's wife over the last 10 years. I now consider her a friend, too!

Sharon, Adam, Reagan, and Nathan

I love tradition, and it's become a tradition for Adam and I to take a photo together every time we see each other. It's been 2 1/2 years since our last visit (here), and who knows when our families will see each other again. For now, we're just thankful for each time we have!

In my last post, I told you all about how we explored the University where I was formerly employed. Well, that visit got me feeling a little homesick for my alma mater. I've never taken Brenson to my old University stompin' grounds, and Brianna hasn't been since she was 6 months old. It's only about an hour and 20 minute drive from where we live, but we just never make it that direction.

When I was in college, I had the same campus job for five years (at Student Support Services). I loved that job, and it was that student worker position that inspired me to pursue a career in higher ed. The woman who was my  boss while I worked there is retiring very soon, so it was perfect timing to go visit her, introduce the kiddos, and spend the day exploring campus.

My kiddos took to Connie instantly! They were fascinated by her computer (we don't own a desktop . . . or a mouse . . . or a phone with a cord . . . ) so there was lots of new territory to explore!

Lena also worked at SSS when I was there. She was the Administrative Assistant at the time, but has slowly worked her way up and is getting ready to take over as director when Connie retires. Lena was like my second mom when I was in college. I worked for Connie from the time I was 19 until I was 23, so in many ways I grew up there. And, in some ways, it felt like going home :-).

It was SO good to see these ladies!

I hope retirement treats her well!

I love this lady! She will always hold a very special place in my heart!

My intention was to walk around campus and take lots of photos after our visit, but it was raining off and on all day. Plus, by the time we left SSS, we only had a few minutes before nap time (I wanted them to nap in the car), so the kids weren't really up for too much walking around. We did do a little walking and snapped just a few photos.

The Bs in front of famous and historic Seminary Hall. 

We had missed the really stunning fall foliage by just a week or so, but there were still a few beautiful trees left. Who knows how many times I walked between these two buildings during my college career (I earned both my bachelor's and master's degrees at this university). The building on the right of the photo houses SSS, and the other building is the library (also where my second job was located). I burned up the path between these two buildings every day!

Being back on campus brought up so many memories and emotions for me. And being on campus with my littles? The ones I didn't know if I would ever finally have? Well, that was just icing on the cake. I'm SO glad we took a day and did this. Hopefully, we'll do it again before another 3 years go by!