What a Weekend

We had a good weekend all-in-all. Friday night we left (about a half hour later than expected) and drove to Iowa with my Dad and our family. The kids were great and, after stopping to get dinner, they crashed in the back while I drove. Fundi is not a car sleeper, so he sat quietly. My dad snored. I called Liz. She was expecting us a little earlier, but because we were so late and it would be an early morning, we decided to forgo the trip to Mt. Vernon to go to the bars. We all crashed after we got everything carried up to the room (a suite with a kitchenette--including full size fridge which is great when you have kids, especially one with a bottle). Everyone crashed, that is, except for Burbles, who decided that since she had already slept four hours, she really didn't need to sleep anymore. I was up with her for a while and then too tired, I took a MAJOR step in the wrong direction. Propped and in the car seat. She fell asleep shortly after that and I did take the bottle away, but it wasn't the direction that I was sure we were headed.
Saturday morning came early. We all got up, got ready for the day, and attended the wonderful continental breakfast that the hotel offered. We went on a drive through Cedar Rapids. I got to drive past a few different places that I used to go frequently. I got to see all of the changes that have taken place over the past two years. I love that city. I miss it. Then we took Mt. Vernon Road to Mt. Vernon and ended up in the library parking lot. We toured a couple buildings and walked around outside in the drizzle. Captain was amazed at the squirrels and thought that it was pretty neat how close they would allow you to get to them. We had lunch in the Commons at the Ratt. We met up with some Phi-Lambs who graduated with me or were in school with me. It was nice to visit and catch up. I went to the bookstore looking for some cool outerwear for the kids, but they had nothing as small as what I would have needed.
After lunch, our family went to the football game and watched the first half. While we were there, I ran into a few other people that I went to college with and talked with them for a while. At halftime, the Phi-Lambs hosted a tea in one of the new dorms, Clock Tower, in one of their rooms. It was small and crowded and I was honestly disappointed that we weren't in a lounge and didn't have all the history books there. It is always nice to look at those and reminisce. By the time we were done gabbing at half-time tea, we walked down to the Cornell Young Alumni (C-ya) Event near the sports center. We were able to chat for a while down there as well. By then Captain and Burbles were sleeping in the van, Fundi was bored out of his mind, and my dad was ready for a beer.
We left Cornell (see ya next year for our five year reunion) and drove through Palisades Park. The Pal, as we like to call it, hadn't changed much and was just as beautiful as ever. The water was super-high and made the river look different. There was also a couple getting married on the north end of the turn-around on the beach. We drove to the Olive Garden (via the long route). As we pulled up and started unloading, a woman, who had been running with her kids across the parking lot, took a big tumble and her purse went flying and she landed on the ground. I helped her up and she was pretty shaken. She seems to have tripped and thought that she may have blacked out a bit. I was concerned and would rather that she not drive, but she did anyway.
At Olive Garden we met Matt and Liz. The food was great, the Sangria was great, and the conversation was great. We had a lot of fun there and we all really enjoyed ourselves. We took my dad and the kids back to the hotel and then Fundi and I went off and toured Matt and Liz's house. While we were there, we received a phone call from Matt and Amanda. We decided to meet them at Barnes and Noble for coffee and conversation. Liz's Matt stayed home, but the five of us had a great time talking. We ended up standing in the parking lot until 1am. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with good people and have good conversation.
To be honest, I was disappointed in general with my time spent at Cornell that day. Not necessarily with Cornell itself, but more with the expectations that I had of the people I was going to be seeing. I really enjoyed touring campus and reminiscing with my family. I enjoyed reliving some of my memorable times while there, but I don't know that I really miss being in school. I know for a fact that I don't miss the drama. I don't miss the attitudes. I enjoyed meeting up with people that I hadn't seen in a while. I had a little awkwardness there. I would see a person that I had known for a class or two. We hadn't really spoken or spent time together, but I still knew who they were. Do you approach this person and ask them what they are up to or not? My gut feeling says something like: "Approach them, say hello, continue on." The social me says: "You are here to catch up with people who are also here to catch up with people, so get out there and even if you don't know them well, say hello. Ask how they are doing. What do they do for work? Do they enjoy their jobs? Do they have a family?" Sometimes these people would talk extensively. They would engage me in conversation. I would ask them a question and they would do the same back to me. I learned a lot about what people are doing these days. I don't know that many of the people that I talked to learned anything about who I am now. That is what I am disappointed about, I guess. I am disappointed that some people talked only about themselves. I am disappointed that some people made comment that I was married and had two kids (they were there... like show and tell), but after that, they didn't ask me about anything. No one engaged Fundi in conversation at all (short of Matt, Liz, Matt, and Amanda). Some people did ask what I was doing for work, although it seemed that as soon as I said that I was a stay at home mom, those same people ran out of things to talk with me about. I wanted to shout: "I am a person, I have a life, ask me about my kids, ask me about my husband: Have I been on a vacation?, How do the kids sleep?, Is Burbles crawling yet?, Does she have a tooth?, Do you own a house or rent?, Do you plan to go back to work?, Do you enjoy staying at home?, How are your sisters?, Do you want to have more kids?, Have you talked to anyone else from Cornell lately?, How was your drive down here?, When did you arrive?, What do you plan to do tonight?, When are you leaving?, What is your phone number and address?, What do you do for fun?, How does Fundi like his job?, Does he still work at the place that he used to work?" It seems like that day I asked lots and lots of questions and got lots and lots of answers. I just wish I could have shared my life with those same people. I am sad about this. Were these relationships, ones that I considered VERY important through my college life, really just forced interactions. Does anyone care? Am I just being sensitive or conceited?
Sunday we woke up and got packed and had breakfast. Then we were off. We drove almost straight home (gas stop, potty break) and the kids were great the whole way back as well. My sister B's Baby Shower was yesterday and that went well. It was so nice to get together with my sisters and their kids and our aunts and uncles. We all visited (two way conversations, I might add) and had a good time. Last night, my dad and I played bingo at the local VFW and I won $10! Still have to unpack, still have laundry to do, but here I am blogging instead. Laters.