We First Met

This weekend, we went with a bunch of friends to a concert at our (local) alma mater: Wheaton College. Go Crusaders!!!—I mean, Go Thunder! I think I may have just given away that I was not a recent graduate. To be completely honest, I wasn’t much into sports so I don’t think I have ever spoken those words. Just seemed like a good way to start thing off.

That’s all the preface to the real purpose of this post: the first time we met. My husband and I, that is. We are both Wheaton graduates and met at college. And not just anywhere on campus, we met outside the photo critique room in the art building. I will spare all the photo (and relationship) developing details as I’ve shared them in the past (remember? some of my sweaters from college still have a fixer scent on the cuffs). It wasn’t magical, it wasn’t momentous…it was just a meeting. But it was our first meeting. And that makes it memorable. To be honest, I’m not sure we actually “met” as much as it was the first time we were in the same space where I knew he was there.

Back to this weekend. We were waiting in line to get into the concert and we were standing next to the art building (which has been totally redone, but I hear it still has the revolving black-out door for the photo lab–sweet!) with friends that did not go to Wheaton and we had never shared that space with and it caused me to break for a minute and enjoy the connection of the different eras in my life–all converging at that moment. We we able to share this memory and place with our closest friends, and not only that, but they we were able to make them a part of that space now too.

I find it odd that after those years of years of art education, which were key in my personal development, that my everyday life looks as it does. Nursing Home Administrator with three kids. Obivously not what you see on the blog either.  This is how my current friends think of me. I guess that is why it was so meaningful to have them join the space that was so influential to me years before I knew them.

As an aside, the concert we went to was needtobreathe. Due to a babysitter issue, we actually didn’t’ get to stay long enough to see needtobreathe which is okay since neither of us know a single song. Parachute opened for them. They were a smidge over the top, but I enjoyed them even though most of my friends did not. I have a very different taste in music, apparently. Just gotta be me, right?!