Andy and I recently made the trip to Athens, OH to help surprise Bill for his 30th birthday—Sophie spent the night at my parents’ house (and visited her great grandma!).
Lauren and Nick
Jack
Greg and Jenna
Cristi
Jason and Megan
Bill with Mandy, who knows how to throw an amazing surprise party, complete with custom T-shirts and Bonbonerie cake!
The C.I.
I felt very pregnant, and very old in The C.I., from the moment the bouncer stamped my hand while simultaneously waving my ID away, indicating he didn’t want—or need—to check it. It was such a strange feeling, walking the same brick streets I walked 10 years ago, then with what felt like a million and one possibilities ahead of me and now with my life seeming so, well, set. I often wish I could take that feeling of expectation so prevalent in my early 20s and stick it inside myself as a reminder that despite marriage and a mortgage and mouths to feed and a minivan on the way, there’s so much possibility, life surprises, goals to reach and achievements to come. I loved college. But I hate when people claim it as the best years of their lives. Because it was only four years. And already so long ago. And I’d like to think my favorite moments are calendars away from now, patiently waiting, and when they come and go, new ones—better ones—lie ahead.
Or maybe, thoughts like these are simply the result of my pregnancy hormones getting the best of me while trying to mesh in a college bar. So enough of that. Happy birthday, Bill. We were so happy to be able to celebrate with you.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
