Visiting With My College Friends

Stephanie, Me, Sharon, and Jean Ann

Sharon and I did NOT call each other and plan our outfits....we just happened to wear basically the same thing!  Ha!

Almost 25 years ago, the four of us, plus several more sweet girls all met at Mississippi State.  We were all freshman, and we all pledged the same sorority, Phi Mu.  For the next four years, we all lived with each other in various dorms, the Phi Mu House, and off campus in apartments.  We hung out together, ate our meals together, listened to each other's problems and dreams, and generally had a whole lot of fun together!  

We graduated in May, 1991, and beginning with my wedding in June of 1991, we were all bridesmaids in each other's weddings for the next few years.  I think one summer we had 6 weddings!  The only wedding that I missed was Kim C.'s.  I unexpectedly gave birth to Olivia five weeks early, and she was still in the hospital in the NICU on the day of Kim C.'s wedding.  Sadly, Kim C., who was my roommate on the Phi Mu floor of Hathorn Hall our sophomore year, passed away in October of 2006 from ovarian cancer.  

After we graduated 14 of us would get together at least once a year, usually at someone's wedding weekend.  As more of us got married and moved to various places it got harder to coordinate a weekend together, but for about 15 years or so, we still did it.  We gave wedding showers and baby showers to each other.  So far, we have not had any of our children get married (Lori has the oldest child, and he will be 18 this month).  We have had weekends in New Orleans, Nashville, Jackson, Columbus, and Tupelo (and maybe more places, but I can't remember right now).  The last time we all got together was for Kim's funeral.  

After my bout with breast cancer, I think we all realized that time is flying by, we are getting older, we are not invincible, and we needed to get together!  A couple of weeks ago, Sharon arranged for us to meet the night before the now annual Kim C. Gee 5K Race for Awareness--in memory of our dear friend Kim C..  Because we now live all over the place, and also because this is baseball season, most of our group could not come.  There were lots of baseball games for young men being played, but thankfully, five of us were able to make it.  Lori joined us Saturday morning for the race and also for lunch.  

Stephanie, Jean Ann, Sharon and I had the best time eating at our favorite college restaurant, Oby's for supper.  Then we stayed up very, very late talking and laughing and catching up.  It was like we were still in college!  Except now we had more things to discuss.  Things like our children, our work, and cancer.  It was such a special time, and we dearly missed all of our friends who could not come.  We already have the same weekend on our calendar for next year.  I hope that next year everybody in our group can come---Geri, Julie, Caren, Wendy, Pam, Sharon B., Kim W., and Marla--we missed you!