In addition to seeing the game, we also wanted to visit our beloved campus because, after all, that's where my husband and I met during our Freshman year. Albeit, our romance did not blossom until the summer after my sophomore year, what better way to look back into our past and be thankful for each other than to stroll the beautiful campus and dine at the many delightful restaurants we used to frequent. On one occasion, I took a walk by myself on Saturday morning before the game started and quickly blended in with the university students becaused I had donned that day's omnipresent garb: a UM football jersey, blue jeans and sneakers. I even joined a few happily buzzed fraternity crowd, as I joined them in the chant, "Go Blue!" They weren't any wiser to the fact that I am over a decade older than they.
It was as if I had never left what I call my "ole stompin' grounds." I zig-zagged through the crowds, visited the student union and treated myself to a cup of coffee at my favorite coffee shop. I have lived in many places in my life, but Ann Arbor felt like my "hometown" to me. It is such a quaint town, full of culture, great food and intelligence. Just being there made me want to learn more, just for the sake of my love of learning.
It was great to reunite with some of our closest friends. We've managed to somehow still feel close to each other, despite only seeing one another every few years or so. One of my friends kidded and said that our group doesn't get together in one place, "...unless Joy blows in through town!" It warmed my heart that my friends are doing so well and moving ahead in their lives.
We received sad news before we left for Ann Arbor, however. One of my husband's closest friends passed away due to an undiagnosed heart condition. We were beside ourselves when we heard the news: he was only 33 years old and was our best man at our wedding. We visited his gravesite while we were there, and we paid our respects to his family and friends. My husband helped with moving his friend's belongings out of his apartment. I wish that we could've at least left for Ann Arbor sooner in order to see him one last time.
We took a short road trip to visit my grandmother as well. After my grandfather passed away a couple of years ago, things have been difficult for her, especially having to live in a big house all by herself. After much encouragement from our family members, she agreed to try out an assisted living situation. While she misses her home that she lived in for over 30 years, I believe she is in a better environment after seeing her apartment. They have various activities throughout the day, gourmet meals and people around her to keep her company.
So, we were able to accomplish many things during our trip back. I've created a slideshow from some of the pictures we took while we were there. If you have read this far down in the blog, thank you! Not too many people have long enough attention span these days!
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