Bittersweet

After an eventful weekend watching the Illinois Marathon, hanging out with friends from the Chicago-land area and celebrating Easter with the Freund's, I am gearing up for a pretty packed week of events. Last night Mina hosted our monthly "cooking club." There are about a steady 5 or so of us that get together once a month and have dinner, with a theme and intent that everyone brings a dish and we learn new recipes and cooking techniques. This month's theme was PIE (great idea Diana). We had chicken pot pie, tomato-basil gruyer mini pies, cheese and chile quiche, apple craisin pie with homemade dolce de leche, and sangira made with sprakling grape juice (this you should try, it was delicious). As we sat around the table eating and laughing, this feeling, that has been showing up more often now, began to come over me. I am beyond grateful for the wonderful friends and unforgetable experiences I have had while in CU, but it is during these times that I start to realize just how incredible the people in my life are and how rich they make mine.

Honestly, it is had not to get depressed about leaving, but my saving grace is that I am very excited about where I am going and what I will be doing. It is a God send that I will be within an hour of my family, which was reiterated after my conversation with Marissa (my neice who is just about three) about all the Easter eggs she decorated and what all their colors were, just to find out from my brother that they did not even color eggs this year.

On Saturday morning, while standing outside Guido's with Desiree watching and cheering all the runners pass by (which if this whole PhD thing does not work out I think I might become a professional marathon cheerer - I had a blast) I saw people I knew were running and missed a few, but I also saw a whole bunch of people that I have seen out, on the bus, at the gym, or just around town. Some of these people I have talked with and exchanged smiles with even though I don't know them. Later that evening while out celebrating with friends, I was able to spend time with some old CU'ers in town for the race. A few mentioned that it is kind of weird being back in town, because thing have changed but yet, they haven't. People have come and gone, new friends have been added to the circle and some have left. It was hard not to think that I will soon be in that situation.

As I look ahead to this week: wheel-chair basketball game, West Side Story, and Saturday's bar crawl (I need a costume, any suggestion: superhero or evil villan), I again feel a tinge of sadness and angst creeping in at the thought of leaving and starting anew. The memories left to be made and the excitment of the new ones yet to come help to overcome.

A few random things I will miss about CU:
1) Mug club
2) Pineapple margarita's at Esquire
3) The town/Illini spirit
4) Cation on the radio when I wake up
5) My grocery store, the Roundbarn IGA
6) The Freund's
7) Cheap parking (I hear Ann Arbor is expensive)
8) Bar crawls, althought I hope I find some in Ann Arbor
9) Dos Reales