Can I be 18 again?

Had a great weekend, but exhausted now. Made it to Wintergreen around 11:30 on Thursday night, finally got the kids back to sleep around 1am and up with them at 7am - because kids truly do have the most amazing internal clock ever. Walked around and played with the kids with Suzie (Matt's mom) while Matt and Bruce (Matt's dad) got to play golf. Had lunch and then the real fun began....

Got into Lexington around 3pm, went on campus to pick-up our registration materials and instantly wished I was a freshman again who could have at least 4 years of college all over again. Everything was beautiful and the weather was perfect. After leaving campus we headed to the hotel making a stop at.... the abc store for beverages (where else would we go?). Got our room and before long started running into friends of Matt's from college. Kinda easy to run into people when you have the amazing luck to get room #101 - right next to the stairs and bottom level with the parking lot only 4 feet away! Got dressed in my cute little green chinos and shirt and made our was over to Applebee's next to the hotel for another pre drink before boarding the bus to Zollman's Pavilion. Jeans would have been the correct choice if I had ever been there before and of course my loving husband failed to point this out. Zollman's was great. It is a barn in a field in the middle of no where. We were lucky they did bring in porta potties because otherwise it was a whole in the ground in a shack. Matt said it was great and strongly urged use of the porta potty. Apparently, this was the first time he actually used the facilities there normally preferring the great outdoors. They actually had the beer truck with taps on the side pulled up outside and several full bars inside. Great band called Right On! - we danced! I was in heaven. Until the next morning...

We skipped the champagne breakfast and opted instead for breakfast sandwiches and coffee around 10am (9am was just too early!). Then took a stroll around campus visited Lee Chapel saw all the history there (including the Lee family crypt which just always creep me out - feels like looking at dead people) and met up for lunch with Matt's friends. Good food. No alcohol at this event - probably a good thing. Searched around downtown for a place without too long a wait to get some drinks, but everything was packed (and there are only about 4 places). Head back to the hotel to change (in a friends room since we are already checked out) and back over to Applebee's (so fun!). After a while decided to walk around downtown some - everyone else was going to take a nap and again we had already checked out. Did not take too long (very small downtown) and then headed back over to campus. Normally the afternoon is when the frats have big parties and the alums go over there, but Matt's fraternity was kicked off this year (again) for hazing (again). Nothing new, but the party they normally did sounded like fun with the derby on and mint juleps and tenderloin - and we got Applebee's, again!

So, headed back to campus and actually had a decent time. We stumbled upon the amphitheatre and sat we our feet hanging in the grass looking out at the trees and mountains. It was nice. We don't get to do that too often without worrying about two other little people. After that we headed off to one of my other favorite things. A reception at the President's house (Lee built it and lived there for several years while he was president of the university). It was beautiful and they had yummy food, full bars and chairs brought into the den so people could watch the Derby!
Lots of fun and they even had a champagne toast - and I think pretty much everyone knows how much I love champagne! I grabbed another on the way out, it would have just gone to waste right?

Found Matt's friends to say goodbye (we were headed back to Wintergreen Saturday night to cut down on the drive Sunday with the kids) and then went to a little place for dinner. It was very sad to see they had already put down Six Belles at the Derby. Just an hour earlier we were at a great party having drinks cheering the horses on and now to hear one of the horses was gone was pretty sad, esp since it was the only girl in the field and she had done so well!

Headed back to Wintergreen for Saturday night and then drove back to Charlotte on Sunday. Long drive and lots of laundry when we got back (you bring your own sheets and towels to the condo). Caroline was really cute when we got back Saturday night. She was still awake so we went in to say goodnight and she was all giggly and saying she loves us asking if we had a good time. It was very sweet. She is becoming such a big person! Owen also walked some more for Bruce and Suzie. He just needs so much encouragement for even a few steps it just does not seem worth it. I am sure he will do it eventually.

Okay, time to get Caroline up from quiet time and clean up her room. When I went up a while ago she had destroyed it and had pulled down half the clothes in her closet because she wanted to change, but could not decide on what....