We had the very best weekend in Auburn for Sigma Chi Family Weekend! Auburn remains one of our favorite places, and any excuse to spend a few days there with John is a good one in my book.
We scooted into town around 3 PM on Friday, got settled in and enjoyed a little cat nap before the festivities began. One of John’s high school friends who also attends Auburn was celebrating her 21st birthday that weekend, so quite a few of their high school friends were in town for that as well. The girls were busy with a sign party, so we took John and Michael out for an early dinner at One Forty Grill.
It was our first time dining there, and we absolutely loved it! Definitely a new Auburn favorite. More than anything, we just enjoyed sitting around the table with the boys and hearing about everything going on in their lives. It’s still a little surreal to be at this stage, having dinner and such grown-up conversations with boys we’ve known since they were little.
After dinner, we split up for a bit while Honey and I enjoyed some shopping in the cute downtown stores. We met back up with John at the Sigma Chi house for the parents’ cocktail party. I will say that having John live in the fraternity house is awfully convenient for weekends like this. In pretty much every other respect, well, let’s just say you should get a whiff of the bathroom situation. Ha!
The boys did such a wonderful job hosting the evening, with music, dinner and drinks for everyone. We loved catching up with parents we’ve gotten to know over the last couple of years and meeting some new ones, too. And I just have to say how much I enjoy being around these boys. Every one we encountered was so polite, friendly and welcoming. I couldn’t be more grateful for the wonderful group of young men John has found at Auburn.
On Saturday, the fraternity hosted breakfast and mimosas for the parents. We decided to skip tickets to the football game. John’s high school friends didn’t have tickets, and he wanted to spend the afternoon with them, so we met up with the kids at Bunkers to watch instead. I can’t say it was my favorite game-day experience, but any time spent with my kid is a win!
Afterward, Honey and I headed back for a long, long afternoon nap, and it was absolutely glorious. I don’t know when I’ve last enjoyed a nap quite so much! With the puppy situation at home, our sleep schedule is scarily reminiscent of when we had newborns.
That evening, we headed to Hey Day Market for dinner and gelato, then took a walk through the oaks at Toomer’s Corner. Gosh, I just love that place. No matter how many times we visit Auburn, walking through downtown and under those beautiful trees never gets old. There’s something so special about it.
Later, we met up with John, a big group of his high school and college friends and some of our parent friends at the SkyBar rooftop. From there, we all headed over to the Sigma Chi house for the band party.
This was probably my favorite part of the whole weekend! We had the best time hanging out with the kids and visiting with friends. I especially loved seeing John’s high school and college worlds come together. So many of the kids already knew one another from visits back and forth over the last few years, and it was fun to see all those friendships overlap.
I’m also continually amazed by how close John’s high school group remains. They’re scattered among different colleges now, but they still make such an effort to get together and be part of one another’s lives. It makes me so happy to see those friendships continuing into this next chapter.
We enjoyed visiting with the other parents just as much and ended up staying out quite late!
Needless to say, we slept in on Sunday morning before picking John up for brunch at Acre. We squeezed every last minute we could out of our visit before it was time to head home.
And while I always hate saying goodbye, this time we had something wonderful to look forward to. He’ll be home for Thanksgiving in just a couple of weeks!
This is such an odd phase of life. My parents have spent more nights at my house this year than my own son has, and I’m pretty sure I’ve spent three times as much time with them as I have with John! I certainly never imagined that would be the case, but here we are.
I’m so looking forward to having him home for Thanksgiving, with Christmas following right on its heels. Of course, he already has plenty of plans of his own, including a ski trip, games and a road trip with his high school buddies, so I know he’ll be coming and going. That’s just life with a college boy!
But what I’m especially excited about is our Christmas vacation. For the first time this entire year, the four of us will be taking a family trip together. Just four nights, but I absolutely cannot wait. It’s hard to believe we’ve gone nearly a whole year without a vacation with all four of us!
We drove home from Auburn with full hearts and so much gratitude for the life John is building there. I love seeing him happy, surrounded by wonderful friends and making memories of his own. And I love that every time we visit, we get to be a little part of it.
Until next time, Auburn. War Eagle!
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