LN #9: Tell about your hobbies

Another blog at Brooks' request. I keep telling her I'm not a "hobby" type of person. I read. A lot. Historical fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Mystery. I enjoy it all, but it's not too entertaining to write about reading.

I enjoy writing. I won several awards in Jr. High and High School for essays and short stories I wrote. I love putting myself in the moment of the stories and being able to take others into my mind's eye to picture what I'm seeing or to feel what I'm feeling. I'm frequently told I should write a book and I'd love to, but whenever I actually consider it,I freeze. No thoughts ideas or inspiration. I keep hoping that one night I'll have a dream like Stephenie Meyer did and my book will come to life...

I had a real hobby once upon a time. Remember Love Beads? Yeah.  I strung love beads, but I went beyond that. I had a loom of sorts, made of a 2x4, nails, thread and, of course, beads. Using graph paper, I would create designs and then weave the patterns with my beads to create native american style jewelry or spirit necklaces of red and black for my high school.

I used to do embroidery and sew as well. Through my teens, I made a lot of my clothes and continued to sew for Megan when she was small, but as the family grew and time evaporated, sewing went way back on the burner. I'd like to take up embroidery again. Not what people do now with sewing machines, but the pillowcases and dresser scarves embroidered by hand; thimbles, embroidery floss, patterns, pin pricks and all!

Some people consider travel a hobby. While I truly enjoy travel, for me, it's more of a bucket list. There are places I want to go: the remaining 6 states in the Northeast to make all 50 states; Boston for the 4th of July; cruise to Australia/ New Zealand; and Ireland, just because. I'd like to go other places as well, but those are the top of my list.

My final real interest, something I want to dive into and succeed with is Family History. We've been able to gather some information based on information, documents and contributions of others. We have very basic pedigrees for Hansings and Haags, a greater volume of information about Staffeldts, but next to nothing on the Zielkes and Hills. And then we have the information about Alice Gustafsen & Ted Voorhees, his mysterious second family and the TRUE story about how my mother ended up in an orphanage. Perhaps that's a novel waiting to be written, but I have to put the piecces of the puzzle together first...

As I'm at an age to truly contemplate retirement, maybe I'll begin to take a more genuine interest in some of these things, because, to me, a hobby is fueled by passion with a deep desire for accomplishment. I know myself well enough to know that forcing myself to do any of them will make them a drudgery instead, so only time will tell, but if you get to read my first great novel or receive an embroidered pillowcase, you'll know where my passion has taken me!

EY #34: Tell about your first kiss

My first kiss. For some reason, Brooks seems a little obsessed with this one. I'm not sure she believes I was the boring nerd that I was; probably because I was such a cool mom with some crazy college/sorority stories. Any of my high school or college friends who may read this, feel free to confirm my nerdiness...

That said, I will go on to say, I made it all the way through high school with no kisses other than a good night or goodbye for my dad or a brother. I thought I had a boyfriend my Junior year of high school. Ed was a guy I had fun with at the lake or when I went to visit my oldest brother, exchanged gifts with and exchanged letters with on a regular basis. I won't deny, as a teenager with a crush, I thought about kissing him; probably a lot. But before my fantasy could become a reality, he decided it would be fun to make out with my best friend, breaking my heart and betraying HIS best friend in the process. I never blamed her. I knew how cute Ed was and how persuasive he could be. I was appalled, however, that knowing his best friend had a crush on her for years, that he could do that to his friend. Obviously, no kiss there.

So when was my first kiss? Sadly, there's not too much I can say about it. I was in Cornucopia with Lanie. We were driving back to the cabins late one evening and we passed a couple of guys walking alongside the road and offered them a ride. Since I was driving, I don't recall conversations in the car on the way, but after parking in our driveway, the guy sitting on the bench seat of my Olds 98 next to me thanked me and kissed me. While I don't recall the kiss as unpleasant, there may have even been more than one, I know it wasn't knock my socks off wonderful either. As unremarkable as it was, that was my first kiss.

Now, let's go on to my first memorable, meaningful kiss, because there were a few others after that kiss in my 1970 Olsmobile. The first one that really counts in my book, was during my Sophomore year of college at our Zeta spring formal. I had been going out with Randy for about four months at this point, but the spring formal was our first real, formal date. After dinner, Randy and I were dancing and the DJ put on a slow song; Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You."  I know it's very cliche' these days, but back then it was a new, popular song. As we danced and listened to the song, as she sang the words "If we both were born in another place and time," Randy looked at me and said, "This is our song. If we both were born in another place and time, we never would have met and we wouldn't be here now."  And he kissed me. Three times. Not short. Not long. Not sloppy. Just right. Sweet. Romantic. Loving. Not  personality traits Randy typically exhibited, but in that moment, enough to confirm for me that he was indeed the young man I would marry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac24COCKTVM

Zeta Spring Formal 1975
Randy, Me, Robyn Wise, Randy's brother Judd

ML#16: Does your family have any heirlooms...?

I've been staying with Brooks for the past month while I've been recovering from two different surgeries and decided I needed to do something productive with my time. Since Brooks created this blog for me, I told her that she could choose my topics. Recently, I told my kids it was time to begin claiming and retrieving items that I still had that held special memories or significance to them. Brooks decided it would be good if I made a record of those items and why they were special. While most of these items have no value, they hold special memories for one or more members of my family. For any/all who read this blog, I hope it will encourage you to recognize the worth of those little moments, those hidden treasures that are part of our lives each day. So, here goes:

Mom's Locket: A ,"birthday present for my mother from my father before they were married. It holds pictures of each of them in their young days. Mom wore it for her wedding. I wore it for my wedding. Each of my daughters wore it for their weddings. As the "family historian" Brooks will keep possession of the locket to ensure each of my granddaughters has the opportunity to wear it for their weddings as well.

Native American dolls: I began collecting Native American dolls in 2010 when I first visited Leavenworth, Washington and fell in love with one that I saw in a shop there. It brought back memories of my dad bringing me Indian dolls on the occasions he would go out of town on construction jobs. I'm not exactly sure if he brought them home because I liked them or if I liked them because he brought them home to me, but either way, I loved them. They were special to me and every new one I bought, brought back those special memories. As the granddaughters who receive them look at them, I hope they'll have a special memory of me attached.

My first doll purchased in Leavenworth and my Eskimo
purchased in Alaska with 3 totem poles.

After I began collecting my Indian dolls, I decided that one would go to each of my granddaughters. However, when I visited a giftshop in Estonia a few years ago, I fell in love with a different kind of doll that, for some reason, just reminded me of my granddaughter, Claire. I bought that doll with the intent it would always be for her.

Totem Poles: I began collecting totem poles because of my love for Indian lore. As a child, I remember my mother telling me of the Indian legend that they're waiting for "the great white God" to return as he promised. As I investigated the LDS church and learned of the resurrected Christ visiting his people in other lands, the legend took on even more meaning. 

Cut Glass Beverage Set: Coming through the Haag line of our family, this pitcher and glass set came from Germany. Every time we'd have a holiday dinner at Grandma Hills house, I remember looking at the beautiful set and wondering why we couldn't use them. I was always told they were too special and fragile, yet they were made to be admired AND used.

Cuckoo Clock: I've always been proud of my German heritage and was VERY excited when I began taking German in 9th grade. I didn't just study the vocabulary, I studied the pronunciation for hours! I had to get it right. Since my dad was so aware of my love for German culture, when his friend Ralph Weber was going to Germany, Dad asked him to bring me a cuckoo clock. I LOVE my clock. It cuckooed once on the half hour. On the hour, it cuckooed the appropriate number of times and then played a tune while German children danced in circles. It even hung on my wall at college. After several years of use, it was wound too tight and wouldn't work anymore 'til Brandon and Brooks sneaked it out of my closet when I lived in Idaho and had it repaired. It's never been quite the same, but every time I hear the cuckoo and the little song, it brings back more loving memories of my dad.

Victrola: While I have my own fond memories of persuading my aunt DeeDee to  wind up the old victrola in my Grandma's parlor, even greater are the memories of regularly sharing the magical experiences of bringing days gone by to life for my children by playing the old 78 rpm records: A favorite anytime was Rufe Davis singing The Old Sow Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBMBkeCafjQ 

At Easter there was Here Comes Peter Cottontail. At Christmas, there was the original Gene Autry recording of Rudolph

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j11rwc6Sf4o

 and then EVERYONE'S FAVORITE that I played each year for the first snowfall: Suzy Snowflake! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrTS_Z67waA

Suzy was such an important part our family tradition that I received a phone call from Megan early one morning during the fall of her freshman year at college. she was sobbing and being hundreds of miles away, I didn't know what to do until I realized she was saying it had snowed the night before in Rexburg, Idaho and she was homesick for Suzy! So, I wound up the victrola and played it over the phone, which terribly confused the rest of the family when they saw no snow...

Mom's Rocking Chair: A child's rocker that my mother remembered as being hers, inherited from her mother as a little girl. She always called it the "cherry" rocker. When I was in high school, I retrieved it from my grandma's basement and my father had a friend "restore" it for me. In the restoration, however, we learned that it wasn't actually made of cherry wood and it had never had a caned bottom. It was stained in a cherry finish, the bottom was caned, and the rocker survived many moves and aided me as I rocked and sang to each of my babies before bed. Unfortunately, the rocker is currently broken with a couple of the spindles being broken off where they attach to the chair. I hope one of my children will love my rocker enough to replace the broken legs and make it usable once again.

My bookcase: Although it's not been in my possession for many years, my bookcase is extremely near and dear to my heart. As I was preparing to move into my sorority house my Sophomore year of college,I realized the bedrooms had no bookcases. So, I asked my dad to build me one. While he was a carpenter, he was not a furniture builder. My bookcase was ugly as sin, but, by golly, it was heavy, sturdy and strong. My father died 6 months after building it for me and became very special to me as the years went on. It was the closest I could get to my lifelong dream of my father building a house for me...

Vinyl Record collection: 33 rpm albums & 45 rpm singles from my pre-teen and teen years in the 60s and 70s don't contain music that's hard to find, it's the memories connected to looking through them, selecting the ones to play, dancing in the living room while cleaning on Saturdays, introducing songs that ended up having long-term affects (i.e. Brooks decision to name a daughter Claire after Gilbert O'Sullivan's hit song) or watching performances to some of their favorites that some still remember! (i.e. Daddy Dewdrop's Chick-a-Boom)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6PJCb1daug
And then, there are the memories attached to the children's albums and the Christmas records, Elvis, Bing and the family favorite, the Lennon Sisters.

Christmas Tree Skirt: Randy crocheted our Christmas tree skirt to match the family Christmas stockings and each year as we began to decorate the tree, as the Lennon Sisters would begin to sing Christmas Island, Samantha would don the tree skirt and entertain all with the Christmas Island Hula.

Christmas Ornaments: I think most everyone has memories around their ornaments whether they are Hallmark Keepsakes, special gifts, ones the kids brought home from school, ones the family made together or purchased on memorable trips. We had all of those as well, but probably the most precious on our family tree were the Disney ornaments that hung on the Zielke family tree my whole life, the most special of which was Thumper, who hung at the top center front every year (so he was visible AND protected from little hands!

Princess Aurora: Sleeping Beauty was always my favorite Disney movie and, consequently Princess Aurora and Merriweather (my favorite fairy) were a sure win as a gift for me, whether a figurine, a doll or ornaments!

Childhood Books: Books have always been important to me. My kids grew up with some of my favorites from my teaching years like Leo, the Late Bloomer or Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I still have my Mother Goose Book and a reprint of my favorite Christmas book, Santa's Workshop. Most sentimental, though are my copies of Disney's Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella that were always kept in the play cupboard at Grandma's house. My hands had to be clean to be allowed to touch them. More remarkably was the older edition of Cinderella with the inscription in the front cover, "To Mary Ellen, From Virginia" We have no idea who Virginia was, although she was probably a key link to my mother's past. She remembered going on a train to Chicago once each year to see this woman until the day she asked my grandmother who the lady was. She never saw her again.

Other toys from Grandma's house: Handmade beanbag clowns and discs to play a bowling type of game; Gyroscope (to me, it was always a top, that could spin forever) that we used to play with on the parlor floor at Grandma's for hours!

China & Crystal: When Randy & I got engaged the first time, we bought a china and crystal set. We pulled it out 3 times a year (Easter, Thanksgiving & Christmas) to set a fancy holiday table. Over the years, through auctions, Randy added some Depression glass and a couple pf pink crystal glasses to add more options for the holiday punch.

Beatles RockBand: Not really a FAMILY memory, but a degree of nostalgia anyway, bringing the Beatles music to life through a video game!

Jewelry: While of little monetary value, my jewelry has immeasurable worth in sentiment.
     Diamonds: The diamond and sapphire earrings Randy gave me for Christmas 1975 (Silly me, I saw the size of the box and thought he was giving me an engagement ring!) My engagement and wedding rings, my mother's engagement ring and my grandmother's engagement ring.
     Pearls: The strand of pearls Randy gave me with matching earrings. He believed every woman needed a classy set of pearls, so he made sure I had mine. He always told me that I was to wear mine with a simple black dress to his funeral. As we're divorced and he's told others he doesn't want a funeral and he wants to be cremated, I guess I'm no longer obligated, but maybe I'll choose a day when he's gone, put on my black dress and add my pearls. Just because. The earrings each have a diamond attached. Unfortunately, both the necklace and one earring need repairs. Randy got Sami to give restringing of my pearls a valiant try, but perhaps being restrung professionally would be a good idea.
     Opals: My first opals were earrings Lanie gave me to wear in her wedding. The matching opal necklace I got later has gone missing over the years. I purchased an opal and silver ring that I loved at the Sequim Indian Reservation in western Washington. Finally, a ring belonging to my great grandmother has two opals, surrounded by black pearls and four rubies.
     Locket: In addition to my mother's locket, there is also one that belonged to my grandmother with hers and grandpa's pictures inside.
     Baby rings: My baby ring, a simple gold band that I last wore on my pinkie finger in my 3-year-old picture. My mother's baby ring has an emerald birthstone. Hopefully, one day, a grand-daughter or great-granddaughter will be born in May to inherit this one!
     Signet ring: My dad's initial ring R.

There's no special way to close this post. No profound words to pass on, so I will just say to each of my children or grandchildren, if you find yourself in possession of any of these items you will hold them dear to your heart, pass on the stories connected with them and work hard to create memories of your own with your families. It's the memories that are truly priceless.

The Sloan 2017 Recap

Let's try something new! Since I'm obviously so bad at keeping up with my blog and I'm even worse at sending out Christmas cards/letters, I'm going to kill two birds right here, right now! A blog with a family newsletter built in! Maybe I'll create a new tradition for myself here, but don't count on it!

2017 has been a very eventful year and has gone by MUCH TOO QUICKLY!!! Let's do a recap!

January began my year full of personal travel with a trip to finally visit Brooks in North Carolina. I hadn't visited them since Paige was born nearly two years earlier in Maryland. The visit was just in time as she and Josh left me with the kids while they went to look for a new home in TEXAS.

This is what happens when Grandma trusts
that the kids know how to use the air popper!

Josh was transferred to Ft. Hood in July/August so now two of my kids live less than three hours away!

The Gailey clan is busy learning Texan lingo including "bless her heart" and the difference between y'all and all y'all and adapting to 80 degree temps in December. It's great having another of my kids so close!

April took me on a trip to Kentucky for the first time in several years too. Besides it just being time for a visit, this trip gave me the opportunity to get to know Meg's fiance, Scott, and his son Zach, to get to see the beautiful new home they built, to help pick out clothes for the kids for the wedding and help plan some of the food and hotel lodging!

As an added bonus, it gave me an opportunity to watch the competitive swimmers in the family practice. The wedding took place on September 16th with the four kids as Meg's and Scott's attendants.

The whole family (including my extra daughter, Jana) made it to the wedding and everyone pitched in to tie up loose ends and make it a beautiful day for Meg and Scott.

Emily, Brooks and Diedre paint signs to direct guests
while Jana creates centerpieces in the  background!

My Aunt Grace, cousins Jeanine and Norm with Lanie, my bestest friend in the world (of 50 years this year!) were able to make it from Illinois. Stephen and Stephanie Schulthies (children of our dear friend Susan) came from Washington while Karen Blum attended, representing our old church family from Ohio! It was like one huge reunion to celebrate Meg's special day.

May took me to Utah to finally see Barton's new office for his pediatric dental practice!

While I was there, he decided to put me in his chair, sure he would find a mouthful of cavities since I admitted how long it had been since I'd visited a dentist. Surprise! No cavities! Although he was horrified to learn that I used one of my front teeth as a nail file when I bite my nails. (He put some filler on it and now it doesn't work anymore! Blasted kid!) They recently moved into their first new home near his dental practice, but it was just an empty lot when I saw it. I can't wait to see it now that it's a home! I made a second weekend trip to Utah over the summer to see Bart in his role as Sebastian in "The Little Mermaid." 

He hopes to do a play with Abigail one day. While she sings very well, I don't think she thrives on being in the spotlight like her daddy does and may choose to follow her talents for piano, dance or gymnastics instead.

After I left Bart's, it was on to Brandon's in Colorado for an extended stay while I took a leave of absence from work to get cataract surgery!

Definitely a blessing to have a son who doubles as my optometrist and was able to get me his cost for my surgery! It was great to spend time with Brandon and his family while recovering and for the first time in my life to have 20-20 vision and to just need one contact or some readers like most old folks! A follow-up trip in October was a few days too soon to be able to go see the newest Thor movie with my four super-hero buddies, cuz seeing Avenger/Justice League movies is what we do when Grandma comes to visit! Brandon's family had the most recent change of the year! Their 5th son was due December 31st, but Sawyer Frank (grandbaby #20) decided he didn't want to miss the Christmas celebration and made his appearance on December 23rd. I think they're happy to have him here!

In July, the whole family took a Disney cruise vacation. All but Meg's family arrived in Florida early, shared a couple of condos and went to Universal Studios/Harry Potter World. It was great, except for hard beds and shopping at Walmart at midnight for groceries! We boarded the ship on Emerson's second birthday and had the BEST time!!!

I highly recommend it! 29 strong we all had our matching shirts on. Each family chose a Disney movie/theme and had silhouetted characters from that movie to distinguish which family they were from.

29 Sloans on a Disney Cruise
Meg's Family: Alice in Wonderland
Sami's Family: Star Wars
Brooks Family: The Seven Dwarfs
Brandon's Family: The Avengers
Barton's Family: The Little Mermaid
Mom: Thumper

With 18 kids, pretty much everyone had a cousin-buddy to spend time with

Claire & Abigail on their balcony

and most of the time my kids could enjoy their time knowing their kids were safe doing activities on the ship.

Me at the top wearing a cap in memory of #18, Baby Brandon
Meg's: #2 Cari, #5 Sarai, #8 Jonas and #19 Zach
Sami's: #1 Andi, #4 Dylan, #6 Peyton and #9 Soni
Brooks': #3 Ethan, #7 Sloan, #11 Mason, #15 Claire and #16 Paige
Brandon's: #10 Krew, #12 Barton, #14 Bennett, #17 Emerson and #20 Sawyer (with Diedre)
Barton's: #13 Abigail and #18 Baby Brandon Spencer

Some of the middle kids even opted out of dinner in the dining room with the families to eat in their play area, they were having so much fun! Since cabins only hold 5 max, we did some kid-swapping and I took the four oldest grandchildren with me!

Andi & Cari on our balcony

We got off the ship in Nassau (where I lost Andi and Cari for awhile) where Sami's family, Cari, Ethan and I went on a submarine boat ride to look at sea life.

The beach on Castaway Cay!

We also got off and spent a day at Castaway Cay, Disney's own island. So beautiful and so much fun! The family all agreed we need to do another cruise, but longer than 3 days! I can't wait!

Last, but definitely not least, this fall Sami is one step closer to achieving her lifelong dream!  Some of you reading this may not be aware, but Sami was born with several heart defects, which resulted in a brain abscess and multiple surgeries and hospitalizations. She always loved her nurses and decided by the time she was three that she would be a nurse when she grew up.

After years of waiting and preparation, she started nursing school this fall. Although it's hard work and definitely challenging, I haven't heard her complain about it once. Instead I get excited for her, listening to her enthusiasm and seeing her smiles when she talks about even her challenging patients.

Cam is being a trooper, taking on extra with the house and kids to help her achieve her dream, but she's setting a great example for her kids as they see her work so hard to meet her goal.

As for me... I'm still working with Walmart as a facilitator in Texas, but now I work in one of the new "Academy" stores where we not only do management training as we've done in the past, but also hourly supervisor training. It doesn't offer the same growth challenges as some of my previous positions, but it's still rewarding to be able to share my knowledge and experience to help train and inspire new leaders who will help make my retirement! 

I'm so proud of each of my children, their spouses and all of their accomplishments. And I'm most proud of the way they're all raising their children. From the (almost) 15-year-olds to the 2-year-olds, they're all good, kind, respectful kids. I've been so blessed in my life and even through the ups and downs, I wouldn't change a minute because it's all brought me to this point with extraordinary friends all over the country and family I love and adore! 

                             Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2018!!!

Bart, Meg, Me, Brooks, Sami & Brandon
(And,no, the boys did not plan to have matching outfits!)

                                                                

The Sloans: Bart, Emily & Abigail

                                                             

The Nelson-Aboagyes: Cari, Meg, Jonas, Scott, Zach & Sarai

                                                                   

The Gaileys: Ethan, Brooks, Claire, Paige, Sloan, Josh & Mason

                                                                      

The Carters: Cameron, Soni, Dylan, Andi, Sami & Peyton

                                                                    

The Sloans: Brandon, Bennett, Mickey Mouse,
Barton, Emerson, Krew & Diedre

Reunion!

Summer is a time of sunshine, picnics, swimming vacations and REUNIONS!
Recently, I had the opportunity to return to my college campus, visit my old fraternity house (yes, it's a fraternity, even though most people think fraternities are for men and sororities are for women-- that's a myth, but that's a different story) and reconnect with some of the best women I have known in my life!

It began over a year ago when, thanks to Facebook and one younger sister who created a Tau Page for Zeta Tau Alpha, Tau alums began to find one another. Many of us who attended Millikin University between 1973 and 1980 connected and began "talking" about how great it would be to get together again. Then, about a year ago, we set the dates for June 24-26, 2016 and the plans began! While it didn't turn out to be as originally envisioned due to some late planning, it was still a WONDERFUL week. While each of us was skeptical about how the weekend might turn out, all of us who made it were SO happy we did and before the end of the first day, everyone was asking when we were going to do it again! So, let me share and give you an idea of what it was like for us.

I arrived before anyone else did to make sure everything was arranged. I connected first with Vickie (O'Reilly) Buckingham and went to dinner on Thursday evening with her, her husband and her parents: one of my sets of surrogate parents through college since I had already lost both of my parents. It was a great evening and "Mom &  Dad" O'Reilly were as cheerful, fun and loving as I remembered them. After dinner, Vickie came back to the hotel with me to talk for awhile. While she were there, we tried to contact Linda Arends (aka Mrs. A.) who had been our house alum advisor and my "twin" Donna ("Libby") Higgins. We were successful in reaching Libby and told her about all of the events we had going on so that she could join us for the weekend.

Libby & I

Next in was one of my little sisters, Tammie (Albritton)! Coming in from California, she would have won the award for traveling the farthest---if we were giving out awards! After flight delays and challenges starting those new-fangled rental cars that don't use a key, Tammie actually arrived at our hotel (The Country Inn & Suites) about 1:00 am on Friday. We got together in time to go to lunch.

Tammie & I
(Color-coordinating was purely accidental!)

About the time I was meeting up with Tammie, Laura "Mutt" (Mullen) Connelly was being picked up at the bus stop by her little sister, Francie (Hayes) Brown. Mutt would have won the award for the most "challenging" trip coming in from Indiana via St. Louis and Springfield by Greyhound! 

Mutt and Francie

We contacted Vickie and made arrangements to meet her for lunch when she could get away from work.

Vickie & Mutt
(Vickie was like-minded in her color choice for the day!)

We opted to meet somewhere close to campus for lunch and wishing Mr. Ed's was still in business, chose to go to "University Dogs." The food was good, but a Mr. Ed's polish sausage, it was not....

Vickie needed to go back to work, so the rest of us headed back to the hotel to hang out until it was time to head to our dinner meeting place. While we were hanging out, we were joined by Laura "Phlip" (Phillips) Leupold who was my first little sister, Denise (Wasson) Freyenburger, Melissa (Reichart) Ferguson and Robyn (Wise) Bathon!

Laura & Robyn

Denise, Robyn, Mutt, Tammie & Melissa

Shortly before 7:00 pm, we all got ready and walked next door to a new Bar & Grill called The Draft to meet the rest of our sisters who had traveled in for the weekend!

Mutt & Peggy (O'Neill) Burton

Vickie, Laura, Tammie & Robyn

Sandra (Fendley) Theriault, Me, Libby
Melissa, Denise & Francie

Time seemed to melt away. Even though most of us had not seen one another in 35 years or more, it was amazing how all of these lovely ladies had weathered life, survived challenges, created careers, raised families and yet were the same fun, goofy, loving women they were when we shared our life at the Zeta house.

Lucky 13 Zeta sisters reunited!

Libby, Melissa, Denise & Francie

My favorite picture of the evening!
Indicative of the laughter and Zeta love shared!
Mutt, Peggy, Susan, Sandra & me
(Susan Price '91 (center) joined the group a little after we got started.)

Vickie, Laura, Tammie & Robyn

After saying good-night to the "locals" who needed to head home, the rest of us met in Tammie's room until after midnight... unwilling to give up our rekindled friendships! Some of us shared hotel rooms with old house roommates and were foolish enough to continue talking and laughing until 2:30 in the morning! Robyn and I actually recognized that we had sore throats from all the talking and laughter!

With a consensus of deciding to take our time getting ready in the morning, the six of us who had stayed at the hotel decided to go to a favorite college hangout for lunch. 

Lock, Stock & Barrel (a brand new bar when we were in college) was still there and very much the same... although to Mutt's disappointment, the wallpaper in the ladies' room had changed!

After lunch, it was time to head to the Zeta House where the alumnae organization had arranged for a student guide to lead a walking tour of the campus to all who wanted to participate. While Sandra, Francie & Susan were unable to join us on Saturday, we added Tawnie (Moma) Johnson (Libby's little sister) to the group!

Libby, Tawnie, Mutt, Tammie, Peggy, Laura & Denise
On the Zeta House front porch!
(No more porch swing...)

While on the walking tour, our "twinks" had some special memories involving recitals and the rearranging of some furniture....

Twinks: Denise, Melissa, Mutt & Tawnie
In the recital hall

When they returned from the walking tour of campus, the Millikin alumnae organization had prepared a small reception for us in the dining room of our former home.

Two closets were added to the
far end of the dining room and the
sliding door replaced by windows.

After sitting in the "Dining Room" reminiscing about houseboys,  Vergie's cooking, eating dinner with "Mom" Hand and gazing out the bay window at the old Delta Sig house, we were given the opportunity to roam the house at our leisure... more reminiscing about the rooms we lived in, who we shared them with and of climbing out the windows of the Zeta or Tau rooms to sit on the roof on warm spring/summer days. The alumnae organization has added some Zeta memorabilia which made us feel a bit more at home; knowing that they recognize it as a piece of our history. They are looking for more of our memorabilia to exhibit, so if you have any you'd like to donate... let me know!

Plaque at the base of the front stairs
recognizes the use of the house by
Zeta Tau Alpha in the past.

Wall next to the 3rd floor door to the "dorm."
Photos were from two of the last years Zetas
lived in the house.

Zeta banner hanging above the
stairs leading to the 3rd floor.

Ending our self-guided tours, we all took time to gather in the "formal" living room to share stories and even try to sing a few songs... when we could remember the words... Amazingly, the one most remembered the best? The Greek Alphabet! Anyone remember "Cuddle Bunny" or the Zeta prayer for before dinner?

And then... before we could leave... we HAD TO take advantage of the photo opportunities!

"Laura Squared"

Some people never change!
Thank goodness!

For me, no reunion, no photo opp is complete without the "Family" photo shoots!

With two of my "little sisters"
Tammie & Laura

And, by special request for MY big sister, Donna ("Blaine") Neblett... her two little sisters (Libby & me) and her "granddaughter," Tawnie.

Libby, Tawnie & me

Unfortunately, Vickie had to leave us early due to a family emergency and "Mrs. A" was unable to join us due to a family obligation and all too soon it was time to say good-bye once again to the house we all knew and loved. A house that had truly become a home to each of us during our college years.  BUT.... our reunion was not yet over!

We had reservations for dinner at Paco's Sol Bistro in Decatur. More laughter, more reminiscing and more bonding with good food!

After a good dinner, it was just too early to say good-bye and, after all, what visit to MU, our old Big Blue, would be complete without a visit to ...

Posing outside the Winery...
Anybody need to "cash a check?"

In many ways, it was the same. An extra room had been added for the pool table. Some of the booths were rearranged, but overall, it was still the Winery. And just because it had to be done, Tammie asked the waitress if Pat O'Mara (aka "Pat the Catholic") still frequents the old hangout. Although she knew him, she told us she hasn't seen him in a loooong time and before we could leave, we HAD to take a picture of the group as documentation that we had been there...

Such a fun weekend sharing memories, or learning that perhaps we're missing a few... Did I REALLY get shot in the leg by a Delta Sig with a BB gun? Who stole a Christmas tree? We had a whistle? Who really spiked the punch that caused Denise to get drunk at a house dance and spill her guts about Pepe? What was that girl's name? Did she graduate? Anybody know what happened to... Flentje? Space? Trudy? Remembering those we know have passed away... Where is ....?She's in Chicago... because that's where she was from....

Before the weekend officially came to an end, with the final six saying goodbye at our hotel, everyone got up to share breakfast and, of course, get in a couple of final photos!

With joy combined with happy tears, we said goodbye... Denise was off to Iowa to marry off two children, Laura P to her hubby and horses in Missouri, Tammie going to visit some friends and her parents' graves before heading back to Paul in California, Mutt to begin another adventure on the bus back to Indiana, Robyn seeing Mutt safely on her way before heading to St. Joe and me to say goodbye to Pop Sloan before getting on my plane out of Decatur to St. Louis & Dallas. Back to our own realities after three days of remember when and wondering how our young minds ended up in these old bodies...

One thing was certain before our weekend ended... no one wanted to say good-bye and absolutely no one wants to wait another thirty years to get back together again. Originally, I thought five years... but as Laura P pointed out... we're not that young anymore... (Killjoy!) So, the fact that we spent a weekend trying to figure out how to find more of our sisters combined with a desire to see one another again SOON, the commitment has been made to re-do this again in 2018! 

The REAL exciting part is that if we have our reunion about the same time again (versus having it at Homecoming), we can actually book the House for our dinner, have it catered and eat in our old dining room and have the freedom to relax in the living room! So, if you were there, we expect to see you in two years. If you weren't there, we SINCERELY hope you'll make every effort to be there and share the memories with us all!

The perfect ending to our weekend was sent out by our dear Denise. A reminder to each of us, that every one of our sisters has touched our lives. To all of my sisters, Zeta love and mine!

"Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you, I have been changed

for good."

So very true... ZLAM