we are the girls from old Florida

We are the boys girls from old Florida
F-L-O-R-I-D-A
Where the girls are the fairest,
The boys are the squarest
Of any old state down our way

We are all strong for old Florida
Down where the old Gators play
In all kinds of weather
We'll all stick together
for F-L-O-R-I-D-A

I spent the past weekend with some of my favorite Chi-O sisters at our annual reunion.  The weekend was full of late night talks and early morning coffee, uncontrollable laughing intermixed with a few tears, and reminiscing about the old days while sharing hopes and dreams for the future.

We actually stayed about 30min outside of Gainesville at Kimberly’s parent’s lake house which was the PERFECT setting for some much needed girl time.

My trip was shorter than the other due to work obligations, but a short trip with these girls is definitely better than no trip at all. I missed last year’s reunion, so it was wonderful to see all the smiling faces of the “Sugar Plum Fairies” again.

The girls picked me up from the Gainesville airport on Friday afternoon and we spent the day walking around campus. Familiar sights were seen, but not as easy to find as we had thought. Things were different. We are different. Dare I say it?  We are old!  Well not really old, but compared to the 18yr old freshmen we are old!

In the car we talked non-stop about going back to the Chi-O house and finding our old bedrooms, looking for our composite pictures on the wall and singing “Shades” in the chapter room, but when we got to the house it felt weird. Like us, the house had aged 10+ years. We looked at it with a much more critical eye than we did at 18. The dated furniture, the chipped paint and the unfamiliar occupants made us all hesitate. It was still kind of the same house we remembered, but it was no longer our home. We felt like strangers and indeed we were. Have there really been 15 pledge classes since we first walked through those doors? After getting over the shock that life had continued at Chi-O without us, we scurried off to find the infamous frozen yogurt machine (yes its still there!) and those old composite pics. Just like the house, we didn’t look as good in our composite pictures as we remembered!

Before heading back to the lake house we stopped at the grocery for wine, food and chocolate. All necessities before catching up on the past year of everyone’s life. The next day was game day, which was again different. Instead of hanging out at a fraternity house drinking cheap beer and eating nasty food before the game, we headed to Kimberly’s parents’ tailgate where we had good food, good drinks and good company.  We found tickets to the game and soon headed to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators scared us, but they managed to pull out the win in the last minute of the game.  I can’t say the same for the Tide : (

   

Another late night of talking and before I knew it, it was 4:45 Sunday morning; my alarm was going off; and I was quickly heading back to the airport. I love my girlfriends and I miss them when we aren’t together. We all have our own busy and separate lives with jobs, mortgages, husbands, kids, struggles, disappointments and accomplishments. UF campus looks different, the Chi-O house is full of new sisters and I am 15 years older than when I first started my college journey, but the friendships that began all those years ago remain, and for that I am very grateful! 

In the shades of evening, there will be no grieving
Even though you’re leaving Chi-O far behind you
There’ll be many memories, there’ll be many letters
There’ll be lonely hours, till we meet again then
We’ll have our reunion,
there’ll be toasts and singing
And you’ll hear us bringing praises to you till then
Chi-O now departing, come bid sweet adieu
Chi-O ever after, we’ll remember you