Princeton Reunions- Part Deux

Liam's prison...I mean bed, during our stay at the Doubletree Princeton...He preferred sleeping with Mama and Dada over these conditions.

Liam was the star of the P-rade!  It's traditional to dress your babies in tiger outfits complete with ears and tail for this event, but we opted for the more retro good-ol'-boy look.  I think we made the right decision.  (For a brief history of the P-rade, go here: http://m.princeton.edu/reunions/#history.) 

My hero!

People kept assuming Wes was part of the Class of 2005..."Yeah, he just took like 15 years to graduate, that's all."

Liam did quite well considering it was hot as blazes out there.  I don't know how people live on the east coast.  I think the humidity was part of the eight circles of hell in Dante's Inferno.

Char!  After working at a production company as one of the people you reach when you "have your people talk to my people",  Char is now trying his hand as an independent screenwriter in Hollywood.  I'd watch his stuff.

Khwarg...sporting his "dictator glasses."  He's one of my 513 friends in med school and still holds the record in the Bass High Note Contest.

I think this should be the cover of the Princeton Alumni Weekly, don't you?

One of Wes's favorite parts of Princeton was seeing the centurion alumni drive by in their golf carts at the beginning of the P-rade.  I think the oldest class present was the Class of 1935.

And of course, a P-rade is not a P-rade without bagpipes.

I spent many a meal and many a night dancing my rear off in this building.  Tower Club.  One of Princeton's 12 "Eating Clubs."  I became a member as a sophomore and can always return feeling like I'm home.  

A lot of sketchiness went on in there, but I wonder how many people can say they nursed a baby to sleep in the Tower Library.

Missy B spent some quality time with us getting to know my little stinker.  They are best friends now.

Believe it or not, I actually did read a bit of these guys during my time at Old Nassau.

Is it just me, or does Wes look devastatingly handsome in orange and black?

Sometimes I regret not being a comparative literature major so that I could spend more time in this building...It's my favorite.

You should've seen Liam after the fireworks...it wasn't pretty.  And it's a shame, because I'm sure at least half of my tuition money went toward the show.  Let's just say, we'll be watching the 4th of July fireworks on the news this year.  

My friend, Vas, was cool enough to meet us at the airport to say hi and goodbye.  We got a good twenty minute chat in.  I promise we'll hang out more next time, Vas!  

After a gruelingly long travel day and way past his bedtime, Liam's favorite part of the whole trip was riding in this backpack through the airport to the curb where MoMo picked us up.  He did much better on the way home than on the way there.  He was a complete angel and adjusted back to his regular schedule quickly.  This kid is born to explore!

Princeton Reunions- Part I

This past May, I dragged my little family across the country to dirty jerz for my 5th Princeton reunion.  Navigating airports with a baby, stroller, car seat, suitcases and diaper bag is an award-worthy task.  Baby Liam was a trooper (and a pooper), but next time, I want a direct flight.

He was like this for about 10 minutes...

And like this for a few hours...Yeah.

I feel exhilarated when I'm back at my alma mater.  I wouldn't say that I feel like I belong there, because to be honest, I never really did.  I always kind of felt like it was a fluke that I got in and a miracle that I graduated.  But hey...I did it.  And my four years there were frickin' awesome.  It was about time Wes got to experience a glimpse of my other life (which in NO way resembles my life now.)

Liam didn't make any baby-friends at my 5th (he'll have more luck at my 10th.)  While we didn't see any munchkins among my mostly-unmarried classmates, he had a grand old time harassing mama's old buddies.  Uncle Eliot!  

Wes loved the castle-strewn campus and mentioned that he would have loved to study history at Princeton, where so much history has taken place.

A couple of weeks after reunions, my dear friend and fellow Roaring 20 alto (altoid), Letizia Allais (she's Italian but from France,) got married in the majestic Princeton chapel.  All she wanted was a small, outdoor wedding with her closest friends and family.  (Ya can't always get watcha want.)  I'm sure it was unbelievably beautiful.  Wes...what do you think about an east coast civil ceremony for our 5 year anniversary?  Is it too much?

Liam was happy to meet several of his Roaring 20 (a'cappella) aunts and uncles and he behaved himself quite well at our Friday evening dinner at Kalluri Corner (aka Calorie Corner.)  

From left to right: Matt (Char) Smith, Lydia Irwin, Juewon Khwarg

From left to right: Maggie Hoffman, Laura Abelson, Jason Kessler

One of my favs...Miss Laura Berner.  She absolutely FELL IN LOVE with my little guy.

And here are Bryan Oh and Lydia eating my baby.  Who can blame them?  Do you see that orange drink in the foreground?  It's a Mango Lassi and it's worth traveling to P-town just for that.

This was the first time Auntie Lyd got to hold Liam.  Very special moment.  She sang to him and he was hooked.

Liam was a little apprehensive when the random Indian guy begged to hold him.

This girl is a rockstar.  She took a break from memorizing everything there is to know about the medulla oblongata and sarcoidosis to pick my family up at the Philly airport in a thunderstorm.  Hopefully, her six hour break from studying to hang out with us didn't prevent her from ROCKING the Boards last week.  Thank you, Lidocaine!

Roaring 20 Class of 2005. All present and still awesome.

Every year at reunions, R20 has a Champagne Arch, where the past-and-present group get together and sing almost our entire repertoire for passersby in the acoustically-fantastic 1879 arch.  This event usually lasts from 11pm-2am, or later depending on the level of intoxication of said group members.  (They always reserve a Sparkling Cider for me and the one or two other teetotalers.)

Wes and I were SO disappointed that he didn't get to experience the Champagne Arch.  Liam was totally insane that night and had to go back to the hotel.  I left the arch early because he was refusing the bottle. Oh well, maybe next year.  It was heaven for me to get to sing with my group again.