Spring Reawakening

I found out unexpectedly today that a friend of mine is a getting a divorce. It hit me rather emotionally, my heart feeling heavy for this couple and all they must be experiencing. It also caused me to reflect on the state of my own marriage and the great value Ryan brings to my life. I've learned that marriage is a living thing that must be nurtured. It can be fragile and tenuous or it can be strong and vibrant, depending on circumstances and what we make of it. It's not always easy, that gets left out of all the wedding dreams and happily ever after fairy tale stories. But it has made my life more rich than it has ever been before. So today, I'm sad and thankful all at the same time. My friend is someone who deserves love and to be treated well, which I have faith will come in time.

Tonight I chaperoned my fifth and last residence hall dance! It was a joint effort between the all-male and all-female halls on our campus - a semiformal dubbed Spring Reawakening. They had a vision of vibrant florescent oragami, black lights and black and white attire, which I admit I did not share. However, tonight all of the planning paid off. Many hall council members came out to set up the event and brought their friends to support it. We had over 100 students in attendance, no major problems, lots of fun and an awesomely speedy clean-up where dozens of hands pitched in. I'm a proud mama duck tonight and am glad my last dance memory will be a a good one.

Setting up for the dance.


Oragami reigns supreme! I was impressed by the students' DIY ethic.


Orange dreamsicle sheet cake.


A hundred homemade strawberry frosted cupcakes.


Rainbow sherbet swirl almost ready to be scooped up for punch.


The aftermath of the the lemon-lime sherbet punch. Ryan says this is approaching the edge of what is actually "food". He also said someone should throw some saw dust on it and wait for the custodian to come clean it up.


Funky DIY orgami centerpieces. I never would have come up with this and honestly they look pretty ugly up close but they looked great on the black linens and with the black lights.


Male student breaks it down when we turn on the blacklights during set up.


The dance starts. Featured lots of Girl Talk, Black Eyed Peas, and Lady Gaga. Eventually the floor filled up :)