I couldn't sleep last night. I want to blame Gus and then Hazel, but I realized the true culprit was latent adrenaline from graduation weekend. The good thing is that sleep is not something I struggle with so when I have a rare case of insomnia, I let my mind wander without weighty worry. It was a beautiful weekend celebrating Lily and friends, and the few things I would change, are not worth mention because there is no way I'm letting perfect ruin just about perfect. While I was lying awake in the wee hours, I heard a notification on my phone. The girls landed in London...the first stop on their month long trip. Since then, they rode the Eye, ate fish and chips, drank pints in pubs and were in the Cabaret audience. Tomorrow they move on to Amsterdam. It's my mission to keep up and my confession to live vicariously.
Lily was eeking out every last Madison milestone in the weeks leading up to graduation. The girls made it their mission to check off as many things as possible from their bucket list. I was impressed with and tired for them. The few stragglers can be taken on this summer. They have their house until August. Since she's moving home for awhile, I expect she'll spend a few weekends in Madison.
The mood of the weekend was celebratory. I felt only joy...no rue...no regret...a perma grin gracing my face the whole time. Well, except for when the stadium sang Varsity acapella, and when I thought of Dawn and Nanny. I'm proud of these ladies and not just because their futures are bright, but also because they take care of each other, they are good to one another and they appreciate what they have.
All the party planning and I forgot about a toast, or hoped someone else would give it truth be told. I had no takers so I shot from the hip, or more like heart. I have to say I kind of killed it because I know these girls. Six girls in one house not just roommates, but the best kind of friends. Lily and Kayla were high school friends, but not close like they are now. Lily found Faith on Facebook and they chose to live together before meeting. Over-enrollment turned their double into a triple and along came Ava. Hannah is Kayla's family friend, and a friend to one is a friend to all. Sydney joined the girls this year as the sixth roomie even though she graduated early, and Emma didn't live at 405 W Wash, but she may as well have. The rest is history.
We had the most beautiful day for a yard party. It was a blast and much better attended than I anticipated. It also lasted much longer than I expected, but no complaints on that front. All of the food was gone and most of the liquor as it should be. After the band rocked, the bags and the dice came out and the bonfire was lit. Around 11 o'clock, the kids went out to the bars. They had a plan to stay up all night and jump in Lake Mendota at sunrise.
That didn't happen, which was a good thing because some of the girls were leaving for London Monday. We brought lunch over and got to work getting the house in order and Lily's suitcase packed. I confess I brought more for the weekend than she's bringing for a month abroad. Mike worried that I was working away my Mother's Day, which was sweet, but the day was actually perfect. The whole weekend was one amazing gift. It was a spectacular send off!
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