two day pass

this weekend we went back to where it all began.

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mike and i met in madison in 1987.

we lived in the same dorm but liked different people.

we were friendly for years before we started dating.

in 1990, we had our first kiss after a badger game.

we were at the same frisby floor reunion long after the day's game.
it was a party i almost skipped to have a date with a different mike.

it was a beautiful fall night.
the air was electric.
of course, later it would storm and we would go home drenched.

i'm not sure if the team won or lost, but i know i went home happy.

we haven't been to a game together in years.

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so when my brother, a fellow alum, scored tickets, i was excited to visit bucky.

walking down regent street was a virtual stroll down memory lane.

the landmarks are completely changed,

yet the sea of red and the party in every parking lot felt familiar.

we did a lot of reminiscing.

there was the time neighboring tailgaters knifed our football.

there was the time (or few) we stayed at jingles drinking miller lite for the whole game(s).

there was the time when we used to sit in section p or o.

there was the time we ate la bamba twice in 24 hours.

now the boys are too old too avenge pig skin murderers,
 jingles is an apartment building,
 we're too old (and on time) for the student section, and o sucks,
 and la bamba is out of business.

i loved being back at camp randall, and i got downright weepy when arm in arm we swayed while singing varsity.

i really don't think the day could have been any better.

well...except for a badger victory.

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sunday was stellar too.

it was the perfect broody fall day for being busy in the kitchen with extra coffee and lots of jazz.

i made harissa and wondered how and why i have never before, assembled the algerian Lasagna, and mixed a red wine vinaigrette.

lily peeled and chopped apples happily, and then mixed and rolled out dough proudly for her first ever apple pie.

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incidentally, the first and last time i made an apple pie was shortly after that first kiss so many badger saturdays ago.

mike was slow and shy.

october turned into november and we had yet to have a date.

so when he finally asked me, i said i couldn't because i had to make an apple pie.

ludicrous right?

i believe that was my point.

i called my grandpa and he shared his recipe.

that night i did indeed bake a pie much to the delight of my neighbors, adam and erik.

the next day, i received a card and a dozen roses from mike.

whatever he said on that enclosure, made me finally take him seriously.
i accepted the next time he asked me out.

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lily's pie was a delish beaut.

the best part about her culinary passion though, is what happens when we're side by side cooking.

we talk. we tell stories.  we share secrets. we listen.

we connect.

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so a badger game is never just a badger game and an apple pie is never just an apple pie.
they are portals to the past, and sometimes life changing too.