Football and Families

After my last post, the craziness of my week did not cease, but I didn't really want it to. My schedule was packed with plenty of fun things, which is a perfect buffer before this week's series of not-so-fun things (ie. numerous exams and papers...) Last Wednesday, our sorority had a Hawaiian Luau event with a bunch of freshmen and independent girls on campus. It was great to see so many people I have wanted to catch up with but have been too busy, as well as meeting all of the fresh, new faces to campus.
Following the trend I've seemed to develop these last couple weeks, I ventured off campus on Friday. I really would have loved to stay, but a huge group of my high school friends went to Madison for the Badger game, and I couldn't really pass up the opportunity to be reunited with everyone again. And only driving to Madison instead of all the way back home meant that I could leave Saturday morning and still make it back here for the game. I brought a couple of my sorority sisters with to meet my friends from home, and we left around dinner time Friday night. On our way home Saturday morning, we met up with a close friend who graduated from Ripon last year for breakfast. We didn't have a whole lot of time to spend with my friends in Madison, but I had to keep true to my vow that I would not miss the game on Saturday.
The game went pretty well against Knox. I can't remember the exact score, but I do know that we had a pretty solid win. The one thing that muted my good time was all of the extra visitors-- no, not the parents, as it was Family Weekend, but the BEES. If I would have paid half as much attention to the game as I did to swatting bees out of my face, I probably would have been able to tell you the score...
Back to Family Weekend. Every fall there is one weekend where all of the students' families are invited to visit campus. They can attend classes with the students during the day on Friday, attend mini seminars, join us for dinner, pretty much get the synopses of the Ripon experience. There was even a magician on campus Friday night to add to the weekend's festivities. My family came to Family Weekend both my freshmen and sophomore years, so when my mom told me she wouldn't be able to make it this weekend, I was a little bummed but didn't let it show so she wouldn't feel guilty. But, knowing my mom, she did anyways, so she drove all the way over here just to spend a couple hours with me at the football game as to not break the Family Weekend tradition. She deserves some sort of award or something.
After the game, there was no shortage of activities on campus, as this weekend was Theta Chi fraternity's annual Frisbee Golf tournament. Students get teams together and play frisbee golf on a course that weaves throughout campus. Afterwards, there's cookouts, games, music, and dancing down in the quads until the wee hours of morning.
After that weekend, it was hard to grasp the reality that I have a TON of tests and papers to do over the course of the next two weeks, so my play time will be substantially reduced until about Homecoming. I still plan to keep this updated, unless my life gets TOO boring... then I'll spare you the details.