SIU Homecoming - GO DAWGS GO!!!Saturday, October 1 was Southern Illinois University Homecoming. Several months ago my sister, Donna, also an SIU alumnae asked if we would like to meet her family in Carbondale for homecoming. Donna and her family lives in Austin. They spent last week on vacation at Disney with Paul's parents and flew in to St. Louis. So, it just made sense to stay the weekend and have a little alum fun!
Paul (Donna's husband) is also an SIU alum as is my other sister, Dawn, and Brian (twice--B.A. and Ph.D.). Paul grew up in Murphysboro, which is only 10 miles or so from Dawg-town (Carbondale), and we were able to stay with his parents, Dan and Judy. They were wonderful and very gracious. The kids and I took over the basement and made it "home" for a day and a half.
The drive from Byron to Carbondale is very loooooooooong. It took us about 7 hours once we got both dogs dropped off at two different places and stopped to eat and take potty breaks. We arrived around 10:30 Friday night. We were up bright and early, and I made Donna walk/jog with me. We managed 1.8 miles. It was a very chilly morning so that was huge motivation to move quickly! The game started at 1:30, so we went to buy some SIU souvenirs before we tailgated. Wow, was it packed! Tailgating has been moved over to the Arena parking lots and there was not a space left! We tailgated right behind a radio booth that was serving food. Paul's friend, Scott I believe, works for that station and hooked us up with some good barbecue! Then, it was off to the game.
Saturday was a bright and sunny day and McAndrew Stadium has absolutely no shade. So, we were roasting pretty well. Marc and Ben were pretty antsy though so we left at half-time. The kids were fine with that because Aunt Donna promised ice cream! Anyway, once we left the game we drove campus to look at the changes that have occurred. A few new buildings have sprouted up, and the president of the University has initiated a revitalization project so a lot of the signage is new and there are plans to rebuild the entrance to the University. The new signs are pretty neat!
We got back to Murphy and ordered up Dairy Queen, then drove by the old house Brian used to live in. Boy, what a pit! Anyway, memory lane. Judy and Dan ordered 17th Street Bar for dinner, which is more pulled pork and ribs. Very very good! Old friends of the family came over and we had a bonfire and the kids cooked s'mores. They seemed to really have fun with that.
Around 9:00 Paul, Donna, Al (Paul's friend - also SIU alum), and I went out. We hit a newer pub called Callahan's, which wasn't there when I was in school. It's a nice place with an Irish feel, and I could order Guinness and Bass. The Guinness was a little too cold. We also went to some dance bar connected to Callahan's (these all used to be the old Checkers). So, we danced and had fun. We tried to get in to Pinch Penny, but the line was long and it was almost closing time so went back to Callahan's and played darts. Al hit a few bullseyes to pull us in to the lead, but closing time came so we had to leave.
So, off we went to obtain a known Dawg-town after bar snack - a bagel! A Winston bagel cart was set up across the street from Pinch, and we got in line. Boy, people can be idiots when they are intoxicated! We waited and waited and waited in line and couldn't figure out what was taking so long. One guy kept "close talking" to all of us about crap. He was so drunk, so Al took him aside and told him to knock it off real nice. Then, a chick in front of us starts griping about how long it is taking to get a bagel and that its because all the old 34-year-olds are butting in line. Well, do you think I had an issue with that??? So, I start in on her. Basically, I tell her to knock it off and that she is being a jerk. So, she tries to get back at me, "I'm not talking about you." YADA - YADA!!! Anyway, I end up chewing her out and telling her this is homecoming, that I am 35, and her comments are asinine, etc. Donna is behind me telling me to chill, and Al comes back from the drunk guy and stands in front of me - not sure why since I can pretty much handle it. Well, little chickie backed down....which is good for her - that's all I have to say on that.
We waited a little longer and dumped the bagel idea, but lo and behold, Winston's competition is parked across the street without a line so I order up a bagel with sunflower seeds - just like old times! After that we jump in the car, go back to Dan and Judy's where Al and Paul relight the bonfire. Donna gave up first, and I followed close behind at 4:00 a.m. Apparently Al and Paul gave up around 5:15.
When I woke up Dan and Judy were making waffles and bacon for the kids. They also served up a huge pot of coffee. Al ended up crashing on the extra couch in the basement, which is good since I don't think either he or Paul were in any shape to drive. Anyway, it was a great weekend and the kids had fun playing with their cousins, and I had fun playing with my sister. It was really nice to see campus again too! We told the kids stories as we drove around campus about all the silly stuff we did and which buildings we "lived" in. Michaila has decided to go to Southern...not sure how I feel about that yet :) I am sure I am forgetting a lot more details, but this blog entry is getting to be VERY long so.......
Oh, I almost forgot...SIU beat Missouri State (formerly Southwest Missouri) in overtime! GO DAWGS GO!
Well, my kids are definitely getting older and their costumes reflect that!
Trick-or-treating in our neighborhood is a bit sporadic since the houses are so far apart. So, my kids took off with friends to other parts of Byron. I am sure they will come home with so much candy that I will be giving it as prizes to my students! In the meantime, I am sitting in front of the computer working on this class....next topic...critical thinking...grrrr
Saturday Nolan had a soccer game bright and early so we trekked to Oregon. The weather was cold and damp. Plus, the team lost. Nolan played forward again and had a few runs at the goal, but nothing connected. Too bad, but that meant we didn't have to sit in the cold anymore!
Sunday we hung around the house. It was a dreary day outside. Brian played GameBoy with the kids, and we arranged the office so I can study more effectively. It was really a nice day. Monday morning I took Brian to the bus on my way to work.
One girl painted her friend's inital with the sun shining down because her friend is struggling with cancer, another girl painted the hands of God reaching through the clouds to her as she prays...that's the one above...a boy painted his dad's semi-truck on the road with the boy waving. One girl painted her mother in a park with a rainbow, which they both love. Another boy painted the hand of God in white and the hand of sin in red both trying to grab the earth! A girl, whose mother is a drug addict and left her as a young child, painted herself with her father, who she says has been the only one ever there for her. I could keep going on and on about these.
Once they explained their painting, I hung them on the ceiling of my classroom - just like Michelangelo's masterpiece. Despite their tough exterior these kids are really in need of love and a way to express their feelings about people who've had a positive impact on their life. It's days like this make me realize how much I love my job!
