Dear friends who are tired of hearing me rant about how amazing ASE was,
You probably don't want to read this blog post. That might sound a little odd, because there's a good chance that you read all the ones that I posted last year, but I promise that this one isn't for you. You don't want to hear about my wonderful weekend in Gettysburg, reconnecting and reminiscing with old friends. You don't want to hear about the memories that are back at the forefront of my mind even stronger than before.
You don't want to hear about the trip down, when Hadley and I wove through the back roads to Houghton College to pick up Elizabeth and thought that we had made a wrong turn because all that surrounded us were tiny towns and stretches of emptiness until a college suddenly appeared on the hills beside us, or how we jammed out to the perfect radio station amid stories of our senior years, or how Elizabeth and I bounced in our seats when we got close to the restaurant.
You don't want to know how loud our group was when the three of us finally arrived at almost 10 o'clock, or how a few of the girls leaped out of their seats to greet us, or the tears and laughter that mixed when we all got to see each other again for the first time in almost a year. You don't want me to describe the instant sense of wholeness we felt, as if 10 months had not gone by since we were all together. You don't want me to tell you how excited I was to finally see Megan after she handed in her senior thesis, or that we crashed minutes after and slept straight through the night.
You're not interested in our brunch at the Ugly Mug, or our trip to the campus art gallery. You'd rather I didn't describe our tour of the town, where we took pictures with Lincoln's statue and then stopped in a candy shop before grabbing ice cream at a favorite local haunt. You'll probably tune out my play-by-play of our visit to Gettysburg National Military Park and our tour of the battlefield, led by Emma with occasional help from Bobby and Rachel H. because they get too excited to stay quiet when we're talking about something that means so much to them. You aren't interested in hearing about our dinner at the Lincoln Diner, with the waiter who split the check more smoothly than any of us ever believed would be possible.
You don't care that I spent a quiet night in with Hadley and Megan, doing homework and catching a breath, or that homework eventually spiraled into the easy conversations we had had all of last spring. It doesn't matter to you that we turned in early so that we could get up and get ready for the trip home before we met Emily and Rachel P. for brunch. The picture I took with Megan so I could hold onto one more moment together before we said goodbye again doesn't mean anything to you.
But that's ok, because it means the world to me. The pictures, the friendships, the memories - they are some of the best parts of who I am, and seeing them again felt a little like coming home. No matter how tired of my stories you have become, I will never be tired of telling them. ASE friends, I love and miss you all. Next time let's meet in Bath, ok?
Love,
Melanie
