Girls date night and a goodbye

So I have a wonderful friend Elise. We've been friends since high school. I blogged about how smart she is here.

Well, because she has that shiny new degree and funny black hat, she's moving onto bigger and better things. She's accepted a position at PRINCETON! How awesome is that?

The non-awesome part is that she be like quadruple the distance away from me. Visits will now take a flight rather than a quick car trip. She won't be a stopping point on the way to my in-laws anymore. In short, we're going to see each other a LOT less :(

My sweet hubby said I should go and see her one more time before she leaves this month. I didn't think I was going to get to see her again. But as it turns out her hubby took a last minute out of town trip and she had a concert ticket that needed using. And I needed to see her!

So I was there and back in less than 24 hours, and left Sophia at home.

We enjoyed a great night of entertainment. I was taken to dinner, a concert and dessert! Did you know they can mix liquid peanut butter into your Blizzard at Dairy Queen? Reeses+vanilla ice cream+liquid peanut butter= mmmm mmmm. And highly caloric. Use VERY sparingly!

The concert was entitled "Prism" and involved multiple FSU bands, orchestras and even the marching Chiefs! They did a lot of modern song arrangements but also some more classical symphony pieces. Of course there were some school spirit numbers in there too. They not only played from the stage but from the box seats and even lined the aisles! And after the drum lines kept playing in front of the Westscott Fountain.

Then Elise and I went home and talked until way too late for women with alarm clocks, jobs, kids and responsibilities. And it was worth it.

The whole trip was and ending. The end of Elise within easy driving distance. The end of the Tallahassee part of my life. The end of still reliving the college years. Of course I haven't lived in Tallahasse or been in college for quite some time now. But I still had that tie to it through Elise.

I was aware as we searched for campus parking, hiked up the hill from our far away parking, watched the after-party drum line, hoofed it back to our car and finally drove off campus. That will likely be the last time I visit Tallahassee and my Alma Mater. Barring winning free FSU football tickets, which our radio station does sometimes, I will likely not get off at exit 196 or 199 when traveling down I-10. It makes me melancholy.

But it makes me flat out sad to think that Elise will likely go on to have babies it will take me far too long to meet, go to concerts at Princeton I will never join her at and host may other wonderful people at her dinner table that I won't eat at.

That's the thing about getting older. Life takes you so many places, and that leaves a trail of wonderful times and wonderful people.

But don't think all hope is lost. Elise's mom still lives not too far from me (for now), so I may get to see her now and again. But we've always done best keeping up in person. And that'll be a little more difficult and a little more costly now. I guess we'll have to get better at Facetime and phone calls!