Back to School!

Last weekend, Mr. One married his sister! (As in, he officiated at her wedding to a really nice guy to whom she wasn't previously related -- geesh, people!). It was a magical event, so much more so because the entire thing took place right on the campus where Mr. One and I fell in love (the first time). The ceremony was in the Divinity School Chapel, where our amazing Momo (and my delightful sister-in-law) went to grad school. The reception venue was also the venue for the only fancy dinner (then Rather-Distant-Future) Mr. One took me to when we were poor students. We've been back before, but between the wedding and having my little sisters right there living their own experiences so similar to those I loved and love, this visit was particularly poignant and sweet. Fall is the very bast time of year in New Haven, especially when you don't have to worry about midterms and can spend whole days with the people you love most, wandering around old haunts and reminiscing about love-struck teenage selves.

Top 5 Things I Learned (or Remembered) at Yale (this time)  

1) Love is simply grand. Young love; sister love; love getting married; crazy toddler-chasing, sleep-deprived love; love across generations and time and space... Every flavor is different, but each is precious and perfect for its time and season.


The spot where we met, minus the cherry
tree (which is gone), plus two children (!) 

2) Caramel apples don't travel well. Z, our saintly friend Laurie and I made 88 of these hand-picked-by-the Princess, fleur de sel-spiked bad boys to give as favors at the reception. It was kind of awesome. Until it wasn't. Alas.

Not what they looked like at the party...

3) Those chains they have on hotel room doors are actually useful! You can lock small people IN! (Which just might save you from waking up at 6:08 to your husband leaping out of bed and dashing stark nekid down the corridors of the Omni in search of a softly whimpering, bleary-eyed, two-year-old. Not that I would know anything about that....)

Before the Great Escape

4) You can treasure the past without wanting to relive it. I adored virtually every minute of my time in college. Seriously. I felt like the world was my oyster, and that feeling translated into an energy that illuminated my world. Pure exhilaration fueled every late night and crazy scheme. Everything felt important. These days, my life isn't particularly glamorous or exciting. It involves a lot of poop and laundry. But I feel so settled in my happiness. The Big Questions that loomed when I dozed off to sleep in the wee hours of a cold New Haven morning with my face squished into the keyboard of a sweet vintage-1997 laptop have, for the most part, resolved into a life that is more lovely and love-filled than I ever imagined. Yes, it was a magical time. And so is today. Isn't that nice?

They've moved the swing to the other side of Silliman
courtyard, but he was sitting on it (without the baby!)
when he said something like "you know, if we
start dating, I'm going to marry you." :-)

5) Tiny looks awesome in glasses.

P.S. I am a big dork and didn't take pictures of the actual wedding. If you want a peek at the lovely affair, you can see a video here. Princess H likes to watch her little cameo over and over and over again....