While We Live We Love: A Visit to our Alma mater

Presbyterian College has a special place in my heart.  It's a tiny school, but it makes a colossal impression on you during such a formative time in your life.  I suppose that argument could be made about all colleges and universities, but PC is different.  It changes you.

PC is also where I met Bo. We have such fond memories of the campus, the friends we made, the professors, classes, and the weekend parties.  It is so special to us, that a few years after we graduated, Bo convinced the president of the college to have his secretary invite our graduating class to a Christmas Eve party at Neville Hall, an iconic building in the middle of campus.  I received a personal invitation from the secretary, and Bo and I drove to PC on Christmas Eve in 2004 to attend the party.  We arrived to find no one on campus.  Bo, having arranged an elaborate scheme to bring me back to the place we met, proposed to me on the steps of Neville Hall.  It was a surprising and romantic proposal, and one that held such meaning to us both since it involved a place we love. 

Neville Hall

Bo, McCord, and Wade climbing the steps of Neville

PC's motto is dum vivimus servimus, "while we live we serve."  On Bo's wedding band I inscribed, dum vivimus amo, "while we live we love" - a tribute to the place that means so much to us.

Because it's my alma mater, where I met my husband, and where we got engaged, you can imagine what a thrill it was to introduce our boys to the campus last weekend.  It was fall break, and not a soul was around.  The campus looked as if it belonged in a storybook - exactly how we left it when we graduated and closed that chapter in our lives.  It was so refreshing to find the pages untouched.  

PC has a great tradition of holding the graduation ceremony underneath the beautiful oaks that line the front horseshoe on campus.  We graduated under this beautiful oak, and now we can share it with our 2 year old.  

On Monday, Bo and I celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary, and I am forever grateful to PC for bringing us together.  

Happy Anniversary, Bo! 

Still my boyfriend. 

The Back of Bo's Head

Bo and I got married on October 15, 2005.  We had a beautiful rehearsal dinner the evening before our wedding.  My in-laws created a memorable and meaningful night, and Bo and I will always remember the overwhelming support and encouragement we felt from our families and close friends who celebrated with us.   

Here's a picture of our table.  My in-laws, Dave and Frances, are to the right of me and apparently were the only ones who knew we were taking a picture.  My parents are on the left-hand side of the photo sitting next to Bo. 

Here's a picture of us with the groom's cake - a tribute to PC!  It was delicious but oh-so-difficult to cut.  Bo and I should have practiced this beforehand. 

One of my most vivid memories of the evening was listening to Meredith, Bo's sister, toast us.  Meredith and Bo are only 2 years apart and have always been close growing up.  However, being the Little Brother, Bo learned how to aggravate Meredith in only the way little brothers do.  Meredith stood up to deliver a loving and thoughtful toast (mind you, she's 9 months pregnant and was such a trooper through the whole wedding).  Bo and I were sitting at a round table next to Meredith's, but unfortunately, Bo's back was to her table.  For some reason, he chose not to turn around to watch her talk, but instead, kept his back to her as he listened.  Meredith did not appreciate this disrespect, so mid-sentence, Meredith decided to put an end to Bo's behavior, and stated over the mic in her best sisterly tone, "Bo, I'm talking to the back of your head!"  Ever-so-slowly, surely to aggrevate Meredith even further, Bo turned around to face her.  Gracefully Meredith finished her thoughts and we all toasted.  

There were two things at play here: (1) Bo's ability to perfectly play the little brother card and irritate his sister - even at his own rehearsal dinner (!) and (2) Meredith's ability to remind Bo that although he may be getting married, she's still the Big Sister and should still be respected.  You can imagine how all of us enjoyed this sibling play perfectly sandwiched in the middle of Meredith's toast. 

Well, this next picture is for Meredith - the clearest 3D picture we could manage at last week's appointment - 19 weeks.   From your experience, does this look like the back of Bo's head? 

Since Bo was out of town, my mom came up for the ultrasound, and we had such a great time listening to the heartbeat and watching the baby move.  These next few pictures are for the grandparents. 

I can hardly wait to see the baby's face and hope that he or she looks just like Bo!