Viva Las Broncos!

I think I may have mentioned before that I attended Western Michigan University for my undergrad, yes?

If not...here is a reminder:

This is my super fun group of high school buddies at a Western football game.  Ok, not AT the game. We are tailgating.  I am the crazy skinny lass on your left on the bottom.  And my sweet Cortney is that lanky lad on the right (wearing a Georgetown sweatshirt?  What?)  Yes, the WMU days were fun.

Besides having lots of my "old school" buddies with me, I met some lovely ladies in my years of college.  They were my first friends when I was just a lowly freshman washing dishes in the dorm cafeteria and they were wise sophomores.

They welcomed me into their fold o fun.  They brought me to my first college parties.  They stumbled home with me from Knollwood (hey freshman!  Where's the Par-tay!?!  That was for you, Erin, my dear).  They even sucked it up and became my housemates for a year.  AND they introduced me to a very lovely lady, their friend Tara, who would become my immediate partner in crime.

I have loved these ladies since our college days.  When they started graduating, we vowed to get together at least once a year...and we have kept that promise.

Half of us live on the West side of Michigan and half live on the East side, so we go back and forth.  Sort of.  I don't have pictures (because I didn't have a digital camera yet), but we started back in 2000!  I know, crazy!  Kristin was the first to get married, so we started at her house (East side). We all stayed overnight back then too because some of us were still college students and sleeping in a REAL house was better than going back to a crappy apartment.

In 2001 we gathered at Whitney's house (West Side).  It was our first dinner party as a group.  I remember not knowing how to act since we were all used to eating pizza rolls while sitting around a living room.

In 2002 it was Kim's house (West Side, but south).  We were actually drinking wine because we were all graduated now and so grown up.

In 2003 we were at Tara's house (East side).  I had a boyfriend named Cortney who I brought with me for the first time AND the first baby came along to the party via Whitney. 

In 2004 we were at Erin's house (East side).  She may have had some Sangria and forgot to make food.  May have. Which was awesome because we were reminded that it hadn't been THAT long since were were foolish college kids.

In 2005 we were here in Sluiter Nation (West side).  Cort and I were newlyweds and excited to host.  I made a full on turkey dinner.  Because I wanted to prove I could go all Martha on them.  That will not happen when it is my turn again.

In 2006, we started over at Kristin's.  And I had a digital camera.  See:

Top row: Kim, Kristin, Whitney

Bottom row: me, Erin, Tara 

Um.  We do NOT have to talk about anything I am wearing in this picture.  Or my nasty hair.  Or that weird necklace.  Just. Don't. Talk. About. It.

In 2007, we were back at Whitney's.  Again, I have a picture:

By this time there were many kids roaming around.  Some even made it into the pictures.  Because kids do that.

2008 it was back to Kim's, but it ended up being in 2009 because of all the snow and busy holiday schedules.

And yes, I was large and in charge.  Because of this scary weather driving, we chose to change the parties to the summer.  Oh yeah, and everyone's houses were just getting too small for the growing number of kids everyone was having!

So, last summer, we were at Tara's:

Do you like how we did this all prom-like?  We are cool.  We did one with all the kids too.  So you could see what I mean by explosion of kids:

BAM!  KIDS!

This past weekend we got together again, and if you were paying attention, it was Erin's turn this year:

There we all are.  Looking good for seasoned momma's I might add! I didn't pick the most flattering shirt, but I did wear a flower in my hair.  So there is that.

Next year it is back in Sluiter Nation which  means we will have come full circle for the second time.  Twelve years of keeping up with my Lady Broncos.

We don't see each other much, but thanks to the interwebs and facebook, we at least know what is going on with each other.

I love these ladies fiercely.  We may have changed a little from our college days, but we all still have the same love of all things Bronco and for each other!

GO BRONCOS!! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!