Homecoming Weekend

Homecoming is kind of all up in my face right now, which has gotten me thinking about college and how old we’re getting. This last weekend was U of M Homecoming weekend and this weekend is UPS Homecoming in Tacoma, WA.

As with anything having to do the U of M and the Grizzlies, Missoula went all out this weekend with a huge parade down Higgins, crazy tailgates and a very close game against UC Davis (Missoula 29, UC Davis 24). I didn’t have tickets to this week’s game, but our friend Cori let us watch the parade from her condo in the Wilma and we watched the game from the Press Box, a big sports bar here. While I still liked watching the game, it’s much more fun watching it in person…

Now, despite my newfound love of football, I am not really looking forward to watching the Loggers (yes, my college mascot is a bearded man wearing flannel and holding an axe…) play this weekend. I maybe went to two games while I was in school there and wasn’t even sure if we still had a football team anymore. Apparently we do. While I loved my time at UPS, I haven’t had a strong desire to go back and visit since I graduated in 2003. But, this year happens to be our 5-year reunion so Lauren, Paige and I are all biting the bullet and making the trip.

I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. On the one hand, I’ve avoided this whole Homecoming thing because the best things I took away from college (friends), I still have in my life. Going back, while nostalgic, is also going to put me in danger of several things I have tried very hard to avoid: ex-boyfriends (and their wives), Alpha Phi (and the bitchy girls that come with it), making conversation with people you know you should know, but don’t really remember at all and who seem to really remember you and the one (okay 20) nights you did something incredibly stupid in public.

On the other hand, I loved my college campus, am excited to see all our old houses and apartments and can’t WAIT to eat/drink at the following establishments:

E-9
Magoos
The Hotel
The Ram
MSM
Pizza Time
That little convenience store across the street from Jeremy's old apartment where we used to get all our booze
The SUB (school cafeteria)
The Melting Pot
Queen Anne Grocery
Pizza Time
Southern Kitchen
The Harmon

The only problem with this plan is that 1. We’ll probably be drinking at every one of these place, as booze will help me deal with the above-mentioned things I desperately want to avoid. And don’t worry, Stacy and Gena, we’ll pour one out for you at each bar so you'll be woth us in spirit... 2. We’ll only technically be in Tacoma for 6 meals. I have a feeling we might be starting with breakfast at the SUB at 8am and eating our way into the 2am hour with crack-filled cheese sticks from Pizza Time.

Don’t judge us – we probably won’t be back for another 5 years…