W&L Young Alumni Weekend 2014

#wluYAW has come and gone, and the weekend did not disappoint! We took off from Atlanta bright-eyed and bushy tailed on Friday morning. My excitement about returning to Virginia took a nasty turn as soon as we landed in Roanoke and all I saw was RAIN. Sleeting, gray, cold, nasty rain. What?! No! Where are my lovely blue skies and the pleasant fall chill that is tempered with the quick tie of a pashmina?! Not in Virginia, that's where. I immediately began to regret not packing my Barbour, which has replaced the grey Northface of my college days as the official outerwear of students and W&L alumni alike. Kids these days - they are too stylish for their own goods.

Getting close to Lex! The classic exit 188B sign.

We took off for Lexington in our Toyota Yaris and upon arrival checked into the Best Western, "the official hotel for the class of 2009!" In all honesty, the Best Western exceeded my expectations and was clean and odorless, all positive points to take forward for next year's #wluYAW.

We drove back into town and stopped for lunch at Pure Eats, a locally-sourced burger joint that took over the spot formally occupied by the Patisserie. Though I'm sad that I will never be able to order my favorite turkey/smoked gouda/cranberry sandwich again, Pure Eats is a cool little restaurant serving flavorful burgers, crispy homemade fries, specialty donuts, and (ding ding ding!) local craft beers. Matt tried out the Blue Lab Oktoberfest while I sampled the Devil's Backbone pumpkin ale. These two local breweries were sadly not around when we were in school, but we were able to visit Blue Lab a few years ago while in town for a sorority sister's wedding. On our next visit I definitely want to check out Devil's Backbone, which apparently has a lot more space to hang out à la SweetWater Brewery here in Atlanta.

Naturally, our first stop after lunch was your Washington and Lee University Store. We got to see the trifecta of amazing bosses: April, Dave, and KC. We reminisced about funny bookstore memories, caught up on changes to the store, and did a little shopping. It is really too bad that they do not sell this hot item anymore, yours for the 2009/2010 school year price of only $30:

We also snapped a group picture before heading out, which will subsequently be framed, matted, and hung in our home.

Check out these fratty glasses that were included in our #wluYAW swag bags.

Later that evening we attended the President's Society cocktail hour at President Ruscio's/Robert E. Lee's house. We got to meet alumni from other chapters and learn the winners of the chapter of the year awards. How did Atlanta not win in the large chapter category!? Unacceptable! We need to show the DC chapter, with its flocks of W&L graduates each summer (I was one of them many moons ago), who is boss. The campaign to reclaim our title in 2015 is already underway, so consider yourself warned, DC.

That night the school hosted a party on Canaan Green for everyone who had returned for #wluYAW. Let me tell you, the university has really stepped up its game! The party had a swanky wedding reception atmosphere with large white tents, green and pink uplighting, plush lounge areas, fun music, themed food stations, and an open bar (naturally). The food stations ranged from Asian fusion where you assembled your own Chinese take-out carton, to a mashed potato bar with all the fixin's served in pink martini glasses. 

Some of the 2009 Thetas at #wluYAW flying the kite.

We hopped around after the Friday night party but came to find out that there were not any large scale undergraduate parties happening that night, and that the main event was the Saturday night party at Red Square. We did manage to make it out to Windfall for a bit and were herded on to Traveller at the end of the night, quietly requesting to be dropped off at the Best Western as current undergraduates were rattling off the names of their dorms and fraternity/sorority houses (don't mind the old fogies in the back of the bus!). Another point to take forward, especially for people reading this who will attend their five-year reunions in the next couple of years - the shuttle system worked really well for us alumni during the entire weekend. We never had to worry about finding a ride or being unable to get where we needed to be, which is a God-send in a town without cabs or Uber. 

Saturday morning consisted of managing mild hangovers and getting back over to campus for the alumni brunch. Point to take forward - the brunch spread was not fabulous and left me craving something hearty. Catering services, I am four years out of college and struggling with a hangover that is about to rear its ugly head, and while this salmon frittata that you prepared looks lovely, I need cheese grits, bacon, sausage, and pancakes ASAP. They also did not have any coffee which caused a lot of anger amongst the coffee drinkers, and there was no champagne at the bar (but there was red wine if you desired a nice glass of cab sauv at 11:00 am). So note to self, next year I need to come packing to the Saturday brunch.

The class of 2009 at the Saturday morning brunch. 

After brunch we wandered around to various events, enjoying the BEAUTIFUL day that God provided after hearing my sad cries upon touchdown in Roanoke the day before. We strolled past the Theta house, attended the first half of the women's soccer game, hit up the Bloody Mary/mimosa bar at the Mock Con 2016 party, and then headed to the Pi Phi house for cornhole and (more) day drinking - when in Rome, right? 

The school hosted another alumni party on Saturday night, this one centered on Virginia beer and wine, BBQ, and blue grass. This party was more in line with what I experienced as a student, but luckily they held this one up on Canaan Green as opposed to my senior year when it was held on the Colonnade with almost zero lighting. Lighting = upgrade! The band was great, the beer was cold, and the BBQ was better than expected (I am also a BBQ snob, but that can only be blamed on being born and raised in Memphis).

The football game started at 7 pm, which allowed the team to make use of the stadium lights that were installed my senior year (cue the gasps and side eye from everyone with D-1 football teams). The school has also allowed fraternities and other groups to start tailgating on the law school lawn, something that did not exist when I was in school (cue more gasps and more side eyes). Hopefully next year the football game will be during the day so that we don't have to choose between the BBQ event that we paid for and the tailgate events down by the football game. Matt's fraternity has the best chef (he created the blackened chicken penne pasta dish that graces the Southern Inn's menu and that we recreated as the main dish for the Lexington-themed food station at our wedding), and while hanging out at the fraternity house earlier in the day, the smells of Jimmy's fried chicken that he was preparing for the tailgate filled the hallowed halls of Pi Phi and left me salivating at the beer pong table. Plain and simple, next year I need to make it to the football tailgate.

We were able to catch the first half of the football game, which is a major accomplishment for W&L students. My grandfather still laughs about the time they came up with my parents for my freshman year Parent's Weekend and the cheerleaders at the football game held up signs saying "Don't Leave!" I was also able to meet up with the parents of a friend from Memphis whose son is a freshman at W&L and plays on the football team. It was so nice to catch up with them and hear how things were going back at St. Agnes, but I was also very jealous knowing that they and their son had four more years of W&L ahead of them! 

We wandered to the Theta house for the halftime reception, complete with meatballs and coffee drink (though sadly no baked brie in the shape of a kite). Some things never change. We found ourselves on old composites, checked out the rooms on the third floor, and peeked in on the chapter room. It is amazing how everywhere on campus still smells the same: the sorority house, the Commons, the bookstore. You walk into a building and smell those familiar smells, and you almost feel transported like you are right back at school heading to class or going to srat lunch. They really need to figure out a way to bottle smells like that.

The rest of the night consisted of a lot of beer pong and the band party at Red Square. It is funny how the current fraternity guys have completely different rules and formalities that the older guys really did not like/understand. New school vs. old school. East coast vs. west coast. They even had a re-rack called the Obama, which is funny because he was only five months into his first term as President before my husband graduated. 

When it was all said and done, we rode the proverbial struggle bus plane back to Atlanta on Sunday morning, thanking the Lord that it was only a one-hour flight and that we would soon be home to lounge the day away and nurse our aching heads and stomachs. (Note to self - do not let your husband book an 11 am flight that departs 45 miles from the location where you wake up only five hours after having gone to bed. The struggle is real.) I am thankful for Coca-Cola, greasy food, and the luxury of being able to take a three hour nap on a Sunday afternoon, all of which made it possible for me to be here today and write this post. I hope to stave off the multi-day hangover for a few more years, or at least until after we return next fall for my class' 5-year reunion. #wluYAW, see you next September.