Back to the Farm

So I took the family back to Stanford for my class reunion. The oldest kidlet is only 8, but I thought it was as good a time as any to introduce her to my alma mater. Plus I'd missed the last reunion five years ago due to a deadline with IN DEEP WATERS so I really wanted to catch up with a few people. Plus we could stay with my best friend, Debbie, who had been up to see me in July and offered us the use of their brand new Honda Odyssey while we were in town. How could hubby say no?

On Friday morning we attended Mass at the Poor St. Clare's Monastery in Los Altos Hills. It's a cloistered order so when we got there, we thought we were alone. We weren't. On the other side of our altar (separated by a half wall and iron scrolls) sat the nuns, but they were so quiet we had no idea anyone was there. I figured that's where they sat, but hubby was sure we were in the wrong place. Luckily the kidlets were behaving themselves. All of a sudden we saw two nuns on their side of the altar taking off lace panels from the tabernacle and pushing it down. We realized they had been having adoration of the Blessed sacrament. Oops. We did get to speak with one nun when we dropped off some things for the order in their lobby. She stood behind a screen to speak with us. The kidlets were very intrigue by the whole concept.

We then met my friend Michelle at Hobee's for breakfast. She shared her photo album with me while I munched on Blueberry Coffee Cake and drank orange spice tea. She'd attended Bull Run this year so got even better pictures of my muse than last year in Reno. It was great to catch up with both another writer and Hayden fan!

After breakfast, we did a quick change of clothes and headed to Stanford. Boy, has the campus changed. I was there a year ago, but even noticed changes since then. We registered for the reunion and bought Stanford clothing for all of us. The kids each picked out two things. I couldn't believe how particular they were.

The campus looked great, as usual. We took the kids on a tour of the campus. I showed them the mechanical engineering office, the quad (where I played with the band on full moons while seniors kissed freshman making them Stanford men/women) and Mem Chu (memorial church) where I'd always wanted to get married someday. I pointed out all the fountains where we'd go fountain hopping and took them to lunch at Tressidor Union.

Things I noticed. All the students, even the graduate students, looked so young which means I'm really getting old. Mac computers were everywhere even in the student union for anyone to use. The food was greatly improved since I was a student. Peet's Coffee replaced The Corner Pocket, but Peet's still sells Fro Yo (frozen yogurt.)

Friday night was the big party. On the way there we bumped into a friend from my freshman dorm. She said no one could believe that such a geeky freshman engineer could now be a popular Harlequin romance writer. She said how great my writing was and I should have been happy about that, but honestly, I couldn't get past the "geeky freshman engineer" part. That's not how I'd seen myself at eighteen. Cute and clever, yes. But geeky? My memory couldn't be that bad, could it? But after a few more people said the same thing (and on Saturday at the tailgater, too) I had to accept that it must have been true. Sigh.

I bumped into many people I knew at the party, but the best part was connecting with a few people who I'd been very close friends with at Stanford. One was in Band and a ME (mechanical engineering) major like me. He is now married with two kids living in Amsterdam. He said when I fly to London to meet my editor someday he'd be there. That alone makes me want to schedule the trip now!Another studied engineering, but became a sportswriter instead. He covers the NY Yankees (hubby's fave team!). If everything works out as planned, he'll spend a weekend with us in December. I can't wait. And a third was also a ME major who has done all kinds of really cool things with the Navy, 9/11 and currently works in intelligence. People kept saying he reminded them of a young Tom Clancy! All he needs to do is write a book.

I was happy to reconnect with another ME and his wife. I'd spent time with them when I worked they lived in Portland and lost touch when they moved from Texas to Virginia. And I always love to spend time with another couple who live in So. Cal. Both were physics majors who I knew separately. The guy lived next door freshman year and was the one who slept out in front of the movie theater with me so we could be the first to see Star Wars Return of the Jedi when it premiered. (I don't mind saying I'm a Star Wars geek. I am one, but it's engineering geek that bothers me.) His wife worked with me at the Terman Engineering library. He's supposed to send me an x-ray of this piece of metal they fixed his hip with. He's yet to send it and I actually do want to see it so that probably means I still am somewhat of an engineering geek. Yikes!

I heard the same comments/questions I usually hear when people find out you're a writer: I have a great idea for a book. I plan to write a bestseller as soon as I have time. Where do you get you ideas? How much do you make on each book? (I always wonder if people realize that question is like me asking them how much they make a year.)

Reunions are fun, but a little weird. There are lots of people attending. Many you recognize or sorta knew, and just as many you didn't. I confused a couple of people. Misplaced where I knew a few others (met them outside of Stanford so couldn't make the connection.) And met a couple of people I didn't know.

Some people looked great, others didn't. Some looked young, others not so young. As one friend said, "We can't all be the same age." He makes a good point, and I've never seen a better justification for the use of sunscreen.

The oldest kidlet already said she wants to go back for the next reunion. The younger two agreed with her. We'll see where we are in five years, and how much of a geek I still feel like!