wonderings & wanderings

This past Saturday was the annual West Point Founders Day dinner. It was held in Heidelberg, a charming, quintessential German town, so any excuse to go there is gladly taken. We arrived to our hotel that afternoon, and much to my horror, I had forgotten my curling iron. After a few moments of sheer panic and pointlessly whining to Zack, I [wo]manned up, and got crafty. I wet a few sections of my hair and then put them into pin curls while I did my makeup. The result was soft, yet slightly hideous curls, so I put in some infallible braids, and pulled the rest back. Don't judge. 

My dress was also a near disaster inconvenience. I purchased the dress (Salvation Army, $3, hey girl hey.) last year, about 13 pounds heavier than my current weight. (Although after the past two weeks of basically binge living, I'm sure that number is creeping back up.) I didn't think to try it on until the day before the dinner, and I really didn't have many other options. Well, the dress hung on me like a rather unfortunate black sack. Thankfully, Zack has the hidden talent of tailor (did I hit the jackpot or what?) and spent a good 20 minutes pinning me in various places, until the end result was a socially acceptable little black dress. 

We took a cab to the hotel where the dinner was held, and caught the tail end of the cocktail hour. Zack didn't know many of the '09 grads there, but we made friends with the people at our table. The dinner was full of West Point traditions, many of which went clear over my head, largely due in part to the fact that I didn't date Zack his Cow or Firstie years. (Bitter Liza, go away. You can't come out to play today.) But Zack was a dear, and patiently explained all of what was happening to me. (Like that table being lifted up in the above picture...I just assumed they'd all had too much beer.) It felt nice to be a part of the evening, I felt proud to be in a room with so many incredibly talented, intelligent, and brave men and women of all ages. (And Dress Blues for days, y'all.) 

I got chills when they sang the Alma Mater. The room was eerily silent, with all the grads standing at attention, their voices ringing out strong and clear. I couldn't help but think of the men from the class of 2009 lost last year, and the fact that Zack was standing by my side, safely home from war. I had to blink my eyes quickly, to get rid of a tear threatening to spill out. My heart was, is, so full of gratitude.

Seeing 'Mrs. Eliza Willey' never seems to get old. Two years later, and I still get an excited little shiver down my spine when I see it on paper. 

After the dinner, we went out with some friends in downtown Heidelberg. Maybe it was the wine that had gone to my head, or just the buzzing energy I was still feeling from the dinner, but I was on top of the world that night. We had an absolute blast, just the four of us, and didn't get into bed until well past 4 AM. And let me just say...for two relatively low-key, married couples...we did a number on a certain Irish pub in Heidelberg that night.