Top 12 Weekend Highlights

We spent the weekend at Indiana University visiting our daughter and taking in lots of activities. What a fun time! Kind of makes me wish I could go back to college. (Don't worry, Bailey...I won't enroll at IU!)

I thought I'd put together a quick collage of some of the highlights of the weekend. Click on the collage to get a bigger view!

Beginning on the top row:

1) Opening night of the John Mellencamp world concert tour, held at the beautiful IU auditorium. A Bloomington resident, Mellencamp has been a big supporter of the university over the years and is a local legend. It was very neat seeing him perform on campus!

2) The Indiana-Northwestern game. IU has a gorgeous stadium and works very hard to make game day fun. Too bad the team has such a hard time winning games. Hopefully the players are at least having fun! :) But I'm not too sure about that at this point in the season...

3) One of the many pre-game band performances, featuring the band's new reversible stocking caps -- this time with white side out.

4) Drumline warm-up, featuring the striped side of the reversible stocking caps!

5) Todd Rundgren visiting the band in the stands! He has been at IU teaching a special class for the past couple of weeks (can you imagine having him as your visiting professor?) and stopped by the game to conduct "Bang on the Drum All Day" with the IU Marching Hundred. Another legend! (As a side note, I am pretty sure he dyes his hair.)

6) A fantastic post-game show, featuring "Sing-Sing-Sing" by the IU Drumline.

7) A drum-off between the Northwestern and IU drumlines, followed by socializing.

8) The Happy College Student!

9) A wonderful private marimba performance. Such a treat for us!

10) Beautiful blue sky at the IU stadium, with sunshine eventually making for quite a pleasant game day.

11) The Happy College Student and The Happy College Student's Mom! Look! Neither of us is crying!

12) The last little bit of what must have been a gorgeous fall in Bloomington.


And a few other highlights that aren't pictured:

• Seeing Todd Rundgren have his picture taken with Hooter, the ever-present owl drumline mascot

• Enjoying some fantastic Pizza at Nick's with Daughter and a friend

• Checking out the many creative Halloween costumes sported by IU students
  

• A late-night Starbucks run, something we do quite often at home
  

• Receiving our very own IU Drumline t-shirts, featuring Hooter on the sleeve! We will wear them with pride.

• Feeling so grateful that The Happy College Student is right where she should be, with fantastic professors, interesting classes, a great assortment of friends, a cozy room, a bag full of chocolate chip cookies, and a very bright future ahead.
  

It just doesn't get any better than this!