All Work and Some Play

We opened the residence halls on campus today for the spring semester - well, 3 of my 6 buildings never close since they house athletes and international students, but whatever - so we have been in full RA training mode the last week since returning from the holiday. The training committee came up with a super cute old school Nickelodeon theme, and it really made me miss cable TV for the first time in years. Each presentation had a fun tie-in, and the staff did a great job making their sessions fun and engaging for the students. I love seeing the staff in their element teaching and learning from the students they love so much.My main role was to smile, answer questions, show support, and talk about fainting goats. No Goats, No Glory!Today, I took the kids to campus to visit the 6 halls in my area so that I could be present on opening day should they need me. Luckily, no one really did since how much help could I really be with two kids in tow? I try, but life is life and this is how I roll. Anyway, the kids were amazing! We spent over 3 hours roaming campus saying hi to RAs and new students and taking pictures of the awesome RA bulletin boards and lobby decorations (for my afore-linked RA blog). Since I am a nerd, I also took a photo of Violet perched on each of the front desks. Luckily the RAs know I am crazy and were not phased by the random baby booty being unceremoniously plopped right on their work space in the middle of spring opening. I love how some of the RAs ran and hid and others posed with her. Violet looks rather grumpy in some, which is odd because she was actually in a great mood all day, and Jeremy appears to be doing his best drunk college student impression in several of them. Love it.
Laurel HallClement HallVolunteer HallMassey Hall Apartment Residence Hall (she is totally distracted by Daniel hiding in the corner)Gibbs HallAnd Jeremy is always fascinated with this bridge, so I snapped a photo on the pedestrian bridge between Clement and Massey.I am sure it sounds odd to others, but my kids have 7 homes. Our real one and their 6 residence halls. Not every kid gets a grand welcome every time they enter a college dormitory, with college students falling over themselves to hold them, give them candy, and let them play with their iPhones. I do love a good reminder of why I love my job so much! Happy Opening!

(And two other exciting things today: my parents celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary, and our nephew Jude had his first birthday party! We love you!)