My trip to the west coast began in L.A., where I rented a car, then drove to Laguna Beach for lunch with my friend Luke, a fellow Visalian who's in San Diego now. While I don't regret meeting with him, I wish the timing had been better; I ended up on the freeway going back towards Santa Barbara at 3:00 in the afternoon. I think during the week I'd have been ok, but on Friday people knock off early. I battled traffic for four hours before I pulled up at Cate.
All in all, it was a great time. I ate too much, alternately soaked up sun and shivered (the weather refused to settle), played croquet, listened to my classmates play music, and caught up with old friends. We all oohed and aahed and wondered whether we had really appreciated the view and the beauty of the campus while we were there (although the new aquatic center that's going into the center of campus was still in its early stages and was kind of an eyesore). One of my favorite parts was meeting the girlfriends/boyfriends/spouses people brought. I really liked everyone I met, and it's good to know that my friends are happy and in good company. At least 1/3 of my classmates showed up, which was great. Some were people I've seen on and off through the years, but some I hadn't spoken too in ages. It was great to catch up with them.
Notable happenings: On Saturday morning I ran the annual Mesa Race (2.5 miles around campus) and, as the top female finisher, was awarded a Cate beach towel - score!; Friday's dinner included both vats of the famous Cate kitchen guacamole and churros; Meagan's boyfriend Holden taught me all about the electric cars he's helping build; I learned that my friend Meredith will be in Boston in fall, which means I'll get to see her a lot; Virginia, whom I did not get to see, has moved to D.C., which is also a mere bus ride away; we discovered that all the familiar smells of the chapel, the dorms, the community center, the dining hall, are still there, which makes it seem like not so long ago that we were students.
Tomorrow: David's graduation in Eugene, Oregon.
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