Day 8: Wellesley and Boston Retreat

I graduated from Wellesley College back in 1992.

Wellesley is a women's college of about 2500 students. It has a gorgeous campus complete with a lake, neo-Gothic castles for dorms and classroom buildings, beautiful old lamp posts, lots of space and green and flowers. It's sort of a story-book place. And when I was 18 and my dad took me on a college tour, Wellesley sure seemed like the perfect story-book place for me to spend 4 years. And it was. The lack of boys got a bit old at times, the long freezing winters weren't my favorite, and the many papers and finals I plowed through sometimes felt super overwhelming. But I had amazing learning experiences in classrooms as I discussed third-world problems and education and sociology and art history with top-notch professors and students and in dorm rooms at I had late-night discussions about classes and boys and growing up experiences and the meaning of life with wonderful friends from all over the world.

It was so fun be back there this past weekend with my husband and kids as well as my sister Saydi who graduated from there a few years after me and my cousin and her family who I haven't seen for way too long.

As we arrived on campus, we found out that it was actually reunion weekend which meant there were LOTS of people on campus, alums from way way back and more recent alums. Parking was tricky but there was great energy on campus and free cookies around every corner (the kids' favorite part). And just as Saydi and I were talking about how we wished our sister Charity, also a Wellesley Alum, was with us, we heard someone yell - "Look - there are some Eyres!" It was a group of Charity's friends who were there for Reunion. So fun to see them and feel like we had a piece of Charity there with us!

Here's Galen Stone Tower in the academic quad where most of my classes took place.

Saydi and I at Wellesley with our girls. Maybe someday they will be Wellesley women.

Here's the college seal on a window in the biggest grandest dorm on campus, Tower Court.

Here's an awesome moth the kids found:

Fountain outside Tower Court:

Isaac and Silas in the living room of Tower Court:

The kids finding my name on a plaque in the dorm where I was House President my senior year.

Living room in Severance Hall (where I was House President) - I held a LOT of meetings in here - and we had lots of nice little "teas" and some fun dances here as well.

Dining Hall in Severance where I ate for 2 years - and had lots of great conversations and laughs with my friends.

The girls checking out a dorm room:

Eliza's in front of the dorm room that was mine.

View of Galen Stone Tower from Severance:

Here are Eliza and Hazel at one of my favorite study spots in the library.

BOSTON RETREAT
After a great (but a bit too rushed) time at Wellesley, Saydi and I headed to Belmont to put on our Power of Moms Retreat there.

SUCH a great group of moms! And so much fun to present with my sister - what a rare treat. I loved that we had moms at very different stages dealing with very different issues in their lives and with their children but we all had so much to say and to learn about our four main topics of discussion - Peace, Purpose, Order and Joy.

Here's Laura, our wonderful hostess, Saydi, me, and Mary, one of our Power of Moms Board members who lives in the area and did a beautiful job with the food and set-up for this Retreat.

I loved that Laura had her kids' artwork beautifully framed all over her gorgeous house. I also loved that all the finish was worn right off her paint-spattered kitchen table. Clearly, Laura's house is a house where children are seen, heard, and cherished and where creativity and play isn't tucked out of sight when company comes around.