Well, the J-Ms might just have found our new favorite Lehigh event of the year! Yesterday was the first (hopefully first annual) Live Lehigh Rock the Block Party!
Live Lehigh programs are focused on living learning communities for students on campus. These types of programs are, I believe, a central component to a successful, thriving residential college. At Lehigh, and schools like it, these programs are especially important as they create an alternative to Greek life. I am, shall we say, a huge advocate. Anyway… the Live Lehigh programs came together to throw a big end-of-year block party 4-6pm yesterday. We picked up the bambinos from school and headed straight there. Upon arrival we quickly discovered that the event was loaded with so many of our favorite students!
Within no time, the bambinos (the only people under the age of 18 there) were running around like happiest-happiest-happiest bambinos on earth (this is their element!). For two hours straight we barely saw them, as they were fully immersed with the many students there whom they know and love. (I swear: these three kids are the most popular humans on this campus.)
And Dash quickly discovered that this event was, quite simply, heaven on earth. (If he were human he’d compete with the bambinos for the “most popular” title. As it is, he is, for sure, the most popular dog on this campus.)
The campus is bursting with blooms right now. This time is so fleeting each year — within a few days the daffodils will pass and the blossoming trees will simply be flooded with green leaves. But for these few days, right now, the entire campus is lit up with flowers and color everywhere and it is totally spectacular!
The Rock the Block Party was an ideal way to spend a couple hours, just soaking up the spring sun and enjoying one of the last few days we have with students before they move out for the summer and/or graduate. Seriously, Braydon and I were talking about it afterward — we love these students. We are so fortunate to get to stand there talking with these interesting, dynamic, amazing, young people. How lucky are we? Oh– and we got to watch the bambinos jump like crazy with the college kids in the bounce-house (that is a wild sight), and listen to student groups perform (holy cow! at one point one of the bands — a heavy metal group — announced, “Is Heather Johnson in the audience? Because this song is about sociology!” and then proceeded to do their thing — given it was heavy metal I couldn’t make out much, but I did hear the verse, “open your eyes!” over and over in there somewhere — now that — that, seriously, was just about my ‘high’ of the entire semester!).
Yes, our family life is quite unique. Yes, we give up a lot by not having a more typical family home/yard/neighborhood/lifestyle. But truthfully: there is no place we’d rather be than where we are right now.
It’s hard to notice what you have given up, when you have gained so much!