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and tedious and the guest speaker--a Broadway actress who hasn't acted in almost ten years*--was funny but went on a bit too long about herself.

* I could almost see Esther posting " <--has seen her in <fill in the Broadway show> 😥

But I really enjoyed the campus; everyone we met was so kind and welcoming. We attended a reception for the grads the night before...I was expecting cheese and crackers; bff thought we might get cookies and punch. We got the cheese and crackers, we got cookies (no punch), but they also had fruit skewers with dip, veggies with dip, some truly outstanding stuffed mushrooms, some excellent meatballs in marinara sauce, mini egg rolls, four different kinds of sandwiches and an entire table full of tiny desserts. SO good (and hey, free "dinner"!) After the graduation nine of us went to Giammarco's for a celebratory lunch It was possibly the best Italian food I've ever had. We had bruschetta and garlic bread to start, then I got the Italian trio (the basil pesto cream was amazing!) and we split a piece of tiramisu and a slice of chocolate cake for dessert. And then we got ice cream at Graeter's because if you like ice cream and you ever find yourself near a Graeter's, you *need* to stop in. Bff's BIL was kind enough to pay for all of that, so hey, free lunch (and lunch today since the portions at Giammarco's are quite generous).

While in the Westerville area, bff, her cousin ("S") and I shared a room at the Drury Inn and Suites. The hotel is *gorgeous*, and our room was huge, with a separate sitting area. We unfortunately missed out on the free cocktail hour Saturday night (we shouldn't have...but that's a long story), which came with an extensive number of free "appetizers", but we overindulged in their huge breakfast buffet spread Sunday morning.

I was initially leery of rooming with S I've met her a couple times, and she seemed nice enough but that doesn't always guarantee a good (temporary) roommate experience. Turns out my concerns were completely unwarranted. After this weekend, S is firmly on my list of "favorite people" (ahead of a number of family members <g>). She's loud, warm, kind, friendly and by the end of our time together, she, bff and I had this dynamic where we repeatedly cracked each other up. I can't remember the last time I laughed so long and so hard. The graduate was allowed to bring a couple of her friends to lunch (and then ice cream)...bff texted me today to tell me the two friends had told bff's niece that her family was all really nice but her three "aunts" were hilarious. Interestingly, they meant bff (the grad's aunt), S (the grad's mom's cousin) and me (the grad's aunt's friend). BIL's sister was also along for the trip (another actual aunt of the grad) and while she was less...ah...difficult that she usually is for the weekend, "hilarious" is not a word you'd use to describe her. I actually felt a bit bad for BIL's sis; at times, I don't think she quite knew what to make of the three hilarious "aunties" and the big energy we brought <g>.