I-Dubba-U!

Before I went to THE Ohio State University (Let's not talk about football right now, okay?), I attended Indiana Wesleyan University in beautiful (*cough*) Marion, Indiana. It was a small, private Christian university about an hour away from Indianapolis. We used to describe it as a Christian bubble in the middle of a ghetto. It seemed like the perfect place to begin my first foray into college life- far enough away from home that I could live in the dorms (but close enough to still visit home somewhat regularly), small enough campus that I wouldn't feel completely overwhelmed, faith-based learning, and even a curfew to appease my parents. Yes, a curfew. Not to mention, a "no drinking, swearing, dancing, kissing of the opposite sex for longer than five seconds, R-rated movie watching" pledge all students were required to sign before attending. Did I sign? Of course. Did I follow every rule? Not so much. (Just ask my resident director who had to have The Talk with me about watching "Working Girl" in my dorm room. Even worse, I watched it with a freshman when I was a "should've known better and set a good example" sophomore. For shame!) I never felt an appropriate amount of guilt for that, nor for any of the other times I broke the rules. While I respect the intention of those rules, I never felt God disapproved of me watching a cheesy R-rated movie with a friend or for dancing at a wedding.  

Quite a few people have horror stories of their freshman year of college and the crazy roommates they endured. Not me. I had the Quad Squad: four Christian girls living in a decent-sized dorm room with our very own bathroom. I had the top bunk, my own desk, 1/4 of a walk-in closet, and one drawer in a dresser. Not a bad deal. We knew all of the girls in our hall and enjoyed getting together for nightly "Karaoke in the Quad" or a good workout session of Tae Bo.

Quad Squad ladies.

There wasn't much to do in Marion, Indiana, (other than Walmart, Goody's clothing store, or walking to the Handy Andy for a Mountain Dew slushie), unless you had a friend with a car. If you were of the lucky few, you could drive to nearby Upland for yummy ice cream at Ivanhoe's and then driving down "Devil's Backbone" and scaring the Jesus out of your friends. (If there was ever going to be cursing, it was flying up and down those small mountains to then come to a screeching halt at the stop sign at the bottom of one of those hills. I don't want to brag, but I was GOOD at that drive.) IWU was a close-knit community where everybody knew everybody.

IWU girls all gussied up for a performance of

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

For the most part, students were friendly and open. (Sure, that wasn't always the case. Believe it or not, there are some mean Christians out there. Rude, judgmental, not very fun to be around, Christians.) But we had fun and did a lot of Bible-learnin'. Chapel was every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. We had Chi Alpha, a student-led, student-attended, get together once a week and then, of course, church on Sundays. Plus, I had a Bible study group with some friends on a weekly basis. I also took Old Testament and New Testament classes. You know how they say you'll never be able to get rid of prayer in schools as long as there are tests? Imagine having your professor pray FOR you before every test? Incredible. 

So what did I take away from my two years at IWU? (I moved back home and transferred to OSU the summer before my third year of college. I missed the Christian setting, but c'mon. Football!*) I took friendships. Pick up right where we left off, long lasting, proud to still call these women my friends, friendships. One of my Quad Squad roommates got married this past weekend in South Carolina and it was a mini-IWU reunion.

Bride Alyssa with her IWU attendants.

(Michelle, Emily, Mandie, Alyssa, me, Jess, Heather)

We had a blast! Our talk may have been a little more...ahem...risque...than it was 12 years ago (What? We're married ladies now. We can dish.), but we had late night conversations and uncontrollable giggling just like before. We drank wine and danced and there may have even been the occasional four-letter word. (We decided the pledge was now null and void after all these years.)  I will never regret starting at Indiana Wesleyan University. I didn't graduate from there, but it was definitely a life-altering, life-enriching, two years of my life.

Then...

(Jess, Alyssa, me, Emily, and Michelle)

...and now.

Go Wildcats! 

*I still don't want to talk about it.