40th Roommate Reunion -- Really!!

Believe it or not, I (Patty) had my 40th college roommate reunion this summer. Neil and I spent a wonderful few days at a gorgeous hotel in Ventura catching up with my college roommates. What a great time we all had together! One of the blessings of this group is how much we -- former "roomies" and spouses -- all enjoy being together.

To show how times have changed, the four of us plus one other roommate lived together in academic year 1965-66 when we were attending San Diego State. We shared responsibilities around the apartment, with a rotating list of tasks assigned each week. Two of us would team up each week to shop and cook. Wait 'till you hear this: each of us chipped in $5.00/week for food. Yep, all five of us ate quite well on $25/week. Of course, we shopped and planned VERY carefully. A rare treat was a green chili burrito at Taco Bell for $0.19.

The picture shows us all in front of the Pierpont Hotel in Ventura (l to rt): Neil & Patty, Joanie & Ed, Judy & Don (Don went to San Diego State with us), and Sherri & Don. Interesting facts about the group: two of the four of us are retired military, and one couple is retired from law enforcement. Two of us are or were teachers, two used to be in social services, and, of course, two of us are in ministry. Bottom line: we all ended up serving others in one way or another. God has richly blessed Neil and me with these wonderful friends, and we are grateful!