Happiness Is...Misfitz

Last weekend was one that I’ve been looking forward to for months. Well, actually, years -- since 2007 when I graduated college. As you probably already know, I was in a female a cappella group during undergrad, and the majority of my favorite college memories are with this group of women. You may be thinking “A cappella group? Those nerds.”…but have you seen my friends? They are the most gorgeous and talented girls you’ll ever meet. Of course, I have very close friends from college who were not in this a cappella group, but the bond The Misfitz share is truly special, unique, and unbreakable (although there have been moments where we really put it to the test). There really is no way to describe in words the energy, love, and happiness that fills the air when we are together. 

So you get the idea. We all love each other. A lot. We now live all over the country and in different parts of the world, but always pick up right where we left off when we reunite. We bask in the nostalgia and hilarity of old inside jokes (so many inside jokes – it’s a bit ridiculous), and at the same time we welcome the excitement and terror of new adventures like new jobs, weddings, and moving across the country. We’ve recently shared in the delight of our first ever a cappella baby! A former Misfit who is married to a former Remnant (one of our male a cappella groups) had an adorable little girl.

This last weekend was our Misfitz 10 year celebration. We’ve had 10 graduating classes of women, and our family continues to grow each year! We took over an entire hallway of a local hotel and spent the weekend catching up, reminiscing, singing, dancing, picture taking, and visiting favorite campus spots. 

Friday night after a good 30 minutes of shrieking and hugging when we all arrived at the hotel, we ventured uptown for a banquet provided by the current Misfitz. The food was great, the slideshow was awesome, and, of course, there was lots and lots of singing. Each graduating class attempted to sing a song from memory and it was quite entertaining. We have an official alumni song that everyone knows, which we all sing on stage when we come back for concerts...but we also have an unofficial alumni song that we started singing the year I was there, and we loved it so much that the group just keeps singing it every year. Do we really care anymore if it sounds musically perfect? No...it's just a fun way for us to all unite. A musical hug, if you will: Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey. 

We finished the evening with a pub crawl, which was fun but fairly tame, considering we’re fast approaching our 30’s and our bedtimes are much earlier than they used to be. Between sore backs, aching feet from high heeled shoes, and general exhaustion…most of us were in bed by around 1:00am. 

Saturday morning we perused campus, gawking over the new fancy additions to buildings, stocking up on Miami apparel, and enjoying the beautiful Spring day. The current girls hosted a barbeque for us that afternoon with more food than we could possibly finish, and of course, more singing. I love hearing how the group transforms each year and has its own personality, yet maintains such strong tradition. The girls seem to get more talented every year.

Saturday afternoon and evening we took over Skippers again (a campus favorite- best criss cut fries you’ll ever find) then headed to the concert. All three groups performing did a fantastic job, and we managed to get all 43 Misfitz in an arc on the stage for the alumni song. The solos were sung by our founding members, which made the moment even more special. We continued celebrating throughout the night, and ended the evening at 3:00am in our PJ’s in one of the girls’ hotel rooms, watching videos of old concerts. 

Sunday was full of sad hugs, a few tears, and reluctant goodbyes – but only after we took over the new and improved Uptown Café (a local favorite breakfast spot). This weekend lived up to every expectation, and although I was utterly exhausted and emotionally drained by the end of it, it was worth every moment. I can’t wait for the next one! 

 

P.S. This video is for any Misfitz who may be reading this. I finally captured the phenomenon on video. I caution you to turn down your volume. And for all other viewers - yes, we are obnoxious. :)