Morgan (Whitworth) Hudson and Ian Hudson

For our inaugural blog entry, we thought it entirely fitting to feature a pair of classmates who found love with one another years after our Lafayette days were all but a memory. The newlyweds fill us in on the path they took to wedded bliss.

How They Reconnected
Morgan Hudson (MH): I have lived in suburban Chicago since 2001. After graduating from Lake Forest College in 2006, I bought a condo in the suburbs and started working. In 2007, Ian moved to Lincoln Park in Chicago from Ohio with several friends. After spending the first few months socializing almost strictly with his roommates, he decided he wanted to branch out a little bit and used Facebook to find out if anyone he knew happened to be living in the area. I was one of the people he reached out to and we met up for dinner one night, which became a four hour event. This turned into a series of dinners, hundreds of text messages, and a very cold Bears game at Soldier Field before it turned into something else. We have been together since, and were married on November 7.

Though Ian and I weren't anything more than acquaintances in high school, we have both kept in touch with many of our friends from elementary - high school, and were honored to have some of them at our wedding.

Class of 2000: Todd Lemay
Class of 2002: Katie (Koczwara) Hatcher, Jessica (Thompson) Huetteman, Megan Mudd
Class of 2004: Brett See
Class of 2005: Robby Begley

What They're Up to Now
Morgan and Ian make their home in Arlington Heights, IL. Morgan is the marketing manager at United Way of Lake County. Ian is an IT consultant for a small consulting firm out of Dayton, Ohio.

Then and Now

Ian
Favorite High School Memory: playing hacky sack with friends when I wasn't in school or playing sports.

Favorite High School Class: Photography with Mrs. Toone

Favorite High School Activity: Lacrosse

In high school, I'd spend my weekends: practicing lacrosse and playing video games with friends.

In 2009, I spend my weekends: riding my motorcycle, spending time with friends in Chicago and at family friends' lake house up north, watching the Bears be terrible at football and cheering for the Cardinals.

Morgan
Favorite High School Memory: always being in the company of friends and finding something ridiculous to do.

Favorite High School Class: French with Mrs. Luerding or AP Lit with Mr. Jenkins

Favorite High School Activity: Student Council

In high school, I'd spend my weekends: with friends; driving around aimlessly with the radio on full blast, staying up late, and always being on the go.

In 2009, I spend my weekends: planning a wedding (over now - phew), making our condo feel like home, going out to dinner with friends, spending time with family, and exploring new places in the suburbs with Ian.

Any final thoughts on the Class of 2002 or high school?
MH: Moving away from St. Louis at the end of junior year and not getting to graduate with the people I went to school with for so many years was probably the most difficult part of high school. I have since been blessed with many things and a wonderful life in Chicago, but moving away made me aware of how lucky we all were to be together at Lafayette (and many of us before that) during such important parts of our lives. The unity and support I've seen around honoring those of our classmates who are no longer with us is incredibly heartwarming, and I'm happy to be a part of such a great group of people.