Today I said goodbye to my home for the past three years. The tears hit me going south on Hwy 6. My beautiful campus started shrinking in my review mirror, and I was overwhelmed with emotion. I have wanted to go to Baylor University for my entire life. Have you ever wanted something for 22 years? A dream that you have kept with you for over 8,030 days can't be an easy thing to let go. As a kid visiting Baylor, I would get butterflies in my stomach as we approached the 5th street Baylor Bookstore. The glowing light from the top of Pat Neff hall would warm my heart. The stairs of Waco Hall seemed endless to me. I would envy the students walking around campus with their heavy backpacks because they could call this place home. Attending Baylor University was my ultimate goal, and the biggest plan I ever created in my mind. I never once thought about where the students go once they were no longer invited back into the classrooms. My experience at Baylor University was far more than I could have ever dreamed up as a kid. It was extraordinary. Experiencing Baylor first hand surpassed my parents' stories, my sister's stories, and my aunt's, uncle's, and cousins' stories.
I am so thankful for the three girls that chose to live with me throughout all of college. I am also thankful for every single person that walked through that white door of 2039. Each one of you has changed me, shaped me, and touched my life. So many nights I would come home from the business school to see a light on in the living room and laughter booming through the walls. I'm going to miss that sound. There is not a better sound in the world.
On Saturday, I was able to take pictures with my friends before the ceremony and memorize their smiling faces. After graduation, my friends and our parents gathered together at Cameron Park Zoo to attend one of the most amazing parties I have ever been to. Everyone had something to celebrate. If a student wasn't yet graduating, they were still celebrating some of the best years, and friends, of their life. I enjoyed talking to every one's parents, realizing exactly where my friends got their amazing personalities. If this party was any inclination of how our class reunions will be, I plan on attending every single one.
Today was a sad day. Like I said, the emotions hit me like a ton of bricks as I sat all alone in a car that used to pile in 12 comrades wanting a ride to Scruffs. I had held it together until I could no longer see any sign of green and gold. Then rain started to fall and Eric Church came on my iPod. I know a part of me will always miss these past four years. There is no getting over it. I have so many things to look forward to in the future, but there won't be a phase left in life where that many people grow that much in the same area code. I am thankful for my heavy heart, because that means I have loved something so much that it hurts. But I believe the soft ache will be a constant reminder to keep in touch with my Baylor family. If you're reading this because you are trying to do the same and keep in touch, call me right now! Let's plan our next round of Big O's.
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