I was more emotional about graduation than I expected to be. Honestly, I was more emotional throughout the process of graduate school than I ever imagined I would be. As many of you have read/heard me say before, it was a bit of a three-year rollercoaster ride, filled with such highs and lows as, say, gaining a whopping 60 pounds and, to date, losing 20 of that; helping my mom through 2 knee replacements; moving out of my mom's house only to move back in two years later; making the best grades I've ever made; making great friends in my program, unlike my undergraduate degree where I flew solo throughout much of my schoolwork; and, finally, working toward an actual profession: school counselor (as opposed to an English major trying (often unsuccessfully) to rationalize how I fit into a certain role).
Although I remain wholly baffled by the oddity of the
In the three weeks since graduation, I've thought a lot about my time at Mississippi State and in Starkville and all that it means to me. Yesterday I went to campus to have some final paperwork signed, and, when I realized it was very likely my last piece of business as a Mississippi State student, I was really overcome with how much the university has meant to me over the past eight years. So, in my usual way, I've made a list of all the things I love most about Mississippi State and Starkville.
Here we go....
101 Things to Love about Mississippi State University and Starkville
1. Roadrunner tours
2. Having class in Lee Hall with the windows up
3. The Reveille
4. The view from the top of the stadium
5. The night route
6. Dancing with the band at Mugshots
7. The Reflector
8. Listening to the chimes at the Chapel of Memories
9. Cowbells
10. Taking a walk on campus
11. Maroon bikes
12. Concerts at the amphitheater
13. Finding the perfect study nook at Mitchell Memorial Library
14. Bumping into your favorite professor at dinner or the bar
15. Reformed University Fellowship in Dorman Auditorium
16. The view from the M-Club
17. Basketball at the Hump
18. The smell of University Florist
19. University Drive
20. Celebrating in the Junction after a home game win
21. "Energy bars" at City Bagel Cafe
22. Maroon Fridays
23. Daffodils blooming on campus in the spring
24. Drinking beer waiting to set up tailgates
25. Left Field Lounge
26. Buying McCarty pottery at University Florist
27. The Presiden't house
28. Being the only person walking across the Drill Field on a gorgeous afternoon
29. Watching the sunset on the Drill Field
30. Old Venice Pizza Company after a football game
31. Reading on the Drill Field
32. Sunday lunch at Perry Cafeteria
33. Easter Egg Hunt at the President's house
34. The very beginning of a home football game
35. The winery
36. Watching the seasons change on campus
37. Tailgating in the Junction
38. Bulldog Bash
39. Super Bulldog Weekend
40. Sorority row at Christmas
41. Shipley's donut holes
42. The Drill Field
43. Studying at Barnes & Noble
44. The stories and legends of the university's history
45. The maroon and white game
46. Mississippi State birthday party
47. "The only prescription is more cowbell."
48. Game day polos
49. Finals week at Mitchell Memorial Library
50. The Drill
51. Hail State
52. Crawfish at the fraternity houses on Super Bulldog Weekend
53. The Dawg Pound Rock
54. Drinking wine in the afternoon at Bin 612
55. Sorority row
56. Going to a play in McComas
57. Playing the piano at the Chapel of Memories
58. Senior Celebration
59. Who Let the Dogs Out?
60. Going to the movies on a Friday afternoon
61. The rose garden
62. Seeing a concert in Lee Hall
63. Sitting on my back porch and listening to bands playing in the Cotton District
64. "You guys ready to let the dogs out?"
65. The Jumbotron
66. Cotton District Arts Festival
67. State Fountain Bakery
68. Spending the afternoon reading/studying at City Bagel Cafe
69. The Cotton District
70. Boys Bid Day
71. The Egg Bowl
72. The balcony at Mugshots
73. Starbucks in the Union
74. Brown bag pasta dinners at City Bagel Cafe
75. Pancake breakfasts on sorority row
76. MSU Choir Christmas concert
77. Walking to campus on a home football Saturday
78. Brunch at Restaurant Tyler
79. Alumni Delegate maroon blazers
80. Sushi at Umi
81. Running to the sorority house on Bid Day
82. Maroon Alerts
83. Homecoming Parade
84. City Bagel Cafe
85. True Maroon
86. Finding the perfect gift at Aspen Bay
87. Rounding up maroon clothing from all over creation
88. Seeing Dan Mullen running on campus
89. The State spell-out
90. The Dawg Walk
91. Famous Maroon Band
92. The Christmas tree in the library
93. Game day stickers
94. "From Dixon with love"
95. The real bulldogs
96. Maroon and white
97. Mississippi State choir
98. The Christmas tree in the Junction
99. Blue plate specials at The Veranda
100. Football at Davis Wade Stadium
101. Bully
Man, I love Mississippi State so much.
In other news, I'm hoping my favorite favorite American Idol contestant makes it into the finals tomorrow night... Come on, Scotty!!
Also, I'm off to Tuscumbia, AL, tomorrow to celebrate the nuptials of these two crazy kids:
I'm pumped to some of my most favorite people in the entire world (one of whom I haven't seen in a year-and-a-half), and I know it's going to be a great time. I'm sure we won't tell any embarrassing stories on each other, take a single picture, or laugh so hard we disturb other restaurant patrons/hotel guests/general bystanders.
Yeah... right.
1 comment:
Love the 101 things you love about State! Glad I got to see you at the wedding! Those dance moves toward the end of the night were insanely awesome!
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