I love Auburn

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, this is a picture of Samford Hall on the campus of Auburn University, the Loveliest Village on the Plains. It was my home for four of the best years of my life. I learned so much about myself and life. Auburn certainly taught me a lot and it is more than my alma mater--it's a part of me forever. I hear people talk about their schools and I don't necessarily hear any kind of emotion about it. But when you talk to an Auburn grad you know they loved every minute spent on campus. From rolling Toomer's Corner, going to the Flush for ice cream, getting lost in Haley Center, and Saturdays at Jordan Hare...Auburn is about more than going to class--it's a passion. Auburn is a family that's always with you. It's about sharing experiences with complete strangers who have the same love no matter when they graduated.

Some of my friends would laugh when I talk about Auburn this way, but I honestly believe it's true. I can remember my freshman year when Auburn went undefeated and how we beat the mighty Gators 38-35 on a gray, overcast sky with a light rain falling all day. My first Iron Bowl when Patrick Nix came into the game for Stan White and threw the deciding touchdown in the corner of the end zone. The night game against LSU when the old gymnasium burned down right across the street. Being on the floor when we beat a top 5 Arkansas basketball game. Each memory is etched into my brain to forever be relived and shared with others who share the same love for Auburn I do. How many other schools have alumni as passionate? I can't think of too many schools where grads greet each other with a big War Eagle and talk as if they've known each for years even if they've just met. I've run into people in Germany, been flagged down on W Sahara in Las Vegas by an Auburn guy. Just this past weekend I was playing golf and got paired up with a guy named Charles. On the second tee he asks me if I went to Auburn, which I did. Turns out he was a '76 grad (I'm a '97 guy) and with a hearty "War Eagle" we had something to share. Each generation passes along its memories to others so they can share and relate.

People come and go, but Auburn will always be a constant reminder of who I was before I got there, who I became, and who I'm still becoming. To me it's not just some place I went to school, but something I proudly live everyday. Like the Auburn Creed says, "I believe in Auburn and I love it".