We're from Texas AMC!

Oh my goodness at how crazy my past week has been! I went to Houston for Amanda's wedding (which was amazing, and I will post about later), came home on Sunday, unpacked and repacked, and headed to my grandparents' house on Monday to make a trip to Aggieland for my grandpa's 50th A&M reunion. I've always found it very special and cool that my grandfather and I's class years are 50 years a part ('59 and '09). We already have such a strong bond, and this fact only adds to it.

I had a blast hanging out with true "Ol' Army" Ags! Their stories, memories, and reactions to changes on campus were hilarious and heartwarming. It was great to be back on campus and share in this experience with my grandpa. These men were what A&M used to be all about. They were the core of the university. They really have left a legacy. Looking thru their old pictures, demerit copies, outfit items, and documents was a great glimpse into their campus life.

As any Aggie knows, the 50th reunion class is the special guest at that year's Muster ceremony. Muster has always been one of my favorite Aggie traditions. This year was even more memorable and special because it was my "senior" Muster, I was with my Aggie grandpa, on the floor of Reed Arena, and Dr. Gates was back to make the keynote speech! (This link will take you to Bobby's speech: http://www.dailymotion.com/dougkeegan/video/15223462) Each year at Muster, I get some tears in my eyes as those names on the roll call are read. It is, without a doubt, a solemn event. But, I am reminded of a bigger picture by Muster. I am reminded that at Texas A&M, I am a part of something much bigger than myself. It is a feeling of pride that cannot be felt by standing on the "wood" in Kyle Field, cannot be felt by giving a hearty "Howdy" while walking to class, cannot be felt by entering the MSC or even just hearing the three playings of Silver Taps. Muster reminds us that our Aggie spirit is always alive. That we are Aggies even after we have left College Station, when standing during the entire football game and attending Silver Taps is not required anymore. I am so blessed to have gone to a university where I am and will always be respected and remembered. It's not a church or a small group of my closest friends and family...it's a college, a university, a school, where I am respected like that. I have lost some of my "obsession" with A&M that I had when I walked onto campus before I'd even graduated from high school. I'm ready for the bigger and better phases of my life. But, my blood will always be a shade of Aggie maroon. It takes a most sacred event like Muster, that you can't find anywhere else, to remind me that A&M has helped shape who I am today. I still matter because I am an Aggie. It is a shame that students walk that campus and don't feel any ounce of that pride, that they leave campus with a diploma and never look back on the family that Aggies make. If you are an Aggie...I hope you take some time to reflect over your good times in Aggieland. You have a blessing somewhere in your life because you chose to be an Aggie.