I'm at home now, in Pensacola, and its weird trying to grasp the fact that I am not just home for the summer.  Usually its not so bad leaving Starkville, cause I know that I'll be back, but this time, no.  I have my degree. That's it.  I wont be headed to Mississippi in the fall, I won't be able to call up friends randomly to go hit golf balls or play basketball, it will be an ordeal to get to football and basketball games.  It hasn't really sunk in yet, that I just drove home from school for the last time.

At graduation today James Bagley spoke.  He's the guy who donated $25 million to the engineering dept. a couple years ago and now its named after him.  Anyways, his speech was good, he didnt make it thirty seconds before dissing all non-engineering majors.  He starts by saying, "When Dr. Lee asked me if I would speak, I told him no at first because I didn't know what I'd say to a group of engineers. <Long Pause> And the other . . . graduates." It was hilarious, and even more so because he totally didn't mean to do it. I also found out he has a granddaughter at State, I totally missed the boat on that one.  Surely she's the love of my life, how could I have not known that she existed until today?

He talked about how even though we've come very far, we still have a long way to go, a lot to learn.  He talked about how things would be different and yet the same from here on out.  It will be the same because of change, because we've known change our entire lives and that will continue.  But it will be different because before we were the recipients of change that we had no control over. Now we will be the catalysts, the instigators that make things change.

My biggest fear about leaving State is that I will forget.  Forget the great friends I have.  Forget the many experiences that have shaped my life and character as it is today. Forget the place that has been my home for the best years of my life.  After all, I'm moving rather far away and won't get to come back often.  But still I have to move on, it is time, and when I get past the emotion of leaving I realize that some things, the people and the experiences that matter, I will never forget. And of that I have no doubt.