UMass

UMass.

I could end this post by just saying that.  Some of you may never know how much UMass shaped us.  How much it changed us individually and as a pair.  Then there are the few that know what it means to us because they were there along the way.  The relationships we gained and how we changed during the best years of our lives.

But again UMass.  There are countless stories that we will never forget.  Little adventures such as walking to the Campus pond and feeding the ducks and watching the squirrels.  Well known fact,  Samantha loves loves loves squirrels. All of these things happened because of UMass.  It brought us together and formed us into what we are today.  It gave us our degrees (My 1 and her 2!).  It made us grow up.  It was again some of the best years of our life.

Why did I choose UMass? How did my life events add up and allow me to meet my beautiful fiance?  I chose UMass because I wanted a big school away from home but not incredibly far so I could go home.  I wanted a school that I could go to with a clean slate and be and become whoever I wanted to be.  Grow and learn from myself about who I was.  Create new friendships that would hopefully last a lifetime.  I went there and had my great College experience.  I met a ton of people. I had some great classes.  Changed my major not once but twice.  Found a degree I loved and through all the love and support that Samantha gave me, I received my degree.

Meeting Samantha is a whole different story.  This is about UMass.  Im sure every other person could tell you something else about the Zoo that changed them but to me, UMass made me.

There was walking to class and walking around campus in the shining sun, the deep snow, the slush or soy sauce (had to go there).  Walking in the fall as the leaves changed colors.  The crisp fall nights walking to parties, the DC, sports games.  Orchard hill, enough said.  Music on the hill, enjoying the sun.  Large group dinners at the DC.  Fitting 10 people to a table that should only sit 6.  Puffton 99.  Good times were had there.  There was also Rolling Green.  That's all I have to say to that.  I could go on and on and have a story about almost every building on campus or about every single person I met but I won't.  I miss the Bluewall, Antonio's,  the huge library, the Mullins center.  I miss the dorms I lived in and the dorms I visited.  I miss Halloween, I miss riding the buses.

Now that we have graduated and moved away from campus, every so often I drive by campus and it reminds me of how much I miss it.  How much this campus shaped me and became part of me.  UMass never change.

I am going to post a video below.  It is kind of long (14 mins) but it describes what the Zoo meant to me to a T.

We will never forget UMass.