Muster

Today is a very special day.

Today is April 21st.

Today is Muster.

Every year, on April 21st, Aggies all over the world celebrate Muster.

I won't go into all of the history that all the deprived non-Aggies out there don't care about, but for the past 100+ years Aggies have been gathering together once a year to "muster" - to share memories, remember their days at Texas A&M, and remember those classmates who have passed away.

At the A&M campus, they host the 50 year class reunion on campus with a GREAT BBQ lunch, and then in the evening students and former students gather in Reed Arena for the muster ceremony - a speaker for the reunion class and the "muster call," a roll call of students and former students who have passed away since the last muster, as candles are lit and friends and family respond "here" for the missing Aggies.

Other Aggies not at the ceremony gather in homes, bars, restaurants - wherever - to share stories, laugh, cry, and remember their days in College Station.

I couldn't find a muster gathering here, so I wore my Texas A&M sweatshirt and went out to the city center for dinner in hopes of stumbling across another Aggie. I was sadly disappointed, so I'll muster right here on my blog.

I won't bore you with all of the incredibly awesome Aggie traditions, because while I find them all thoroughly exciting, I realize that many people out there really couldn't care less. Those people are missing out. But instead, I'll post some pictures from my college years - and the friends that made them count.

Some of the pictures are sideways, but I just can't get them to turn around. Oh well. And they're not really in chronological order - that's too much work.

The original 121ites freshman year - my first real camping trip.

Relient K concert freshman year. Afterwards we almost fell asleep at IHOP.

Our camping/hiking trip Spring break 07, where we camped through a tornado. Literally.
On the last day of said camping trip we did a photo montage of the Billy Goats Gruff. Modern art at it's finest.

Graduation day for the class of 07...I cried in my Mommy's lap afterwards.

A "redneck weekend" in my hometown. We got really muddy. =)

One of the most beautiful (inside and out) girls I know on her wedding day.

Spring 06 - Wicked. Bertha broke down - I think Kyle cried - Tim sang a lot.

Panda about to get dunked (05?) at Living Hope's watermelon/dunking night. I love Living Hope.

One of the best dessert's we've ever had. A must-have at the end of a stressful week.

Hey Tim, remember that night we almost kissed? Yeah, that would have been awkward. Or maybe not so bad. I guess we'll never know. Don't tell Meghan.

Hey Kenton, remember that time we did kiss? Freshman year? Well, there was a plate of glass between us, and your girlfriend was taking the picture, but it was pretty special anyway.

Remember that awesome Secret Santa party where Kyle was Darth Vader? And we made a really sweet (pun intended) gingerbread house.

Matt and I rocked out to the music in our heads.
The 121ites (minus a few) in all our glory, at Freebirds, of course.

::sigh::

Good friends, good times, good memories.