Memories

This weekend I drove to Linfield College, where I did my undergraduate degree. It was Homecoming weekend. I volunteered recently to serve on the Alumni Advisory Council and we had a meeting on Friday.

I decided to drive through McMinnville, instead of taking the bypass. It had been 5 years since I was on campus and that was a quick trip for an unfortunate memorial service. Other then that I had not been on campus or in McMinnville since I graduated in May 1999.

As I approached McMinville I remembered the first time I had made that journey, August of 1995, my mom was driving me down to start my college journey. I remember so clearly, as we entered the McMinnville city limits my mom looked to me and she said "welcome home". Now, you don't say that to an over emotional young woman going off to college, and as most would have, I broke down in tears.

I almost didn't recognize this town I called home for four years of my life. So much has changed and there is so much develop. More winery signs line the road into and out of town, it is a booming wine region. More stores, restaurants and finally McMinnville has a Starbucks (nope, they did not have one, even as of May 1999!!).

I felt like I was in a strange place I had never been to before. Once I turned off Hwy 99 and onto campus I passed the "Greens" and then I felt like I had never left. I parked by Riley Hall and went towards the bookstore, Trinity needed her first Linfield sweatshirt! (picture to come). I walked into the bookstore like I owned the place and knew just where to go to find clothes. Umm, WRONG! I asked politely if they still carried clothes, and the lady politely told me across the hall. WHAT??

Where I used to go daily to get my mail for 4 years was now a large room full of purple, red, and any other color of Linfield apparel! More selection then I ever had in college. I found a cute sweatshirt for Trinity, a purple/red soccer ball with wildcats on it, license plate holders for my new car, my own shirt, and a shirt for my dad (he attended Linfield briefly).

Then I ran through the rain to my meeting (again something I did almost daily for 4 years!!). It was in Dillon Hall (the cafeteria). It looked completely different. But, I can tell you, it still smelled the same!! The same smell we had to deal with daily for 2 years, as we had to walk by the back door where the smell was strongest!

After my meeting I decided to walk down memory lane and visit the Training Center and Football stadium.

Then I was back in my car and gone like that. But the memory is still with me. What amazed me is memories of my four years there have flooded back, memories I had forgotten about. I am now determined to share those memories with my daughter and make sure I don't forget that time. College is an experience I can never give back. Though I might now use the education anymore, the life experience and life lessons learned impact my life daily.

Enjoy life's memories, and take the time each day to log memories. I know through blogging and scrapbooking now I am logging memories of my life more then I used to.