"We'll go singing, singing of you, ah, proudly too, all our lives through, alma mater, our Idaho..."
A whole bunch of people always ask me, "So, why'd you go to school all the way out in Idaho?" And I always have a whole bunch of answers to give - I wanted a change - I have family that live in Idaho - My aunt went there - I got a great scholarship package. And those things are all true statements. But the truth is, like most of the really good decisions that I've made in my life, I have absolutely no idea why I chose to go there.
I also tell people that I never intended to stay in Idaho. And that's true too. It wasn't supposed to be a destination, but life takes you to unexpected places.
This weekend I went back to Moscow for a football game. No, not a football game, the football game. We got crushed by Boise State. And I absolutely loved every single minute of it. Not the game, mind you, that was devastating. But being back with all my friends in that town was absolutely fabulous.
Every bar has a story, every restaurant, every place on campus. It was my home for four long years. I'm glad I've moved on, but to go back...it feels so good.
The memories I have of college are nothing but fond ones. I found out who I was in that town, and the people I met there are the people I care about the most. I talk about Idaho a lot, even now, because it changed who I was. It helped me become the person I am still becoming, and am capable of becoming.
I'm told undergraduate universities breed loyalty like no other form of higher education has mastered. With no experience but my own to go on, I think that's probably a true statement. Although the final score came up 52-14, I'm still proud to be a Vandal! And I'm always going to be, no matter where my life takes me.
Going to Idaho was no accident. I'm a firm believer in the old adage that things happen for a reason. And I'm so glad that it did.
