Visiting Valdosta

Last weekend, I drove down to Valdosta to help judge the Valdosta State University Debate Tournament. I haven't been to Valdosta since my brother graduated from college. So much has changed.

I spent some of my favorite years on that campus, and I barely recognized it. I would've liked to get pictures, but I didn't really have the time or anyone to take pictures for me. Still, I had a great time watching debates, catching up with my old debate coach, and marveling at how big the campus looked since the last time I was there.

Here's a few things I took away from my trip:

• All the good stuff comes after you leave. When I was at VSU, I had to walk across the street to get Chick-fil-a. Not only do current students not have to cross the street for CFA, they also get to eat at a Nathan's Hot Dogs and get Starbucks Coffee.
• I now understand why VSU keeps hitting me up for money--gotta pay for all those nice, new improvements somehow. 
• I really miss being a part of speech and debate. I had such an awesome time as a competitor traveling to different places and meeting new people. 
• Nothing stays the same. I hardly recognized the campus, got lost a few times, and even though it's not the same, everything changed for the better. And just as the campus has changed, so have I. I didn't walk the sidewalks as the same person I was when I was in college. I've grown and changed in ways that I never really realize until I take a step back.

I would have liked to have more time in Valdosta, but I had to get back to Michael because I accidentally took his laptop with me, and he had to do schoolwork. Even though it was brief--I still get to cross "Visiting Valdosta" off my 30 before 30 list.

Kimberly