This coming December it will have been 10 years since I graduated from college.  But what y’all don’t know is that I was 13 when I graduated!  Ok, that’s a joke.  But there is no way I feel like I’m old enough to have been out of school for that long!  I stayed as long as I could (5.5 years), but when you’re 24 and hanging out on campus still trying to get your undergrad, well, it’s just time to wrap things up.

After being on campus yesterday and tweeting when I got there about how it always felt like “coming home” I thought today’s sneak peek would be well paired with a list of reasons I love Clemson so much.  So, Clemson grads and students, please feel free to chime in and leave a comment as to why YOU love Clemson so much!

(There’s no real reason I chose 13 other than it’s 2013!)

1. It’s NOT where I wanted to go to college. But once I got there (and got settled), it was so clear that God wanted me there! So the irony of ending up there and falling in love with it is one of the reasons I love Clemson.
2. The orange and purple sunsets. We all joke that God is a Clemson fan because of how the colors in the sky end up being orange and purple as often as they due. But, no one can deny how gorgeous the sunsets are in Clemson! Especially when the sun is setting over Death Valley.
3. Clemson-made ice cream.  If you haven’t had it, go.  Today.  I’ll even send you $5 to get your first tripple scoop (because one scoop won’t be enough).
4. ORANGE!  Enough said.
5. FCA Freshman Bible Studies. My heart is HUGE for these because it’s where I met 8 of my dearest and closest life-long friends way back in 1998.
6. Downtown Clemson. It’s super small, but super quaint and there are so many restaurants in that small space from old to new.  And you can purchase Clemson items in every other store (because there’s a restaurant in between each of them!).
7. Still walking around Clemson like it’s home.  I just love that I know campus and the small little town like the back of my hand.  And it just feels right when I’m there!  I really don’t know how else to explain it.
8. The 5th and 2nd floors of Cooper Library.  I know this one is odd, but I have so many fun memories of group study/homework sessions up on the 5th floor.  And then, once I changed my major to French, I needed the peace and quiet of the basement (not the 1st floor because that’s REALLY creepy), but many of the French books were on the 2nd floor and it was quiet enough for me to study.
9. Death Valley on game day.  There’s nothing like being in a stadium with 80,000 of your closest friends and family to cheer on your favorite football team.  It gives me chills just thinking about it!
10. Death Valley on a non-game day.  I’ve been in the stadium several times when it’s been 100% empty.  And it might be one of the coolest things ever.  Memories come flooding back, plays start going through your head, the crowd starts going wild… then you find yourself smiling a ridiculously huge smile for all the excitement that will be back in the fall.  Or maybe that’s just me :-)
11. C-L-E-M! Go ahead… you know you want to finish it!
12. Running into other Clemson alum or students and having an instant connection. I remember someone telling us at orientation that we were about to join the Clemson family.  And he was SO right.
13. This photo – with the adorable Margaret and Will, the sun peaking out at just the right spot, and sitting in an empty stadium at just the right time – is the 13th reason I love Clemson.  I still can’t believe this is my JOB!!

Go Tigers!