Brian McCauley
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Friend’s wedding brings back memories of college
Hint of Sarcasm
By Brian McCauley
It’s easy to forget to appreciate life as it’s passing you by.
During my four years of college at the University of Missouri-Columbia, I can remember many weeks when I was overwhelmed by class projects, studying or working on campus. At the time, it felt like a struggle to make it through.
Now, as I look back, I don’t think of the stress, tests or even the classes themselves. Instead, I remember the friendships I forged that will last a lifetime.
Last weekend, I watched one of my college roommates and best friends get married to his longtime girlfriend. As I stood at the front of the church with the other groomsmen and watched Aaron and Stephanie tie the knot, I began to realize that those college days aren’t coming back.
I got married two years ago, and now Aaron has joined the married club. We’re stepping into new stages of our lives and leaving our past further behind us.
We both majored in journalism, but I went the print route and Aaron pursued a career in broadcasting. He currently is a sports anchor for a television station in Champaign, Ill., home to the University of Illinois.
I hadn’t seen Aaron since he was in my wedding in 2006, but once I met up with him and our other college friends last weekend, it was just like old times again.
Memories and stories came pouring out of us, including late-night basketball games at our apartment complex and really late-night football games on the snow-covered Stankowski Field on campus.
One person would mention the stupid games we used to play in the apartment, and the next person would remember the time we launched clementines off the top of a parking garage onto Stankowski Field using a three-man water balloon launcher.
It’s funny how those crazy college stories stick with you and become the building blocks of lifetime friendships. One lazy day at the old apartment we even gave each other stupid nicknames. Aaron was called “Apricot” for some reason, and I got deemed the more elaborate “Professor Jiminy McGillickers.”
The inside joke seems to have stuck, as my contribution to decorating the wedding car was to write “Mr. and Mrs. Apricot” on the driver’s window. Aaron returned the favor of course, giving me a groomsman gift of a glass mug with the name “Professor” etched on the side.
We will never be able to go back to those college days, and our friendship likely will change with our lives, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’re more mature, sort of, and more independent. I’ve gone from paying off student loans, to making a mortgage payment (and paying off student loans). Most importantly, we’ve accepted the responsibility of the real world. I look forward to watching Aaron and Stephanie build a family and perhaps someday seeing our children play together.
Wherever our lives may take us, I’m going to be sure to make time to stop and soak in every minute of it. Because when it’s all said and done, our legacies will be left in the memories and stories of our friends and family.
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During my four years of college at the University of Missouri-Columbia, I can remember many weeks when I was overwhelmed by class projects, studying or working on campus. At the time, it felt like a struggle to make it through.
Now, as I look back, I don’t think of the stress, tests or even the classes themselves. Instead, I remember the friendships I forged that will last a lifetime.
Last weekend, I watched one of my college roommates and best friends get married to his longtime girlfriend. As I stood at the front of the church with the other groomsmen and watched Aaron and Stephanie tie the knot, I began to realize that those college days aren’t coming back.
I got married two years ago, and now Aaron has joined the married club. We’re stepping into new stages of our lives and leaving our past further behind us.
We both majored in journalism, but I went the print route and Aaron pursued a career in broadcasting. He currently is a sports anchor for a television station in Champaign, Ill., home to the University of Illinois.
I hadn’t seen Aaron since he was in my wedding in 2006, but once I met up with him and our other college friends last weekend, it was just like old times again.
Memories and stories came pouring out of us, including late-night basketball games at our apartment complex and really late-night football games on the snow-covered Stankowski Field on campus.
One person would mention the stupid games we used to play in the apartment, and the next person would remember the time we launched clementines off the top of a parking garage onto Stankowski Field using a three-man water balloon launcher.
It’s funny how those crazy college stories stick with you and become the building blocks of lifetime friendships. One lazy day at the old apartment we even gave each other stupid nicknames. Aaron was called “Apricot” for some reason, and I got deemed the more elaborate “Professor Jiminy McGillickers.”
The inside joke seems to have stuck, as my contribution to decorating the wedding car was to write “Mr. and Mrs. Apricot” on the driver’s window. Aaron returned the favor of course, giving me a groomsman gift of a glass mug with the name “Professor” etched on the side.
We will never be able to go back to those college days, and our friendship likely will change with our lives, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’re more mature, sort of, and more independent. I’ve gone from paying off student loans, to making a mortgage payment (and paying off student loans). Most importantly, we’ve accepted the responsibility of the real world. I look forward to watching Aaron and Stephanie build a family and perhaps someday seeing our children play together.
Wherever our lives may take us, I’m going to be sure to make time to stop and soak in every minute of it. Because when it’s all said and done, our legacies will be left in the memories and stories of our friends and family.