One favorite pastime of my family's is to remind me of my decision to attend their rival university. The house is divided- though three against one has left me on my own side of the table during Thanksgiving weekend the past few years.
I've spent many days, weeks and months on the business-end of Aggie jokes, which is to be expected. It even came out in the course of conversation during one ATM vs. UT weekend that my father once decked a Corps member who had shoved one of his buddies after a game in College Station. Incredulous, since that's probably the most non-my-dad thing I've ever heard him mention, and casually at that, I asked why he would do such a thing, and he said it was because he was the only one not wearing cowboy boots that day. As if it were so simple.
Funny, "eye for an eye" wasn't one of the lessons I was taught as a child. After choosing to go to ATM, I quickly learned that all bets would be off on game day. It's not just my parents and my brother either. I have aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles and cousins aplenty who swear allegiance to the dark side.
Since my parents went to UT and my brother is a senior there now, of course that meant I was spending the majority of my Labor Day weekend holding down the fort at home. Those few days leading up to the beginning of football season are always so promising- probably because nothing has gone wrong yet.
Anyway, at one point this weekend everything clicked, and I realized that my family has been slowly trying to brainwash me.
I walked out the door to go on a run, looked down and first noticed my key, which is burnt orange and black and has a longhorn on it. "The only extra key we have" as my mom described it when I moved home. Then I saw that I had on a Parent's Weekend shirt from my brother's fraternity, which also has a UT logo on it, as well as the pre-game show for their football game blaring in the background. RED FLAGS EVERYWHERE.
When I got back, I changed shirts and planted myself in front of my mom's computer downstairs, conveniently close to the kitchen and unlimited sweet tea refills, only to watch as the ESPN GameCast updates showed ATM drop their first season opener in 20 years.
Regardless of football scores, it doesn't matter, I think my family is clear on where my loyalties will remain.
"If I had to tell you about Aggie values in one sentence I would simply ask the question: How can I be of service?"
-Current Texas ATM Student
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Amy ~ Uncle Pat's anesthesiologist this morning came out after surgery with a report (evidently they had done some good natured hook 'em, gig 'em before he drifted off to dreamland). Anyway he introduced himself to all of us Longhorns and I said "I'm the proud mom of an Aggie daughter from the fighting Aggie class of
'07 ." He said "where does she work? Is she president of the company yet?" I explained you worked for his patient but am sure someday you have the ability to be president of anything you want.
Hugs, your Proud Aggie Parent Mom
who is also a Texas Ex
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