I havenʻt been able to form letters into words since being home, and find it very unfortunate this is my first post getting back into to. I am; however, still lost for words and wanted to share with you a note one of my dear friends wrote.. but first, if you havenʻt already, catch up on what Iʻm speechless about...

It's sad that someone would do this and I don't agree with the blanket Alabama fan comments being made. This was one man (not an entire fan base) claiming allegiance to a school that I'm sure he never attended doing something to hurt people. 

Those "trees" hold with them many memories for me and other members of the Auburn family. I took my first pictures with my husband there in August 2005. I went on a first date walking around Samford lawn and Toomer's Corner (not with my husband, sorry honey!). I took both sets of my graduation pictures under those trees. The night of my wedding I walked hand in hand with my husband past Toomer's and I remember thinking how lucky I was to be in that moment at that special place we both love. On countless nights I've rolled those trees, sang the fight song, cheered, and laughed with my dearest friends. That is the one place that I know I wanted to take my future children and tell them about Mommy and Daddy going to Auburn and how special this place is and now someone has taken that from me and it breaks my heart.

Will there be money made when this is all said and done? Yes, that's just a fact of life. People are going to make tshirts, buttons, banners, and signs and I will probably buy one of those tshirts. It's Toomer's Corner-no one will have trees planted in their honor by throwing money at this situation and as sacred as that place is there is no one Auburn man or woman deserving of their name being attached to the new trees that will be planted there. Those other oak trees that will one day be planted in place of the two oaks standing today will be a new generation for Toomer's filled with new memories, but for me, these two oaks are irreplaceable.

I know even after reading this some of you will still say it's just two trees standing on a corner and you are right. Using that same logic my home is just a house, the small school I attended my entire life is just a bunch of buildings, and most physical possessions people hold dear are meaningless. There's nothing about a tree, house, school, ring, book, or picture that make it more than what it is. The memories and feelings we have tied to those make them what they are to us and give them their value and meaning. 

This has taught me a valuable lesson of not taking things, places, and people for granted that I assumed would always be around. My last trip to Toomer's with my friends is one I won't soon forget...WAR EAGLE!!!!

2010