This morning, during the wee hours, I was nursing Theo. Sometimes I can fall right back to sleep after feeding him and sometimes he takes more time settling down. Usually when I have to be awake at 1am, I start reading on my phone or scrolling social media. This morning, however, I was met with the news that there had been another mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, California. Just a stone’s throw away from my alma mater, California Lutheran University.
I scrolled through Breaking News story after story and the reports were true — a mass shooting had taken place at Borderline Bar & Grill, one of the only places that college kids hung out in this sleepy little town. You see, Thousand Oaks has been hailed as one of the safest towns in the entire country and safety was what I experienced while I went to college there.
But unfortunately, a gunman has now tarnished that reputation and stollen away the sweet memories I have of that place. You see, 11 years ago next month, I met my husband Paul at that same bar. Wednesday nights were college night and my friends and I often went there to dance and spend time off campus. And now, along with my fellow alumni — us Kingsmen and Regals — we are mourning the lives lost.
I love you Cal Lu. Once a Regal, always a Regal.
