rambling reflections.

It's hard for me to believe that school starts on Tuesday. It's hard to believe that just two short months ago, I was blogging about how it was the first day of vacation. It hasn't really seemed like vacation, if I'm being totally honest. I went to the beach four or five times, an all time low for me. I worked quite a bit, though not as much as some of my friends. -coughMatthewcoughcough- And now, I honestly can't believe that it's over, and soon we'll be entrapped with homework and other responsibilities that we really want nothing to do with.

If I had to write one of those stereotypical essays about what I did this summer, this is what it would consist of:
1. Working at the bookstore.
2. Scoping out cute guys.
3. Re-igniting old friendship flames and igniting new ones.
4. Making money.
5. Spending money.
6. Reading my first hard-core adult book.
7. Finding out that I really do like soft-core adult books and YA books much better.
8. Figuring out how much certain people mean to me.
9. Figuring out who wasn't worth my time.
10. Stressing out about college.
11. Getting excited about college.
12. Spending far too much time on Facebook.
13. Crying while writing something for the first time ever. [Well, no, that's not strictly true. But it was the first time I ever cried while writing something BECAUSE of what I was writing.]
14. Going to my first Jimmy Fund appointment in six months, and finding out I don't have to go back for another year.
15. Going back to the Jimmy Fund a week later.
16. Discovering new music.
17. Discovering new books.
18. Getting my hair professionally done for the second time ever.
19. Getting my first intense haircut in five years.
20. Figuring out that shouldering all of the pain doesn't make you the strongest, it's feeling able to share it and work through it that makes you strong.

But while I'm sad that summer's over, I'm rather excited to go back to school at the same time. It's my senior year, and even though I'm still in smart math, it's bound to be a good year. I'm glad to be going back with a higher level of friendship with certain people, and with the sense of knowing that after this year, I can do whatever I want. [But, as one of my favorite kindergartner's reminded me on my birthday this year, "Not if it's against the law."]