I can't stand little bouts of homesickness. Like, for instance, the one I had today. It only lasted for a few minutes, but man did I feel it! Short but intense, like one of those painful charlie horses that occasionally sneaks up on you in the middle of the night. (I hope for your sake that you don't know what I'm talking about.)

And isn't that just the most annoying thing? I'm crazy about my life here in Austin, and yet I can't seem to get Tomball out of my head sometimes. I'll be lying in bed about to drift into unconsciousness when it hits me mercilessly. Memories of home plague my mind until I have to force myself to concentrate on something, anything else. Of course, I do. And the sadness goes away rather quickly (for the time being, anyway), but not without leaving me feeling ridiculous and weak for losing my grip in the first place.

Then I wonder, what if I didn't miss anything about my pre-college years? Obviously, that would save me a lot of unwanted heartache, but I find comfort in knowing that the experiences I was blessed to have had throughout the first eighteen years of my life will forever be worth remembering. Let's just say, I'm learning to embrace my nostalgic side, all the while looking forward to a promising future. Because, well, I believe that the two go hand-in-hand.

Photo taken on the morning of my 17th birthday, sitting in my favorite spot of my old house.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. And in this case, I'm talking about long sunny days that consist of nothing but preparing for the upcoming year. Yes, we all knew that this day would eventually arrive. It's the day that summer comes to an abrupt halt, and an evil time-sucking establishment known as school suddenly ambushes us without warning. It takes over our lives and consumes most of our thoughts, especially for us overachiever types (not that I'm, um, like that or anything). Truly a bummer, wouldn't you agree? If only the exasperating heat would disappear as well.

But to be honest, I've never been so enthusiastic about school as I am now. That probably has something to do with all of the interesting and unique classes I'm taking this semester.

1.) Cultural Anthropology

2.) Introduction to Astronomy

3.) Women's Popular Genres

4.) Intro to Classical Mythology

5.) Modernity, Anxiety, and the Art of the Uncanny

And, bonus: I'm completely finished with math. That in itself is a beautiful thing.

I think I'm going to like it here.

Tomorrow is the big day. It is the day that I will load up my dad's truck with my last few belongings, drive two and a half hours to a big new city, and begin my life as a college kid. But, you know, it isn't the thought of finally moving away from home that tugs at my heartstrings and makes me a little weepy. Living in Austin is sure to be a blast, and I am not the least bit sad about that part. No, this restlessness of mine is not a result of leaving home, but of knowing that I will never come back.

I will miss everything about this place. Our living room, where my parents and I always enjoy our coffee together on Saturday and Sunday mornings while watching and discussing the news; where Dad would wrap me in a towel as a toddler and swing me so high in the air that I felt like I was flying; and where I would sometimes fall asleep by the fireplace during the winter months with my dog, Kaki, by my side. Our kitchen, where Lance and I successfully engaged in a full-blown food fight with bow tie pasta one night a few years back; where Mom would occasionally have hot chocolate waiting on the stove for me and Jason after returning home from school on a cold day; and where I cooked my first actual meal for my parents. The backyard, where I shared a kiss or two with the most amazing boy that I have ever known; where Marissa and I loved to pick hundreds of honeysuckle flowers every spring so that we could sit on the trampoline and carefully dissect them in search for the honey; and where Daddy built me my very own swing set. Our game room, where Jason somehow convinced 7-year old me to play baseball with him numerous times, even though we only had couch pillows for bases and no room to run; where hours of homework were completed night after night at the big wooden computer desk; and where Kristen and I would stay up late into the night watching scary Lifetime movies or The O.C. reruns on the big screen. My bedroom, in which the walls have heard a plethora of secrets from the endless hours of girl talk between me and the best friends that I've been blessed to keep all of these years; where I have sat time and time again in the same spot next to the window, reading a good book or talking to God in uninterrupted peace; and finally, where I lay my head one last time to dream familiar dreams before I leave it all behind.

Goodbye, home. You've been good to me. 

My parents and I took a last minute trip to Rayne this past weekend to catch up with a few loved ones before the school year kicks off. I had the pleasure of seeing Eat Pray Love with the girls on Friday, treating myself to a Birthday Cake milkshake at the local candy store on Saturday, and chatting it up with some of my favorite relatives on Sunday. 

Time always seems to slow down when I'm in Louisiana, surrounded by family members that are perfectly content to sit down and just talk for hours on end. It's the simplicity in those moments that make life worthwhile, don't you think? So instead of taking it all for granted (a nasty habit of mine), I will do myself a favor and continue to embrace every second I spend with them from now on. Family is no doubt the most important thing in this world. What's the hurry?

You know, it's probably a good thing that I've been such a couch potato for the past few weeks, because the weeks to follow are sure to be utter chaos for this family. Did I ever mention that my parents are moving to Houston only a few weeks after I move to Austin? Well, they are. Craaaazy. 

August 11th - 12th

+ apartment hunting in downtown Houston (for the 50th time)

+ make final decision on what will be my parents' future home for the next 3+ years

+ pack up a load of furniture to take to Louisiana (for sale to our relatives)

August 13th - 15th

+ spend my last weekend in Rayne before I head off to Austin

+ and while we're off reminiscing with loved ones, our house in Tomball will be undergoing inspection by its new owners

August 16th

+ begin packing for college

August 20th

+ leave for Austin in the morning and arrive at my dorm by noon

+ unpack all of my stuff and try my best to make my room look somewhat cozy

August 20th - 22nd

+ spend my last weekend with my parents in the beautiful city that I will eventually learn to call home

September 3rd - 5th

+ my parents move out of our house (of seventeen years) and into the Houston apartment that they will eventually learn to call home

Whew! The next month is sure to be crazy, wonderful, stressful, refreshing, and all around bittersweet. Before this summer, I never would have been emotionally prepared to deal with all of the changes that are occurring within the next few weeks, but I feel surprisingly relieved to know that my days in this small town are numbered. I think that my we're all excited to move on and embrace our new lives in big cities. But we could always use extra prayers!

Photo by Veronica TM.

Staying awake with them until 6:00 in the morning and talking about everything from A to Z. It was definitely a night worth remembering.

***Kristen and I will be rooming together at the University of Texas in the fall. Marissa, however, will be attending Baylor University. As excited as I am to begin my college experience, I cannot fathom the thought of (temporarily) splitting up the trio.

I can't believe it slipped my mind...

August 2nd was exactly one year from the day I wrote my first blog post on Wishful Thinking! I can't believe it's been a whole 365 (now 367) days since I first began posting my thoughts on this addicting website. So much has changed since then, and yet it seems like just yesterday that I was looking forward to my senior year of high school. I remember feeling so excited and more than prepared to face all of the adventures that the next twelve months of my life would bring. To say that now, however, would be far from the truth—honestly, I'm not feeling too confident about anything these days. I'm off to college in less than three weeks, and I still have a million questions swimming around in my head that will remain unanswered until I happen to stumble across the answer myself. I'm just a little intimidated, if you know what I mean.

But I can only pray that I make it to August 2011 without having made too many mistakes along the way, and hopefully with lots of good stories about my freshman year at UT. For all I know, it might turn out to be the best (if not the scariest) year of my life.

A photo of me and my good friend, Chelsi, on August 2, 2009—the day that started it all.

Anyway, happy (belated) birthday to my handy dandy little blog!