It's time...

Correction: It's ALMOST time.

It's almost time for this school year to be over. I still can't believe it. In three weeks, my freshman year of college will officially be over. Where did all the time go? I guess somewhere between the laughter, the tears, the 2 AM adventures to Walmart, the multiple all-nighters per week, the homework, the stress, the exams, the projects, the ER trips, the injuries, the games, the smiles, the fights, the good-byes, the self-discoveries, the road trips, and the movie marathons, we just lost track of it completely.

For the last two semesters, my concept of time has been narrow. I almost never looked ahead more than a week. My schedule was dictated by what homework was due the next day. In that respect, I've been luckier than most. My homework load has never really been overwhelmingly huge. There were a few afternoons that I spent locked in my room doing homework, but I almost always finished before 8 PM.

That homework load is going to get heavier next semester. I know that simply because I've chosen to double major in English and Journalism. The JCOM classes, along with my upper-division English courses, are going to take over my life. But I'm okay with that.

As the end of the semester approaches, I've started looking farther ahead. My concept of time is expanding to look out over the summer and into next spring. See, I want to go to Austria next spring for Study Abroad. But in order to do that, I have to get a job this summer. And I will. I am determined to go. I will work 2 part-time jobs and the graveyard shift at a gas station if that's what it takes for me to earn the money. So no, I might not have much of a social life this summer, but sometimes you have to sacrifice the unnecessary bits to accomplish your goals.

So, it's almost time. Almost time for me to start packing up my things and moving home. Almost time to say goodbye to my awesome roomie. It's almost time for me to really start having an adult life and accepting responsibility for myself. It's almost time to really start becoming independent. The process will be slow and difficult, but I'm ready. I am ready to start. It's almost time.