Realizations.

I've done a lot of thinking the past few weeks. I'm hitting that stage in life- the stage where I realize that your childhood really does fly by. Is it sad that I'm only 17 years old and I'm really feeling the effects of this? Well, okay, that's probably normal. But still!

I was watching Bug Juice this week, and that pretty much led to an emotional breakdown. I loved that show when I was little. I STILL love that show! But I realized it was filmed eleven years ago. ELEVEN YEARS! Watching these kids (who are waaay older than me, actually) made me think of my own times at camp. I miss those days... A week away from parents, at a camp with hundreds of kids, a lake, bad food, games, chapel, too much sugar, and huge bugs (cockroaches, anyone?)... the makings of a good summer camp. Of course, this made me realize something huge: this is the last summer that I'm able to go to camp. That doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but it was to me. It really symbolizes the end of my childhood. Oh, nostalgia...

Then I started watching old Nickelodeon shows. You know, the good shows: Salute Your Shorts, Hey Dude!, Legends of the Hidden Temple, David the Gnome, Gulla Gulla Island, Kablam!, All That, Weinerville, Rugrats, Doug, and all those other amazing shows. Oh man, the memories...

Today was graduation. I didn't go, sadly. I was exhausted from taking my sister to the airport this morning (after less than an hour of sleep), and I felt really sick. So I stayed home. And, of course, I realized that it's going to be ME graduating next year. Not only will I be graduating from high school, I'm going to be graduating from COLLEGE. Next June, I'll have my AA. Now THAT is a weird feeling.

I'm working harder than ever at trying to get scholarships. I've looked at waaaay too many Christian colleges these past few months. In a little over a year, I'm going to (hopefully) be away at one of these colleges. I'll be on my own. I'll be trying to make it through a Worship Arts program. I'll be embarking on a very, VERY unstable career path. Soon after, I'll be thinking about marriage. Then a family. Then... well, you get the picture. When did I grow up? Seriously. It seems like just yesterday I was crying to Ms. Joleen in preschool because Danielle didn't want to be my friend anymore (even though she's my cousin, so it didn't really matter...).

Wow. I really do feel old. I'm in college. I have one year left until I leave home. Well, if I get scholarships, that is. I can't afford tuition at any of my college choices... and I'll still gladly accept donations, of course =]

Kelsey