PS: I love my fam. . .

Tonight, while I was watching Gilmore Girls with my sis and bingeing on ice cream (hey, last free ice cream I'll have for a while!), my parentals called me into the kitchen. "Mel, do you have two minutes? We have something to show you!" I was expecting them to ask me to pay another installment on my loan or something, since they ask me that all the time lately; but no, instead I saw, spread all over the kitchen table, a week's worth of groceries that they had bought for me. I'm moving into my house in Minneapolis tomorrow, and they bought me my first groceries so that I wouldn't have to buy them myself. I always knew I liked my parents, I just forget sometimes how great they are.

Something else that is amazing: last night, after family dinner (which is a good time too, I must admit, free food with the fam and chatting about my sister's first days of 10th grade- classic), my dad went into the living room, dug out his gigantic headphones from the sixties, and proceeded to lay on the floor for the next two hours, listening to Beach Boys albums. I went in there for a brief period of time to dig out a movie from the entertainment center, and he and I sang a few tunes together while I was searching. It's quite a lovely thing to inherit, my dad has passed his extensive knowledge of Beach Boys lyrics and music to me. It's quite endearing.

Last week, I went with my sister for our annual picture at the park day. What began as an accident has grown into our tradition. When she was in 6th grade, we went to the park to take a bunch of pictures, just practicing our photography skills with Mom's super nice camera. Well, almost the whole roll was ruined, because yours truly opened it too early, but a few pictures were salvaged, one of which was a phenomenal portrait of my sister, sitting up in a tree, looking pensive and pretty. So, that became her school picture for the year (who likes those headshots at school, anyway?), and since then, I have always taken her to the park in August before school starts, and we have our own photo shoot. This year was really fun, she looked so pretty in her pictures; we even had several different outfits- it's getting sophisticated now! In the first picture I took of her ni 6th grade, she looks really young, and now she looks mature and really beautiful. She looks a lot like my mom. I had a good time with her that day, I enjoyed hanging out and talking and just laughing together.

I have had the past week and a half to organize my room and pack everything for moving to college. I have to confess, I'm moving tomorrow, and I'm barely packed. I know, sad-perhaps a result of procrastination. But, also, perhaps I don't want to face two inevitable realities: First, tomorrow, I'm moving away from home. I can't say if this is the time I'm moving away for good, but I'm moving away from this place that has regained its familiarity in my mind throughout this summer. It fits again, like an worn glove. I possibly thought that this summer would be difficult, living at home again during the summer, being with my family. But I must say, I enjoyed being here, feeling safe and comfortable, and just enjoying my family. The other reality that I must face is moving down to college for my LAST semester. I must confess, I am filled with a mix of feelings, some that are like senioritis, while others are nostalgia and sadness to leave my dear friends that I have known, and also the apprehension to "begin the rest of my life." The end of college symbolizes the beginning of everything else. It's not like I'm being horribly dramatic about graduating, I know I'll survive it and thrive. . . . . .But I just wish that I wasn't so incredibly uncertain about what the rest of my life will be. I wish that I had at least SOME vague idea about where I am going and what I will be doing after graduation. It's all pretty vague to me right now. As much as being at Bethel annoyed me and bothered me sometimes, and as much as I was cynical of the institution, I really do love the people there, and the priceless people that I am privileged to know.

That's all I'm thinking about. . . . .now I'm writing a poem for Megan Greulich. . . .it'll be a classic someday. I surely am ADD tonight. . . .