Bittersweet

On our way home from the family reunion Julie decided she wanted to ride home with us. So we stopped in San Marcus and she showed Jesse and I where she will be at school this Fall (Texas State). It was a lot of fun to watch her get excited as we exited the highway towards the school, and she started to recognize where she was and began pointing out places and telling stories. She got turned around a few times, but always managed to figure it out. I liked driving on campus as she pointed out different buildings, facilities, etc. Her dorm is in a great location- right across the street from a cafeteria, close to the Rec center and the student center. The campus is very nice, and she is going to have a lot of fun up there.

Julie has met with her new roommate-to-be, and they get along well. She has ordered all her bedding and has started organizing everything she will need for school. The dining room at my parent's house is full of her stuff. They are supposed to buy her refrigerator sometime this week. Next week I imagine she will start packing.

I have been so excited to be a part of all her senior year activities, and I am having a lot of fun in sharing her joy and excitement of leaving for college.

But it just hit me last week that she is leaving for college. It is going to be strange not having her around or knowing that I could see her driving down Louetta. It will be weird to visit my parents and know that there is no one upstairs. It is going to be hard to watch my youngest sister spread her wings and fly away. And yet, it is going to be awesome to know that she is growing and blossoming into her own person.

What a bittersweet time...

(If I feel like this towards my baby sister, I cannot imagine what it will be like to watch my own baby drive away to college! Yikes, I don't even want to think about it.)