The Future - Charlie Blondell

Well, the year is coming to a close. Never thought those words would be coming out of my mouth (or typed on a blog post) regarding a year that seemed endless. What I mean is that this year felt extraordinarily long and tedious, filled with more academic stresses than I have ever been confronted with. No surprise there. Junior year is the most important year in dealing with future education plans (getting in to college). Including the 4 ACT's, the 4 AP Tests, and the overall weight and pressure maintain acceptable grades, this year has been a bear in the classroom. Not to mention my job as a busser at the Merrick Inn, involving night shifts from 5-12 (not just weekends). I think I succeeded in most of these areas. I achieved a score of 32 on my ACT (finally), I think I passed all of my AP tests (maybe received 5's on half), and greatly advanced my GPA from first to second semester (thank God). Socially, however, I've done pretty well. I have found my place, my role in high school. My friend and "get-together" group is pretty set-in-stone, and compared to the crowd I could be hanging around, I'd say I am pretty well off in that category. I am also in my first long term relationship that could not be better (thank you, Rena Childers). My interactions with my family have gotten better. Last year, it seemed as if I was always grounded, for a variety of reasons. The connection with my parents especially has improved my 11th grade year. This was very important to me because as I approach adulthood, I want my last memories of my childhood to be desirable ones. It's weird to know I won't be living with my parents in just 18 months. They know it, too. I can see it on their faces every time I leave the house (which is quite often). It's not a face of regret, disappointment, or even worry. It's a face of true, real longing, like they will miss me very, very much (even if I'm just going to get some gas). I guess you could say my junior year was the beginning of the end. As I prepare for my next chapter, I begin to say good bye to a long list of memories, and I make room for the experience of new ones.