Various Thoughts.

My Dad is more excited than I am.

It's actually kind of annoying. Like, all we do is drive around campus. Okay, not really. But still. We take all these back roads, and it's just...

I don't know. I mean, I don't know how I feel about this, this whole going to college thing. I think I'm ready to be away from my parents, for a while at least. It seems like I'm walking on egg-shells with them, like everything I say and do will set off a bomb in them or something. And I'm sure that's not true. But I'm afraid my mom will start crying at any minute, and my Dad will want to stay here forever and take pictures and talk to everyone.

For once, I want this to be MY thing. I know I'll need my parents' support, and yes, their financial assistance.

But I was talking to Peppin some time ago, and he was like "I'm excited to go to college...it means for once that you aren't your parents' kid. You're your own person." And I've been thinking about that a bit lately. Like, for the first time ever, I won't be known as "Officer Krauss' daughter" or "Patti from the Purchasing Department's daughter" or "Brad's little sister" or "Jeff Krauss' little sister". Which is good. I mean, I'll miss them. I'll miss telling my mom everything about what happened during the day, the funny things that I talked about at lunch. I'll miss my Dad's random singing (off-key :D) and how he just comes up with theses random thoughts. I'll miss talking to Brad, about random things and college, though I guess I'll still be able to. And Jeff...I'll miss hearing about everything going on with he and Kayla, or everything that's NOT going on, I guess.

I mean, I'm shaped by the people I spend time with. And I know college will change me. But it will be interesting to see how.

But I talked with Megan and Maria about how Thomas is different this summer than last summer, after a semester at college. And I told them that if I am different - way different, in a bad way - than I am now, I want them to call me out on it. And I really REALLY hope they do.

I'm going to miss them. How Maria seems so tomboyish, but is actually a big flirt. How Megan is good at running, but doesn't like it. I'll miss how we would just be like "hey, do you wanna do something today?" And how Maria would tease me about the truck, and how I'd tease her about Ryne and that other kid. And how we talked about guys - me and Corrie, and Maria and Titus, and Megan was like "I wish I had a guy story..." and I said, "NO YOU DON'T!" Ha - there was the time Maria saw a spider and jumped, screaming, and hid behind me. Or when we were in Hawaii and Megan climed the tree (with the help of our boosts). I'll miss them.

And of course, Jade and Kristina and Hannah. That's a given.

Cody and Chris were right, by the way. It's Barq's Root Beer. With a "Q" not a "G". And it's definately not "Barge's" like I always pronounced it. Meh. You win some, you lose some.