The Climb

This last week heading toward move-in day has been an uphill climb to say the least. One of my very best friends was in a bad car accident and is in ICU. Also one of our family dogs of 9 years passed away. Dealing with this has been difficult, but I refuse to let it get the best of me. Optimism, however ill-placed it may be, is necessary.

Douglas County also headed back to school this week, although I am no longer a part of the Douglas County School System. I will never again walk the halls of Alexander High School as a student. I won’t desperately seek out Amy in the band room in the morning to update her on the oh-so- abundant boy drama in my life. I won’t sit across from my best friend at the lunch table. I won’t be a part of the Lady Cougars soccer team.

A chapter in my life is over, but a brand new one is beginning. My [pre] adult life is staring me in the face and I will not back down. I get to start this new chapter at one of the greatest colleges I could ever dream of being a part of (GO DAWGS). I’ve been presented with an amazing opportunity, and while it will be significantly more challenging for me then high school ever was, I will work my hardest, and I won’t lose sight of my goal. I’m thankful for the high school memories that made me who I am, and I’m excited to see where my college journey takes me.

Orientation

 

     If you question whether or not college, or the summer before, is going to be stressful, you shouldn't, because it is! Between buying dorm stuff and getting ready to live on your own, and having to register for classes, stress is pretty much a guarantee. For the few people who have the mental capacity to not stress about anything I applaud you. I posses no such mental capacity.

     Being that I'll be at the University of Georgia and there's 5,299 other incoming freshman, orientation sessions filled up pretty fast. I registered the morning after registration opened and all the sessions were filled until the end of July, just 3 weeks before move-in day. There were 11 orientation sessions before mine, and all those people got to sign up for their classes before me, which only added to the stress. I finally got my orientation out of the way last week. I made it through two whole days of random information being thrown in my face, meetings with advisors and organizations, resource fairs, campus tours, dorm tours, group meetings, and a million other things. We were forced to make friends, which was one of my least favorite parts. At the end of the two days I was registered for most of my classes and I formed, kinda, an idea about what to expect in 2 weeks. I'm excited to be a dawg. There's over 35,000 students enrolled at UGA but the sense of community is almost overwhelming.

     One piece of advice I have for you: make sure you stay on top of things. You aren't in high school anymore and there wont be people all over you reminding you to fill out forms and sign up for things, its all up to you. You're an adult now.

Forever Friends

 

5 years ago my family took our first cruise on Disney Cruise Line. Having never been on a cruise before, we didn't really know what to expect. Although, one thing we DEFINITELY didn't expect was to be put at the same dinner table as another family of 5, from yes, Ohio. We were completely blind- sided and neither family knew what to do. After locating our table and discovering it was half full of complete strangers, we introduced ourselves, and sat on what was to be the "Seeses" side of the table... for that night anyways. After some forced conversation we realized that even though we were from two very different states, we had a lot more in common than we originally thought. All us kids are really close in age, 2 years at most between all of us, that at the time ranged from 10 to 16. Dinner the rest of the week was something we all looked forward to. the food was unreal, our servers (who followed us from restaurant to restaurant every night) were hilarious, and the company was impeccable. By the end of the week, the table was no longer separated by family, but by kids an adults, and our time together wasn't just limited to dinner. When the cruise was over, we said our goodbyes and exchanged phone numbers, promising to stay in touch. We all know that people thrown together so unexpectedly rarely stay in touch. Fortunately that wasn't the case for us. Two years later we found ourselves spending our spring break in always- cloudy Ohio with none other than the cruise family! We caught up at the Columbus Zoo, and for old time's sake, we had dinner together. Again, we said our goodbyes and headed for Georgia once again. After that we did lose touch, somewhat. About a month ago one of the boys texted me saying they were going to be in Georgia. Their mom got in touch with my mom and plans began to roll. Both of our families are significantly older now and we're all beginning to go our separate ways so a reunion was beginning to look impossible. Thank goodness the middle kids ( me and the boy standing behind me- far left in the picture) took matters into our own hands. We made fool-proof plans to spend our Fourth of July together. As the Fourth neared, I began to get a little nervous, thinking things would be awkward now that we are so much older. I have never been more wrong in my entire life. Our day started at lunch time in Atlanta, and ended back in Douglasville late at night. We talked, we laughed, we reminisced, and of course we made memories. It might be another 3 years, and it might be a hassle getting everyone together, but I have no doubt that us and our cruise family will be forever friends. The kind of friends that travel 12 hours just to catch up.

Home is Where Your FAMILY is.

To kick off my summer of memory making, the Seese family took on Universal Studios. Mom isn't pictured (sorry mom, someone has to take the pictures). I have a crazy family. I'm a middle kid. My older sister, Madi (far left), is 20, and my little sister, Carlyn (second from the left), is scaring the heck out of 15. Bless my dad's heart, he raised three daughters and he's the only guy in the house, but he handles it like a champ. Anyways, back to Universal. Back in February I went on a school fieldtrip to Disney World and Universal with the marching band, which is a story for another time. But for the duration of the family trip, I was our unofficial "tour guide", since I was supposed to know where everything was. Plot twist... I didn't. We got to stay in a Universal resort, which was awesome. We rode ALL the rides, since we were there for 6 days, and we spent copious amounts of time in Harry Potter World. Most importantly I spent the whole week with my family. Since I got a job in food service when I was 16, I spend the majority of my weekends at the restaurant, which took away a lot of time I could have been spending with my family.  It was a source of income but also a source of stress. Although I made some pretty awesome friends and gained some experience, in the end, family is what really matters. Family will always be there for you when you have no one else. Go to dinner with your parents when you get the chance. You aren't the only one getting older, they are too. Your sisters are the first friends you make, don't forget that. You might not always like them, but you will always love them. Family is your ultimate support system. I love my family very much.

We Made It

We did it class of 2015! Saturday afternoon i graduated high school with 399 people I've spent the last 4 years of my life making memories with, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Most of them I've known since kindergarten since we live in a pretty small town, Good ol' Douglasville, Georgia. Now the fun starts. We get 2 more months to make memories. 2 more months until all of us go down different paths. 2 months until I move away from my very best friend. 2 months until I move out of the house I've lived in since I was 5. I plan to make the most of the time I have left here, the time I have left with my family and my closest friends. We will make memories I will never forget so I have something to take with me when I go. I've always thought that I didn't like change, but honestly I don't know if I do or not. I've never experienced a change like this. Up until now my life has been composed of very small changes that had very little impact on my way of life. This is not one of those changes. I'm approaching a new chapter in my life, and while I'm making memories this summer I will also be preparing for August. As Edna from the Incredibles says, we must never look back darling, it distracts from the now

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You Gotta Start Somewhere

Hey y'all! My name is Kendall and I'm a soon to be high school graduate! When we start kindergarten, and all throughout elementary, and probably middle school too, we cannot wait to grow up. I had these thoughts myself, I'm no different than anyone else. I remember being a little kid wishing for more years for the sole purpose of having more dessert than my parents allowed me to have. Well now I would give up all the dessert I have eaten and ever will eat just to be a kid again.

Growing up is scary there's no denying that. I've been doing the same thing for close to 14 years. School, Soccer, homework, sleep, repeat. My whole life is about to be turned upside down. And while it's scary, I'm attempting to welcome the change with open arms. As I approach my last summer before me and all my friends go our separate ways, I feel the need to begin sharing my thoughts, experiences, and small bits of wisdom I've acquired in my 17 short years. Change can be good.... Right?