July is my favorite and least favorite month. Why you may ask? I love it because it's warm, it has my one of my favorite holidays and I've finally comfortably settled into my summer routine. It is my least favorite month, however, because in the deep dark corners of my mind I know that school is coming. I like school, but I savor every single moment of my summer freedom in beautiful warm weather. But every day I wake up in July, I realize I am one day closer to going back to campus and no longer having the ability to do whatever I want to with my day.

This year has been a little different: I've been busy everyday with work and interning, slowly moving myself closer to the adult working world. And I've enjoyed making money and gaining experience. But I also love the fact that at the end of the day I can come home and swim, watch TV, read, meet up with friends and family… really make the remaining 6 hours of my day into whatever I choose. I may not have spent every afternoon at the pool and every weekend off on a different vacation or adventure, but I have had more time available to do things that interest me. When I get back to school, I don't have that ability. My free time between classes is spent working out, trying to learn to make my own food, laundry, studying, working, volunteering and more studying. I enjoy every minute of my time in Indianapolis, but there is a very small amount of this time that is filled with relaxing things that I get to choose to do.

So as much as I love learning new things and reuniting with friends, I can't help but count down the days until I leave home again. It's not homesickness that gets me (although I do miss my friends and family), but rather an anxious anticipation about what is to come. I love going back to school, but every year the anxiety of new classes, having to earn good grades to maintain GPA, knowing that these classes will be harder, knowing that there will be new classmates that I have to get to know so that group projects are a living nightmare… well, it's all enough to cause a few sleepless nights. But I get back to Indy every year, and I fight my way through all of this (none of which is as bad as I think it will be) and everything ends up being alright. In fact, Butler is great. Every year I make new friends, new memories, and learn new things. People are willing to work to help me succeed, and I find that by October all I miss about summer is the warm weather and my friends and family from home. But I'll get to see them by Thanksgiving, and by halfway through Christmas break I'll be missing school again anyway.

It's like the old saying says, "Time flies when you're having fun." I will admit that time flies when I'm at school, too. Due dates pass, campus events happen, breaks come and go… all until another year passes by. Sooner that I can ever expect, I'll be home for Christmas break and time will fly by again until it's May and another summer will pass by. So I guess the best that I can do, the best that any of us can do, is seize the moment that we're in. Don't count down the days past by of summer or the days left until move in, but rather living in every moment and adventure we have as we experience it. Anticipation has its advantages, but for now I think I'm going to enjoy my last month of relaxation before I get ready for another set of new experiences.