I want to feel independent. 

When I leave next year, my momma is not going to be there to hold my hand. I have to put on my big girl pants and face life on my own.

I'm ready to rely on myself and not others. I want to learn how to deal with situations by myself without assistance. Life gets rough, and I want to feel good about accomplishing things on my own.

I might learn some new skills.

There are so many opportunities in Florida, and there are potentially new hobbies and interests there too.

I'm going to school where I can see the ocean and the bay all the time, so maybe I will learn to surf (probably not, but there the opportunity is there). Maybe I will start reading more often because I can read on the beach, or maybe I will join a community.

Maybe I will learn new skills and find a great hobby. You never know.

I'll find different perspectives.

I grew up with the same exact kids that I went to elementary school, middle school and high school with. When I move to Florida, my classmates will have had completely different growing up experiences. I'm open to hearing about how they went to school and how different our lives were.

If I stayed in my hometown, I'd already know everyone and everything.

I'll make new friends.

Obviously, if I'm moving a thousand miles away, I'm bound to find new friends.

I love all of my friends at home, and I made some forever friends there. But I'm excited to make lifelong friends, and possibly even find the love of my life.

I don't like cold weather.

I personally have never been a fan of winters up north. They get extremely cold, and I hate snow. I'm the kind of person who falls into that winter depression and only gets happy on the warm, sunny days.

When I move to Florida, it will still get cold — but nothing unbearable. And if I never have to see snow again, I'll be completely fine with that. I'm looking forward to swimming in the gulf, while my family and friends are playing in the snow.

I will manage my money better.

I spend money on everything and anything. When I go down south, I will learn the value of money. I'll learn that I cannot spend it on everything I enjoy.

I will get a job, and I'll have to pay bills and college tuition. I'll learn how to survive on my own paycheck, not my mom's.

I'm OK with traveling.

The closest airport to where I'll be living in Florida is five hours away in Georgia. And if there are closer ones, well, I can't afford a $500 flight home.

I am completely OK with driving to the airport, I am OK with having a layover in another city, and I am OK with driving a thousand miles back home.

I strongly believe that adventure is out there. So, if I drive home, I can stop in a city I have never seen. And if I have a layover, I'll be in another city. Flying never bothered me, and I am OK with traveling.

I might enjoy holidays more.

As you grow older, holidays become less exciting than they were when you were a kid. So, I am looking forward to coming home for holidays and being with my family.

Thanksgiving will be familiar with its traditions, and during Christmas, I'll recognize the ornaments hanging on the tree. It will be like a reunion with my family, and we'll have a ton more to converse about.

I'll have my own freedom.

I will be 18 years old, living in Florida with only a few family members. I won't have my mom telling me I can't hang out with this person or telling me I have to come home at a certain time. No one will make me clean my room.

For the most part, I will have the ultimate freedom.

I might trust myself more.

Hopefully, after I make the move, I will always go with my own opinions and reasonings. I will always go with my ''gut'' feelings. I will rise and fall all on my own. I will make big decisions on my own.

I want to become more confident in the choices I make, and I want to make them for myself and nobody else.

I'll be starting fresh.

My lower class high school years were not the most memorable. I suffered a lot of tragic losses, stuff I still think about every day.

Personally, I am looking forward to seeing new things and living in a place where I don't have memories. Don't get me wrong. I live off of my memories, but I think it's good to make new ones in a new area.

I don't have any commitments right now.

I don't have a boyfriend, and I don't have kids. There is nothing that I am severely committed to, or so tied down to that it would make me want to stay. I'd rather leave now than when I have all of these things and can't.

I'll do things that scare me.

Moving away can be scary. But I know that, since I moved away from everyone, I can most certainly do things that scare me. I know that in the end it will all turn out OK.

I will still have my family.

Basically more than half of my family lives up north, and I will definitely miss them with all my heart. But with all these communication methods, it will feel like I am five miles away instead of a thousand.

I'll always have a home to come back to.

I might move down south and absolutely hate it. But I will never know if I don't try it.

My mom will be home in Pennsylvania. And I will still have my bedroom, so I'll always have a place to come back to. I know I will always be warmly welcomed back home.