As I am packing and preparing to move back into the dorms, I am looking back over my summer. This summer so many good and bad things have happened.

At the beginning of the summer the horrible shooting at an Orlando night club happened. The last time I looked, the death count was 50. I still to this day can't believe that one person could create that amount of damage to so many people and their families. I am amazed and horrified as to what we as human beings are capable of. But on the other hand, in the face of this tragedy, I was wonderfully amazed at how when horrible things happen, communities come together and support those who were hurt in the tragedy. This makes me really happy that people can come together, support each other, and help each other out during a trying time.

This summer I had the great pleasure of having a few different family gatherings and events. My aunt celebrated her 50th jubilee with the Dominican nuns. It was a wonderful celebration and I am so happy that I was able to be a part of the ceremony. Then one of my cousins got married. It was a wonderful ceremony and I am so happy for the both of them. I got to spend quite a bit of time with my family and I am happy that I didn't get a job, otherwise I might not have been able to have seen everyone so much. I also got to spend a whole week on vacation with family. All we did was drive to Angles Camp and spend time together. I was so happy to spend some quality time with my family. The week before my mom had a really stressful week at work, so I was really happy that we were able to go on vacation so she could relax for some time.

While I was packing, I learned a really important lesson. Never put off packing! I just started packing this past week and I move in tomorrow. I know that if I would have started sooner, I wouldn't be rushing around to finish everything last minute. It seems like yesterday I was packing to move out of the dorms to come home at the beginning of the summer. The one thing that is better about moving out of the dorms is that I have to pack everything there and its easier. But when you're at home, you have to decided what to pack and what not to pack. I know that when I come home at winter break it will be a whole lot easier to move.

My advice to every college kid is that it would be best to pack a week or two in advance from move in day. This way there is time to make sure that everything is packed and ready to go. Then when its time to come back home, it is way easier to pack because you have to pack everything so everything can come back home with you.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful school year!