It's here. The last few weeks of summer is upon us. I always start to get a little sad when the middle of July arrives and the back to school commercials start popping up on our televisions. It now becomes a rush to get everything in in the next few weeks. It seems like we have so much time to get things done and accomplished, but then all of the sudden summer is almost over and we are wondering where the time has gone.

The last weeks of summer are filled with back to school shopping, hanging out with those we won't see until we come home for the holidays, and spending quality time with family. It almost becomes a task. We have to balance our time to see our friends, but to also be with our family. Also, don't forget we have to work more in the summer to try and make as much money as we can to help us get through the school year. We want to enjoy our last few weeks of summer, but it is now stressful to get everything done in a small amount of time.

Finals week was filled with hope of what the summer holds. May and June are the months we relax and when things come up we tell ourselves that we have all summer still to do it. We still enjoy summer because the end of summer seems so far away. The stress of school is still far off and we have very few cares in the world. We make mental lists of all the things we want to do and we feel as if we have all the time in the world to accomplish them. Then, all of the sudden its the middle of July and we realize that we haven't done a lot of the things we wanted to do during the summer. It's now us against a ticking clock. We try and get as much as we can in those last few weeks. It's almost not enjoyable because our days become filled and we are going nonstop. Any relaxing part of summer starts to go out the window and we start to see the new school year and all of its tasks looming on the horizon.

The end of summer is not all bad. There is the excitement of a new school year and all the adventures it has to offer. Also, it means that we get to see our friends from school. We get to catch up and prepare for all the new experiences we will share in the coming year. The end of summer also means that we get to relive the events of the summer. We look back at the fun times we had with family and friends. We cherish the memories from vacations and time spent outdoors. We learn to appreciate the last few weeks of summer and we try and get everything out of it while it lasts. Ultimately, the end of summer means that fall is just around the corner. While I like the fall and the leaves changing color, I will miss summer and its hot days and cool nights. I will miss the sun setting late in the evening and lightning bugs all around. I will miss having sun-kissed skin and seeing everyone from my hometown. I love summer, but it's sad to watch it go and I can't wait for its arrival again.