Final(s) Week!

As most colleges go through their finals week, I am also going through a final week, of sorts. Today is the last Monday I'll be at the ranch. And so the countdown begins. :(

It's sort of a crazy week. The senior class from a private high school in Atlanta, GA, is here until Thursday for their senior trip. Spoiled rich brats... just kidding! They're actually really sweet. Their southern upbringing makes for very polite, respectful youngsters. I've gotten so many, "Thank you, ma'am", and "Please, ma'am" responses that I feel quite old, but quite respected. Ha. I guess the south has a few redeeming qualities...

I spent all of my breaks today planning my road trip home. Booked campsites near the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde National Park. Put down a deposit on the rafting trip with Noah's Ark (yes, they're a Christian organization, similar to Lost Valley). Sought advice from TripAdvisor on whether to drive up Pike's Peak or just take the Cog Railway. Printed out coupons for both options, just in case we change our mind (my parents would be so proud of me, using coupons). Mapped out the entire journey on googlemaps. I felt quite productive and detail-oriented today. *pats self on back* All this planning is making me super excited about going home!!!

I'm also a bit sad, however. I'm the type of person that doesn't like to dwell on negativity... and so I haven't really been thinking about the finality of leaving this place. It probably won't hit me until I've journeyed all the way home and I'm lying in bed, my home bed, and wondering at how different it feels from my bunk in the Hide-a-Way Annex studio apartment. And then it'll probably hit me again, when a song will play on the radio... one that we listened to while cleaning cabins... or a song we all sang to as we polished silverware in the dining room before dinner... sigh...

But I'll save the nostalgia for later. I'm still here on the ranch, and it's way past my bed time! Good night!