What Happened to Summer??

I don't get one - that's what happened. This month is the beginning of my first full summer in Florida. I'm supposed to be relaxing with friends, hanging out with my boyfriend, and sailing the yacht club's dinghies all over Tampa Bay. Not to mention I should have a summer job as I have for the past two years, but no, all of those things, the job, the boyfriend, the sailing, it's all not happening. I guess that comes with growing up, and while I love being on my own and having my own life down here, away from the hills and small towns of Tennessee, I do hate the work that it's taking to keep it all.

I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing for the past four months with four thoughts: get transferred to USF, get a job, get a loan for school, and get an apartment. Those four measly words, job, apartment, loan, and transfer have ruled my life for too damn long. Most of those things have been taken care of.

I was approved for a loan last week which is good because now I can pay the ridiculous $16,000 out of state tuition; don't they know I'm a broke college student? My boyfriend and I have found an apartment in Carrollwood, one of the few areas of Tampa where we won't get shot, and are set to move in on July 18th! Finally, I was officially accepted to the University of South Florida (my once "dream school") yesterday - four years later than intended, but probably, knowing my life, exactly when I should have been. I don't, however, have a job yet which is the critical part of keeping all of the other things. I'm still putting in applications and praying that someone needs a fifth year undergraduate English major to peddle their wares to the public for a petty price. Anyone know of any offers? I didn't think so.

So that's my summer so far, or lack there of. I also rarely get to see my boyfriend because he's way cooler than me and is in summer school five days a week. Now that's incentive to not be an engineer! I can't talk though because my literary brain has spent the past two summers sitting in math classes, but those days are behind me, and I'm now on to more grown up things, like trying to find my way in this big, scary world. I'm still trying to finish transferring to USF so that I can hopefully have all of the paperwork and headaches out of the way by fall, so that I can concentrate on my supposed last year of school! I'm still looking for a job, and hopefully that will be done soon enough. Things are slowly beginning to come together, and I just hope that I can survive to see the end of it all.

To those of you who get the luxury of having a summer...enjoy it. The free summers of youth and retirement are meant to be treasured, and to ignore them is to disrespect one of the most fundamental pleasures that make this a wonderful life. Have fun for those of us who are too busy playing "grown up" to even notice the lightning bugs. And if you should run into one of us "grown ups" in the midst of your fun, please, take a moment to share a bike ride, a walk, or an ice cream cone with us, and remind us that life is still a beautiful thing. Happy summer! Have a good one; I'll be living vicariously through yours.