Is this what you call nerves?

So, I leave at 3:00 AM on Tuesday. I have so many emotions going on right now, it's hard to keep track of all of them. The following reminds me of the menu at Cafe Gratitude.

I Am Excited -- I'm going all the way across the country. I'm going to a place that I've only ever been once before. I'm going to a place where there is snow. I'm leaving all of my familiar settings for one that I will be lost in for about a month or two. It's a feeling of adventure.

I Am Nervous -- I've yet to buy my books..... I know, I know, I should have been on that much earlier in the summer, but I really didn't want to pack them. I didn't want to ship them either. So, I'm buying them really really last minute. I'm also nervous about my classes. I've been to college classes before, at the local community college, http://www.foothill.edu, but never at a private 4-year college. I'm the first person in my family to go to college right after high school. My mom and my aunt (who just graduated) both went back to college, but neither have that dorm experience in order to give me advice.

I Am Happy -- After years of working to get into college, I'm finally starting it. I remember as a little second-grader, being asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" My answer was always "I wanna go to college." This is not a joke. Ever since I saw Tufts University when I was really little, I wanted to go to college. Now I'm finally going

I Am Sad -- I'm leaving all of my pets. I'll miss them all. I'll miss Inky (the rabbit) grunting at me as I give him food. I'll miss Daisy (the dog) responding to my attempt to teach her Spanish commands. Needless to say, she now responds to "Que la la cena?", my mom's interpretation of "quiere la cena?" I'll miss the cat's way of waking me up in the morning by sitting on my face. I'll miss how Thunder and Lightning (the rats) will run after popcorn and then hide it in their cage. And I'll also miss my mom and brother (as annoying as he can be).

I feel like I have so much unfinished business here, and yet, I am extremely happy to be leaving California. I'm ready to start a new life as I ship all of my things tomorrow, then fly out on Tuesday.

Good Morning Baltimore!