Evaluation

Today is my last normal day for junior year. After my history final, I check into my art class to make sure I don't get a zero for an assignment I did, then I go to French for the last time this year. Tomorrow is my UCF visit at 10:30, so no school, and Thursday I take my last two final exams. And then it's summer.

Besides my recital, family reunion, and Rochester visit, I have roughly half of summer to be at home and doing as I please (but I'll probably be with TJ, when he's not working). My teachers thought it'd be a good idea to assign additional homework to our 4,000 word extended essays for IB, but it's whatever; I always get it done. Maybe I'll start my first day off so I don't forget or run out of time. I'd rather spend the beginning of summer doing my homework and relax at the end instead of chilling out now and scrambling during the last week before school starts (like everyone else).

My final grades consist of 4 B's and 2 A's, a considerable difference from last year (then again, anything would be better than last year), and that's what will be on my transcripts when I apply to colleges on August 1. It still hasn't hit me that a year from now I'll know exactly where I'm going to college, how I'll be getting there, and what I'm doing for my graduate degree. I'm not worried about that, because I know I'm getting a quality education either way. I'm either making the economical choice and going to UCF, getting huge scholarships and going to Rochester or NYU, or making enough scholarships to cover DePaul in Chicago. I can always transfer for my undergraduate, or apply for my master's degree, or spend time looking for jobs in either area. Either way I'll get there. The only thing I'm worried about in my immediate future is TJ.

The chances of us going to colleges relatively close around each other is slim. I mean, we're applying to colleges around each other, but us actually attending those colleges might not happen. His Pratt Institute in NYC is close to NYU (within 20 minutes), as his his University of Chicago to my DePaul (roughly a half hour), but University of Florida is 2.5 hours from UCF. And any given combination of those colleges make seeing each other possible only through a plane trip. As I'm sure everyone's aware, long distance didn't go so well the first time, and I'm at the very least hesitant to jump into it again. It turned me into someone I wasn't, and I didn't like that. But if we can make it through 4+ years of distance, then I think I found my match. Of course, the ideal situation is us going to college close, with my preference being living in Chicago and sharing an apartment following his first year (I won't even begin to go into my wedding guilty pleasure).

On another note, I had my tattoo consult last week. My parents, surprisingly enough, are relatively okay with it, as long as I talk to my doctor first because I could be allergic to the ink. But other than that, if I can get the money together ($150-200 total...hey it's a quality environment for a quality tattoo) then my mom will consent to taking me in and getting me inked. In case I haven't mentioned this before, I want a linden tree (it represents marriage and commitment) on my ankle, with roots trailing onto the side of my foot to read "Family." I'm ecstatic about it, actually. All I need now is the money, and my birthday is coming up in 11-ish days.

The future doesn't scare me so much anymore. I like it that way.

Love,
Caitlyn