Amanda Thornton

As I come up on my 18th birthday, I guess I am doing some reflecting on “childhood”. The fact that my birthday happens and suddenly I just become an adult is almost funny to me. I don’t feel nearly grown up enough to be called an adult, but I also don’t think that I can be considered a child. I would be appalled if I was asked to do taxes without help, but would probably feel similarly uncomfortable if I was asked to attend a chuck-e-cheese birthday party. I think the part of childhood that I feel farthest from at the moment is constant connection to my family. The feeling of coming home has changed for me the most in the past few months as I plan to leave the country for 3 months, my sister is still away at college and my dad moves states away for a new job. I have always craved independence, so to say that I feel negatively about all the change would be remiss. But change will always leave me with a strange feeling in my gut, as even if I won’t entirely miss the way things were, the fact that they simply won’t be the same anymore still hurts. I saw my sister for the first time in a long while and she sent me some pictures of us together growing up. As much as I want to say that we’ve changed so much, I still feel like the little kid she would read stacks of books to on the chair in our living room, and argue with at every possible opportunity. As much as I am the girl who worked all summer to save up money for college, I am also the girl who taught every single underwater gymnastics section, and shopped exclusively at the “expensive store”. Even if I’m not very little anymore, I will always be her little sister.

The sappy feelings about my family are definitely stemming from my trip, the idea of not being able to simply drive 20 minutes to see my sister or not coming home to my parents for three whole months is so strange. However, the more I plan, the more excited I become. Yes, it’s scary too, but I feel so prepared and ready to go off and really start helping people and making a difference! This summer I worked a lot in order to save money, but it was still somehow one of the most fun summers I have ever had. I want to give special thanks to Gigi and all my coworkers at the restaurant (especially Haley, Nuttiya, Trinh, Ryan, and Jonathan) for keeping work entertaining and never boring. The older you get the harder it is to find true friends, and the number of friends gets smaller. But I will always make time for Jordyn and Kingsley, my best friends in the world. Hanging out with either of you always makes my days so much brighter and more fun, thank you for caring about me as much as I care about you. Lastly to Riley, I love you so much and I think about you every day, rest in peace. To all mentioned above, and those who I know are reading this to check up on me, this blog is as much for you as it is for me. Thank you for wanting to read about my adventures and feelings as I start this new chapter of my life! Happy 18th birthday to me!