The other night at work I was writing the date down on a piece of a paper. It then occurred to me that my summer is already halfway over. I had a mini panic attack when I realized that this is the summer before my senior year of college. This isn't just any summer, but the most important one yet.

And here's why:

This is it. This is the last summer to appreciate the small things. It's the last summer we can sleep in during the week. It's the last summer we can take endless beach trips. It's the last summer of looking forward to move- in day at school. It's the last year we can take naps during the day. It's most likely the last summer of being at our part-time jobs that got us through college. It's the last summer of not worrying about real responsibilities. “Adulting" is the term we have coined for this phase of life. It's a little terrifying but that's okay because no one said it was going to be easy. Next summer some of us will have to get our first adult jobs. Some of us will travel the earth. Some of us will attend grad school. Some of us will move away. Some of us will begin to settle down. Life is going to happen.

As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around for a while, you could miss it." Graduation is just around the corner .There are going to be many “lasts" but their will also be many “firsts" to come your way. So this summer I encourage you to take in every moment. I hope you pause and look around at the people you are with. I hope you realize that those people were part of an incredible journey. The friends from home, the friends from school, they have shaped the person you've become today. And let's be honest, you couldn't have done it without them. You leave your college or university with some incredible stories to tell. I hope you put away your phones and really invest in one another. I hope you realize their might not be many nights like this again. With that being said, take it all in. I hope you stay up until the sun rises. I hope you have deep meaningful conversations. I hope you take a million photos. I hope you take some adventures this summer. I hope you have a lot of laughs along the way. I hope this summer is everything you wanted it to be and more. I hope you make the best of this year. I hope you work hard but make time for yourself and others. I hope you take nothing for grant it. I hope you look back on these days and smile.

So cheers to an amazing summer and an even better senior year.