Ah summer. The season that every student from 1st grade and beyond looks forward to at the end of each school year.

3 months.

3 solid months of nothing school related.

Sounds great right? Well it is when you are a kid. Three months of blissful peace, everything just molds together. Then suddenly you're older and you come to realize that blissful summer feeling comes in stages.

Stage 1: Anticipation.

It's the last month or so of school.It feels like everything is starting to wind down. Teachers are talking about final projects, final tests, final quizzes etc. Everything is just final. To top it all off you start seeing commercials on TV about summer sales.

Stage 2: Freedom.

The last day of school. The day before the beginning of summer. You know that as soon as that final class ends or the clock hits that time-that you are walking out of school for 3 months. Unless you're a senior in high school or college, then you're graduating.

Stage 3: Independence.

You have the whole summer in front of you. Without school in the picture, you have a lot more time to do the things that you want and need to do.

Stage 4: Plans.

You probably started planning the things that you wanted to do over vacation months before. Maybe you planned on making some money so you decide to take on a summer job for example.

Stage 5: Creeping.

This is when the little reminders of the school start to creep up on you. The realization that summer is almost halfway over and before you know it school will here. The initial summer shock is generally over.

Stage 6: Halfway Point.

The point of time when you realize that summer truly is halfway over. You feel like it went by so fast and you only know that it'll go by faster at this point.

Stage 7: Cling.

We're at the last few weeks or so of vacation. Whether you were busy the whole time or did nothing-you strive to cherish these last couple weeks.

Stage 8: Here.

This is the point where you start to come across more and more reminders that you are heading towards the end. Oh great now I have that song stuck in my head!

Stage 9: Plans.

Now we're at that plan stage of summer vacation, only this time you're preparing for the new school year. Whether it be back to school shopping or trying to finish that summer reading project that you could have done weeks ago.

Stage 10: Last Days.

Ah the last couples days before school starts. That feeling of finality during the first stage returns.

Stage 11: It's Time.

You wake up and begin a somewhat familiar routine that you hadn't thought about in moments. You head to school, only this time everything is new because you move up a step. It's like if you've graduated college and you go onto grad school. You're moving up a step.

Got to love the stages.