Packing Memories Into Boxes

I said goodbye to two of my best friends last night. I hate saying goodbye. I hate parting from people who I love. But it happens. All the time.
Anyway. Since Monday is pretty much around the corner, I did a majority of my packing today. Made my mom proud. I haven't packed up the clothes I want to take, but I got everything else pretty much. This whole idea of leaving the one place you know the most to go somewhere else and start over is so strange, exciting, and frightening. And leaving for college is such a paradox: you're ready to go live on your own but you aren't at the same time. You want to leave but you don't; instead you want your old life to continue. You want to thrive in the place that makes sense to you. I don't know. That's my perspective of this whole thing. I don't think my parents are ready for me to go. I'm not exactly a pain in the butt...or maybe I am when it comes to work and staying motivated for school. But I haven't done anything to make them fed up with me. Plus, I'm their first kid to actually go relatively far away. Sarah goes to Emory Oxford which is like 45 minutes away from my house. Plus my dad has to go there sometimes cause he works at Oxford too, so he sees her. But I'm not going to Emory or an Emory based school. While an hour and a half is not a strenuous drive or anything of that sort, it's still a good distance. And my parents know they won't see me as much as they see my sister.
It's just a strange experience. Very paradoxical and contradicting.
But it's going to be okay.