the smell of a freshly opened box of crayons

It's that time of year again... back to school time.

I remember the mix of excitement and dread I had as a child leading up to the end of August when we'd head back to school. I remember picking out cute pencil boxes in elementary school, cool trapper keepers in middle school, and picking up my class schedule in high school to compare which classes I shared with friends! I've also always been a worrier so combined with that anticipation I remember laying in bed at night in the week or two leading up to school and wondering if my best friend would be in my third grade class, if I'd remember my locker combination in seventh grade, if AP Government would be hard senior year. When we graduated college, I remember walking into my first classroom that was really all mine... deciding how to arrange the tables, designing bulletin boards, wondering if I really could change little lives.

In college, though, back to school time was 99% dread. It meant less time with Lexa. And I guess that's what it means again. Elexa will start second grade on August 26 and I am a bit blue about it. I know she'll have a great time and will learn wonderful things like hand claps and paper airplane folding techniques and how to have a best friend and, oh yeah, maybe math or something, too. But I will miss her being at home with me.

This weekend we'll be back to school shopping. The smell of a freshly opened box of crayons has always been bittersweet and this year is no exception. My little girl is one year older, one year smarter, one year more wonderful.