Sure, I technically and legally became an adult on my 18^th birthday, or when I graduated high school. But now that my 21^st birthday has come and gone, and I will be starting my senior year in the fall, the real adulthood seems to be right around the corner, staring me straight in the face.

            This means making my own money, paying back student loans, making my own dentist appointments, and not sleeping until 10 a.m…all the time.

            As a friend recently mentioned to me, it’s hard to believe that after 16 years of schooling, in about a year or so school will no longer be a requirement. Going to school every year is all I’ve ever known!

            Lately I have been reminiscing about the big milestones in my life. I graduated middle school and I remember it being a big deal because my friends and I would soon be in high school. At 16, I remember getting a cell phone and thinking I was so grown up. After all, I had a phone and a driver’s license for the first time!

When I graduated high school in 2007, it was hard to believe that those four years had gone by so quickly, and now that I will be a senior in college, it’s hard to believe that my final year at school is about to begin.

            When I was younger, it was hard to imagine that one day I would be out of school and I would be an adult. It seemed so far in the distance, it was like it would never come. Now, it has come. And it seems to have done so much faster than I thought.

            Thankfully, I have been blessed with parents who took care of me and raised me well. And now I will make the transition from cleaning my room to someday cleaning a house. Instead of sharing a space with my parents and a sister, hopefully someday I will share a space with a husband and kids of my own. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

            The first goal would be to get a good job, and to be happy. Oh, and paying back those student loans.

            Maybe someday I will get rich writing for a famous newspaper, or reading the morning’s headlines alongside Matt Lauer on “The Today Show.” I always thought “Megan and Matt” had a nice ring to it.

            Whatever happens, I will look back on the days when Mom made my lunch and told me to clean my room with a smile.

So, here’s to making my own money, paying back student loans, making my own dentist appointments, and not sleeping until 10 a.m. I’m not sure if that’s a fate that I am ready to accept. Ready or not, here it comes!