The first day.

         The first day of school and the entire back to school season is one of my favorite times of the year. Even as a child I enjoyed shopping for school supplies and the first day of school was (and still is) a holiday to me, while most children looked at it as a prison sentence. This year I combed the school supply sections of many shops and stocked up on Lisa Frank folders, notebooks, and a fantastic pencil case featuring the cute Lisa Frank puppies.
        Today was my first day of school for the fall semester. I am almost finished with my degree, it took me awhile to figure out what to major in and I'm not ashamed by it. Not everyone knows what they want and who they are when they are 18 and I think our culture puts too much emphasis on moving forward and jumping through the next hoop then on self exploration. Some people need a lot of time to meditate on who they really are and what they want out of life. That being said, there is no age limit on change. Some people set a track for their life and they think that's it, they may be unhappy and want to change something major in their life but they think they are too old. There is no age limit on change. Just because you are a certain age doesn't mean you are done learning and changing, never remain stagnant because you might as well be dead. Sorry for my small tirade.
           Anyway, even as a 22 (soon to be 23 eep) year old college student I still get giddy at the thought of buying school supplies and spend hours packing my bookbag and picking out my brand new first day of school outfit. I love learning and while I like to learn through independent study there is something special about being taught by a fantastic teacher. This morning I donned a white and orange dress that I purchased at "Twice Loved Treasures" (Vineland, N.J) yesterday afternoon. They had a lot of vintage pieces in stock and I bought a lot of blouses but I only found one prized dress. I believe it is from the late 60's or early 70's. I wore a pair of brown heels,which aren't pictured, that my Mommom gave me. They are from the 60's and they complemented the dress nicely. The dress is from Sears and I am so sad that I found it at the end of the summer, I don't have a lot of time to wear it before it gets chilly.
          The only thing that irks me about the first day of school is the reading of the syllabus. I don't understand why adults have to be told about classroom etiquette and why said subject needs to take up 50 minutes of my time, but the world is a strange place.

New school clothes from Sears, completely polyester. I am living the mid-century suburban dream. 

A new school year, to me, is equivalent to the New Year. It's a fresh start. My academic career has not been stellar every semester since entering college but this semester is a fresh start. Just like the resolutions for the new year a new school year is a chance to make a fresh start.

My bookbag. I plan to adorn it with more badges and decorations. I am one of those obnoxious bookbag owners.

How many of you get excited about the first day of school? What about those who don't attend school anymore, does the beginning of September still feel like a special time for you? Does anyone else share my zeal to learn outside of formal teaching? If you don't have an opinion about any of that, what do you think about the dress?