goodbyes

Today was a great way to spend the last day.
We went to Burlington and shopped at their enormous mall and we went everywhere - Anthropologie, Lego, Vera Bradley, Brookstone, Lucky - the list goes on (better at the list goes on to my page of phrases!). I got some great deals - $20 for 2 shirts (original prices: $40 and $60!) and we had great pizza in the food court.
After a great day at the mall, we came home and had my cousins, my nana, and my best friend for dinner and a small birthday party-ish thing for me. My mom and dad originally said that my birthday present was my Costa Rica trip, but my mom also got me some special things at the mall.
She got me a special book all about beach / ocean memories (it was sort of a memoir) and reading it reminded me so much of our life here at our beach house. It's such a great lifestyle.
She also got me something that I've wanted for a while: a Pandora bracelet. It's a pink one, more of a muted rose color, in honor of the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation. And on it was a rose bead charm, my favorite one from the catalogue. It was a such a special present since my mom picked it out and it was exactly the kind I imagined I would have. It's so special and I just love it. Presents like that are so sentimental and that's what life is all about. My aunt and cousins also gave me some money for my camera purchase and they got me a musical Phineas and Ferb card, which makes everything that much better. What's better than P&F? Maybe milkshakes, but that's it.
My nana gave me money too, and my best friend got me a gift card to one of my favorite stores and some special things she got on her vacation to St. Thomas. They were all so thoughtful, I truly loved them.
But now comes the time when we say goodbye. I remember in my Oxford blogs I wrote about how in The Parent Trap, that depressing monotone song that goes "every time we say goodbye I die a little . . ." comes on, and it's raining and depressing and everyone is sad and crying. That's what tomorrow is going to be. It's the same, the car gets packed and we drive away, tears in our eyes - well, mine at least - back home, where we get jolted back into reality and realize school's in 2 weeks and summer reading isn't even close to being started. Let alone done.
But things are more special when you have to say goodbye to them. Can't wait for tomorrow.