As much as I still am a fanatic about reading other peoples' entries, I rarely have a desire to write myself. This summer is certainly not one for the ages, as life has slipped into a routine of commute, work and sleep. Long Beach is great in the summer, but I work out of a house so that kind of cancels it out, I suppose.

I'm going to Amsterdam on Thursday. From there, Scotland, and then onto Yorkshire. Seems familiar, ey? Yeah, I went to ALL THOSE PLACES in January, with Ari. However, this time I'm hitting the Scottish Highlands instead of Edinburgh, which really is a completely different trip. And Amsterdam? My father requested we go there; I had no problem complying with him on that one. And York was my idea, I'm absolutely in love with the city, and thought that he would feel the same, as well.

I'm such a travel whore, but thats the one thing that makes me unconditionally happy. Just getting...away. True, with my dad as my travel partner it won't be nearly as fun as when I was with Ari, but who knows? This I know for sure: The presence of my father will NOT deter me from getting really, really high in Amsterdam. Ooh, I hope he does too. I also love traveling to Europe because I can legally drink, something I have to wait nearly two years in the States to do. It hasn't hit me that I'm actually going, it will when I pack and all that.

This is my life now. A year ago at this time, my life was as I had known it to be since I was born. Mother, Father, Brother and me. Almost a year has gone by since her death, and a year later my father and I travel to Scotland. Me and him. Not him and my mother, or him and me with my mother waiting home for us. When we leave the house, we'll be the ones who unlock the doors in a week. I'm dreading the one-year anniversary. Things have gotten easier, though. Not that I don't think about her, but I've adapted to this new life, coming home to just my father, making my own money and paying for my education without any assistance.

I'm definitely looking forward to this trip. I think my father has begun dating which, as much as I'm not thrilled about it, knew that this was an inevitable step in the process of death. Sure, I'm an adult and won't have to call her 'mom' but it's still going to suck seeing someone else on the arm of my father. Ack, this trip cannot come sooner.