The countdown of days has now reached single digits — 9. After next week’s classes, we will have the following Monday off, and the rest of that week is finals. It is so hard to believe that the end is finally near. It seems like just yesterday we were in early April talking about graduation and end of the year activities. Now they’re here. These last few months have absolutely flown by.

Prom, which took place two weekends ago, was a lot of fun! It was held on the campus of Texas Tech University. My date and I were on prom court, although neither of us won. Along with a large group of our friends, we went to a nice steak restaurant before the prom and then had fun watching movies afterwards. It hit me — for the first time — that I don’t have much time left with my high school friends. We’ve been going to school together for many years, but we’re about to go our separate ways. It was a bit sad, but I know I’ll stay in touch with my really close friends. Although the college I will attend is in my hometown, I will be living in the dorm. Several of my friends will be going away to school.

Baseball has maintained a constant grasp on my life, even with the two-week layoff, due to the swine flu. However, we are now back on schedule. During the “break,” we had several intersquad games. The “Pinstripes” played the “Grays” in the inaugural Swine Series, and my team, the “Grays,” won the series 3 games to 2. Our guys had a blast competing with each other and making each other better. It showed during our first playoff series. We won the first game 11-4 and the second 10-5 to move on to the second round. Our next game is Tuesday against a team from El Paso. I think our team has the potential to make a deep run if we stay focused and work together.

I mentioned that finals are in a couple of weeks, but I have actually completed my coursework. The finals I needed to take were all for dual credit courses and the college needed those grades earlier. When I receive my diploma in two weeks on May 31, I will have approximately 30 college hours.

For that last week, I will only have to go to school for a couple of hours a day before I’m eligible to leave. We have blocked scheduling (four classes every other day) and on one of my days, I have had just one class for a couple of weeks. On Monday, I will be receiving a meningitis vaccine at a clinic at our school, which is recommended for seniors who will be attending college or joining the military.

Graduation presents are starting to come in with a steady flow. It is nice to be thanked for the completion of school. For all of you seniors, make sure to send people thank-you notes if they get you something. I actually sent little letters in my graduation announcements to many people simply saying thanks for their influence in my life for the past 18 years.

Well, we are almost there! Continue to do your best throughout the last few weeks, and it will be over before you know it. As my parents have always encouraged me . . . finish strong!! I hope you all have a blessed week!