I never thought I'd be one of those moms who was anxious for the first day of school.  As a child, I was always anxious and excited for school to start…I was a big geek, you know…thrilled about new clothes, backpacks, pencil cases and lunch boxes.  And the smell of paste…wow!  But when I became a mom, I figured that I would be saddened by the thoughts of my children hopping on the bus for an entire 7 hours away from me.  How could they survive without me?  Wouldn't they be homesick? 

But guess what.  School starts in 6 days.  They are excited…and so am I!  I have excitement for them…for all of the aforementioned *stuff*, no doubt.  Every parent feels a connection to the dad skipping through the aisles in the Staples commercial, but I am anxious for school to start because I think we all thrive on a little structure.  And for as inherently fun as summer is, with vacations, swimming, late night trips to DQ and running around catching lightning bugs, there isn't a lot of structure.  And in mid August…everyone starts to fall apart, kids included!  So yes, I am one of those moms who will be tearing up when her kindergartner gets on the bus, but you can bet that I will be zooming off to Starbucks faster than you can say "my sanity is reclaimed!"

This is a business blog…not a complaint forum for cranky, summer-worn kids.  So, here is a recent senior.  I love the laid back, natural feel of this shot…