Of my entire eighteen years, the longest I have been away from home is two weeks. With move in day approaching quickly, the reality of my future is becoming more and more clear to me. Soon, I will move four hours away from my home town to an all new city with all new people. Change has never been comfortable to be, and with the biggest change of my life approaching, I am already beginning appreciate the things around me more than I ever have. Here are a few things I'm already dreading saying goodbye to.

1. My family.

Mom, dad... moving out is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but I know you've both prepared me for this the best you can.

2. My pets (siblings).

My three dogs and two cats aren't even considered my pets at this point, they're more like siblings. I'm not sure how I am going to survive without my kitten sleeping by my side every night.

3. The beach.

I haven't quite figured out how I am going to handle not being able to drive a few minutes to watch the sunrise on the beach any morning I feel like.

4. My amazing friends.

No more random Jimbo's dates... being hundreds of miles away from some of you all is going to be so hard. I'm going to miss all of you more than you know, but I know we're all going to do great things.

5. Late night beach trips.

As recently mentioned, having the beach down the road from home is the best. Late night beach trips with friends has been a blessing and I will never forget how the sky looks on a clear summer night out on the south end.

6. My beloved bedroom.

This has been my safe place all my life and it's going to take some work making my new home as comfortable as my bedroom now.

7. Homemade meals.

Nothing is better than a home cooked meal with the family.

8. Tourist season

As crazy as the traffic gets around Wilmington during tourist season, it's almost heart-warming. Knowing people take time out of their lives to visit my hometown makes me even more thankful to live here.

9. Local shops.

The cute coffee shops, boutiques and bookstores have become some of my favorite places in town. Sitting in the back of the Old Bookstore and listening to strangers play the piano will be one of the things I will miss the most.

10. Mother nature's mood swings.

If you live in Wilmington, you know the struggle of being on the beach on a sunny day with "zero" chance of rain, when all the sudden the sky turns black and you're being forced to your car by a wall of torrential rain.

11. Downtown Wilmington

Downtown and all the adventures I have had there have left me with some amazing memories. Walking along the water with a waffle cone from Kilwin's will forever be one of my favorite things to do.