It has been awhile since I've updated on my favorite writing series. School's been taking over my life, as it probably should. I mean, that's how I even got to write these articles, right?

Anyway, here's the latest news: my brother, his wife and my precious Nola moved to Beaufort, South Carolina last month. Luckily for me, I got to go home the weekend before they moved for yet another going away party (I swear, we've had like three of these already). Well, if I'm being honest, I actually went to Dallas with one of my sisters to see All Time Low perform, but it happened to fall on the same weekend as my brother's going away party, so that was convenient.

After a long day of traveling and a long night of loud singing, my sister DJ and I pulled into my neighborhood around midnight. Thinking that the party was almost over, I told DJ to park in my driveway -- except it was full of cars. In fact, my whole street was lined with them. People had been at my house for hours, I was surprised that it was still going. We walked in and the first things I saw were Nola and Sassy (my sweet dogs) running towards me. I don't think that that will ever get old or be any less special -- I miss my dogs every day.

After a little reunion with my puppies, I managed to squeeze my way through the many, many drunk people in my kitchen and find my brother and my mom. We talked, we laughed, and I took in the last moments I would have with my brother still living in Texas. It was a weird feeling -- I mean, he'd lived there for my entire life, you know? With the exception of boot camp, but that didn't last that long in retrospect. San Antonio was the farthest he'd been from me, and that was only what, six hours from my college? Now he'd be over 1,000 miles away from me. I knew nothing would change our goofy relationship, but our distance would change a lot of things that I'm not sure I'm ready for.

This will be our first Thanksgiving without him at the table, both of us mistakenly putting jeans on and then yelling, "These jeans have no give!" and putting on our "Thanksgiving pants" (major props if you catch the reference). This Christmas will be the first one that we don't frantically try to find something for our mom together. I can't walk downstairs at 2 a.m. for a glass of water and end up watching "The Steve Wilkos Show" with him for three hours. I can't turn on "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show on a random trip to Walmart and pretend to play the violin while singing every word with him. I knew this was all bound to change eventually anyway, because neither of us can live at home forever, but it's never easy when it does.

But it wasn't just him I'd miss. I don't get to use Amber's awesome wrapping skills for Christmas gifts. I don't get to raid her closet for shoes anymore (praise the Lord she's a size 10, too). I won't have someone sitting at the table to defend me against Kyle's relentless banter or to laugh at all my jokes (even if they're terrible). I'd miss my "newest" sister, too. If you're wondering why I put that in quotes: she may have only just married my brother in August, but she's been part of the family for so much longer.

I got to spend a few extra hours helping them pack before I headed back to Wichita Falls the next day, too. Nothing funny or embarrassing happened this time, much unlike parts one and two of this series (unless you count one of my brother's VERY drunk friends calling my mom "sweetheart" the whole night of the going away party). There were no tearful goodbyes, either. I guess I just knew that he was doing what he loves with the woman he loves, and that was enough to keep the tears at bay, at least for a while.