Him and I a year ago at the beach in NC.

On August 16th, I went with my family to drop my brother off at his freshman college dorm, which was five hours away. Not only was the ride painful, but also was seeing my brother walk into adulthood for the first time. My brother and I have been pretty close all of our lives since we only have each other as siblings.Him and I are inseparable when we are together, so Tuesday afternoon was very difficult. When I am around him, although I am older, I seem like the younger sister who relies on him for a lot of things. So,being the one who has been in college for a few years now and him only now starting feels so weird to me.

My brother and I on Time Travel Day in high school

With him living so far away feels strange because I can't just go home to see him, instead I have to call or text him to know how he is. All of the tiny arguments him an I have had through the years faded into history as he walked toward his dormitory for the first time. My family was pretty good at not crying, but we have sure cried a little here and there since then. I know my brother is going to be awesome at whatever he does, but my family and I really do miss him a ton!

My brother at his favorite restaurant Tropical Smoothie

Not only do I feel super old now that my younger brother is entering college, but I also feel like I should tell him how to do everything the right way (even though I am still learning too). College is a fun, crazy, and interesting time in life and I just want to be protective of him. I know my brother is going great places and that he will be okay, but he has no idea the amount of stress college can cause. Yes, it is the most fun I have had in my life, but I have also stressed myself out so much that I have to make sure not to "over work" again. I had to take a step back, breathe, and re-evaluate my time management. My brother hasn't had to do that just yet, and I feel overly protective of him on his first time away. I want to make sure that he has the time of his life, but at the same time I want him to not make the same small mistakes I have made... Man, I guess that is how my parents have felt my entire life.

Brother on a hike

I absolutely love my brother and everything that he is doing. If he is reading this, I believe in you little bro-chacho. You are going to make history with what you love to do, and in all honesty, I look up to you more than you look up to me.

Brother a couple of years ago

I want to congratulate my little brother for shooting for the stars and focusing on something he loves so much! I am so proud of him.