Well. Here we are. The last night together in our family home. The last night we might ever live under the same roof.

I want to start by saying what a journey it has been watching you grow up. It totally freaks me out at times, but it was bound to happen. You aren't "little kater" anymore. You aren't "boo". You're grown up and wide eyed, ready to start the next chapter of your life.

Each time one of us siblings left the house for college or their career, it truly never felt the same again. It wasn't really "home" anymore. It was like one by one, picking petals off of a flower. With each petal, you try to remember how beautiful it was before. Each time someone left, it was sad, but it isn't the same as how it feels now that you're leaving. You're the baby of the family. You're the last one. You're the one who made me realize we are all growing up faster than we can see day to day-- the kind of fast that takes three deep breaths to hold it together.

It definitely doesn't help that I'm going to be back home this whole next year all alone. I have always said I would hate being an only child. It would be so boring, I'd say. I'd have to entertain myself. I wouldn't have my siblings and all their friends running in and out of the house. I wouldn't have anyone to goof off with, and there'd be no such thing as family game nights (which everybody knows is my favorite).

And although I'm sad to watch you leave knowing I can't be there to protect you anymore, I am so excited for you to begin these next four years of your life.

I can't lie. It's going to be hard. You're a lot like me (except cooler), so I kind of have an idea what you'll struggle with. Balancing good grades and a social life won't be easy. Keeping up with old friends while also making new ones gets tough. Missing home, your boyfriend and your family isn't really something that you "just get used to." It all gets a little easier with time, but you will learn quickly that you simply can't do it all. Whenever you choose to do one thing, you're also choosing not to do another. You decide to go out on a Tuesday night before an exam, and you've decided you aren't spending the night studying. Choosing to go home for the weekend means you might miss a really fun get together with friends up at school.

You will figure out what's important to you. You don't have time for everything, so make sure to choose to do the things that you love and enjoy. You don't have me looking over your shoulder to eat healthier. You don't have mom to do your laundry. You don't have anyone telling you what time you need to be home each night. You don't have dad begging you to read that book (you know what I'm talking about) so that you can educate yourself, instead of blindly listening and agreeing to the opinions of your peers. You have more choices now than you ever will in your entire life. You don't have parents hovering over you, and you don't have a family dependent upon you. You are in between. It's a gift, but many people don't take advantage of it.

I don't mean to abuse this newly obtained privilege when I say "take advantage of it," even though you surely will, but it's a learning process. You'll stay out too late, drink too much and you will make mistakes. But I argue that it's important that you do-- even though I wish I could protect you from slipping up too many times. If you don't fudge up a little at some point, you won't recognize your limits, find out who you really are, and you won't learn a thing.

There's nothing more I wish than to be able to live our college years together, but I too need to start a new chapter of my life. I'm getting older too, and I'm beginning my career. And it's scaring me how desperately I'm trying to hold onto the good old days where all of us were under the same roof.

I trust that at some point everything I've ever said, every piece of advice will click. And you'll have more and more questions about life that I won't be able to answer. Don't get frustrated. You will figure it all out eventually.

My wish for you is that you find happiness and adventure and you travel outside of your comfort zone. That you go out of your way to talk to and meet new people. That you work hard in school and realize what a privilege it is that you are there in the first place. That you recognize what it means to have a degree and the unfortunate lack of options for your future if you do not. That you find something that you're passionate about and that you always strive to be better than you were the day before. That you live each day with intention and that you make a conscious decision to be more like the person you want to become every day. That you have fun and make mistakes, but not the kind that drastically alter your future. That you find a good group of friends that have a positive outlook on life. That you find a church to get plugged into, whose pastor's words resonate with you. That you call me when you mess up so that I can help you fix it. That you never lose sight of your goals and dreams. That you remember that you don't need to be like everybody else. What's best for you isn't always what's best for others. It's okay to take the road less traveled. And it's okay to lose friends along the way; you will make new ones. That you are not bound to your past, and you can become whoever you want to be whenever you choose. That you don't need anyone else's approval if the decision you're making truly comes from the bottom of your heart. That you figure out there is more to life than parties, boys and getting an "A". That you develop your own views: politically, religiously and philosophically, and that they are all based on facts and heavy research. That you choose kindness above any other way of living, and that people look to you as an example of love and grace. That you work hard for the things you want and don't just expect them to fall into your lap. I pray that every time you come home, we pick up right where we left off. That nothing ever changes between us and our friendship, and that you always know you can call me.

So here's to the last night of you taking over my snapchat story. Here's to the last night I'll ever be yelling from the bathroom for you to grab me another roll of toilet paper. Here's to the Vine-watching, the board-game playing and the sharing of clothes. Here's to telling our pooch how cute she is way too many times. Here's to forcing you to hangout with me and my friends because we just want to be cool like you. Here's to getting irrationally angry for no reason, yelling and then ending the rant with "you poop head" because you realized how harsh you were being. Here's to you, sissy. And this big step you are taking towards making your dreams come true.

I love you.