Hi world! Chris here. I’m back from a short break to mix up my usual post topic. Instead of focusing on going somewhere and doing something, Here, There, and Back Again is going to be a bit of a lifestyle blog today.

If you’re nosy (like I am) then you’ll probably like it. If not . . . sorry. I’ll do better next week.

But until then, I have some tales to tell.

Last week was one of the most hectic weeks of this summer, but it was also so much fun. I moved into my first apartment, threw a goodbye cookout for my brother, and attended my first MOB ceremony with the United States Army National Guard. Pair that with some back and forth trips from Wilmington to Winston-Salem and that was my life for the past couple of days!

Since I’m not a freshman anymore, I do have some experience moving around and saying goodbye for the school year. However, living in a dorm is COMPLETELY different from living in an apartment. And living on-campus is COMPLETELY different from living off-campus. (So far it hasn’t been THAT different but being dramatic is fun.)

This year, I’m doing both of those things. I even had to sign a lease and everything. I’m basically a full-grown adult now. Basically.

It’s always really exciting getting to pack up and start over somewhere new. But, saying goodbye is always sad no matter how many times I do it. This year even more so than usual because of a couple of reasons.

One: My brother is deploying, and I won’t see him for a whole year (we’ll get into that later).

Two: My family is super close and it’s always hard to be away from them. Especially now that I’m leaving my parents to an empty nest for the first time.

Three: The animals know that I’m leaving, and they don’t want me to. I’m being serious. It took my cat awhile to figure it out, but now she knows what it means when I start packing and it makes her sad. She’s not the cuddliest of animals, but if she thinks I’m leaving she will start sleeping with me and trying to cuddle on the couch. She even started to get in the way while I was packing.

However, I did eventually get everything loaded and we headed out for my new home. Not without saying goodbye first though.

Since I go to school at the beach, we were expecting it to be hot while we unloaded my things. We were not expecting the apartment complex to not have an elevator to help us with unloading my things. That was a disappointing surprise that just about killed us as we lugged furniture and boxes up three flights of stairs in the humid air.

It sucked, but we got it done. Then to avoid doing more hard work, we went out to eat while my roommates moved in. And because I have the best parents ever, they bought me my first round of groceries too.

Unfortunately, because the drive is so long, my parents had to leave for home before they got a chance to help me with my room. That was my task. It took some time (and a lot of command hooks), but I’m pretty proud of the transformation.

Before

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After

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I didn’t get to stay very long though. Because my brother was about to leave for his first deployment with the army, my family was throwing a cookout to see him off. It was a chance for him to see old friends and reconnect with the people he didn’t get to see this summer before he left.

I was not about to miss it, so I went back home almost immediately after moving in.

It was a long and annoying drive, but I don’t regret it. The cookout turned out to be a really great night with Good Food!

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Good Friends!

And Lame Fireworks! (Not everything in life can be good.)

Even the animals came out to wish Jacob goodbye.

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After the cookout, the events still weren’t over. Now we had to take a day trip into Charlotte for the MOB ceremony that celebrated the entire state unit being deployed.

The entire ceremony ended up being shorter than the drive to get there. However, I’m still glad I got to go. There’s something truly inspiring about standing in a room filled with American soldiers. And something truly saddening when one of them is your brother.

No matter how much we fight, he’s one of the most important people in my life. He’s taught me a lot about life and he’s always been there to protect me and help me out of trouble. This year is going to be an adventure without him.

So, while he’s off being a warrior for my freedom, I’ll be a warrior of prayer for his safety. If you have a moment, join the battle with your own prayer to bring him and the other soldiers home safely as soon as possible.

Sorry about getting serious there. With classes and clubs coming up this week, the next post should be back to fun and funny. Until then, stay safe out there!