A brother, a friend

Well, it's finally happened. When I was younger, I really looked forward to this moment - to sitting in my room, knowing that Andy was living hours away, starting a new life far away from me. To be the oldest one at home, and have all the privileges that come with that. Now that it has actually happened, I find myself fighting tears.

Andy and I never got along very well when we were younger. (What brother and sister do?) He would tease me to no end, and I would whine, complain, and annoy him in payback. I was always wanting to hang out with him and his friends, and he was always trying to get rid of me. And then there was the stage when all MY friends wanted to hang out with him more than me. (I don't see why, he wasn't THAT cute. lol)

But as we've matured some, things have gradually changed. While he still teases me all the time, I am finally able to see it was his way of telling me he loves me (it's a way he can do it without sacrificing his "coolness"). And I think I've started to lose that little sister annoying-ness and to become more of a peer or even (dare I say it?) a friend. Okay, so I'm still working on that.

I think what draws us together the most is our value of silence. Both of us enjoy being quiet and on our own at times, so we can understand the other person's need for this too. Because of this, those times when we do talk are more meaningful. I'm going to miss the car rides with our random conversations. :)

You know, didn't really realize how much I valued him as a friend until now - isn't life like that? You don't appreciate things until their gone. But I knew this was coming. And now, I hope and pray for him and his new life. I pray that our friendship will continue to grow, despite being 2.5 hours apart, and mostly, that both of us would keep on growing in our faith and walk with God.

We took him down on Tuesday. . . here are some photos of the campus and his room. We didn't get any of his roommates, but they are super neat guys, and I think the four of them will have a wonderful time together. I will post his address when he knows it, so that you can write to him if inspired. :)

The Baseball field - he'll be spending a lot of time here

Baptist Student Union

Random Motorcycle that caught on fire while we were helping him move in

His apartment building. His room is on the far right of this photo, but the other side of the building.

His room - trust me, it won't be this messy for long!