The months turned into weeks, weeks turned into days, and the days with Macy were quickly turning into the last seconds before we left for Grand Valley.  

August 19th, 2018.

My last night with my sister at home. Seeing her room become empty and the cars become full with all of her stuff. All the mess I got mad at her for is all gone, it’s all packed and ready to be moved away.

August 20th, 2018.

We all wake up prepared for the long day ahead of us. We leave our house in Dowling at 7 o’clock in the morning to drive an hour and a half to get to Grand Valley State University.

We all rode seperate, it was Macy and me; our mom and stepdad; and then our dad, stepmom, and step sister. Riding with my sister knowing it was the last time I’d see her for a while was hard but I just tried not to think about it. We just acted like it was all normal and she wasn’t going anywhere. Singing our hearts out and talking about life was typical for us when we were in the car together and that’s exactly what we did the whole drive to GVSU.

We got to Grand Valley and had to find where to go, follow all the signs and cones then finally we got in front of the building her dorm room was in.

Macy had been waiting for this day for years, I can remember her talking about going to college since middle school, and the first thing she said when we got there is

“I want to go home,”

all I said to her is,

“you better get used to it, this is going to be your home for a while."

It was packed. We weren’t the only family losing someone to send them away on a new exciting journey. People were walking everywhere to find their cars, dorms, and buildings. Returning students were helping move all the boxes and bags into the new rooms, while trying to make the freshman feel comfortable, welcomed and not overwhelm them.

The campus is way bigger than anything we were used to. Nobody had a clue what we were supposed to do or where to go. Our family tried to be her rock and be as helpful as possible but we didn’t do a very good job helping her. She is the oldest kid so she was the first to graduate and adventure away from home.

We got into the dorm rooms and it was chaos. She had to unpack all of her stuff and find room for everything, knowing that she has a roommate coming and she would need room too. Seeing that craziness makes me not want to move away and live in a tiny dorm room with someone.

Everyone knew Macy would forget quite a bit so we had to make a couple trips to the store, she packed all of her clothes but didn’t think to bring hangers. She forgot her tv remote and who knows what else.

Our big, split family of seven finally left the dorms and campus and went out to lunch at a very popular restaurant right off Grand Valley's campus. We thought our time was coming to an end with Macy but little did we know when we walked back to her dorm we had a surprise waiting for us.

My dad, step mom and step sister left right after lunch to go home, while my mom, step dad and me stayed and walked Macy back to her room.

After a long walk we came back to Macy's dorm to find her roommate unpacking and rearranging her part of the room.  

The beds in the dorm rooms are adjustable so you can have them up to the ceiling or at a mid level. Before we left their dorm Macys bed was all the way up to the ceiling and when we came back her roommate had hers at the mid level. We looked around at the other rooms to get ideas for their beds and Macy decided she wanted hers at the mid level too.

Another hour of standing there in the scorching hot dorms and halls waiting for her room to get done.

One Hour Later.

One hour later and it's officially time to leave my big sister and help her turn the page to a new chapter. One last hug before I leave as the only child. One last time seeing my big sister as the childish kid before she transitions to the big college kid she’s always wanted to be. One last “see you later” before I don’t live with my best friend anymore.

The hour and a half drive to Grand Valley flew by and the drive home felt like forever. It was quiet. There was no arguing between us kids, it was weird.

I can’t wait for the days when Macy comes home but I dread the days when she has to leave again.