While my sister is away at school in the beautiful state of California, sending me photos of her 80 degree beach days, I'm 3,000 miles across the country, freezing cold, and wondering why I ever chose a college that endures brutal winters. The only thing keeping me strong is knowing that in 4 months, I'll be back home embracing the summer heat. Home is where surfboards are stacked up high in the garage, sand is covering every surface of the house, and the ocean serves as a shower that'll last you a couple of days. When you live with someone whose second home is the ocean, this is the norm. There are typically nine signs that show you live with a surfer, check them out below.

1. The words “Stoked,” “amped” and “rad” are all words in your vocabulary.

The word "Gnarly," too, but strictly in your imitation of a typical surfer dude kind of way.

2. One word. Wetsuits.

Half asleep and in your most vulnerable state, you wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. You turn on the light, look in the mirror, and see this dark figure standing behind you. Your heart stops, and in that split second you regret not eating that last bowl of ice cream before bed, because this is where it all ends. When you realize it's just a wetsuit hanging to dry, you want to cry out in pure terror and joy. They take on a life of their own in the night, and maybe this near death wetsuit experience will make you a stronger person... one day.

3. You pretty much always know where they are.

If they're not at work, and not at home, they're probably at the beach. Want to spend some quality time, hangout, catch up on life? You better have your bathing suite on and some SPF on your skin, because the only hangout spot you'll be at is the beach.

4. The smell of seaweed haunts you even in your sleep.

Not just the smell, but the actual green gross stuff itself. You find it in the car, in the shower, on the floors. There's no escaping it.

5. You live in a sandbox.

Even vacuuming the floors 24/7 can't make it all disappear, so you've gotten used to always having sand on the bottom of your feet.

6. Their Instagram is basically a shrine dedicated to the ocean.

The photos are pretty awesome, though, so we aren't complaining.

7. Saturday nights are spent drinking beer and waxing surfboards.

After a long day of work, who wants to go out and party? You've gotten used to sitting around the fire, beer in hand, comfy clothes on, and watching some surfer dudes apply Sex Wax (Yep, that's the brandname) to their boards.

8. Family dinners usually involve surfing terminology you just don’t understand...

but you do your best to seem interested.

9. You secretly love it.

No matter how annoying it may get having to deal with all of the ramifications of living with a surfer, when you don't have to dealwith it is when you find yourself missing it the most. The smelly seaweed, the abundance of sand, the life-like wetsuits, they all define your summer, making it everything that it is- fun, memorable, and without any dull moments. Although you may not be a surfer, you've become a part of that lifestyle, and it's a pretty cool one.