I thought about making a list for this week's post, but then I decided that I've seen a lot of lists for this type of article. So I decided to just speak about my experience.

My first year of college was probably the best year of my life. I met so many great people, shared amazing experiences, and made so many memories. But coming back home for the summer is tough. You can't go out whenever you want, you can't just leave to go get food or randomly order delivery for that matter, and you can't sleep til 2 and you can't just do nothing.

It's hard.

I missed all of my friends. I've missed just walking through the commons to get to my friend's dorm, across the hall, down to Pollock. I used to walk to my friend's dorm at midnight, and now I can't go out at 11 to get food with my friends. It gets tough being back with rules.

But it's also way worth it. I've missed being home, and even though I can't do the things I did at Penn State, I'd much rather be spending time with my family.

I love coming downstairs and seeing my parents, not just calling them when they aren't busy. I love picking up my sister from school and getting lunch. I love watching Live PD with my brother on Fridays and Saturdays. I enjoy having my job and meeting new people every day. I love laying out on the deck with my dogs and seeing them every day in person, not just me screaming at them to pay attention to me on FaceTime. I love having my best friend home and being able to see her every week instead of only on breaks every couple of months.

While being home, I've learned the real friends I made at State, the ones who kept in touch and the ones who didn't. The ones who when they said they cared for me, they meant it and the ones who didn't. I now know who I can go back to and who I can reach out to as the summer progresses and fall becomes closer, and that's refreshing.

So like I said, it's hard adjusting back to the home life. But it was hard adjusting without my family, and now that I'm back, I know just as well as I did before I moved out how much they love me and support me —even if they won't let me go get Taco Bell at 11 P.M., even though my mom said, "Oooh tacos do sound good right now."