College is a grand adventure for all, but let’s face it, home will always be where the heart is. Thanks to fall break, I have had the utmost blessing of coming back to my own home with many of my own familiar things. Sure, campus has its perks, but there’s nothing like home. Here’s why the three-worded phrase “home sweet home” proves true, with more than just three reasons:

1. There is food galore.

The good Lord only knows how important this point is. Thanks, Mom and Dad for keeping the pantry and fridge stocked. Nothing like real mac and cheese! My stack of Easy mac back in the dorm room has never really “called my name," or looked right when cooked in my microwave.

2. You are no longer sleeping on the average dorm bed.

I will never get tired of leaping onto my own bed when I get home. Clean sheets? Lots of pillows? A mattress that has been “worn in”? Yes, please! Dreams really do come true when I’m home in my own bed.

3. You have your own shower back.

Showers in the dorm can be quite gross and super annoying when it comes to sharing space. Knowing that you don’t need to carry your things in and out of the shower with you in the luxury of your own home will never get old. On top of that, while sudsing up in your own shower, there's never the fear that your roommates will hear you belting your favorite song.

4. The laundry is free.

Who decided that laundry should be so expensive in college? Thanks to the ‘rents for providing all necessary laundry materials when I’m home. Now I can clean the enormous pile of clothes I've had sitting in a corner of my room since the beginning of the school year.

5. You are back on familiar roads.

More than likely, you chose to attend a college not from your hometown. Learning the names of new streets and restaurants around you can be interesting, but there’s nothing like coming home and feeling completely comfortable not relying on a GPS.

6. Getting to see all the friends and family you left behind.

These are the people who helped you with breakups, encouraged you to laugh until you cry and supported your college decisions that would lead you to where you are today. Coming home to the ones who have been by your side, even during the ugly times, really means more than words can explain.

7. There is a new appreciation of your hometown.

Ever since I stepped foot onto my college campus, I've been asked “Where are you from?” at least a million times. I have grown to love the name of my hometown and have begun to understand how incredible it truly is. I am proud to come from the town that helped raise me to be where I am today.

8. Being greeted by the pets that steal our hearts.

Oh, the joy of walking through the door and being instantly greeted with a ball of fur that seems to love you more than you could ever love it! If only our roommates could love us that much when we walk through the door.

9. Having parents under the same roof that can help your broke college student status.

Admit it, you’re a broke college student. More often than not, you’re scavenging for the rest of your money that you “claimed to have just yesterday”, or finding ways to earn more money. Coming home to parents that know you’re struggling financially can be extremely helpful, even when you’re in need of something as simple as toothpaste.

10. The exhilaration of getting to drive your own car again.

For those on campus without a car, I feel you. I hurt with you. More than the guilt you feel when smooching off rides, you miss driving yourself! I’m clueless now as to what “steered” me into thinking I wouldn't get “tired” of asking for rides. Sorry, I had to. Regardless of my bad jokes, there’s nothing like being in control of a car yourself.