Going to school out of your home state is a challenge. You are headed from the familiar to the unfamiliar, which is often overwhelming and, honestly, terrifying. I decided to go to a school that is exactly 430 miles away from my house. Close enough that I can drive there in a day, but far enough that the drive is a big commitment.

I remember during my freshman year at Baylor, my roommate was from Austin, an hour and a half away from school. A fraction of the time it took for me to go home. She even went home between the end of classes and beginning of her finals to study because it was so close and she wanted to be around her family and in her childhood home so that she could be comfortable and focus on studying. I was so glad for her and that she had such an awesome opportunity to be near her family and have that support system. However, as one could expect, a huge part of me was jealous. My heart longed to be home and see my family that I had not seen in months.

Plane tickets are expensive. Gas can get expensive. Teleportation hasn't been invented yet, so it would seem out of state students, especially those who are less financially privileged than others, are out of luck when it comes to seeing their families more often than Summer and Christmas breaks. Let me tell you, seeing my friends go home for every long weekend and holiday that came up while I stayed on campus and FaceTimed my family once or twice was unbelievably hard. Yeah, I was able to go home for those two long breaks, but that leaves several other long weekends and Thanksgivings that I was stuck on campus.

So, yes. It is very hard to be an out-of-state student on a holiday. But the good news about all of this is that I go to Baylor, a place where "Baylor family" is a very real term. My new friends and I got closer and, as they started to see my heart ache for home, they started to invite me to their homes. Their parents "adopted" me for the weekend when I wasn't able to go home. They made us home-cooked meals and made sure we went to bed at a reasonable time. As much as I love Baylor, staying in Waco, TX 24/7 can get a little old. Even just weekends away are always nice.

If you are one of those lucky folks that do live close to your family and have friends like me who aren't able to go home nearly as much as they want or need to, take your friends home with you. Chances are, they miss their families just as much as you do, if not much more. Bless them with the opportunity of being around a family and be in a home when they aren't able to see or be at their own. I promise you, your out-of-state friends will forever cherish those memories and be eternally grateful for your generosity.