As the flight attendant shuffled by, she asked "pretzels or peanuts?" My stomach was in knots – the good kind. I couldn't eat.

I turned my head towards the window as the sun slipped through. It looked like streams of golden ribbons twirling and weaving in and out of the airplane rows. I laughed to myself. We're in the sky right now, and I'm feeling so high.

All of these good things were happening in my life and in that moment, the thought of walking through the door to meet the eyes of my family was giving me butterflies. I felt like my feet were going to lift off the floor any second. It's amazing how life can give you a natural high – the feeling you get where nothing could stop you and you can't stop smiling.

I didn't think too much about this Thanksgiving being different than any other year. I thought it would feel the same. But it was my first Thanksgiving after being away from my family. Nine hours away. Another state away. When the plane took off, I knew this year was different. I had never been so excited to see the people I love.

It's crazy what three months can do to your life. Not that long ago, I was a girl who was unsure of myself. I was afraid to talk to people. I was afraid to do things – things I desperately wanted to do. Today, I am confident in who I am more than ever.

When I moved away to college, I told myself over and over that my mantra was going to be: "Life begins outside of your comfort zone." And I can vouch for this. I've never felt so alive.

This Thanksgiving, I found such simple things around me making me smile. When I was living at home and going to community college, all I would think about is being somewhere else. Living somewhere else. "Roseville is so boring. I hate it here," I would say to myself.

After coming home for the first time of being away, I instantly felt a wave of warmth and comfort over me. I'm home. I know every inch, every corner to this town.

I also would take joy in the littlest things. My dad's dorky jokes, my sister's laughter, my mom's hugs, my brother's dance moves all made me fuzzy inside. OK, I know that's kind of lame but it's the truth.

Being away from my family for three months has magnified their little quirks, gestures and everyday actions into things that can't help but make me smile. How funny is it that being apart from someone really makes you appreciate them more. You appreciate every single second with them.

This past year, I've lost people close to me. I've had breakdowns. I've seen family members in pain. This time apart really has helped me to realize every second, every laugh, every tussle is still a second. A second that I have with them and it could quite possibly be the last second I ever spend with them.

I said it earlier and I'll say it again: it's crazy what three months can do to your life.