To my dysfunctional family,

Going off to college, I thought being independent from all of you is what I wanted. No one to seek permission from, no one to tell enforce the "my house, my rules" reasoning, no one nagging me to do the dishes even if I ate out that day.

And I couldn't be more wrong.

To my sisters -- I miss being able to sing out loud around the house and having you guys sing back to me. I miss being able to freak out about TV shows and talk to you guys for hours about them. I miss being able to spontaneously play "Mario Kart" with all of you and then switch to "Just Dance." I miss watching old videos we made of ourselves years ago. I miss having you guys around almost 24/7. I thought college would be a great break from us bickering all the time, but the truth is, I miss even the fighting.

To my parents -- I thought college would be 10 times easier than being back home, but I am realizing now how much I took for granted. There's no one here to do my laundry or clean my room. I have to do all of that on my own. I miss having my own personal doctors. I find myself calling you guys every week asking you what medicine will make me feel better. I call you guys and ask you what seem like the dumbest questions, but the truth is I miss talking to you guys every day when I come home. I miss having our "Friends" marathon and I miss theorizing about "Game of Thrones."

And to our family as a single unit, I miss our long car rides together. I miss Mom and Dad trying to talk over all three of the girls singing different songs. I miss sitting at the dinner table together and just catching up with each other about what's going on in our lives. College showed me to appreciate the little moments with all of you. And that living at home for the past 18 years is something to cherish, not wish away.

So to my dysfunctional family,

I miss you all more than you can imagine and Thanksgiving couldn't come sooner.

Love,

Your daughter in college