At the risk of sounding cliche, "home is where the heart is," is one of the truest sayings. No matter where life takes me, there is always going to be a piece of my heart that belongs to the place where I grew up and with the people I love.

There is something special about the way I feel when I'm home. It's the place where I made my childhood memories, met my first friends, bonded with family during holidays and grew older. It's a place of comfort where I can do whatever I want and feel safe.

When I came home from college for the first time it felt rejuvenating. As much as love being away, I also forgot how much I love the comfort of having a place to turn back to. Everything seemed and felt a little different, but it felt so good to be back.

Home is where my family is. My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. My neighbors and best friends are all right around the corner, too. It’s where we spent summer evenings on the patio grilling dinner, made leaf piles to jump in during the fall, and built snowmen during those chilly winter days.

There were times spent here where I laughed so hard I could barely breath. Whether it was someone making up a new dance move, terrible singing, weird jokes, or the sarcasm. Even during the worst of times, someone was able to make me smile. If I was sad, upset, or even just angry, and tried to cover it up, my family would be able to tell and make me laugh. I am so thankful for that.

Growing up in a small town is pretty great. No one outside the town really ever knows about it, but it's the best thing ever when you bring friends there and they experience a place where cows outnumber the people. My new friends here at college hear about home and want to come and I can’t wait to show them what it is really like.

Being home is just easy. It's simple, effortless, and comfortable. You can just be. There's a little piece of me that will always be a homebody. Even as I continue to adventure through college, and fall in love with new places, my home where I grew up will always hold a piece of my heart. I think it is important to remember though, that it’s the people in all of these instances that make me love home so much. The memories I made with them allow me to fondly look back on my childhood and remember so many times that still warm my heart to think about. Home is partially where you grow up, and build your memories. However, the important part is that home is all about who you love, who was there, and who never left. They’re what make the memories so sweet.