Ah, the Lehigh Valley, “home of the Iron Pigs, Musikfest, and an endless number of colleges.” While the Valley is known for many things good and bad, its best known to me as just HOME. With all its rich Industrial history to its mile upon miles of vacant fields to bustling little cities, here's a list of the top five things I never thought I’d miss about sweet home, Pennsylvania.

1. Wawa

There are two types of people in PA: the ones who live and breathe for Wawa, and the ones who (for some reason) like Sheetz better??? For those of you out of staters who don’t know, Wawa is a gift from the Gods which supplies the community 24/7 of delicious coffee, mac and cheese, iced tea, and as a bonus, it’s a gas station! I don’t think there’s a thing I miss more than my daily runs to my “heaven on earth.” I also have yet to find a place that can even come close to filling the void in my heart (and stomach) that was left there the second I left Wawa country. Needless to say, I’m #deprived.

2. The food

If it wasn’t already obvious, I love food a lot. Little did I know that the second I’d leave the Mid- Atlantic, most of my diet would become unheard of. Us Lehigh Valley dwellers have a twist on the iconic Big, fat Philly Cheesesteak. We make it with a red sauce and pickles and peppers and white gooey cheese, and yes, it's amazing. This mouth-watering delicacy became a small roll with just the chipsteak and cheese. Ironic that (at least in Maine) they’re called "Steak and Cheese". And spoiler alert – they SUCK in comparison. Delicious hoagies became subs, and like the Steak and Cheese, the ingredients list diminished in quantity and quality. Although I shouldn't complain too much because at least cheesesteaks and hoagies can be found in a lesser version elsewhere. There are so many PA-based brands, like Turkey Hill and Tastykakes, that just simply don’t exist to the rest of the states. Tragic. OH! Don’t even get me startedon those whoopie pies and the under-abundance of pretzels!

3. Snow days

Weather forecast calling for snow? Better get your milk and eggs! Oh, they’re calling for 5 whole inches??? Well, guess we won’t have school for another week. There is no better feeling than stalking WFMZ storm-center all day and night then waking up to seeing your school district decided to close. Now I live in Maine where I’m told the snow banks are over 20 ft tall, 5 inches is considered a "dusting", and where the campus (MY campus) is notorious for never canceling classes. CAN’T. WAIT. (the picture above shows a snow day I had where they called off school the night before and this was the accumulations around 3 p.m. the next afternoon.)

4. Never a Dull Moment

Nothing to do on a weekend? LOL, not in the Lehigh Valley! I grew up in an area that was a composite of 3 fairly large cities. Bethlehem, Allentown, and Easton, so exploring each city's in's and out's never got old. Being an old industrial town, there were abandoned cement ruins right off the trails to explore, Bethlehem Steel and old iron works buildings just drenched with history and most of the time, really picturesque graffiti. There always is some kind of festival or event going on in, if not in my town, a neighboring town. Even if there was nothing of interest or for argument's sake I needed a get-away: NYC was a bus ticket and a little less than 2.5 hours away, the Jersey Shore was around 2 hours away, and Philadelphia was about 1.5 hours away. There was always something to do or somewhere to go. I miss being so close to everything and not feeling bored out of my mind, my wanderlust is dying a slow and painful death. I NEED ADVENTUREEEE!!!

5. Wegmans

Oh how the people beyond Wegmans’ boundaries are deprived. It’s the land of true foodie’s. If you can imagine Whole Foods having a baby with any given grocery store and then adding in a fresh food section where you can get food to-go, you have Wegmans. It’s the Target of all grocery stores. I know what you’re thinking. How does an 18-year-old miss a grocery store? Well, imagine how awesome that grocery store must be that an 18-year-old misses it with her entire heart and soul. Yeah...it really is THAT incredible.