Yes, it is amazing to see your family when you walk in the door of your house for the first time in about a month and a half, but there are so many other things you realize that you have missed.
The moment you lay down on your bed for the first time in six weeks is amazing. You feel like you're in Heaven. You literally never want to leave your bed or your house.
You realize you don't have to pull out your Eagle-One card to eat any meal of the day. You also will make the mistake of pulling your Eagle-One card out to try to pay for pretty much anything. I went to Target and made this very embarrassing mistake.
You finally get to eat food that is fresh and NOT frozen, unless you want to. When your mom and dad make you dinner the first night you're home, it feels like five-star dining. You just can't get enough. Your family might give you weird looks, but who cares. It's the best food you've had in the past few weeks.
One downside is that you only have one washing machine and one dryer in your house, unlike in your dorm where there are four or five washers and dryers. We all take advantage of this and put our laundry in two, sometimes three, washing machines. However, your washing machine at home is probably way bigger than the ones you have on campus.
To my family, don't be alarmed if I come home and basically hibernate in my room. It is the first time I have had any alone time in forever. All I want to do is sleep and take advantage of the fact that I'm not going to have neighbors who blast their music at ungodly hours of the day and night.
We finally get to cuddle with the pets we have only seen over FaceTime or Skype for the past six weeks. While you see them in person, they know you are there, whereas you just tell yourself that your dog is definitely listening to you and looking at you through a little computer screen. Maybe your dog can do this, but I know that my thirteen-year-old four-legged best friend could not care less if I was talking to her through the phone or not.
Nothing is better than getting to see your friends from home. You get to share all the crazy stories and experiences you have gone through whether it be something your professor said or how you didn't get sleep once for two days.
Take advantage of being able to drive yourself around at home, if you don't have a car on campus. You don't have to beg your best friend to take you to the grocery store or the mall. You can have that sense of independence again only for a few days. Go to Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, the movies, etc. because you know it might be a while until you can go to these places again.
The day you have to come back to school is either a very happy occasion or very sad. You either are really anxious to get back to your dorm with your roommates and friends or you would rather have another week at home. But remember, you'll be home again soon!
