When I left for college on that humid August morning, I thought I would come back home to visit within a few weeks. I had never even thought of the possibility of not being home until Thanksgiving. Now it’s twelve weeks later and I’m preparing to go home for the first time. There are so many things that I took forward to at home that I now cannot wait to experience again. Here is a list of what I have been looking forward to these past few months. Some of these items I didn’t even realize I wanted so deeply until I was three months into college!

1. Taking A Shower Without Shoes

Whoever invented them is a savior to every college student. I never envisioned wearing flip-flops with holes into the shower each day. Now I can’t wait until I can take a shower without them on and having to use the tip of my shoe to remove others hair that is clogging the shower drain.

2. My Cat

I still miss her coming into my room at night and cuddling with me. I thought the longing would go away after a while, but it hasn’t.

3. My Mom's Cooking

The dining hall is exciting...for about a week. After that, I ended up texting my parents about the disappointing bowl of pasta I'd eaten and wishing it was my mom’s homemade pasta and gravy.

4. My Bed

Being able to roll over in bed to reach for my charger without almost falling out of bed has been a dream of mine since day one. There’s only so many times I can catch myself on the mini fridge door before I just let the fall happen.

5. Not Doing My Own Laundry

Not having to wait in the laundry room for somebody to come and fetch their wash that has been done for ten minutes. I’m also too nice of a person to dump their laundry on the counter, so I wait in angered silence for the culprit to arrive so I can do my laundry for the week. Being able to do laundry whenever and not have to pay for it will truly make my Thanksgiving break.

6. Not Having To Make My Bed

Washing the sheets on my bed is an Olympic task. It’s raised to almost three feet off the ground and I’m forced to launch myself onto the mattress in order to get the fitted sheet on. Only six more months of that one.

As I sit here and write this in my dorm room I am hoping the next five days fly by. Then I will have a week off to enjoy all of these things. By the time the rest of the world reads this article I will have been home for three days, and hopefully all of my wishes will come true. To all the college kids who are reading this and understand the need to be home, hold on in there. Christmas is only a few short weeks away.