Ahh Thanksgiving break. Time to leave our college towns for our first long break of the school year. I'll admit, I was excited to go home for Thanksgiving, but the thought of leaving my roommate for 10 days gave me separation anxiety and I wasn't sure if I was going to remember how to drive a car. There are a few key things that all of us college students look forward to after not being home for a while.

1. Your own bed

The twin size extra long bed with the Tempurpedic mattress topper just doesn't compare to my queen size bed at home where I can sprawl out as much as I want and even have the luxury of rolling over without falling off the bed onto the floor.

2. Your own bathroom

I forgot how nice it feels to shower WITHOUT wearing shoes. I can take as long as I want and even belt out a few tunes in the comfort of my own bathroom without the fear of people making fun of my not-so-great singing voice.

3. Home cooked meals

Dining hall food just doesn't always cut it. I have tried every possible meal combination at this point and none of them compare to a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie.

4. Family time

All through high school we couldn't wait to go away for school and get away from our parents and family, but now we get excited to spend time with our parents and tell them everything.

5. High school friends

College friends are great. I love all of my college friends to death, but sometimes it is nice to catch up with old high school friends that we haven't seen in months. It's fun to reminisce on all of the dumb things we did together over the years and to fill each other in on all of our new stories of dumb things that we have been doing since we've been away. There's a sense of familiarity and home with high school friends, and it feels good to be back together with them.

6.Our pets

This one is huge. I was slightly scared that my dog wasn't going to know who I was anymore, but she was just as cute and cuddly as when I left her months ago. I debated taking her back to school with me, and then I thought my RA wouldn't totally approve of that.

7. Local restaurants

For me, it was Portillo's that I missed the most. No college town has every restaurant that we have at home and it is a great feeling when those cravings that we have been having since August are finally satisfied.

8. No classes

This one is perhaps the most obvious, College classes are challenging, and they require a lot of work on our own time. After a few hard weeks of exams, projects, and homework, it feels good to relax and not have to stress about deadlines and studying for at least a few days.