College move in day is a difficult and incredibly exciting time. As much as I knew that I was going to miss my family and friends I knew that there were so many new things to look forward to. The one thing that made it all a little easier was the fact that I only had to drive 30 minutes to get to campus from my house.

Having this in mind, the process of packing up the car was relatively (and I mean very relatively) easy, and I got to bring my whole family including my two siblings to say goodbye to me. I even got to grab one last smoothie with my best friend right before I moved it, which I didn't realize was so weird until she mentioned it.

It was odd watching other students and parents crying as they parted ways, knowing that they wouldn't be seeing each other for two or three months. As much as I expected to cry, I never did just because I knew that my family was just around the corner. It's not to say that I'll be coming home every weekend to visit, because I certainly will not. It was just really nice watching them drive away and knowing that if I really really need them, they're there.

I didn't choose my school because it was close to home. I was looking at schools from Maine to North Carolina, and while I love my family and I'll miss them like crazy that wasn't the component that really drew me here. I chose this school because I love everything that it has to offer, and the fact that it's so close to home is both a blessing and a curse.

I'll admit that it was really nice to have my mom be able to bring me an extra pillow and some sheets that I forgot just one day after she had moved me in, and if I'm being honest I'll probably be asking her to drop off that raincoat I forgot also (ily Mom). Realistically, the hardest part of being so close to home is going to be forcing myself not to ask for those things because the college experience is supposed to be about me growing up and taking responsibility for myself.

So while that element will be hard for me there are a lot of blessings that I look forward to. I'm so excited that my parents will be able to come see me play in every single fall tournament this year. I can't wait to go to one of my little sister's field hockey games, and I can't wait for my mom to drop off some of those delicious pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (Hi, again, Mom). Even though I get asked by adults every other day if I'm living at home or if I'll be coming home to do laundry on the weekends, I couldn't be happier with my college decision.