It’s that time of year when we return home to the comfort of our full-sized bed and Mom’s home-cooked meals. Every year I count down until the day I get to go home. This year though, I feel a lot different than I have in years past. This year, I’m not ready to say goodbye. I’ve finally experienced what people have always said is to be the “best four years” of my life. It took awhile, but I really am happy here, and I don’t think I’m ready to leave.

Though I can’t wait to spend every day with my puppy, have both my sister’s closet and my own, and make an income again, I will miss the parts of college that I have come to love this past year. I will miss my weekly sorority meetings, surrounded by 50 women who are driven and who make me smile. I will miss living in a bunk bed, where I can only see by the light of a strand of Christmas lights so I don’t wake my roommates up. I’ll miss walking to the bathroom and stopping to have a 15 minute conversation with girls down the hall. I’ll miss the 2-hour time period it takes to get ready to go out on a Saturday night, running in and out of girls’ rooms trying on different outfits while Spotify is blasting from every room. I will miss being able to walk to 95% of my friends (the other 5% are at home), when I feel like sitting and chatting about boys and gossip.

The saddest part about going home this year is that some of the best people I have met in my college years won’t be on campus again in the fall. They are going on to so much more, but college will not be the same without them. They have taught me so many life lessons: how to be a devoted and loyal friend, how to live life in the best possible way without caring who’s watching, how to accept adventure without fear, and how to overcome pain that has cut you so deep. I am a better person for each and every senior that has touched my heart, and I will forever cherish the memories I have made with them. I can’t wait to see all that they do via Facebook, but things will never be the same since I will no longer be able to pregame with them over a game of slap-cup. The thought of them not being here when I come back is what makes me so hesitant to take down all of my canvases and stuff my trunk with unnecessary amounts of clothes.

So family, I am coming home and I can’t wait for a summer of dinners on the grill, trips to the lake, and nightly runs to Dairy Queen. To my friends at home, I can’t wait to hit the bar scene with you and reminisce on our awkward high school days. But to my college friends, I will miss you terrible. Yes, we can always text, snapchat, or FaceTime, but not feeling your warming hugs and seeing your smiling faces in person makes me not ready to leave. One thing is for sure though, I’m not ready to say goodbye, so I’m not going to. I love you all.