As summer inches closer, tensions rise among my fellow university students. Finals have everyone stressed, thoughts of summer vacation becoming the force that keeps everyone moving forward.

In these last few weeks, I’ve realized a few things amongst the chatter. My friends are bursting about their planned beach trips and fourth of July island blowouts. They are excited about making some extra money and relaxing a little bit.

For me, summer is about family. Not only will I travel 1200 miles to go home, but I will get the chance to get to know my little brother better. I will be able to go to my little sister’s track meets and gossip late at night on the floor of her room instead of through a screen and speaker.

Summer is about spending those extra hours with my daughter, teaching her to play games and watching her grown and learn.

It’s hugging her a little longer before beg instead of rushing off for homework. It’s holding her hand on the way to the park and staying as long as we want.

It’s about allowing my daughter to have a closer relationship with her grandparents, aunts, and uncles. It’s about showing her where I spent my own childhood and sharing those experiences and memories.

Summer is staying up late or getting up a few hours early to Skype my deployed husband. It’s putting a little extra thought into his care packages, and counting down to his return with my friends and family instead of hundreds of miles from home.

Going home over the summer means spending needed time with my best friend, and getting to meet her new baby. It’s making up for the fact that I live so far from home that our first postpartum reunion is months after her baby was born. Late night movie nights, wine, and crafts.

There’s nothing wrong with looking forward to the parties and trips - I do too. But for me, summer is about going home. Home being those people I love and miss every day. When you’re very family oriented, summer isn’t about the beaches and margs, it’s about drinking coffee on my mother’s kitchen floor, sharing the company of my family.