I never thought I'd say this, but I miss home. I spent most of my life trying to get away from Huntington, West Virginia, and now that I'm gone, all I want is to get back. I miss my mom, knowing my way around and Tudor's Biscuit World. I don't like how rude the bank tellers here are, or how there's never any parking, or how cynical people here seem.

That being said, I know I'm in Ohio for a reason. And even when it's hard, not remembering how long it's been since I saw my family, or really craving some Stewart's chili cheese fries, I can usually remind myself that this is what I wanted. I try to remember that it'll all be worth it when my husband and I return home, college degrees in hand, well prepared for the future we want for ourselves.

But that doesn't make it easier when friends from home post pictures from The West Virginia Heritage Festival and other cool things going on in Huntington. I miss home; I miss West Virginia. So I was psyched when a friend created Loving Appalachia, a playlist celebrating home. The full list is pretty extensive, so I've highlighted my favorites.

1. Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss

My high school marching band performed an arrangement of "Down to the River to Pray my senior year, and it was beautiful. I loved this song long before that, but now I can't hear it without thinking of my band friends.

2. Mason-Dixon Line - Judah and the Lion

These guys get it. "While I'm young I want to see it all/ from the East to the West side./ When I'm done/ I made up my mind / I'm gonna grow old/somewhere below/that Mason-Dixon Line."

3. A Mountaineer is Always Free - Pierce Pettis

Montani Semper Liberi

4. Hills of My Home - Greg Blake

1) this is what bluegrass is supposed to sound like. 2) "The hills hover 'round me and my hurts start to mend/ resting on those sunny slopes, I start to understand/ what it's like to be held in the palm of God's hand"

5. West Virginia - The Front Bottoms

Rain sounds. Melancholy. "The farther you go from where you start/ The harder it is to get back." This is basically a love song for Huntington and I love it.

6. Appalachian Refugee - Scott Miller & the Commonwealth

If the last one was a love song for Huntington, this one is a love song for the whole state. The chorus is simple and beautiful, and is exactly how I'd want West Virginia described.

7. Mountain Music - Alabama

Does this song have anything at all to do with West Virginia? Nope. Does it feel like home anyway? Yep.

8. Home - Johnnyswim

"I need me some home..."

9. Family - Catey Shaw

"I am going back to my sister's house/ through the mountains to the place/ where I know I can take my weary soul/ and smile at a familiar face."

10. Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver

You knew this was coming, right? "The radio reminds me of my home, far away..." I can't write a list of homesick West Virginia songs and not include Country Roads. It's the only song every single one of us knows all the words to, no matter where we are, no matter what we're doing (lookin at you, drunk guys at football games). It's not even that accurate, but it's iconic, and that'll have to do.