Choosing a college that is not in your hometown can be a scary decision, especially when you are close with your family. I am lucky enough to have several parents who I cannot imagine my life without. That being said, my mom was the one who took me leaving for college the hardest. I'm the baby on that side of the family and she was left with an empty nest, if you don't count my dog, aka furry brother (they actually call him son). She had to completely rearrange and redecorate my room so "it didn't look like I was coming right back." *Let the tears fall*

During summer sessions when classes are compacted into a few weeks there is not a lot of time to visit home, but when I do she pulls out all the stops. There are a million different ways that my mom is there for me without having to physically be there.

1. Texts.

If I am having the most horrible day, I swear my mom has spider senses and gets some sort of smoke signal saying I am in distress. I then get sent a text that instantly makes me smile (actual texts I have received from my mom):

2. Voicemails.

There is nothing like hearing your families voice on the phone. Sometimes it's a simple "just taking my walk and thought of you" or "just blow dried my hair and thought of you" and even "just got off work give me a shout." voicemail. Basically she always thinks about me because I am her favorite child.

3. Random letters.

Anyone in college will tell you that care packages from home are a godsend. While I have received them, I love opening my mailbox and getting even just a letter for no occasion. It also doesn't hurt if theres a gift card or two.

4. The 411.

Summer life for me while taking classes consists of readings every night and projects I never really understand. In every phone call I inevitably get asked, "so got any gossip for me?" The answer is usually no, but she never fails to give me an inside scoop.

5. Fully stocked kitchen.

Whenever my mom knows I am going to make it home she gets all of my favorite foods, meaning a pile of ripe avocados. My homecoming is like preparing for a coronation and she never fails.

6. Coffee.

Coffee is one of my major food groups so when I am home my mom always makes sure that when she is making a batch the night before that there is enough for me. It's the little things.

7. Morning notes.

I treat my time home as a vacation, meaning I don't have to set an alarms. This means I usually don't see anyone until later in the day. Once I pry myself out of bed and stumble into the kitchen, there is always a good morning note with some inspiration for the day.

8. Quality time.

My mom is very compassionate so whenever something remotely sad happens you can bet she either has tears in her eyes of they're already flowing. There is nothing better than watching "Chopped Jr." and bawling as we see each child get kicked off the show.

9. Happy hour.

After a hard week of working in the adult world happy hour is almost a must. What's even better is a bar at home, stocked with good quality alcohol. In my apartment there might a quarter of Rumplemintz in a cabinet and some bottled lime juice.