With the holidays just around the corner, us out-of-staters have to mentally prepare ourselves for the long journey home. For me, seven and a half hours (possibly more with holiday traffic) is a lot of time for different thoughts to float in and out of my head. While the holidays are one of the most exciting times of the year, the traveling is not. Taking the brave journey home looks a little bit like this.

1. You try to fit everything you want to take home in one suitcase, but it's a scary puzzle that you've never solved, so you put it off until the last minute.

2. You try to say goodbye to your roommates, but they're all still asleep.

3. You stop by Dunkin' Donuts and for some reason the line is a mile long, pushing your arrival time back another 10 minutes -- and you haven't even left town yet.

4. But you finally get the caffeine boost necessary to start your trip on a positive note.

5. You realize 20 minutes in that you forgot to text your mom the exact second you leave like she always makes you.

6. A song comes that describes the exact emotions you're going through.

7. You're not even halfway there and you start to get a little loopy.

8. Another car cuts you off on the highway and you see your life (and Thanksgiving dinner) flash before your eyes.

9. A dumb fender bender creates a very unnecessary traffic jam because people are rubbernecking.

10. You find yourself in your home state without even realizing you passed the welcome sign.

11. You finally find yourself home and safe in the arms of your parents.

12. And more importantly, you are reunited with your bed.