Many college students, after moving away, make new friends. You still have your friends at home, though, your "home friends." It's hard because your friends at school really don't know them, but you're friends at home don't really know your friends from school either. You may talk to these home-friends pretty frequently or it may just be once a week while you're at school. However, when you're home it is like time hasn't passed and you pick up right where you left off each time. So, "home friends," this is for you.

Thanks for always being just a text, Snapchat, phone call, or FaceTime call away. You have no idea how much I appreciate it, especially during those crazy weeks when nothing seems to be going right. I know that I always have you to lean back on because you have been there through it all. From elementary to middle to high school and now college. We can talk about anything and everything, and I know that you'll at least pretend to understand.

Thank you for making me laugh when I need it most. The group chat we have is honestly what gets me through most days. We've planned our futures, helped decide gifts for parents or significant others, solved homework problems, and laughed about high school memories. We send gifs and Snapchats that probably don't make sense to most people, but that's totally OK. At least they make sense to us, in some weird way.

Thanks for encouraging me to follow my dreams. When I've been lost as to what to do with my life you have been right there pushing me through it all. You asked the right questions, brought up the right points, and made my life seem a whole lot easier just by talking me through the process that I was trying to sort out in my head. And, even when my dreams have seemed far away, you've never let me think that they are a long shot. You remind me that I can do whatever I want to do with my life and that I will always have your support.

Thank you for letting me rant about things that are going on at school. Whether it be friends, homework, classes, or extracurriculars, you always lend a listening ear. You don't even know what I'm talking about half the time, but thank you for pretending like you do. Getting things off of my chest is a lot easier when someone is at least trying to listen to what I am trying to say.

Thanks for being around when I come home. Coming home for long periods of time is so much easier when I have plans and friends to hang out with. Transitioning from walking down the hall to socialize to having just your parents and siblings around is a little weird, but making plans to hang out makes it a lot easier. Even if it's just a movie night I know that I will always have a great time when I'm around you guys.

And finally, thank you for being you. Thank you for being goofy and crazy and understanding and smart. Thank you for sticking around through the transition into college, which is when a lot of people lose touch. Thank you for being there every step of the way. To my "home friends," I am so glad that you are my true friends.