“This would look cute in your dorm”

“What are you majoring in?”

“Have you talked to your roommate about that?”

“If I get the freshman 15 I’ll cry”

College this, college that. Every conversation, it’s all anyone ever talks about anymore. Growing up, college was a distant thought. I knew someday I’d be picking a school, deciding my major, finding a roommate, and decorating a dorm. But I didn’t truly know how fast time would pass until I woke up and realized that someday is today. Three weeks till move in day, which means 21 days until I wave goodbye to everyone and everything familiar. It’s both exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time. So, while I sit here and wonder where the time went, these are the top 10 things that I’m going to miss about home (in no particular order.)

1. Two words, POSH BAGEL. I’m proud to say I’ve been a loyal customer of this absolutely delicious establishment for as long as I can remember. It's paid off because now I don’t even have to tell them my order. They know it by heart! All I’m saying is there better be some good bagel places in Eugene because Posh is NOT easy to live up to.
2. Best friends aren’t supposed to be separated, so leaving mine will be almost as sad as when Sean got sent home on Emily’s season of The Bachelorette (jk). I’m going to miss hoppin’ in the car and being at her house in 2 minutes, whether she expected me or not. I’ll miss all the big family festivities, and laying on her bed doing absolutely nothing. I’ll just miss being around the person who knows me best.
3. Driving over the notorious Highway 17 with my windows down and a car packed full of wild friends. Being able to navigate the twists and turns, all the while changing the radio station every 5 seconds and singing at the top of my lungs is no easy task. I’ll miss those crazy drives where we almost crashed multiple times but went home to tell our parents we drove it like a pro, LOL.
4. If you live where I live, like me, you’ve hiked the same route of Quicksilver approximately 5,000 times, no joke. Somehow, this never gets old. It’s the perfect balance of a little bit of exercise and a lot of good talks along the way. I’m definitely going to miss it.
5. When you have parents as incredible as mine, leaving them isn’t as easy as most freedom starved 18 year olds may think. I’ll miss running up the stairs to sit in my Dad’s office and talking to him about anything and everything while he tries (but fails, sorry Dad) to do his work. And I’ll miss Monday nights spent on the couch with my Mom as we very passionately criticize or praise the current Bachelor/Bachelorette on their decisions. Because we know best of course!
6. I don’t know the quality of the blinds that I’ll have in my dorm, but I do know that they will be a BIG step down from the impressive blackout ones I have in my room right now. With the light off and the blinds closed, you’d think it was midnight all hours of the day. Seriously, being woken up by the daylight is going to be a big change. It’ll probably save me from sleeping through my classes though, so I’ll deal.
7. Waiting at the stoplight at Almaden Expressway and Blossom Hill might be the equivalent of death, but it sure does provide for much needed scram time. In the painstakingly slow minutes of waiting for a green, I can apply a full face of makeup, scroll through the entire days worth of tweets, paint my nails, and probably write a 5 paragraph essay. Okay, I’m exaggerating. It’s one of the worst things ever, but I’ll miss it.
8. My brothers are some of my best friends and my absolute favorite people to hangout with. So although I’m overjoyed I’ll have my older brother with me in college, leaving my little brother is going to have me in a puddle (more like large lake) of tears. He can turn my worst day into a great one, and make me laugh until my stomach hurts. I see LOTS of facetime dates in our future.
9. If you want to see every high school student in the valley at once, head on over to In N Out after a Friday night football game. If we won, it was a great time, and if we lost it was still a great time. The employees probably hated us and our messes, but those nights sure gave me memories I’ll never forget.
10. Nights spent BBQing and eating outside with my family. Through all the ups and downs, whether I was stressed out of my mind or in the best mood possible, they are always right there beside me cheering me on. We sit at the table laughing and talking for hours, breathing in the fresh air, and just enjoying each other’s company. Not everyone is blessed with a family that gets along and loves being around each other, but I thank God every day that I am.