As first semester begins its final descent, I can't help but feel overwhelmed and overjoyed with the fact that I get to be home in just a couple short months. As you have probably picked up from my previous articles, I love my family, a lot. I go home more than your average college student, even with living five hours away. With that being said, this winter break is going to be a little different than most.

In just a few months I am going to be embarking on the journey of a lifetime. I will be studying abroad with a program called Semester at Sea, where I will basically be living the Suite Life on Deck. I will be THOUSANDS of miles away from my family with absolutely no cell service, floating in the middle of the ocean. This has been the hardest thing for me to come to terms with when it comes to studying abroad. I talk to my parents and brothers all day every single day, from group chat, to Facebook, and phone calls. I am not really sure what I am going to do without their names popping up on my phone every day.

With that being said, my family has come together to make this winter break be one of the best yet. My two brothers live in Oregon, and Virginia so it is really hard for them to come home frequently. This winter break all five of us are going to get to be together for first time in 2 years, which is definitely something to celebrate. I am counting down the days until my brothers are picking on me, and my parents are yelling at us to stop arguing over what we are going to do that night.

I am going to make sure that this winter break I don't take a minute of it for granted. I am going to enjoy every moment with my family, and spend as much time with them as I can. I know that Semester at Sea is going to be hard being away from them, but I am #blessed to have a family who makes it so hard for me to leave.