Although the last year has been quite amazing for me, I know it has been somewhat hard on my family. The reason for this is because this has been my first year in college, which meant that I had to move away from my home in Pittsburgh and move into the college dorms in a completely different city. Although my sister still lives at home, I know that my parents have really missed having me around. Additionally, I know my little sister has always looked up to me, so this change has been hard on her also.

Even though I can’t be at home all the time, I do my best to visit on a fairly regular basis. My most recent trip home was actually a surprise. Because I had a three day weekend for President’s Day, I decided to book a flight and Pittsburgh rental car and show up completely unannounced at my home.

As you can probably guess, the second I walked in the door, my parents and sister were not only shocked, but they were also ecstatic about seeing me. I really enjoyed being home and with them for a long weekend, and I know that even though it was hard on them when I had to head back to campus, they were really appreciative of the time we spent together.