Truth Tuesday: What it's really like to move away from home

My blog has been quiet... because I moved! It's been almost two weeks since I made the move to Ohio, five hours and a state away from my family and friends. It is nothing like I thought it was going to be.

I knew I was going to miss home, but there are other things I hadn't planned on.

Here's everything you experience when you move away from home:

1. You might randomly cry.

I've cried for the obvious reasons: I miss my family, I miss my friends, and my life is different here. But I've also cried for the most random reason. For example, the other day I saw a man walking his pug and I started to tear up because I suddenly wanted to snuggle my family's pug mix and I couldn't.

2. You will start a countdown for your next trip home.

The day after I moved, I started counting down the days that I would get to visit my family again. (I'm down to 3 days, 1 hour, 43 minutes and 28 seconds- but who's counting?)

3. You will call home as much as possible.

When my Mom said "stay in touch," I don't think she realized that meant I would be calling almost every day :) I want to update my parent's on my lives, and I want to hear the details of the day, no matter how big or small.

4. You will miss the little things.

I miss Biggby coffee, Chai Lattes from Faye's Evelyn Bay, and pear pizza from Zoobie's. I miss walking through the soft grass in my front yard and riding my bike down the dead-end dirt road by my house. I miss having my windows open and hearing the frog's croaking in the pond. Seriously. It's the littlest things that I miss from home. I miss places and people too, but that's to be expected.

5. Your new home doesn't quite feel like home.

Because it's just not. Sure, it's your home now, but it just doesn't feel like your home does. It smells different, it looks different, and everyone in it is different. It's just different. Not bad, just different.

6. You realize everything you took for granted.

Cuddling with my family dog every night is something I took for granted. Even just being able to hug my parents every day. I took it all for granted, and I wish I could go back.

7. You don't want to miss anything. But it is inevitable.

I sobbed, thinking about missing my nephew's birthday party, or hearing my niece's first words. I cried to my Mom that I didn't want to miss anything. But I had to come to the realization that it will happen. I will miss big things and I will miss small things. Everyone's life will go on while I'm gone, so my life has to go on, too.

8. It can be scary.

With an uncertain future in a strange new city, life can be scary. I was so scared to start my new job and live in a new state with my family miles away, but my mom kept texting that this was a new adventure. That was enough to make me more excited than I was scared. So whatever you have to do to channel that fear into something productive, do it. You will be okay.

9. You have to work to stay updated in your friend's lives.

I have to actually make a note in my planner to give my friends a call, or make a note of someone's birthday. Even then, I still forget sometimes. Life gets busy, but make sure you find time for the things that are important.

10. Everything is going to be okay- and your hometown will always be your home.

No matter where you go, you hometown will always be your home. Never forget where you came from, but don't let it hold you back. Explore your new city, fall in love with your new home, and enjoy this adventure.