Dear Mom,

Hi. It's my first day back from fall break and I already miss being home. I miss you fussing over me. I miss you telling me to come watch TV up with you in your room and letting me take my dinner with me. I miss Sam and Jeff and Dad and the cat and the dog. But most of all I miss feeling like I live there. It's a surreal feeling, being back home. It's all the same yet different at the same time. It shouldn't feel like I'm just visiting in my own house and that's what makes me most upset.

I wish I had more than a weekend. There was so much stuff I wanted to do to make everything seem normal again. Then so many people wanted to see me and I felt really bad. I wanted to make time for everyone but in that I took time away from you. You were so excited that I was going to be home while the other two were in school because that meant that you got time alone with me. I'm so sorry that didn't really happen. But the thought was eating away at me all weekend.

I'll be back in two weeks though. I'm still not sure how ready I am to get a tattoo, but you're so excited about it, so I'll do it for you.

By the way, this school is not my "home." Home is wherever you guys are. I just spend a lot of my time here.

To the moon and back.

From Em, with love