5 Things That Let Me Know I’m Home

Do you ever see, hear, or smell things that instantly remind you of home? These are my five.

I got to take a little road trip to California this weekend, and I discovered the five things that are so specific to 'home' that any time I see them I am immediately transported

1. FOOD

There are certain types of food that remind me of home -and some I can ONLY find back home.

1. The 'Michoacan' Mexican restaurant in my hometown of Coalinga, CA - some of the best/authentic Mexican food you can find.

2. In-N-Out: if you're from California you know the struggle of not being able to order animal style fries on a daily basis.

3. Fair food: Specifically funnel cakes, corn dogs, and (recently discovered) deep-fried Oreos. Every year at our home-town's fair - the 'Horned Toad Derby,' it is a MUST to head to the park and get those items. If not, you'll regret it for 365 days.

2. COW SMELL

I know this one is a weird one, but about 12 miles from where I grew up there is a big feeding lot for a huge beef provider called Harris Ranch. The feedlot covers nearly 800 acres and has about 250,000 head of cattle per year. So you can imagine as you're driving down the freeway, the smell can get pretty intense....but to me it smells like home.

3. ENTERTAINMENT

My mom still uses a VCR to watch movies...she's a traditionalist. LOL. But I love going back home rewinding a movie and plopping down on the couch for a couple of hours. This time around I opted for "The Land Before Time"

4. HORNED TOADS / FAIR

Every year on Memorial Day weekend, my hometown host the 'Horned Toad Derby." Horned toads are so popular where i'm from that during the annual fair, they hold a horned toad race; and our high school mascot....yep, you guessed it - the horned toads #GoToads

So any time I see any reference to a horned toad I am immediately back home and at the horned toad derby.

5. FRIENDS & FAMILY

My absolute favorite part of going back home is seeing my friends and family. Whether it's just sitting and watching a movie, or walking over to the fair for a corn dog, it's a million times better doing it with my loved ones. Luckily on this trip, I was able to see the most important people in my life. It was good, home is always good.

What are the things that remind YOU of home?