I come from a town where it is inevitable that I have to explain its location to anyone that is not from there. I come from a town where everybody knows everybody. I come from a town where the phrase "don't blink, or you might miss it" should be taken very literally. I come from a town where I'm pretty confident that I could drive anywhere with my eyes closed just from memory. I come from a town where the nicest restaurant is in a barn. I come from a town where you can't go to Walmart without seeing at least six people that you know, the closest Target is an hour away, and pretty much everything revolves around sports. Although a few of these things might seem unfortunate to some people, I can't imagine growing up anywhere else. Now, here I am in my college town; everything I need is within 15 minutes away. My parents have moved to a bigger city, and I don't get to visit much. Despite popular belief, I do miss my hometown.

So, thank you, hometown.

Thank you for always giving me a conversation starter. About 99 percent of the time people ask me where you are and of course I have to explain it!

Thank you for the amazing food in our small town restaurants. (I'm talking to you Mr. G's, Smokin' Jack's, La Fiesta and Robert's). Many times I have contemplated driving all the way to you just for some food from these places.

Thank you for making me appreciate a good trip to Target, the mall and the movies. Growing up, it was a treat to visit any of these places. Turning 16 was the best day of my life, because then I could drive to these places without my parents.

Thank you for sports. You pretty much run on sports. Just about every single person in town was/is on some type of sports team. Thank you for the Friday night lights and for the fight song that will forever be drilled into my brain. Thank you for the feeling I would get every single time I stepped up to the plate.

Thank you for the people.

Thank you for some of the most supportive people I've ever met. Thank you for my coaches that challenged me to be the best I can be. Thank you for everyone who cheered my friends and me on in everything that we did. Thank you to the teachers for giving us a great education. I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

Thank you for the moms who let me babysit their kids. Babysitting was a huge part of my life in middle and high school. It helped me to learn so many things and helped make me so responsible.

But most importantly, thank you for the best friends a girl could ever ask for. I don't know where I would be without them. I'm so thankful that my class was so close. It's so much fun now to see where everyone is and how they are doing.

You may be really small and you may be pretty boring, but I like you.

Thank you for making me the person that I am today.

Sincerely,

A reminiscent college student