As many can attest to, I have not always been the biggest fan of Framingham, Massachusetts. In fact, I have been convincing myself and others of my hatred of this place for years on end.

Yet here I am.

Still living in the town that I have timelessly claimed to hate. Not only did I leave Framingham for school and choose to come back, but I am a town employee for crying out loud...

I think it's time that I finally suck it up and admit the truth - as much as it pains me to say it, Framingham really isn't that bad.

But if you are like me and have spent your entire life shaming the good ol' Dirty Ham... you'll certainly understand where I am coming from.

However, I have finally taken a step back and allowed myself to realize that the little things I hated most about this town growing up, have ended up being some of my best memories and actually made me who I am today.

So I'd like to propose a toast.

Here's to everything that got all of us who grew up in Framingham through all these (not so bad) years.

Here's to Hometown Hotdogs

While it saddens me greatly to know that the home of the best hotdog on Earth is no longer, I will never forget the early release day afternoons spent here with my best friends and our pink Razor flip phones.

Here's to the Complex

Lord only knows how much time my friends and I used to spend here watching baseball and swooning over the boys on the team, as they pretended that us being there didn't make them feel like the coolest middle schoolers in town. Let me assure you, none of us were the coolest middle schoolers in town. Middle schoolers aren't cool. Someone really should have filled us in back then.

Here's to Mad Willies

Probably the most constant relationship I've had in my life.

Here's to the Gulf

Though I will never understand the desire to "squad up" at the Gulf, I would be lying if I said I didn't end up spending an unsettling amount time there on weekend nights during my senior year. Why go to parties, when you can see everyone you know at a gas station...right?

Here's to Bowditch

Though I was an avid Framingham High School baseball fan, I cannot not say the same for the football team. Let's face it, Friday nights were never for football - They were for taking group selfies and chatting with your friends while something like a football game was going on in the background.

I can go on for hours, so I'll give one last toast to what I considered to be the worst part about growing up in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Here's to Framingham High School

Despite our overall lack of athletic talent, handful of decent teachers, and constant scandal (seriously... Framingham or Upper East Side? XOXO Gossip Girl), I cannot honestly say that I hated every second of my time there. In fact, it was pretty fun. I learned a lot about myself and made some lifelong friends - How can you hate something that gave you that.

As I said, my list of Framingham's finest establishments and traditions could go on for pages, but I my overall message does not require that much evidence. Regardless of how much we all hate to admit it, at the end of the day, Framingham is a pretty great place to grow up.