There are many different ways a child can grow up. Some move all over because of their parents' careers, some grew up in big cities where the view from outside of their window was a crowded street and a bustling office building. My childhood was drastically different, however. I grew up in a small town in central Kentucky, and the view from my window was a back road overly crowded with pickup trucks and terrible teenage drivers.

I had the classic American childhood: I played youth soccer since I could walk, spent my summers catching fireflies and going to get ice cream from the one place in town that was open past 9:00 PM, and I grew up going to a small baptist church. While I feel that growing up in a small town helped to shape me into who I am today, I can't help but resent it as I leave it for good. There are many good memories, but the bad ones far overpower them now, and so in search of genuine happiness and a place that feels like home, it's time for me to go.

I don't think anyone can fully forget the place they grew up in, but it's important to note that just because you grew up somewhere, that doesn't mean it's home. Home is a place where you feel like you can be yourself and have a community of supportive individuals that make you feel like you belong. And my hometown just doesn't do that for me anymore. Home isn't just based upon the history and memories you have or the people that knew you when you were young and before you knew what the world would hold. Home is so much more than history. It's a safe place to run to when the world gets tough and you're tired, a shelter from the storm.

So farewell Kentucky, you're a slightly bittersweet goodbye (mostly sweet, however), but you're where I grew into the woman I am today, so a piece of you will always be with me wherever I roam.