My hometown,

Thank you for being the best town you could be for me. You filled it with great friends whom I shared great memories with. You helped our small business thrive so we would get a glimpse of so many different cultures from the Spanish bakery down the road, the French bistro right in the center of downtown, to the Italian resultant with a menu filled with authentic Italian cuisine. You showed me you could have a great time enjoying friends by the fire or seeing what new shops popped up every month, never knowing what to expect next.

I learned a lot from all the people you filled that little town with. I got to visit different churches and restaurants. The eclectic house down the road filled my memories with spooky dreams at Halloween and beautiful scenery at Christmas time. I got the small town feeling by being surrounded by bustling cities. The larger cities filled with malls and tall buildings just a short drive away. You filled my heart with fond memories of childhood and family.

I’ll never forget the many holidays celebrated with family warming the table and stories being shared left and right. Kids running in and out of each other's houses, trying to find out who's staying for dinner and who will just be back for dessert. It sounds like a storybook but in reality, it was. Nobody is perfect and that’s just it. You remember the good times and forget about the silly boys who broke your heart or the tiffs you and your friends have long forgotten about. You fill your thoughts with the memories you will share with your children.

I just look back and thank my old town for helping me grow with such fond memories, enough good ones to forget about the bad. I’ll never forget where I came from and look forward to the many times I get to return and reminisce on the good times I had wandering around our small town target wasting time after dinner dates and running into neighbors, or the late night runs to cookout for the regular milkshake and accompanying corn dog. You were the best town for what I needed and I’m so thankful to call you mine. Maybe one day I’ll return and raise my children in the cute hometown I call my own but until then. I’ll see you soon