Living in a small town in the middle of nowhere is not ideal for most. It takes twenty minutes just to get to a friends house, and over half an hour to get to a grocery store, chain-food restaurant or mall. The phone service is very spotty and you lose power every storm. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you, my small town, for losing power every storm and forcing my family to all hang out together. When we lose power, we play board games together because there is nothing else to do. It is family bonding in the greatest form.

Thank you for distancing us from the loudness of the city. Their bright lights and loud cars are annoying. I'm glad to live in the woods with peace and quiet and on a dead-end road. Plus it is usually safer too.

Thank you for all the people who never hesitate to stop and help someone if they need it. When I crashed my car, I was so scared and didn't know what to do. Everyone who drove by immediately stopped and asked if I was okay and one woman even called the police to come help me.

Thank you for the teachers at my small high school who shaped who I am. They help me decide where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life after high school. They were there all four years to help me through all the obstacles high school threw at me. They went above and beyond just being my "teacher".

Thank you for making it easy to know everyone in the school. I knew almost all the people I graduated with because we had been going to school together for 12 years.

We watched each other grow and become the people they are now. Now in college, when I see someone from my small town, we always stop and say hi and catch up with each other even if we were never friends before.

Thank you for always being a place for me to call home. You will forever be in my heart and I will cherish all the memories I've made here. I hope to come back someday and raise children of my own here so they can experience the same joys that I experienced.