Be proud of your hometown, it is a big part of what makes you who you are.

Dear Small Town USA,

We go back a ways don't we? So many memories you gave me, from slip 'n sliding in the grass with my sister when it was storming outside to baseball games with the family in the back yard. Laying on the swing with dad under the stars when I was little to opossum bowling with my cousin (don't ask). Chasing down the ice cream man in dads old single cab truck with about 5 people in it, all the way to bonfires with friends down some back road... You gave not only me, but every other person in this town some amazing memories. So here's to you... hank you hometown.

Thank you for blessing me with not only my parents, but about 4 or 5 other sets of parents as well.

Growing up in a small town not only made it hard for me to get away with anything, but it also gave me quite a few people that were in my corner whenever something would go wrong. Leaving for college was really hard, but coming home to so many open arms makes it a lot easier. So thank you for giving me a few extra family members.

Thank you for making me make my own fun.

In a town of around 600 people, we didn't have shopping malls around every corner. We didn't have a movie house we could walk to or an arcade around the block. We had woods, 4 wheelers, bikes, creeks and so on. When we would get snowed in, we didn't have tablets or ipods to play on. We went outside, hooked a sled to a 3 wheeler and had one of the older kids pull us around a field. We played in the creek, or tried to sell walnuts after we spent hours to pick them up (no one would ever buy any). Most memories from growing up here have stuck in my head to this day, and we still laugh about them. Thank you for giving me such amazing times that I can still look back on and smile about to this day.

Thank you for keeping my family so close.

Being the baby of the family was real hard when my siblings moved out, but thank you for keeping them so close to home. Thank you for having my cousins live right across the street and for my grandparents living right across the yard. Having such a close family is an amazing thing even as we all have grown and left the house, when were all together, its as if nothing has changed. Even when they are being a pain in the butt (which is most of the time) I can't thank you enough for giving me such a wonderful family.

Thank you for teaching me how to work hard.

Splitting wood has never been my favorite task, (actually I dreaded the summer sometimes for that very reason) but it sure was nice in the winter when I didn't have to worry about being cold. Thank you for teaching me that nothing in life is free and that hard work eventually pays off. Sometimes those shifts waitressing felt never ending, cutting the grass seemed like a death wish in that 100 degree heat, and shoveling out pins for the animals seemed like more of a punishment than my daily chore, but without these lessons you've taught me, I wouldn't be the college basketball player I am, or the independent woman I am becoming. Thank you for teaching me not to depend on anyone but myself and that working for something is much better than handouts. Its gotten me so far in this world, and I cannot wait to see where your lessons take me in the future.

And last but not least

Thank you for teaching me to stay close with the Lord.

In a generation where more and more are turning away from God, thank you for keeping me so close with him. Although church on Sunday mornings sometimes felt impossible, I am thankful for every early morning mass I attended. Thank you for teaching me to always have faith in the Lord, because with him the sky is the limit. Because of you Hometown, I will always face the Lord with arms wide open to embrace the life he has laid out for me. When I am doubting myself I know I can turn to him for encouragement, when I wake up in the morning I know I can thank him for letting me see another day.

Most of all thank you for making this town a home. Thank you for making it hard to leave and even more exciting to come back to. I'm thankful for you Small Town USA, so here's to you!

You're biggest fan,

Kimberly Doll