In the words of Zac Brown Band, "here in a small town where it feels like home; I've got everything I need and nothing that I don't." So here's to the Wyoming Valley and just a few of the many reasons why I will always call it home.

1. The closeness of your friendships are measured by who knows your Angelo's order.

2. Peanut Butter Week at Curly Creme is something you cannot imagine going a whole summer without.

3. Whether it's Newtown Cafe or Sabatini's, your favorite pizza place is not that far from home.

4. There's a pizza place within a mile from anywhere you stand you in the Valley.

5. Angelo's vs. Gerry's has turned into a more serious argument than Coke vs. Pepsi.

6. You know EVERYONE. It is next to impossible to go anywhere at anytime without seeing at least one person that you know.

7. The Valley is one huge place that always knows how to come together for support. When tragedy strikes, you know you have 560,000 people to lean on.

8. The bond you have over Middleswarth Chips will never be broken.

9. There is "never anything to do."

10. There are actually a million things to do but you usually just end up driving around listening to music until someone says, "Let's just get ice cream."

11. This place is beautifully filled with mountains, lakes, parks, etc. When you take the time to explore them, they are absolutely breathtaking.

12. There is a Shur-Save (or two) strategically placed in every town.

13. The movie theater in downtown Wilkes-Barre is probably the best thing that has ever happened to your childhood.

14. Rich's Mini-Golf closing was probably the worst thing that has ever happened to your childhood.

15. Athletic or not; you, your siblings, your cousins, and your friends have all played soccer shortly after you even learned how to walk.

16. Every summer you patiently wait for each Bazaar to begin.

17. Every winter you say you can't wait for summer and you're going to move far away from the cold.

18. You can knock on every door in the area and ask, "What is your favorite college football team?" Every response will be Penn State or Notre Dame.

19. You're grateful everyday that this Valley sticks together. The boys went through their Justin Bieber haircut phase together and the girls proudly rocked the Bobby Jack zip ups at every birthday party.

20. It's the coolest thing in the world when people get out of here and make a name for themselves.

21. You are one of the few people that will understand what it is like to live in a place with a church on every corner and a gas station on every block.

22. When you have to describe to someone where NEPA is, The Office is your favorite point of reference. Even if Scranton is nowhere close to home.

23. Even if you hate country music, you can count on Froggy Fest being the place for your class reunion every summer.

24. The lingo and slang are truly only something you can understand. ("Can yous go up ta Scranin around tree?" translates to "Can you (plural) go up to Scranton around three?")

Check out Henyabonics: the unofficial language of NEPA

25. Wilkes-Barre is the only place you can think of off the top of your head that has 3 or more appropriate pronunciations.

26. No matter where you go, who you meet, or what you do. The Wyoming Valley will always be somewhere to call home. You'll never find another place like it.