I have lived in the same town my entire life. It's where I grew up, where I made my friends, where my family lives, where I have accomplished the most, and most importantly, it's where I'm proud to be from. It's my hometown, but it's also a great town. There is a lot of stories here once you peel back the layers.

When you have lived in the same place for a significant amount of time, you really get a feel for the place. You form an understanding of the place. This place is your hometown and whether or not you love the place, it will always hold a special place in your heart. It’s where you found yourself and it is where you grew to be who you are today. This place holds your roots and allows you to understand where you came from.

I have some of the fondest memories in my hometown. I grew up here, made my first and best friend here, had my first job here, learned to drive here. It’s the place I ran around playing manhunt with the neighborhood kids every weekend of my middle school years. It’s the place I totaled my parents' car, and then my own car a year later. It’s where I discovered so much about myself and became who I am today. I’ve loved and I’ve lost in my hometown. I found some of the best friends a person could have in this town, but I have also lost some people I thought would always be there.

When we leave for college after living in the same place for 18 years, we leave a lot behind. We leave our school, our friends, our family, and all that is familiar to us. We pick up and move to an entirely new place that will become our new homes within just a few short weeks. It is hard to believe how attached we will become to our new home, and somehow it happens without us even realizing it.

I left you, and although it has only been a few short months in the time I have been away at school, I have noticed the small changes that have occurred. I often think about the change that has yet to come, both within myself and within my hometown. I am excited to see what will become of us, as we grow with age and experience.

You never forget where you came from. You hold onto the memories that you had in the place that helped you mature into the person you are today. I am excited and proud to be able to call two towns my home. Randolph, the place I lived throughout my entire childhood, the place I loved, lost, grew, and inspired me to be all that I can. And Bristol, the place I am finding myself as I begin my adult life. I’m lucky to be able to call both of these places home. Randolph, my heart forever lives in you.