I have lived in the same town my whole life — on the same street, in the same house. Life had always been pretty quiet, and everything had been pretty much the same day in and day out. When I had the privilege to go to college in Milwaukee, I got to meet people from all over the Midwest — all over the country for that matter. And when the summer came around, I couldn’t wait to get together with my new friends from school in the places we grew up.

With most of my friends being from the Chicago area, I knew that having them visit my hometown would be a pretty big change. I was worried what we would do, for I know that small-town Iowa is not always the most exciting place in the world. But I showed off my hometown with pride, introducing them to all of the parts of it that make it home. We saw all of the staples that make it famous, ate at some of my favorite places and sat under the stars at a quiet bonfire.

It felt kind of weird to be bringing together two of my different worlds — to show a part of my life that is very new to the world that I grew up in felt like we were time-traveling or something — introducing them to the places and people I have loved growing up.

What I found is that even though I sometimes feel like there is nothing to do, we managed to have a blast the entire time they were there. And I realized just how often I take the town that built me for granted. I do not give them enough credit for making me the person I am today. It has been a pretty cool place to grow up, and I am thankful for that.

I also realized that whether we are in Milwaukee, Chicagoland or Small-Town, Iowa, my friends and I can have fun anywhere. I have said it before and I will say it again, it’s the people who make the place. And those crazy kids know how to make any place feel like home.

I guess what I realized is that even though my hometown and college town can sometimes feel like two different worlds, they are not as far apart as they feel. And they both are extremely important to me. I would not be the person I am or who I want to be without them. I am a pretty lucky person to feel so much love no matter where I go.