Wednesday, November 28, 2012


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Where am I?

                I’ve been a lot of places besides the small town of Aurora Nebraska over the past 18 years of my life.  It’s hard to think of where you are or where you might be in 10 years.  You’re always somewhere doing something.  Whether it’s at the mall buying more clothes you know you don’t need, or at the movies, or maybe you’re visiting family in another state.  You could still be in the small town you grew up in or you might even be living the high life in New York City. 
photo 1.JPG                I was born in Grand Island Nebraska.  I lived there until I was five years old then moved to Aurora.  I’ve lived here ever since.  Nebraska is where I was born and raised, in the small town of Aurora.  My school has roughly 100 students per grade and I could probably name each person in my grade if you lined them up in a line.  Since Aurora is a small town there are some cliques and there’s always some kind of drama.  Just because it’s a small town doesn’t mean there won’t be any of that.  You’ll find that anywhere you go. 

Everybody knows each other by name and for the most part is always friendly.  Everyone supports one another and is always there to lend a helping hand.  My parents raised me to be kind to everyone, give back to my community and always, always thank the Lord for what he gave me and to never take anything for granted.  Growing up in a small community has really had an impact on my life.  I know so many people and I know if I ever needed anything they would be there in a heartbeat.  It teaches you a lot.  I’ve made some really good friends that I know I’ll never forget that I might not have made living in a bigger city where there’s way more people.




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                Growing up in a small country town is something I’d pick any day over a big city.  Driving the dirt roads and hanging out at the lake is what my summers always consist of.  You can drive for miles down a dirt road and all you see is cornfields and the wide open sky.  So many memories have been made in this town and I wouldn’t have chosen it over anything.  Driving out to the middle of nowhere and just looking up at the stars with your friends and talking about the latest gossip of the day or just cruising around town until you actually find something exciting to do never gets old.  I know my town like the back of my hand, but it’s hard not to because it is only just a small town.  There’s not that much you have to remember about it.  One thing I will never forget about it besides the memories I’ve made is that my town only has one stop light.  Most people don’t believe me when I tell them that our town only functions on one stop light but it is true.  That’s when you know you really live in a small town…when you only have one stop that runs your whole town.
                When I think about where I am I think about Nebraska.  It’s where I was born and raised and of course we are an agriculture state.  We make lots of corn and beef.  Agriculture is a big thing in my home town and 95% of the land in Nebraska is farmland.  So we take it pretty seriously.  And of course to go along with the farmland there needs to be cute farm boys.  Their dreamy eyes and Justin Bieber hair gets the girls every time.  

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Besides the farmers and their farmland in Nebraska another that represents who we are is of the Nebraska football team.  Everyone dreams of being a Husker and getting to be a part of that experience.  Besides the excitement of the game the tailgating is a lot of fun.  Having fun and laughing with all your friends at Memorial Stadium right before the big game.  It’s something every Nebraskan looks forward to.

                       


You may never know truly where you are, especially at this point in time.  You might not even know where you’ll be after high school.  Things constantly change over time.  You might come back to the small town you grew up in or you might end up in a big city where your town has more than one traffic light, you just never know.

1 comment:

  1. Lauren,

    You are such a strong writer. I really loved this piece because your voice came through so well. I loved that line about living in a one stop-light town. I had to chuckle. I remember when my son lived in South Carolina, he wrote about his one stop-light town and his students didn't believe him! :) I am sure you will have fun telling some of your future friends about this small town. I, too, love sitting under the stars at night! They are so clear and brilliant in this part of the country! Nice job here!

    Dr. English

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