Personal Experience Column

I’ve said it 100 times by now but I’ll say it again. I was born and raised here in Kearney, NE. May 23rd, 1998 I was brought into this world and thus started my journey. My first real memories of Kearney started in a little white house in the center of town. My parents rented this house because it was early in their careers and they couldn’t afford their own house yet. I shared a bedroom with my sister in this two bedroom house, and downstairs was our “play area” and also where my dad had his drum set. My sister and I had bunkbeds and of course she was the older one and she got the top bunk (she also fell off the top bunk in her sleep a few times). We had a pretty big backyard at this house which was awesome. My dad and I would go out and play catch, play football, and jump on our trampoline. At one point my birthday was coming up and I asked for a “playhouse” in the back yard. My dad and I built a playhouse out of wood and it was magnificent. During this time I went to Park Elementary and got my education. I hated every second of being at that school if I’m being honest. Skip ahead my parents decided to buy a house south of town near Centennial Park. I got my own room in this house and got to paint it any color I wanted. I ended up painting it blue. Our family basically re-did everything in this house painting all of the walls, getting new cabinets, and more. We had a huge yard that I played in with my family and my dogs in. During this time I started to play sports. I played soccer for a few years and baseball for one or two. I tried football for only a year and then quit. Fast forward again to our current house that we moved to when I entered seventh grade. We moved to the complete opposite end of town, from the south to the north. We live just outside of the city limits. This house has a decent yard, and I also got to paint my room again. This time I painted it orange. This house holds many recent memories for me. This is where I got some of my best friends, where my sports career really started, and it’s where I still live today. So many memories in Kearney, these houses, and my friends. I believe that this is why I’ve never thought of leaving Kearney after I graduate. I feel as if I’ve gotten comfortable with the city and living here. But when my family and I took a vacation down to Alabama to visit my uncle and his family who had moved there from San Diego, my perspective shifted. Alabama was amazing. It is very similar to Nebraska summer weather, just a little bit more humid. The town sizes are about the same and the driving is very easy, very similar to Kearney. Just something about the south made me feel good. I am now very open to the possibility of moving down to a southern state, especially Alabama after I graduate. Traveling down there really opened my eyes to new possibilities. Also, I am sick and tired of this white stuff that keeps falling from the sky in Nebraska. I’ve heard the south doesn’t get much of this. That is also tilting the scales in favor of moving.