I Was Born In a Small Town...

After my dad graduated from law school, my parents moved from Lincoln, Nebraska to the budding municipality of Bassett. Though I don't remember Bassett very well as I was just a wee tot at the time, I remember one thing for certain, it was quite a small town. Not only was it small in numbers having less than 1000 occupants, but was made to seem even smaller due to its location in the middle of nowhere. When I was three, my parents moved our family to yet another small town, Wilber.

Situated comfortably south of Lincoln, Wilber {the Czech Capital of the U.S.} fits the preconceived notion of a small town to a T. There is not a Wal-Mart or a McDonald's {although they recently welcomed a Subway}, you have to get your grocery shopping done at a reasonable hour as the store closes at 7 daily, people wave at you when you drive down 3rd street {the main street of town} and the streets do not house one true stoplight. Perhaps to some, this sounds boring but as a kid, this small town had everything I needed... a swimming pool, two parks, tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, a library and a Dairy Queen knockoff formerly known as Yosties {named, of course for the family who owned and operated it}. Additionally, it was just a hop, skip and a jump from Lincoln -- and shopping. While some might find this life monotonous and mundane, I found it whimsical and simple and lovely.

When I started kindergarten, I had 30 people in my class and when I graduated high school, Wilber-Clatonia's class of 2000 had 43 graduates. My classmates were like family and by the end, my teachers, too. I participated in Volleyball, Track, Basketball, and Tennis and while I was fairly average {even that may be embellishing a bit} I got a chance to learn the sports and feel what it was like to be a part of a team. Although I was far from a stick figure, I cheered on the basketball and football teams as a part of the cheerleading squad. I sang in the choir and played {trombone} in the band. I was Student Council President the same year I served as an FBLA State Officer. And, yes, we had more than one room in our school and also college prep courses. This is not at all to be braggy about my former life but rather to illustrate that although I was quite ordinary, I felt like I had the chance to have many extraordinary opportunities because I was born in a small town.

When I set off for college in Lincoln, I had great aspirations of moving to Seattle post-grad and setting up shop in the big city. I longed for the anonymity and energy of city life and while I had no negative feelings toward my upbringing, was ready for a real change of pace. With Adam's influence, I settled for Austin in lieu of Seattle and was completely stoked for the chance to live in a place that was so filled with possibilities. Little did I know, the size of Austin would somewhat swallow me. Though I am an extrovert through and through, I missed the familiarity of living in a place that knew me as well as I knew it. I missed knowing exactly where I filled my car with gas, where I got my hair done and which doctors I went to. I nearly mauled strangers wearing Husker gear, something I'd formerly loathed. And the minute Adam and I started thinking that a family was going to have to be a priority of ours sooner than later, we were worried about our parents missing all of our Brehm babies firsts and milestones. While there were many stellar elements to Austin {our friends, the mad mexican fare, the nightlife and the shopping -- to name only a few}, I came to the conclusion that while I wanted to be avant garde and live the fast life, at heart, I was just a small town girl. And while our Texas friends were extremely supportive of our decision to split, we were met with many inquiries regarding why anyone would ever move out of Texas.

When Adam and I decided to move to Omaha, we knew it was the best move for the two of us for the place we were in our life together. But, when we think about the life that we want for Barrett, and for the rest of the Brehm brood, we are often conflicted. Having lived in Omaha for a few years now, Adam and I have certainly become accustomed to certain conveniences...being less than 3 miles from a mall and a Target, having the option to run out for milk or Children's Motrin at 3 am, and having our big box gym in such close proximity are all things that we question just how we'd live without. The friends we have here and the role they play in Barrett's life are key to our current happiness. The schools are second-to-none {so they say} and, in fact, the school Barrett would attend will be brand spanking new in the fall. While all of this sounds great on paper ... I was born in a small town... and Adam graduated from a class of 46. And while our Omaha friends are extremely supportive of our thoughts on eventually moving out of the 'ha, we are often met with inquiries regarding why anyone would ever move out of Omaha.

Every so often, Adam, Barrett and I will take a tour of small towns on our way from Lincoln to see what's out there and we're still in search of that perfect place for us. And, as there are obviously pros and cons to the small town vs. big town debate, we can't say for certain if will end up anywhere else than where we are right now. While many will think we're crazy if we decide to move and put down roots in Small Town USA, we know that for us, it's just a step towards living the dream. Had you told me ten years ago that my dream included a town of less than 25,000 people, I likely would have laughed but we cannot forget the places we came from ... because we did our growing up in small towns.