All I need to know about life I learned in my hometown

There is nothing wrong with blowing bubbles in your underwear in your front yard

(as long as you're under the age of 7)

Dogs like to roam free and "hunt" even if they're labs and all they hunt is ducks that have NO trouble flying away just in time. Where we live now dogs are required to be on leashes at all times. Darn us for taking away their freedom.

The friends you had high school will always have a "one up" on you. Seeing them ten years (or more,) later might make you sweat a little bit when you see them. What if they think I'm still like that??? Whatever like that may be.

But there also people that you wish you'd have spent more time with because they are still as sweet as they were then. Like Robin :)

No matter how old you are there will always be somebody who addresses you as, "that littlest one...that littlest Jenkins one...I don't know your name but I know you're Pam's daughter..." and that somebody will almost have a heart attack when you tell them that you have your own children. "Honey, how old ARE YOU?" Then that somebody won't believe you when you say, "31." That's part of the charm of a small town-even when you're an adult people might recognize you by your mother and therefore tell your mother if you do something wrong in their presence.

There's nothing wrong with eating Blue Bell ice cream for any and all snack times. And then again before bed.

Feeding ducks is actually a great way to teach kids patience. "Where are the ducks?" "I don't know, they'll be here in a minute..." And a minute could really be 30 minutes but they're okay to wait because the excitement that the ducks bring with them could be bottled and sold for a lot of money.

When people who knew you as a baby are asked to pray for your children, THEY ACTUALLY DO IT. I ran into people this weekend who asked me all about Joy and how she was doing. They said they prayed faithfully for her health and continue to pray for her now. So very humbling and sweet. I might have told them to keep praying because the girl-she's a stinker. She still gets kicked out of the church nursery. "Oh law," was one response I got.

When in doubt, it is always a good idea to go to bed early because nothing good ever happens after midnight. After all, the only place open after that was Whataburger growing up so there wasn't a whole lot going on anyway.

Or maybe fun things DID happen but I was always asleep by midnight, (or way before...)

And the final thing I learned about life from my hometown: Always smile and say hi to people. You might be having a bad day or be late for something but you'll always regret not being nice. Especially if the person you shunned knows your mom and dad and tells them you were rude later on.

Not that that ever happened to me of course.