Growing Up In A Small Town

I received this in an e-mail forward from my sister, Missy, this morning and it was so good I had to share. I don't typically like e-mail forwards, but Missy cares enough to send only the best! (Like Hallmark!) It's about growing up in a small town and the only one that didn't apply to me (out of 32) was number 21! If you grew up in a small town, you'll understand why it's so funny. If you didn't, this will give you great insight!

Thanks, Missy! Totes fun!

1) You can name everyone you graduated with.
(Yep. All 26 of them, including me!)

2) You know what 4-H means.

3) You went to parties at a pasture, barn, gravel pit, or in the middle of a dirt road. On Monday you could always tell who was at the party because of the scratches on their legs from running through the woods when the party was busted. (See #6.)
(No woods. Pastures...with barbed wire!)

4) You used to "drag" Main .
(Every single weekend and it never got old. Okay, it did. But it took a long time!)

5) You said the "F" word and your parents knew within the hour.
(Who, me? NEVER!)

6) You scheduled parties around the schedules of different police officers, because you knew which ones would bust you and which ones wouldn't.

7) You could never buy cigarettes because all the store clerks knew how old you were (and if you were old enough, they'd tell your parents anyhow).

8) When you did find somebody old enough and brave enough to buy cigarettes, you still had to go out into the country and drive on back roads to smoke them

9) You knew which section of the ditch you would find the beer your buyer dropped off.

10) It was cool to date somebody from the neighboring town.

11) The whole school went to the same party after graduation.
(The whole school and everyone else from every other town too!)

12) You didn't give directions by street names but rather by references. Turn by Nelson's house, go 2 blocks to Anderson's, and it's four houses left of the track field.
(Turn right at Bob's Station, go through three dips, turn right and our house is the big red one on your right!)

13) The golf course had only 9 holes.
(Enders Lake Golf Course baby!)

14) You couldn't help but date a friend's ex-boyfriend/girlfriend.
(Ahem...let's move on...)

15) Your car stayed filthy because of the dirt roads, and you will never own a dark vehicle for this reason.
(We'd wash and wash those old cars and in an hour, they were covered with dirt again!)

16) The town next to you was considered "trashy" or"snooty" but was actually just like your town.
(Totally.)

17) You referred to anyone with a house newer than 1965 as the "rich people".

18) The people in the "big city" dressed funny, and then you picked up the trend 2 years later.
(Actually, it was more like three years...)

19) Anyone you wanted could be found at the local gas station or the town bar.
(After a game if you wanted to find someone, they were in the Good Times.)

20) You saw at least one friend a week driving a tractor through town or one of your friends driving a grain truck to school occasionally.

21) The gym teacher suggested you haul hay for the summer to get stronger.
(This doesn't apply to me because I think all my teachers knew I'd NEVER do that!)

22) Directions were given using THE stop light as a reference.
(Every time you gave directions in Wauneta, the one stop light was the go-to landmark.)

23) When you decided to walk somewhere for exercise, 5 people would pull over and ask if you wanted a ride.
(Never failed.)

24) Your teachers called you by your older siblings' names.
(Joe and I had interchangeable names pretty much!)

25) Your teachers remembered when they taught your parents.
(Mrs. Rice, Mrs. Hidy, etc...)

26)You could charge at any local store or write checks without any ID.
(Yes, and my credit limit was astounding!)

27) The closest McDonalds was 25 miles away (or more).
(27.5 miles to be precise.)

28) The closest mall was over an hour away.
(An hour and a half to be precise.)

29) It was normal to see an old man riding through town on a riding lawn mower.
(Sonny Borges all the way!)

30) You've peed in a cornfield, or in the brush.

31) Most people went by a nickname.
(Moose, Ferg, Buck, Bubba...)

32) You laughed your butt off reading this because you know it is true, and you forward it to everyone who may have lived in a small town. I would not want to have been raised any other place!
(Me neither.)