Dear Kansas City,

First off I would like to apologize. I’m really sorry I used to hate you. Don’t take it personally. I think I just didn’t take the time to realize how great you really are. I took advantage of you, and I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry that all I wanted to do was leave. I didn’t appreciate your sense of care and community. I didn’t understand what it meant to be a blooming mid-sized midwestern city. I was stupid. Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest I would like to thank you.

Thank you for raising me. I spent my childhood summers in camps at some of your greatest attractions. I hiked trails at Lakeside Nature Center. I learned how to make soda at Science City. I dissected fish at the zoo. Then, once I outgrew summer camp I spent long days at Worlds of Fun and the Plaza trying to hide from the sun in the movie theatre.

Thank you for teaching me life lessons. You taught me how to drive, whether it’s adventures down Ward Parkway with your best friends or taking I-70 all the way to the Legends, then back again. You taught me that even the underdog turns into a winner if the fans cheer loud enough. You taught me that just because you’re in the middle, in one of those boring “fly over states” doesn’t mean you have nothing worth while.

Thank you for the memories. Thank you for all the nights I spent driving around on your empty streets blasting music with my friends. Thank you for all the Royals games and the hotdog races. Thank you for all the deliciously local restaurants serving up everything from burgers to Chinese food. Thank you for giving me STA, a school where I found my best friends and my sisters. Thank you for your stunning skyline photos and your dreamy sunsets.

Kansas City, thank you. And as I leave you and prepare to move on to another city and another community for college, I will never forget all the wonderful and memorable moments I had here in the good ole’ killa city.