Camden has a lot more to offer than what is depicted in this picture...
1. Friday nights were spent under those bright lights with our boys in blue.
My love for Camden football began at a young age, from sitting with my parents at every game, to the monumental moment of finally being able to sit with my friends in the middle school section. Then the years of dreams of being able to sit in the rowdy student section came true during the High School years. Camden football was truly a religion growing up, but I wouldn't have wanted to ask off work for anything else. The memories made at those Friday night games will be something I will forever cherish, once a wildcat always a wildcat.
2. Nowhere has better wings than the Wee Pub.
Every time I go home, I literally live for the moment I can dig into this delicious wings. You literally haven't lived if you have not tried Wee Pub. From their wings to their spaghetti to their subs, they are all to die for and even their desserts and appetizers are like no other. Growing up with Wee Pub constantly as a staple was truly a blessing.
3. My little one stop light town.
Some may call Woodbine, the town in Camden that literally has nothing.Yet now living in a city with a stop light around every corner and traffic like Jacksonville during rush hour I tend to miss my middle of nowhere town. I would literally give anything to be back in this beautiful city every time that 5 o'clock rush hits in Valdosta. In "da bine" we never had to worry too much about locking our doors or much crime. To this day you will always see everybody at the dollar general even if you forgot to brush your hair that day and gas prices are always ten to fifteen cents more expensive because there isn't much competition for miles around.
4. Friendships that are literally as old as you are.
From fourth grade days in Mr. Feine's class to endless hours of playing video games with your little brother. The joys of growing up in a small town are being able to have wonderful friends that are around for every stage of your awkward years and loving each other through all of it. The cool thing about friendships that last a long time is that their family becomes like your own and you could go months without speaking to each other because of life's daily business, but within a few minutes of hanging out again it's like you never spent any time apart.
5. You learn to appreciate the military.
I miss the diversity the base brings the town, which basically means Camden will always be a quaint place to live, but the base has brought together people from all around the world.I remember when I first moved to Georgia from Pennsylvania everyone initially thought we were military. Also, when most of your friends' families all tend to be linked to the military, you begin to appreciate the sacrifices they have to go through daily a lot more than you ever did before.I am grateful to have grown up in a military town because it instills in you the American pride and the option to always serve your country if life doesn't go as planned.
6. Being EXTREMELY CLOSE to the beach.
I never knew how little I truly went to the beach until I was two hours away from it and all I wanted to do some days was just go lay on the beach for a few hours. Growing up less than twenty minutes away from a beach was a luxury I never feel like I could have used enough when I lived there for ten years. Now some weekends I will go home just so I can spend some time enjoying the beach that I so easily took advantage of.
7. The beauty within Camden.
In Valdosta, there is this place called Grand Bay, Which it is beautiful marshland, but it only makes me miss home knowing that my backyard was literally acres of breathtaking marshland. I think the inner beauty of Camden is so easily overlooked when you drive past them on a daily basis and don't even recognize them. The moments spent walking downtown eating ice cream from the little shop on the corner or walking the river walk in Woodbine were moments where I saw God shine extremely bright through all his glorious creations.
8. You're close enough to Jacksonville to feel like you're big city living without actually living in it.
I am the type of person who HATES bumper to bumper traffic, so that is why I enjoy being close enough to Jacksonville to be within less than hour of anything there, but far enough away to enjoy my small town simple living. Jacksonville is a great city I could spend hours shopping in the town center during Christmas time and then days at the beaches during the summertime. A city with a wide variety of options to do on the weekends within such a close reach is definitely missed when I am at college.
9. Second-oldest continuously inhabited city in America is within this county.
St. Mary's claims to be the "Second" oldest city in America, whether I believe that it was founded a year after St. Augustine is the question, but being the history fanatic I am I still find this pretty fascinating. People who live there tend to think of it as just a way to attract tourists, but with much research, there are actually a few books that mention that it is a real thing. Yet I still believe there aren't enough reliable sources to claim it is the second oldest city in America to make it actually a real deal. Hey, at least we know Kingsland will forever be Lovetown USA after Ophra's show.
10. 10 years of new adventures were made there.
My first camp out. My first AP class. My first job. My first car. My first high school football game. Three years of prom. My first kiss. My high school sweetheart. Graduating with honors. Those are just some of the many things I lavished in during my times of growing up. Every challenge or heartache turned me into the woman I am today.
Thank you Camden County, for giving me a lifetime of memories I could never forget.
