Hey FW,

It's been a while. After almost 19 years of life, I moved away and I've been up in Illinois frolicking through college while you have stayed there, patiently waiting for my return. I love my school, I have great friends, I learn so much and I am discovering more about myself everyday. But I have to admit, I miss you.

I miss the way the air shifts in the fall as marching band starts up. I miss the smells that fill University Drive when the Stock Show and Rodeo are in town. I miss the late nights at Ol' South, but mostly, I miss the feeling of comfort you give me.

Now, you and I both know you aren't small, but being the 16th largest city in the U.S. doesn't get you the attention you deserve. You're so close to Dallas that people just lump you together, but they couldn't be more wrong, could they? As a wise BBQ joint, Railhead, once said, "Life's too short to live in Dallas." You, Ray Price, and I know that to be true.

See, Fort, you are so full of history, embracing the founding of a fort, becoming a major intersection on cattle-drives, and founding some of the biggest and greatest American companies. But you embrace culture, your arts district houses theaters, coliseums, museums, priceless art and countless discoveries waiting to be made. You bustle from Sundance Square to TCU to West 7th, you embrace the liberal, conservative and other, you build bridges and preserve nature. You embrace the Texas culture, but make it your own, thriving as "Cowtown," reestablishing what it means to be a wholesome town, let alone city.

I cannot tell you how much you mean to me, how much I boast about being a citizen of "The Fort." I love to talk about the days of leisure at the Botanic Gardens, the adventures in the Water Gardens, the discoveries at the old stock yards, the meals at Pulido's, the rare snowball fights at Paschal HS. You shaped me, made me who I am today. I drive by old schools, houses, hang-outs and I laugh. I remember the good and the bad, the moments I got flat tires and the moments I found a part of who I truly am.

It doesn't seem like enough, but thank you. I know you're "just a city," but Fort Worth, you mean the world to me. There will never a better home than you.