When I set off for college in Lincoln, I had great aspirations of moving to Seattle post-grad and setting up shop in the big city. I longed for the anonymity and energy of city life and while I had no negative feelings toward my upbringing, was ready for a real change of pace. With Adam’s influence, I settled for Austin in lieu of Seattle and was completely stoked for the chance to live in a place that was so filled with possibilities. Little did I know, the size of Austin would somewhat swallow me. Though I am an extrovert through and through, I missed the familiarity of living in a place that knew me as well as I knew it. I missed knowing exactly where I filled my car with gas, where I got my hair done and which doctors I went to. I nearly mauled strangers wearing Husker gear, something I’d formerly loathed. And the minute Adam and I started thinking that a family was going to have to be a priority of ours sooner than later, we were worried about our parents missing all of our Brehm babies firsts and milestones. While there were many stellar elements to Austin {our friends, the mad mexican fare, the nightlife and the shopping — to name only a few}, I came to the conclusion that while I wanted to be avant garde and live the fast life, at heart, I was just a small town girl. And while our Texas friends were extremely supportive of our decision to split, we were met with many inquiries regarding why anyone would ever move out of Texas.
When Adam and I decided to move to Omaha, we knew it was the best move for the two of us for the place we were in our life together. But, when we think about the life that we want for Barrett, and for the rest of the Brehm brood, we are often conflicted. Having lived in Omaha for a few years now, Adam and I have certainly become accustomed to certain conveniences…being less than 3 miles from a mall and a Target, having the option to run out for milk or Children’s Motrin at 3 am, and having our big box gym in such close proximity are all things that we question just how we’d live without. The friends we have here and the role they play in Barrett’s life are key to our current happiness. The schools are second-to-none {so they say} and, in fact, the school Barrett would attend will be brand spanking new in the fall. While all of this sounds great on paper … I was born in a small town… and Adam graduated from a class of 46.
And while our Omaha friends are extremely supportive of our thoughts on eventually moving out of the ‘ha, we are often met with inquiries regarding why anyone would ever move out of Omaha.Every so often, Adam, Barrett and I will take a tour of small towns on our way from Lincoln to see what’s out there and we’re still in search of that perfect place for us. And, as there are obviously pros and cons to the small town vs. big town debate, we can’t say for certain if will end up anywhere else than where we are right now. While many will think we’re crazy if we decide to move and put down roots in Small Town USA, we know that for us, it’s just a step towards living the dream. Had you told me ten years ago that my dream included a town of less than 25,000 people, I likely would have laughed but we cannot forget the places we came from … because we did our growing up in small towns.
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