it may not sound like much.. but it's where i'm from..

I can see the bright, sparkly, open sky without walking more than a couple feet out the back door of my house.  I can see corn planted for miles and sometimes if the wind is just right I can hear the cars on the interstate or the cows mooing from the pasture down the road. There is no other place I would rather be than in Aurora, Nebraska where I have spent my last 18 years.  I cannot even imagine growing up any other place.  I love the rural community and how everyone knows everyone.  I really believe that our town goes over and beyond helping others and making everyone feel more at home.  We are a very welcoming and friendly community. 

I have lived in the same house my whole life. A big white house with a rap around porch and a two door garage is the only house I've every lived in.  We have a basketball hoop on our driveway where I play "horse" with my twin sisters and a grass volleyball court in my backyard where I watch the twins attempt to play "pepper."  We have a trampoline and swing set where I spent my younger years pretending I was an Olympic Gymnast. We have a big red barn where the raccoons and possums hang out.  Next to the barn we have many pins where I keep my cows, Priscilla and Petranella. Across the road we have a pasture where my dad keeps his cows and a pond where the snakes and turtles swim.  My house is seven miles southwest of Aurora, NE and seven miles northeast of Giltner, NE.  My house has all the field guys running to it when my mother makes her homemade cherry pies.  There is nothing better than fresh fruits and vegetables right from the garden.  I would much rather eat my mothers home cooked meals than go to any restaurant.
Growing up on the country has made me a little bit more unique than other girls. Some girls would rather work inside where they don't get dirty but not me.  I would much rather be outside breathing in the fresh air and soaking up the summer sun. Not every girl knows how to change a tire or how to castrate a calf but the farm is one of my favorite places to be. Surrounded by the smell of freshly cut grass and the flowers in my mother’s large garden make me feel like this is where I'm supposed to be. Of course there are smells that aren't so good. Like manure, or dead animals that my dog chews up, or even the turnips rotting in the field. But good smell or bad smell I wouldn't have it any other way.  In the summer I get up to work at seven in the morning and my father makes me do random jobs till around six at night. Most of my summer time is spent in the hot fields roughing or detasseling corn that is a foot taller than me.  If I am not trying to survive in the corn I am driving the tractor up and down the fields raking hay or trying not to take out the corn cultivating.

I am from a school that has friends I could almost consider family.  Growing up together, I feel like some of them know me more than I know myself.  Our school and student body is not like any other school.  Aurora has activities that suit everyone.  I believe our school tries to include everyone by the different programs they offer.  Our classmates and even teachers are very supportive not just in the classroom but with extra-curricular activities as well.  I think it is very neat to see half the community at football games cheering on the Aurora Huskies.  We have an amazing student section that never stops cheering and an awesome band that never quits playing. The band gets the game started and gets everyone in the audience excited, not just the kids. I honestly never knew how incredible our band was until I went to a different school and heard their band attempt to play the Star-Spangled Banner and it sounded extremely awful compared to ours. I love how our community will stick with the team even if we aren't doing as well as we would like.  We don't stop supporting them.  Our school works hard at everything we compete in, not to just win but to have fun and to know that we have tried our hardest.

I think it is the little things that mean the most to me.  I truly am grateful for everything I have and am so blessed to have grown up in such an amazing place I can call home.  I know that where I've grown up doesn't sound like much too some people, but country life it's all I’ve ever known and I would never want to change that. I am proud of that.  I believe that Jason Michael Carroll says it best.  "It may not sound like much, but it's where I'm from."

pictures that represent our state!

pictures that represent our school!

pictures that represent our community!

pictures that represent my home!

Who Am I?

There are many things that make you different than someone else.  Whether it is the people you surround yourself with, the places you've been, the way you were raised, or the opportunities you've had.  Not one person is the same.  You may be a twin or just siblings; you may look alike, act alike, or even sound alike, but you are not the same.  We all have different distinguishing factors that make us unique. I, Anya Ranae Oswald am the person I am today because of the people in my life and my past experiences.

Most people think of cows as the animal that provides us with very delicious food.  Whether it is the juicy, tender 12oz rib eye or the bowl full of ice cream, we wouldn't be blessed with such great foods if it wasn't for the cow.  Don't get me wrong my two favorite foods are provided by the cow but when I think about a cow I don't think about what we can eat from them but how they contribute into making me, me!  I have been surrounded by cows my entire life.  I would wake up before I go about my daily activities such as school or church and feed my calves and before I went in for the day my pet favorite animals would have to get fed again. I think about all the memories that my father and I have with these huge animals.  How we'd try and chase them in their pasture during the middle of the night or all the times we'd make fence just to have it break again.  I think about my first trip to the meat block where I went with my dad to take my first pet cow named Ashes.  And I think about the purple ribbons that my Priscilla and Petranella have won me at the fair.  Without cows I honestly don't believe I would be the girl that I am today.

I believe that the people you surround yourself with are a part of who you are and who you’ve become. We are most likely to hang around people that have the same interests as us. I hang out with people who are friendly, nice to everyone, and positive.  It’s nice to have someone build you up and make you a better person.  My friends are extremely important to me.  I wouldn't look forward to school if I didn't have great friends to associate with.

The most important thing to me is my family.  I know no matter what they will be there till the very end.  Being in the middle of my sisters I am very close to all. I listened to my older sister’s cry about their break ups and wiped away the younger sister’s tears over silly things that seemed important at the time. I think that growing up in the middle I have seen both sides to every situation and it has made me a more understanding person.  Going through many tragedies in my family has brought us closer together. My parents taught me to thank God for the little things he has given us, not dwell on the past, and work for goals.  My parents expect a lot out of me and I never want to disappoint them.  I try hard in everything I do and I work for what I want.

Growing up on a farm isn't easy.  There are many jobs and responsibilities that come with raising animals and crops.  It has taught me to work hard and not be lazy.  I am someone who loves being outside and I would much rather be outside working on the farm than at school any day. I love getting the chance to know my father more and how he handles situations.  He teaches me not only how to run a farm but patience.

For those reasons I believe that I am someone who is slow to get angry with the little things but don't tolerate the things that shouldn't happen. I am a very understanding person and try not to judge anyone.  I am the girl who wants everyone to be included because I know how it feels to be left out.  When I was eight my two older sisters never let me do anything with them because I was "too young." I make it an effort to try and include my younger sisters because I know how much it meant to me when I got to hang out with my older sisters.

To sum it all up I guess you could say that I am the daughter of a hard working father and a strong willed mother. I am the sister to five beautiful sisters, a sister-in-law to three handsome brothers, and an aunt to an adorable little girl named Adelie. I am a granddaughter to my grandparents and a niece to many.  I am a cousin to billions and a friend to everyone.

Deep Map

my family tradition!

Never Alone - Lady Antebellum (lyrics)