Finally, now that I’m 24, my parents have had about enough of me living in their house. Fair enough! I’m excited to be moving to my own apartment in Monticello this weekend, but I’m sad to be leaving Becker.

I grew up in this community, and, aside from the years I spent at college, I’ve lived here my whole life. There’s a lot of things I love about this city that I’m going to miss when I leave. 

First and foremost, I’m going to miss my spur-of-the-moment trips to Charlie’s Sports Bar and Grill. If you haven’t yet, you really should try their tater tots with their seasoned sour cream.

I’m going to miss the smell of lilacs in bloom as I bike down Co. Rd. 23, just past the golf course. And, of course, what kind of Becker kid would I be if I didn’t ride my bike down the steep incline leading to the Pebble Creek underpass?

I’m going to miss the breathtaking beauty of the hills of trees along 197th St. in the fall. If you can, put that sight on your bucket list. No photos can do it justice. 

I’ll miss getting (intentionally) lost in the hiking trails at city park.

I’ll miss running into familiar faces when I run to Jubilee (excuse me, Food Pride) for some last-minute groceries or a pint of ice cream. Almost every time I visit, I run into someone I know from high school, or just from around the community.

Heck, I think I might even miss hearing the train whistle sounding at night as I’m falling asleep.

I’ll definitely be back to visit all of these parts of the community, but I don’t think it will be quite the same as living here. I’m glad that I’ll still get to cover stories within the city, such as the city council meetings, the updates coming to Snuffy’s Landing, and all the things going on at the schools. 

If you have a story from Becker or Big Lake you’d like me to cover, please send me an email at Reporter.Katie@PatriotNewsMN.com. I would be so honored to write about what is important to the people of this community!