In 5th grade, my family moved and I started at a new school. One of my first memories of Blowing Rock School is learning the song "Fifty Nifty" about the US. It culminated in an alphabetical, lyrical recitation of the states - all fifty nifty of them. Most of the other kids learned it in 4th grade, and I had some catching up to do. My ten-year-old brain was overwhelmed.

Sugar has been to 31 of the 50 Nifty! She’s quite the adventurous canine.

It was cheesy, but I remain inexplicably proud that I can still name all 50 states. Alphabetically, no less.

Fifteen years later, I decided I was going to visit all 50 states before I turned 30. This was in the early aughts, with post-9/11 patriotism and desire to spend travel dollars domestically at a high. I’m so grateful for those adventures. They took me to Acadia National Park in Maine, a camping spot on the Homer Spit in Alaska, a tour of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and a meat raffle in Minnesota.

And you know that the meat raffle is the best story of all of ‘em.

We live in a wildly diverse and fascinating country. This summer, you might be celebrating our nation's founding, or traveling across it, or just enjoying your corner. Give a shout out to the one or two or ten of the fifty nifty that you find yourself in. Because as the song says:

Each individual state contributes a quality that is great.

My inner 5th grader just cringed.

Did you receive this postcard from one of our subscribers? Here’s a list of all the state nicknames, if you’re wondering where they were when they so thoughtfully decided to write a postcard to YOU.

The First State = Delaware

The Gem State = Idaho

The Prairie State = Illinois

The Pine Tree State = Maine

The Magnolia State = Mississippi

The Equality State = Wyoming

The Bluegrass State = Kentucky

The North Star State = Minnesota

The Natural State = Arkansas

The Cornhusker State = Nebraska

The Granite State = New Hampshire

The Sunshine State = Florida

The Flickertail State = North Dakota

The Evergreen State = Washington

The Lone Star State = Texas

The Palmetto State = South Carolina

The Beehive State = Utah

The Sooner State = Oklahoma

The Volunteer State = Tennessee

The Free State = Maryland

The Last Frontier = Alaska

The Pelican State = Louisiana

The Bay State = Massachusetts

The Wolverine State = Michigan

The Hoosier State = Indiana

The Grand Canyon State = Arizona

The Peach State = Georgia

The Constitution State = Connecticut

The Mountain State = West Virginia

The Mount Rushmore State = South Dakota

The Garden State = New Jersey

The Beaver State = Oregon

Land of Enchantment = New Mexico

The Empire State = New York

The Sunflower State = Kansas

The Ocean State = Rhode Island

The Old Dominion State = Virginia

The Aloha State = Hawaii

The Treasure State = Montana

The Green Mountain State = Vermont

The Buckeye State = Ohio

The Golden State = California

The Cotton State = Alabama

The Centennial State = Colorado

The Hawkeye State = Iowa

The Tar Heel State = North Carolina

The Badger State = Wisconsin

The Keystone State = Pennsylvania

The Silver State = Nevada

The Show Me State = Missouri