1. Thoughtfulness.

This is not a small thing at all, but waiting for me this morning in my email account was an early birthday present; a trip to a spa in a very nice part of St. Louis. Thank you to the thoughtful person who sent this to me!

2. Rosie’s Fierce Hunting Skill.

Rosie is a source of unending joy, and this morning was no exception. I bought her three brand new toys last night, giving her the rope toy this morning just after taking her outside. Within an hour, she had completely destroyed the poor little toy. Rosie is a fierce, fierce, hunter dog:

RIP Rope Toy

3. Good Coworkers

All-around, I work with good people. From helping cover me at trade shows so that I don’t have to work crazy-long days back-to-back on my birthday weekend to picking me up with their four-wheel-drive when I’m stranded in the snow, my coworkers are good people.

I’ve not always been so lucky, so while I usually don’t blend work and personal on A Small Town Girl’s Guide, I am very thankful for the kind hearts and good intentions of my colleagues.

4. Good Coffee

Months ago, I accidentally broke my coffee carafe, and I have no idea why I waited so long to replace it. Rather than buying another coffee pot, I opted for a French press.

This morning I enjoyed the best cup of coffee I’ve had in ages in my tiny little cabin in the woods while Rosie enjoyed decimating the rope toy shown in the photo, above.

All was right in the world of Small Town Girl and her fierce little puppy:

Can I Get an Amen?

5. Prickly Pear Marmalade

Again with the morning theme…How did I not know about prickly pear until January of 2011?

I mean, I think I’m a relatively worldy, well-traveled, well-educated woman, but the ways of Arizona were entirely lost on me.

Thanks to my rockin’ host, Nick, for not only sharing the joys of prickly pear margaritas with me, but also for sending me home with a jar of prickly pear marmalade. English muffins have been taken to a whole new level now:

Prickly Pear Marmalade

1. A Small Town Girl’s Guide is a Finalist in the Riverfront Times “Web Awards”!

Immediately upon my arrival home to St. Louis this evening following my long weekend in Arizona, I discovered that A Small Town Girl’s Guide was selected as one of five finalists for the RFT’s “Best Personal Blog” award. Wish me luck! The winners will be announced soon.

2. I Wasn’t Hurt When My Car Died.

I was driving in the passing lane on a very congested Interstate 55 when my car stopped accelerating. I was driving 70 mph one minute, and within seconds no amount of pressure on my gas pedal would convince my car to gain speed. I had to cut across a lane of traffic to get the opposite shoulder, where I waited for an hour for a tow truck and a ride home. Thankfully, I didn’t cause an accident, even though my car had to be towed and repairs are going to be costly.

2. My Family Rocks.

While I traveled to Arizona this weekend for the Rock ‘N Roll Arizona Half Marathon, my parents dog-sat for me. They also loaned me their car to help me get to and from the airport since my car was in the shop. And they were waiting anxiously to hear about my trip when I got home tonight. In short, my family is nothing short of amazing.

3. New Friends.

I had a truly great weekend staying with new friends in Mesa, Arizona this weekend. Tim, Jan, Nick and I all ran the Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon together on Sunday, and they let me stay in their house all weekend. Nick was an excellent tour guide, and all-around, I had a really fantastic long weekend.

4. Old Friends.

While in Arizona, I had the opportunity to share dinner with a classmate from graduate school and his wife and kids. It’s incredible how fast time goes by, and with it, how new friends become old friends. Thank you Colin and Ona for hosting us!

5. A Great Race!

The Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon was a good race day for me. I’m lucky that I’m healthy enough to do things like half marathons for fun, and I’m even luckier to have had such a great group of people to run with this weekend (See point 3, above).

Just after finishing the Rock 'N Roll Arizona Half Marathon 1/16/11

Small Town Girl, Rosie & the Cabin in the Woods

With snow falling outside and Greg Brown music playing softly in my cabin, Rosie sleeps on my bed and I click “send” on the email containing my most recent magazine story.

Although I can’t help but miss Brooklyn, mornings like this one are pretty much idyllic.

There thousands of people who daydream about waking up in a silent cabin in the woods with snow falling outside, aren’t there? Aren’t there also thousands of aspiring young writers who envision themselves romantically pecking at the keys of a laptop in the wee hours of the morning with a steaming cup of coffee by their side?

Out the Back Door

Who knew that moving home to Missouri would make so many of my dreams come true? The story I submitted this morning is scheduled to appear in Missouri Meetings & Events, a full-color, glossy magazine read by thousands of event planning professionals. This is the fourth print publication I’ve written for since moving back to Missouri 22.5 months ago, but it’s the first one that’s distributed across the entire state.

Progress in gaining publication experience, although it’s been gradual, is extremely satisfying. Thank you to Missouri Meetings & Events for inviting me to write for them, as well as to the editors of Aire Magazine, Insider573 Magazine, and River Hills Traveler, the other print publications that have graciously supported my aspirations as a writer and photographer.

.

I noticed a badge on South City Confidential that said “Grace in Small Things”, so I did some research.

Since highlighting the good things in life is a big part of what A Small Town Girl’s Guide does, I thought it would be fun to join GiST and start focusing one post per week on expressing my gratitude for the goodness in my life.

Here’s my first GiST list. Happy 2011!

1. This blog.

A Small Town Girl’s Guide is going to be featured in a story in Insider573 Magazine, a beautiful, full color bi-monthly magazine published in Farmington, Missouri and distributed in the 573 area code. I’m so flattered and excited to be part of the magazine’s upcoming issue! This blog has been a creative outlet for me over the last few years, and it’s provided me with inspiration to continue exploring Missouri.

Flying Solo - at Monster Art Gallery on Cherokee Street, photo by The Bison Rancher's Daughter

2. Breakups.

Yep, you read that right. Break-ups aren’t easy, but I’m thankful for them in a bittersweet kind of way. After a phase in life ends or a person leaves us, we so often discover things about ourselves that we hadn’t noticed before. Taking something away makes room for more, and there’s no arguing that my life is overflowing with positive opportunities right now.

Rosie and the Funk, at the Daniel Boone Monument in Marthasville, MO

3. Rosie.

It took the aforementioned break-up earlier this fall to make me realize how long I’d been putting off adopting a puppy. A few days after Christmas, I adpoted Rosie, and I’m so happy that I did! She’s got a great personality, she’s smart, and she makes me laugh every day.

Running in San Francisco, photo taken by @soleilune

4. Running.

Running has been a life-changer for me. I ran my first half-marathon in 2010, and I’m looking forward to the Rock and Roll Arizona Half Marathon on Sunday in Phoenix, Arizona. I can’t say enough good things about the role running has played in my life, the kind of confidence I’ve gained through my training, or the way it’s re-framed my thinking about what’s achievable.

Saying Goodbye to the NYC roommates, photo by PappaGFunk

5. Leaving New York.

New York City was brilliant and amazing, and it shaped my perspectives in a remarkable way. Moving to New York was one of the best things I’ve ever done, but so was leaving it. Don’t get me wrong, I still miss it, but a lot of good things have happened in my life since moving back here. I’m writing for numerous magazines, my blog and social media work has earned recognition, and I’ve come to know some good people here.

So that’s that. My first GiST post. My goal is to post a new GiST list at the start of each new week.

Interested in GiST? Learn more here.

Small Town Girl's Brooklyn Smoothie, photo by Small Town Girl

After several days working out of town, driving more than 70 miles to and from work each day for meetings, I came back to my office to find a brand new food processor sitting in an unopened box on my desk chair.

There was no note letting me know who’d left the gift for me, and when I asked around the office to try to learn who I should direct my thanks to, no one would take the credit. Ultimately, I left a thank you note on the office’s island countertop addressed to the “person who gave me the anonymous food processor”.

The Anonymous Food Processor, photo by Small Town Girl

To this day, I don’t know who it was who brought me the food processor, but I’ve already used it more times than I can count to make smoothies after my training runs.

Thank you to whoever gave me this anonymous gift. You probably knew you were going to give me some slicing and dicing and blending, but what you may not have known is that you’ve given me a little bit of hope, and you’ve made me feel really loved and cared about.

Logo owned by Insider573 Magazine

Two years ago I dreamed of having my writing published in magazines, and today I was published in the fourth magazine in twelve months*. Insider573 Magazine, a photo-rich, high-gloss, high-end magazine owned by a Farmington, Missouri family approached me this summer to ask if I was interested in writing for them.

I was surprised when the editor invited me to participate as second shooter for a family photo shoot in a Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri pumpkin patch and corn maze. I love taking photos, and I believe I’ve developed a strong eye for photography, but I was still excited when the September/October issue of Insider573 (see pages 61-69) became available online today and I was able to see a photo editorial with my name on the bi-line.

Seeing my dreams slowly come to life in regional and local publications and sponsorships gives me faith that my bigger dreams of publishing books and receiving sponsored travel opportunities may not be so far off after all. A little bit of faith and a whole lot of hard work, and even pie-in-the-sky dreams can come true. What are you waiting for? Go. Chase those dreams!

***

If you like this story and these photos in Insider573, be sure to learn more about hiring me as a writer or photographer for your publication or website. I’m constantly seeking ways to share the beauty of rural Missouri with larger audiences, and magazines like Insider573 or publications like yours can help me do that.

*My writing has also appeared in Aire Magazine, River Hills Traveler and the St. Louis Women’s Journals

Small Town Girl on a Boat

1. I’m training for my first half marathon, which means that I’m getting super-buff (!!!) and spending most of my free time running.

2. I’ve taken up a new hobby which also helps me feel buff. You’ll have to come back later this week to read more about that.

3. Cool side projects are popping up for me. From writing for additional magazines to potential sponsored travel opportunities to speaking at conferences on social media and nonpfrofits, things have been taking off in a great way outside of my blog. These projects mean that I don’t have quite as much time as I used to for exploring small town, Missouri.

4. By moving to a place where cost of living is so much more manageable than it was in New York City, saving money is easier. As a result I’m taking my first big vacation since moving back to the United States in 2007. Where am I going? You’ll have to come back tomorrow to find out.:-)

Moving from Taipei to New York City to 12-Miles-From-Nowhere has been awful at times. It’s been lonely as hell. It’s been trying and difficult, and it’s made me question who I am, what I want, and what I believe. Sixteen months after starting my job here in rural Missouri though, I can see that this move was exactly where I needed to be, even if I still don’t know all the reasons why.

Opportunities are unfolding that I could never have anticipated, and I’m living out dreams that I never thought I’d be able to accomplish. Sometimes we have to keep our eyes on horizons that seem far out of reach so that we’re on the right trajectory to crash into the amazing things life has in store for us. Wherever you are on your course in life, find that horizon and focus on it. Good things will come, I have faith.

Bradford Pear, photo by smalltowngirl

“Why on earth did you move from New York City to rural Missouri?”

I’ve been reading some C.S. Lewis lately, and he summarized very eloquently a part of my reason for moving “home” that I’d not yet been able to put into words:

…This is, I think, one little part of what Christ meant by saying that a thing will not really live unless it first dies. It is simply no good trying to keep any thrill: that is the very worst thing you can do. Let the thrill go – let it die away…and you will find you are living in a world of new thrills all the time. But if you decide to make thrills your regular diet and try to prolong them artificially, they will all get weaker and weaker, and fewer and fewer, and you will be a bored, disillusioned old man for the rest of your life…

-C.S. Lewis, from “Mere Christianity”

If I can find the thrills, the beauty and the intrigue in a life as simple as a small town girl’s life, then the world – and all the happiness in it -will be my own. Here’s to seeking out the greatness in the simplest of things. Here’s to life in Small Town, Missouri.

In my first year back in my home state, I’ve learned…

1. That the first year is only the beginning. I came here hoping for new and great professional and personal challenges. Boy oh boy, have I met them. And as the first year ends, I’m not over the hump yet…I know that year #2 is going to teach me, mold me, and refine me even more. Bring it on, second year…I’m ready for you.

2. That you can’t romanticize the past. (See my letter to New York.)

3. That my family is rockin’. I seriously can’t imagine having parents who are any more supportive, loving and understanding than mine are.

4. That the midwest does not, contrary to popular NYC opinion, make you fat.

5. That country music ain’t so bad.

6. That a big city, overly-educated woman can learn a helluva lot from a small town, life-educated man.

7. That small town Missouri has a lot going for it. A year into this blog, I’m doing anything but running out of fodder to write about. For each new post I publish, I have ideas for several more. And my readers and twitter friends are constantly making great suggestions for places I’ve not seen or heard about yet.

8. That persistence pays off – a year ago I hoped to someday be published, so I started writing and doing photography for smalltowngirlsguide.com. Now I’m writing and doing photography regularly for two magazines, and seeing opportunities arise to either guest blog or be the subject of other people’s blogs.

9. That the great social media experiment worked – I wondered if I could use SM to minimize the geographic space between me and my friends/colleagues in other cities. Social media can’t replace real-life interactions, but it can certainly help to maintain relationships at a distance.

10. That my marketing and social media ideas for nonprofits work. A year into the first NPO job where I’ve had significant responsibility, decision-making power, and strategic influence, I’m seeing real, tangible results.

For better or for worse, it’s been one hell of a year.

To anyone who’s venturing out into a new endeavor,  making a life change, or seeking the courage to try a new path, consider yourself encouraged. My first year in Missouri has brought every challenge and opportunity I had hoped that it would…and more. Much, much more. But the first year is only the beginning.

Take chances. Make the harder decision. Challenge yourself. It’ll be worth it, I promise.

McKinnis Home, photo by smalltowngirl

On Sunday I took my mom on a small town blogging adventure to the Washington, Missouri Holiday House Tour. One of my favorite features of the homes we saw was the fireplace in The McKinnis House, which was decorated in letters that spelled “Believe”, along with lots of whimsical, wintery accents and Christmas stockings.

Believe! photo by smalltowngirl

***

The Homes Tour also featured the following locations:

St. Peters United Church of Christ

The Kriete Home

Hillerman Nursery & Florist

The Meyers Home

The Schneider Home

The Gildehaus Home

Gary Lucy Gallery & Home

The Prenger Home

Tickets for the tour were $10 in advance or $15 at the door, and were available for purchase at Four Rivers Area YMCA, Hillerman Nursery & Florist, Urban Accents, Four Seasons Florist and the Gary Lucy Gallery. Stay tuned for more pictures and writing about smalltowngirl’s experience on the 2009 “Homes for the Holidays” House Tour.