The restaurant is located in a two-story house on a side street near downtown Desoto, Missouri. Inside, the restaurant’s walls were lined with booths not unlike those at fast food hamburger joints; hard plastic shells with generic tabletops. The tables were decorated with salt and pepper shakers and small glass bottles with fake flowers poking out from their tops.

My friend and I settled into a corner booth and began chatting as we examined the menu. We decided on Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza and a half carafe of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our waiter couldn’t have been more than sixteen, and although he was incredibly sweet, he may not have been the smartest waiter in Desoto. When my friend order our wine, the boy looked at him, slightly confused.

“I’m sorry, you want what? Oh…Is that a wine?” he asked.

“Yes, we’d like a half carafe of Cabernet Sauvignon, please. Unless you have bottles. Do you have a bottle?” my friend asked.

I think it struck my friend and I both that it was strange for a menu to only list wine by the glass or the half carafe, but not by the bottle.

“Sure, we have bottles,” the waiter replied. “Would you like one or two?”

My friend’s eyes briefly met my own, confused. One bottle or two? Really? Do people really order two bottles of wine with pizza at seven o’clock on a Saturday night?

After several seconds of utter confusion, my friend noticed the bottle that held the fake flower on our table. The bottle was a wee little wine bottle. As in a single-serving bottle. As in…

He and I exchanged glances as figurative little light bulbs flickered on above each of our heads.

“We’ll take two bottles” my friend answered, smiling.

The real laugh came when the waiter delivered matching miniature wine glasses. Of course, I had to get a photo with the tiniest slice of pizza from our dish to round out the wee little serving of wine we were presented…

We had a good laugh over the wee wine and the wee wine glasses, but we both gave props to the pizza. The dough tasted home made, and the meat and pineapple tasted pretty fresh. It wasn’t the best pizza I’ve ever eaten, but I wouldn’t turn my nose up at Pogolino’s Pizza, either.

In 2009, my mom and I attended our first holiday home tour in Washington, Missouri. Also sponsored by the local YMCA, the day was a lot of fun for both my mom and for me. We shopped for Christmas ornaments in local gift stores, visited homes, had lunch together, and took advantage of the day to catch up on quality mom-daughter time.

Mom and I decided this year to make holiday home tours our new holiday tradition, and I’m glad we did. Of the four homes we saw, each had beautiful decorations inside and out. One home in particular stood out for capturing not just the look of the holidays, but the spirit of Christmas.

When we entered this family’s home, we immediately felt welcomed. The home was beautiful, of course, but it also felt real, human, and lived-in. Classic decorations were mixed with more creative and sassy ones like the beach-themed Christmas tree in the hallway bathroom. We had the opportunity to meet the family who lived in the house, and they were down to earth and completely welcoming.

The YMCA Christmas House Tour requested that no pictures be taken, so I left my camera at home. If you live near Festus/Crystal City and enjoy Christmas events, I really do recommend that you mark your calendar for December 2011 and watch for details on this house tour when the time draws nearer.

It’s been said that you can take the person out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the person.  I’m a good example of that, because despite years spent in Taipei and New York City, I don’t just like Fords, I like Ford trucks.

Sure, I have a healthy appreciate for hybrids (they’re environmentally friendly) and performance cars (they’re sexy). I even appreciate the family sedan (I drive one).

The fact remains that nothing (except maybe a Corvette) gets my heart throbbing like a big Ford truck does.  This rebuilt Ford Bronco is a perfect example. Look at that engine. Look at that shiny red paint. Look at that big steely grill and those big black tires. Damn, I love a big Ford:

Ford Bronco, photo by MilliGFunk

Someday you’ll see this small town girl driving her hybrid to work each day with a big Ford pickup in the driveway for special occasions. Love me or hate me, I can’t try to hide it that I’m a pickup truck-lovin’ small town girl.

This photo was taken at a car show in Festus, Missouri in September 2010. A few more pictures can be found on my flickr page.

The site, devoted to creating a “home on the web for Missouri’s Parkland” was founded by a Parkland-area native now living and working the Washingon D.C. Metro Area. Some of you may already follow Nick (@nbarron) on twitter, but if you don’t, you should. Nick is a a small town boy who’s taking what he’s learned on the East Coast about marketing and building online communities to create a web-based community for the Parkland that’s the first of its kind.

People like Nick who are prepared to devote their personal resources to making small town Missouri communities stronger are the kind of people I like to surround myself with.

I couldn’t be happier that Nick and I have remained friends for more than a decade after we met in high school Spanish class. I’m thrilled to be able to support Nick’s endeavors on ParklandUSA by contributing photos and blog content to the site.

If you live in or near Missouri’s Parkland, please visit the site often for gas prices, sports updates, and, of course, insights and images from A Small Town Girl’s Guide and MilliGFunk Photography. You can read the announcement Nick posted on ParklandUSA about syndicating Small Town Girl’s Guide here.

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If you’re interested in republishing content from A Small Town Girl’s Guide through syndication, please contact me. Click on the following links for more information on hiring me as a freelance writer or as a freelance photographer. I’m also available to speak on social media strategy, blogging and marketing.

This is the second 5k race that I’ve run in that the Y has been a part of, and both have had clear focuses on fitness and community. There’s a community and a place for competitive road races, but I appreciate that the organizers of Partners in Wellness recognize Jefferson County’s need for wellness-focused events. The other race, sponsored by Get Fit Festus, was a smaller run and really embraced folks who are on the path to better health.

Today’s race drew more than 200 people ranging in age from small babies in strollers to a little (5’1″ maybe?) gray haired lady who zoomed past me even as I ran my personal best 5K time. There were walkers, runners, joggers and participants of the K9 variety. Truly, it was a nice race, and one I’ll be happy to run in again in the future.

For more information about this race, or if you live in Jefferson County and are interested in working towards a healthier lifestyle, visit the Y’s website.

Photo by MilliGFunk Photography (taken with my iPhone)

A family friend gave up his private pilot’s license and his personal airplane a few years ago in exchange for a Yamaha motorcycle. When he still flew, it wasn’t uncommon for him to fly families to other cities during emergencies or to help hospitals deliver organs to patients for transplant.

His altruism has carried over into his newest hobby. Our friend rides his motorcycle with the Patriot Guard, which I had the opportunity to witness today for the first time during the funeral procession for Army Staff Sgt. James R Ide V, a Festus Missouri man who was killed on August 30th in Afghanistan.

For years now, I’ve heard our family friend mention the various rides he’s been a part of with the Patriot Guard, but it wasn’t until I saw them myself today that I understood how powerful what they do is. There were so many riders in the Guard that it took minutes for them all to pass. From retired couples on cushy Harley Davidsons to a young kid on a dirt bike, hundreds of men and women rode along with Ide’s body, accompanying his family to his funeral.

Patriot Guard, photo by MilliGFunk Photography (photo taken with my iPhone)

Today as the Patriot Guard passed by, I found myself holding my breath, because I was afraid that if I breathed, I’d sob. Watching motorcycle after motorcycle pass by with their tail pipes rumbling gently somehow stirred inside me something that’s been asleep for some time – an authentic sense of patriotism.

My deepest sympathies go out to Army Staff Sgt. James Ide’s family and friends.

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The Patriot Guard is a nonprofit who’s mission is as follows:

The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

We don’t care what you ride or if you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a hawk or a dove. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your income is; you don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives:

1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.
2. Shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.

To those of you who are currently serving and fighting for the freedoms of others, at home and abroad, please know that we are backing you.  We honor and support you with every mission we carry out, and we are praying for a safe return home for all.

As I drove into the small, hilly town of Desoto Missouri for their Saturday farmers market in June, I noticed an immaculately-renovated historic Texaco filling station.

The pump at the station indicates that gas is just $0.42 per gallon.

Later that day in 2010, in another small Missouri town, gas was $2.49 per gallon.

I was never very good at studying history as a student, but suddenly history has become much more attractive.

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Desoto, Missouri is located in Jefferson County, roughly 45 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri. The town’s population is just over 6,000, and a railroad depot built in the mid-1800s helped the town get its start, while a train car repair facility later established in Desoto further strengthened the community. Union Pacific Railroad still operates a train repair shop in Desoto.

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For more on the Desoto Farmers Market, check out these posts:

Lettuce & Cookies

Hammond Farms

Also in Desoto, Missouri:

Washington State Park Petroglyphs

A week ago I attended the Desoto, Missouri Farmers Market. Desoto is a small town located thirty miles or so south of St. Louis, and its farmers market was a really strong one.

bashful

One of the most fun parts of the Desoto Farmers Market is the animals for sale by Hammond Farms. The Hammonds raise llamas, alpacas, emu, goats, mini donkeys, mini Dexter cattle, peacocks, turkeys, pheasants, ornamental chickens, and probably a few other animals that Mr. Hammond and I forgot to talk about.

The Hammonds had mini-pot bellied pigs, goats and bunnies at the market on Saturday. Who knew that there was such a thing as a mini-pot bellied pig? Look at that adorable little pink nose, and check out how tiny those feet are!

If you live near Jefferson County, I’d suggest checking out Hammond Farms and the Desoto Farmers Market. Stay tuned for most posts on summer farming and markets in small town Missouri!

I present you with the most clever form of lettuce marketing in the state of Missouri – bribery in the form of cookies. I call this photo, “Free Cookie With Lettuce!”

This morning I ran a 5K race in Festus, Missouri sponsored by an organization called Get Fit Festus. Festus is a town of just under 10,000 people. It’s located roughly an  hour south of St. Louis in Jefferson County on Interstate 55.

The Get Fit Festus race itself was enjoyable, despite incredible heat and humidity (even at 8 a.m.). Held in West City Park, the race drew approximately 75 runners of varying fitness levels. Get Fit Festus is all about helping individuals become healthier and more active, so walkers, joggers and runners were all welcomed equally.

The race course was easy – mostly flat with one short hill – and included three laps around the park. The Festus Family YMCA, the Jefferson County Health Department and Jefferson Memorial Hospital partnered to present the race.

I expected to blog about the race itself, but as I learned more about Get Fit Festus, I realized that it’s the organization, not just the race, that’s notable. Get Fit Festus is a community movement that’s helping individuals learn more about health, nutrition and fitness and build activity into their lifestyles.

One of the most exciting things I’ve heard about lately in small town Missouri is the Complete Streets program that was officially adopted this week in Festus.

Complete streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities must be able to move safely along and across a complete street.

How fantastic! When I left New York City, I was afraid of moving to the Midwest, where “everyone” drove their cars “everywhere” and “no” infrastructure existed for other forms of transportation. If I’m from here and I thought Missouri was that backwards, I can only imagine what people who’ve never even been in small town Missouri must think of us.

Huge kudos for the people of Festus who’ve come together to advocate for Complete Streets, and the group of individuals who’ve taken on Git Fit Festus. It’s folks like you who make me proud of our state and its small towns. Thank you for thinking differently and acting accordingly. You make our small towns something to write about.

Learn more about Get Fit Festus by visiting its website, and learn more about Complete Streets here.