The weather was warm. Again. Coming from the super-dry Colorado air, Missouri’s humidity hit me harder than it used to, and by the second or third mile of the race, I’d already sweat more than I do in Colorado after running twice as far or more. The wind was strong, I was allergic to just about everything in the air, and I’d only been able to sleep for 1.5 hours the night before.

It was a recipe for a ugly race.

Still going strong at around Mile 7

By mile 8 I had IT band issues for the first time in my life. I ran, walked and limped my way through the last five miles of the race, determined not to stop short of the finish line. I was slower than I’d expected to be, but managed to beat my very first half marathon time despite my leg and knee pain.

Thank you SO much to Dr. Craig and the other medical staff and physical therapists who supported GO! St. Louis. I could barely walk by the time I reached the med tents, but after support from the PTs at the finish area, I was able to get through the St. Louis airport that evening, limping with my suitcase onto my flight.

Post-race with taped-up knee

Also, congratulations to the GO! St. Louis race organizers for yet another well-organized race. I’ve run their 5K (2009), their Halloween 10K (2010), and their Half Marathon (2011 & 2012), and have been impressed by the overall race experience at each event. The organizers make safety a priority, provide good post-race water and snacks, engage the community in fitness and health, and even manage to provide consistently cool finisher medals and race shirts.

Photo by MilliGFunk Photography

Even though it’s beginning to feel like it’s been a long time since I lived in Brooklyn, I still miss the arts scenes there. Taking the photography my husband gave me as a birthday gift through Bemis School of Art challenges me to continue to grow in how I executive my creative ideas.

I may not be exposed (punny, huh?) to the best art in the world in Colorado like I was in New York, but I still strive to live a creatively meaningful life. I wanted that to come through in our elopement ceremony and I want it to be apparent when you enter our home.

Photo by Jon Collins

For the ceremony, I created all of our flowers, made my veil, and wore sparkly white canvas TOMs wedding shoes.

Photo by Jon Collins

One week before our wedding, we were told unexpectedly by our realty management company, Advanced Realty Concepts, that our lease would be terminated early at no cause of our own,  just before my husband’s deployment to Afghanistan. So in the midst of final plans for our ceremony and hosting our families who were visiting from four different states, we had to find a new place to live.

Two weeks later, we’ve moved into our new place, but I’m taking my time and being very intentional about how we decorate and organize our new home. It may not be a brownstone in Brooklyn, but that doesn’t mean we can’t come home at night to a place that inspires us.

I miss my friends who live in other places, but I feel closer to them when we share music and food. So on this lovely Monday morning, I’m listening to music by Portugal, the Man, recommended to me by my friend Factor as I eat breakfast that also reminds me of good friends.

Photo by MilliGFunk Photography - Taken at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, CA

My toast was made of fresh bread from a Colorado Springs bakery called Great Harvest Bread Company with jam I picked up from happy girl kitchen co. on a visit to see my best girls in San Francisco. To top it off, I’m drinking French coffee I bought from Colorado Springs’ Colorado Coffee Merchants, a roaster I took my best friend to when she visited me in Colorado in November.

With the Girls in Napa - Photo by HubbyGFunk

When you cultivate a life in which the little things are meaningful, the big things (like deployments and unexpected moves)  have less power to throw you off course, and geography feels like less of a barrier between you and the people you love.

Whether it’s locally-made bread or wearing TOMs in your wedding; making your own flowers or appreciating the sentiment behind a gift from a friend, I hope you’ll take a moment today to find peace in a little thing or two that make you happy.

I recently returned from a trip to England where I got to taste many amazing cheeses, and each one was incredibly fresh. These cheeses I ate in England inspired me to help you find local, fresh cheese in Missouri.

Featured last fall in Feast magazine, Baetje Farms – located near Ste. Genevieve, Missouri –  produces several flavors of goat cheese. The cheeses have a light and fluffy taste, without the heavy gamey flavor that sometimes comes with a goat cheese. My favorite is the Coeur de la Crème because it is shaped into a heart, reflecting its name.

Moving across the state to the Kansas City side, Green Dirt Farm makes their artisan cheeses from sheep’s milk. The “Wooly Rind” is a Camembert-style cheese and is similar to a mild brie. A big step up from that is the “Bossa” cheese – thick, creamy, and full of flavor. The “Dirt Lover” is a triple crème, practically a buttery spread.

You can shop online for another Kansas City cheese from Yummy’s Choice, who has created a variety of feta cheese spreads marinated in extra virgin olive oil. Flavors include regular, mint, and spicy, as well as a Sun Dried Tomato Lebaneh, which is a combination of feta, cream cheese, with several spices and herbs.

In the middle of the state is Goatsbeard Farm, located in Harrisburg, which is about 20 miles northwest of Columbia. Goatsbeard offers a selection of Fresh Rounds, Fresh Tubs, Soft-Ripened Cheese, Feta, and Raw Milk Cheese. More information can be found on their website at http://www.goatsbeardfarm.com, and their artisan goat cheeses can be found in wine stores such as The Wine and Cheese Place and The Wine Merchant.

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To learn more about the cheeses in this post:

You can find Baetje Farms online at http://baetjefarms.com or at the Maplewood Farmer’s Market in the Schlafly Bottleworks parking lot on Wednesdays from 4-7pm.

You can find Green Dirt Farm online at http://www.greendirtfarm.com or in the cheese section at Whole Foods Market.

Yummy’s Choice is online at http://shop.yummyschoice.com or you can purchase their spreads at the closest Whole Foods Market.

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Michelle Marcus is a web developer, music lover, and food aficionado. To read more from Michelle, visit her blog: http://michelleamarcus.blogspot.com/.

Friends in St. Louis

Where does the time go?

I wanted to write about this St. Louis tweet-up when it happened, but instead found myself swamped (in the best of all possible ways) with the holidays, travel and time with our (my fiance and my) families.

One of the highlights of all of that holiday craziness was the Christmas Eve meet-up that so many good friends in St. Louis joined me for at Hartford Coffee Company in South City, St. Louis. Amidst the bustle of the Christmas holiday and with very short notice, ten of my friends made the time to get together with me.

Thank you, @VersaDave, @Nanna_J, @NickGilham, @mamarcus17, @Tojosan, @michaeltomko, @TabithaKMeyer, @STLWineGirl, @Velo_City – and of course, my fiance, Nick – for starting my Christmas weekend out warmly. It meant the world to me to see everyone while I was home!

STLWineGirl and MilliGFunk

L-R: Little Sister (Fuji), Big Sister (Nikon)

In Missouri, I did a significant amount of freelance writing and photography work for other blogs, and also for local and state-wide print publications. While my eye was strong enough to be hired as a second shooter on professional magazine shoots, I quickly learned that my camera was not.

I found that while my Fuji technically had the capability to the basics I needed it to, it was too slow to shoot RAW images quickly, and that its low-light capabilities (it didn’t have the ability to add external flash) were rotten. I realized then that if I wanted to continue to improve my photography, I would need to invest in better equipment — beginning with a better camera.

Smalltowngirl's Growing Family

The old Fuji has sentimental value to me: I bought the Fuji in 2006 on Camera Street in Hong Kong while participating in a year-long Asian fellowship program, and it was my first big purchase after finishing graduate school. I’ll hold onto it for the sentiment and as a backup camera, but the Nikon is my new baby. I can’t wait to start taking photo walks with it, but I admit – the new camera makes me miss my old favorite subject matters; St. Louis and rural Missouri.

I didn’t have to know him personally to hurt for his brother, who reached out to me when I moved from New York City to Small Town Missouri in 2009 and was a good friend to me. I didn’t have to be close with him to wonder how a family endures a tragedy of this proportion twice in a little over a decade.

So was I close friends with him? No. But because I grew up in a small town, I don’t have to know someone intimately to feel that their passing is a tragic loss to a community that – at one time – was the only community I knew. He didn’t have to be a close friend for me to realize the impact that he had on the lives of other people I’ve known and been close to at various times in my childhood and young adult life.

My thoughts and prayers go out to people from my hometown who are mourning today. Our paths may not have crossed in months or years, but they’re still part of my home town and my childhood, and I so wish that they didn’t have to hurt right now.

Let’s face it – The stress of these super-close World Series games is a lot to handle this week. Wouldn’t it feel good to get out on Friday night for some good, hard, live rock music? If I still lived in Missouri, I’d be at Off Broadway on Friday night to see Kentucky Knife Fight.

I saw the band for the first time at Off Broadway on New Year’s Eve 2010, and I was impressed enough that I immediately emailed friends in Brooklyn and San Francisco, both of whom work professionally in the music industry, to share Kentucky Knife Fight with them.

So…On our off-night from World Series excitement, go check out some local music at a local venue. Namely, check out Kentucky Knife Fight at Off Broadway. While you’re at it, have a Schlafly for me. I’m feeling mighty homesick for the home state this week, and nothing cures the blues like some good live music.

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Who: Kentucky Knife Fight w/the Upright Animals and John Paul Keith & the One, Four, Fives (from Memphis)

When: Friday, October 21,

What Time: Show starts at 9 p.m.

Where: Off Broadway – STL

Growing up in Farmington, Missouri, my older sister and I would ride our bikes up and down the street, to the park that was behind our home and to our grandparents’ houses.  I even remember mastering the art of riding with no hands. As I got older and my parents moved out of town, my bike riding days came to an end. That is, until the past year or so.

Inspired by friends at church who ride, my husband started riding in 2009. I really wasn’t interested then, but as time went on I realized that this non-athletic girl needed a way to exercise. So when we upgraded my husband’s bike, I kept his old one, bought the necessary gear, and my cycling days began.

I have discovered a rich cycling community in the Farmington area, with the central hub being a Facebook group. Included in this varied group of people are business owners, young adults, teachers, retirees, salespeople and others, all joined together by their enjoyment of riding their bikes.  Three to four rides per week are organized, and each ride offers different demand levels so all cyclists can find a ride that is appropriate for them.  After a group ride, one of the riders will post in the group information about the ride—things like where they rode, who was involved, the average speed, and how many feet of climb they had. If there was a funny or interesting story, it will be shared, and invariably, the good natured jokes will flow.

As a rookie rider, one of the things I appreciate about the group is the encouragement given to cyclists at all levels. Even when I ride a short ride and post in on Facebook, I know it will get likes and comments of encouragement. You don’t have to be a top-notch rider to be welcomed, and everyone is willing to help and answer questions when asked.

The athletic abilities and accomplishments of the group members are impressive. Members’ accomplishments include the 2011 Missouri State Time Trial Champion for women and a King of the Mountain jersey in the Category Four state road race for men. There are also runners and tri-athletes as well. Many of the group members have lost a significant amount of weight and have made major, lasting changes in their health as a result of cycling.

One of the members who made major health changes is the creator of the group, Brian McEntire. He is currently riding across America on the TransAmerica Trail, which runs through Farmington. You can follow his progress by liking his Facebook Page or following his blog.

Additionally, Farmington has distinguished itself on the TransAmerica Trail by having one of the finest hostels dedicated to cyclists, according to the guests who have stayed. Al’s Place was established in September of 2009 and is in the old county jail in downtown. It is named in honor of late Farmington resident, Al Dziewa, who brought his love of cycling to the area. The cyclists have a place to store their bikes, do laundry, have complimentary Internet access, comfortable beds and modern kitchen and bath facilities. In the spring of 2011, TransAm Cyclery bike shop opened across the street from Al’s Place, further strengthening the commitment Farmington has to cycling.

What started as a way for me to exercise has grown into a group of people I likely would not have met any other way and I am glad to be part of a fun, supportive community.

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Jennifer Wassenaar is a music educator, memory keeping enthusiast and is active in her church family and lives in Farmington, Missouri. Find her online at www.mycmsite.com/jenniferwassenaar or on Facebook at Jennifer Sitzes Wassenaar.

Lincoln Lake in Cuiver River State Park - in Troy, Missouri - Photo by Lisa Nikole Photography

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Lisa Beachler is a St. Louis-area photographer. Visit her website, follow her on twitter, or become a fan on Facebook!