The first day

How many times can you re-write an introduction to a little corner of your life? I'm here to tell you, plenty of times. It's tough to figure out how to begin a blog that you've been dreaming of for the last few weeks!

So, for that reason, we'll make this simple. I'm your average girl that grew up amidst cornfields, but never was too far from a shopping mall, numerous stores of all types, neighborhoods, etc. I made the move at age 19 to a big Midwestern city and I flourished! I loved living within close driving distance of four or five malls, huge plazas, outlet malls, restaurants galore, and skyscrapers. Then...I met the Man.

I'll call him "B". B hung the moon, the stars, the sun, and all the pictures on my walls and built me things, loved to ride motorcycles, go fishing, hunting, sit around campfires at night. He stole my heart.

Unfortunately, my heart was in one place and his was in another [ladies, does that sound familiar?] I decided after one year of dating that I needed to get out of town. So I moved to a large European city and au-paired for a year.

Worked like a charm, cause B realized he couldn't live without me. He came across the Pond to tell me he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. And with 8 months, I had uprooted my city lifestyle of shopping, traveling, coffee dates and fine dining to go live in the Smallest Town on Earth.

[Okay, not really. But it IS small.]

We were married with a year of moving here, and at first, I was so charmed by small town life. Only two grocery stores? Only one place to buy clothes? Only 5000 people? No problem!

That attitude lasted about six months, and here I am. I love, love this town - I truly do - but I very often freak out because I am sick of going to Wal-Mart. I would give my left arm for a Target! It's hard living with so few [or none at all] big city amenities. Sometimes I want Starbucks. Or Chipotle. Or sushi. Or Nordstrom.

But when I start thinking about how much I miss those places that are near to my heart, I think about B, who is a country man through-and-through, and how much I love that. I think of our little white house with the blue shutters and red geraniums on the front porch, and the American flag that proudly blows in the wind. I think of our beautiful sunsets, hay bales in the fall, bass and trout fishing in the summers, and how sometimes it's really nice to drive one minute - literally - to pick up milk and sugar.

And then I realize, I love my life.