It was somewhat ironic that our last stop was re-routed to Springfield, MO. For those who don't know, I lived there for 5 years. I went to Drury University for 4 years, then started my career at Noble & Associates which kept me there for an additional year after college. I have such fond memories of this little place. I was eager to get back and check things out.
In addition to loving so much about Springfield itself, there was also something to be said about coming back to the place I last took off. Let me clarify... after the Kashi tour comes to an end, I will be at a major turning point in my career. I feel like I have another new beginning ahead. Its crazy that chance put me back at my first starting point, yet again. Since college, there's been a whirlwind of experiences to bring me to where I am today. I can honestly say that I am at a point in my life where I have never been prouder of the person I am and the possibilities ahead. It's almost like this stop on tour was to remind me of the journey it took to get where I wanted... even at times when I didn't yet know where that path was leading me. Needless to say, I was happy to go back to (what I consider) part of my foundation.
So much happened during my days in Springfield. Namely, education and growth. I was like a giant sponge... in good ways and also not so good :) I was interested in every new experience, every reason for everything, every challenge. It was a prime time for learning. Once I hit my junior year of college, I really took flight. I started finding passion in what I was studying and started seeing results from my hard work. I found that the harder I worked toward my (self-set) goals, the most satisfied I was with the outcome. It seems so simple, but that was a hard lesson to learn... "You mean, I can't just sit here and do nothing and get everything I want?" Hard core reality check. Fortunately the reality set in on a positive note. Nothing bad happened to kick me in the butt, in fact it was the exact opposite. Lots of good things kept happening as a result of dedication and I starting thriving for more. Things like being on the SIFE team (an organization at Drury), getting an internship at Noble & Associates under Whitney Corliss, proving that I could make it on my own after all my friends moved away. Basically, I started setting expectations high and made sure I reached full potential. Don't get me wrong, I fell flat on my face several times... and probably will again, from time to time. But, what fun is flying, if you don't know how bad it sucks to fall. Springfield represents so many vital experiences in my life.
Since I was going back as a visitor, this time, I was sure exactly where I wanted stay. Sunie and I decided to rest our heads at the adorable Walnut Street Inn Bed & Breakfast. Its a place I always admired, walking down historic Walnut Street, but never had a reason to stay there. Now I did! It was just as perfect on the inside as you would imagine. The people running the show were typical friendly Springfieldians - happy and warm-hearted. Each day, we ate breakfast at a large table with the other guests and traded stories and small talk. One day, the USA Today even popped in to do a story on business travelers choosing B&B's over chain hotels. Sunie and I were on the front page of the Money section, doing our daily yoga practice up in our room. It was pretty funny to be followed around by a camera guy. Its hard to act normal when they are shooting a camera in your face. It was fun, though. I am not complaining :)
I had a blast all week meeting up with old friends, checking out the latest restaurants downtown, stopping in my favorite old coffee shop to people watch downtown. I even made my way over to the Drury campus to speak at the weekly Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team meeting. It was a great opportunity for me to come back after several years of experience and share with the team how much I gained from my time on the Drury SIFE team. It was nice to walk down Drury Lane, once again. The same smells, the same huge trees and stone chapel. Fond memories popping in and out of my head with every glance. It was a sweet 4 years at Drury. I am very fortunate to have that under my belt.
Some of my friends that were originally from Springfield have either found their way back there or stayed put after college. It was so good to catch up with so many great friends I have lost touch with, along the way. Being there for Halloween weekend was a treat in itself. Never a dull moment in Springfield on this night! People take this stuff seriously in a town with 5+ colleges. It was great to see such spirit on Halloween. I pulled together a last-minute costume, myself. Not sure what I was dressed up as, exactly... maybe a shiny wig girl or something of that nature. It was a good time.
Our event was at the Bass Pro Fitness Festival. Now, if you are unfamiliar with the area, you are probably wondering what the hell we were doing at a fishing shop on the Kashi tour! Bass Pro Shop is more of an outdoor shop, these days. Don't get me wrong, there were about 200 dead deer heads in the entry way of the building... but that is just their way. We were in Southwest MO, after all! The fitness festival was fairly small, but there was a walk on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday. I think over half of Springfield was there! It was fun to run into familiar faces, talk to people of friendly nature and just BEING in Missouri. I am telling you, people from Missouri may not be up on the latest fashion trends, we may not have the most advanced culture and we may still live in the same city we were born.... but people from Missouri are down right nice and polite. After 7 months of travel, it was quite refreshing to be in my home state!
As we packed up our last event, I was expecting mixed feelings. To my surprise, I felt kinda numb. I was just going through the motions, ready to hit the road to st. louis. Its one of those odd moments when you think you should feel something, but nothing was there to feel. It was time to go home. I was ready. This experience had so much to offer. But, what lies ahead is holds even more excitement.
I have so many thoughts to share in conclusion. Stay tuned for the final entry. It's sure to be a good one :)
Our B&B.
