Every Grandma, In-law, and Ex-Girlfriend

My hometown is a small town in mid-Missouri. Eldon, MO, to be exact. The population sign reads differently depending on which side of town you enter, but it's somewhere between 4,600-4,900. It's about 30 miles south of Jefferson City and 15 miles north of the Lake of the Ozarks. Sometime in the 70's HWY 54 by-passed Eldon, so chances are if you've ever been to Jeff you've passed by without noticing. (Next time, I highly recommend you take the time to stop and eat at the Cree Mee. Get a footlong chili cheese dog and a marshmallow Pepsi. Your tastebuds won't regret it.)

Growing up my classmates and I could fully relate to Miranda Lambert's song Famous in a Small Town. The first two lines of her chorus, "Every last one, route one, rural heart's got a story to tell. Every grandma, in-law, ex-girlfriend maybe knows it just a little too well" ring oh so true in Eldon. Although, I could add to the list, because my mom worked at school, so it would include an entire school district of employees. Plus, the 153 students I graduated with, surprisingly, most of whom I started school with in Kindergarten. Luckily, any news that ever reached my parents before I had the chance to tell them was usually some award I was receiving. I didn't stand a chance of getting to surprise them with anything. I didn't mind though. I knew I had a great community of people around me.

The part of Miranda's song I didn't realize was true for me growing up was the last line of the chorus, "Everybody dies famous in a small town." Sure I was in Band, FFA, 4-H, FBLA, and a cheerleader, so my face showed up in the Eldon Advertiser frequently. But I assumed, aside from my mom, dad, and grandmas, that everyone else's grandmas, in-laws, and ex-girlfriends took no notice. It wasn't until college, and even after college, I learned my assumption was totally wrong.