From CrystalCattle to Small-ish Town Girl

I’ve blogged for a really long time, like since 2009 long time. I was 24 years old when I decided I should launch a blog. So many of my college friends were spread across state lines and I had a whole family in Canada. My blog was a diary of my life. At the time there was no Jon, and when he did enter the picture I referred to him as “The Boy” for a long time. There were football games and concerts and a bunch of mid-twenty-somethings trying to hold on to our college days.

There were recipes with poorly light and fuzzy photos. Turquoise Thursday was my thing and I shared everything from turquoise cowboy boots to turquoise toasters. I loved coming up with fashion and room design boards. Does anyone remember when Polyvore was a thing? It was like an early cross between LTK and Canva but with no money to be made. The Beauty Swap brought women together from all over Canada and the U.S.

There was an article published in my old college newspaper, the Kansas State Collegian, about how we shouldn’t eat meat. I wrote a response and it got attention, and that is when I truly realized I could have influence. It was my first “official” agvocate article. From there I talked about the Chipotle Superbowl commercials, Yellowtail wine’s donation to HSUS (I still won’t buy their wine), and many other posts explaining the ins and outs of our farm.

I choose the name Crystal Cattle because I knew one day I would get married so I didn’t want to start things off as Crystal Young. Cattle seemed like the perfect git considering they were such a big part of my life, but then we sold the farm. For as much shock many of you expressed you were also all incredibly supportive. So many kind messages. So many messages also asking if I would still be Crystal Cattle. I would quickly respond “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be.” But as the year ended the Crystal Cattle chapter felt like it needed a finale. I am a different person now. When I scroll through all those past posts those memories are a part of my but they also don’t fully express the person I am now.

Is agriculture important to me? Yes, it always will be. I feel so fortunate to be a part of the .96% of Americans that have raised and grown food for this country. Jon and I still own a piece of land that another farmer will be renting from us this year. My focus though has shifted to rural and small towns. Owning the bowling alley has made me even that much more passionate about making the place we will thrive, and I want to help others do that too.

Small-ish Town Girl feels right. I am a small-town girl, living in a small-ish town with really big dreams. I’ll be slowly transferring over your and my favorite Crystal Cattle posts. There is also going to be a lot of new content! I can’t wait to take you on this next adventure.

Click here to subscribe to the Small-ish Town Girl email and next miss a post.