I guess now that I've made it a year, it's time for you to learn a little more about the lady behind the keyboard. Hey - I'm Christa Zickfield, your friendly Old Town Cape Project Manager. Our organizations marketing, social media, events and various other odd jobs are my responsibility. I love downtown and I love Cape Girardeau, so this job seemed like a good fit. Boy was I wrong...
Cape Girardeau is my stomping ground; I've lived here my whole life (actually 28 years, but to those of you gracious individuals who swear it's only been 25 - thank you!). A Cape Public Schools alumni, I'm proud to call myself a Central Tiger. After high school, I thought I wanted to go off to college and do the 'big-city thing' at the University of Kentucky. I moved into my dorm room one Friday evening around 5pm, moved out and was gone by 8am the next morning, and was enrolled in Southeast Missouri State the following Monday. After 3.5 years of projects, papers and exams, I received a little sheet of paper granting me a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a major in Integrated Marketing Communications - wow. All that hard work for a piece of paper!
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I met the handsome guy that I would one day get the honor of calling my husband, William. We thoroughly enjoy making memories together and can't wait to see what our future holds. Yes, the Zickfield in my last name is relation to the downtown jewelry store. If you stop by, he'll be the good looking salesman ready to chat about cut, color and clarity with you. He is my everything and I am truly blessed to have him as the co-pilot on this crazy journey we call life.
My family ranks right up there at the top as well. I can't even put into words how much I love them. My dad, mom and sister, and the dog - anyone who knows us knows how head-over-heels we are for Harley! This also includes my extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, my cousins children and second-cousins that we consider first-cousins, their extended families - if you can't tell, we're really close, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
At the very top of my food chain is my relationship with Christ. Someone that I never met loved me so much that he sacrificed his life to save me from my sins - how cool is that?! I can't even begin to fathom where I would be today with this guiding force. As much as I love life and try to be as positive an influence as possible, it isn't always easy; there have been water leaks. However, I know what my future holds because of Jeremiah 29:11 - 'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.' I'm excited to see how the rest of my story will play out.
What are my hobbies? Favorite things? First off, I'm terrible at sports, anything that requires the coordinated use of an object, really. That summer I played softball - phew! I do, however, love attending sporting events with my loved ones and friends. St. Louis Cardinal and Blues games rank up there at the top of the list. It's a dream of mine to attend the Australian Open, preferably before Rodger Federer retires from the game (he's pretty dreamy). I love food, however am terrible at preparing it. Coming from a long line of family cooks, sometimes I'm convinced I look like the mailman. Evening walks with the dog and traveling are additional pastimes I thoroughly enjoy. Also, it's really hard to beat warm towels out of the dryer - seriously, it doesn't take much!
Idiosyncrasies? Well, if you ask my peers I'm sure they have plenty to tell you. I only eat pickles the day after Thanksgiving. Toenails kind of give me the creeps. I'm thoroughly convinced that every time I hear a creak at home, there's some ninja-assasin hiding under the bed waiting for me to hang my foot off and, you know the rest... Typically the inside of my vehicle is impeccably clean, yet I can't seem to get my desk organized.
My love for downtown started blossoming at a young age. My Grandma Kinsey was the long-time seamstress for Hecht's clothing store. Chances are she's altered something for either you or someone you know. My dad has worked downtown at Cape Paint & Glass since, I'm pretty sure, the beginning of time. My uncle used to own a bakery on Main St, My Daddy's Cheesecake, that my cousins and I often frequented, especially on cake decorating days because we were almost always guaranteed a bite of the extra icing or cake scraps! The Christmas Parade of Lights has always been a family tradition that is something I hope to continue with my kids one day. Walks on the railroad tracks, yes on the tracks, and heading to the riverfront to check out the riverboats were typical occurrences. Up until a few months ago, my grandparents owned a farm just on the other side of the river, so trips to and from would often times warrant a detour downtown. Downtown has been a part of my life since before I can remember, and I'm better person because of it.
Each of these roads led me to this juncture in life. So when I mentioned at the beginning that it seemed I had found the right job, but boy was I wrong - I didn't find the right job, I found the perfect opportunity. I get to work downtown amongst some of our area's richest history almost everyday. I get to work for and with some of the coolest entrepreneurs and business-people in the community. I get to represent one of the greatest downtowns in the nation.
I am truly blessed!
