Have you ever been to...

Helena-West Helena? Neither had I until...


Meet Julia Malinowski.

The picture below is when Julia voluntarily threw herself into the vicious man-eating Kudzu.

Okay, so it's not vicious or man-eating, but it is considered a nuisance. I've always been fascinated by it's appearance and vast ability to spread far and wide.

Her official job title is Director of Helena Advertising and Promotion Commission,

but her name says it all, JEWEL-ya!

Isn't she too cute?

She's a doll, y'all.

I seriously wanted to pick her up and put her in my pocket.

The Helena Advertising and Promotions Commission invited a group of Arkansas Women Bloggers to come to Helena-West Helena to see what it was all about.

A group of us gals began receiving information on Helena, along with a jam-packed itinerary, several weeks before our trip. Julia had a very structured outline with few minutes to spare to see all the sights and then some!

In my mind, I pictured Julia as somewhat older than myself, a longtime resident of Helena, and very enthusiastic about her job.

When I met Julia, I was SURPRISED to find a young newlywed and a recent implant to Helena. She has been in Helena for about 3.5 years. Julia has been working in her position for LESS than a year. She has only recently joined forces with the great folks of Helena in their tremendous efforts to revamp and revive their hometown. This big city girl (moved from New York) fell in love with Helena's small town lot.

I was right about one thing -- she is definitely on FIRE for Helena! Julia knows a tremendous amount of information. And she knows it by heart. By heart because she cares, and it shows. I enjoyed the interactions of this young professional with various folks in Helena. She knows the ins and outs, and ups and downs. She knows how to make connections, and how to form relationships.

This was my first trip to Helena, and several whom I mentioned I was going asked me why? After a short visit to Helena, I was fueled with reasons for visiting this quaint little town. AND, Julia did a FABULOUS job of showing us the many things that Helena-West Helena has to offer.

 I'll be sharing more on my trip to Helena. I'll give details and adventures from our fun trip! If you are considering taking a trip to Helena, I suggest you call Julia.

You might just want to put her in your pocket, too.

*Helena Advertising and Promotions Commission sponsored this blogger trip. 

Opinions and ideas conveyed are my own.