While attending Thunderbird School of International Business we would see signs all over campus that asked " Where in the World will Thunderbird take you??" We never imagined it would be Arkansas but we just hit our year mark here. Could I say it's been our favorite place we have lived?? ... No! .... But it's growing on me... a lot. We started the year off last June. Craig was sick as a dog from TERRIBLE seasonal allergies and when we were hiding in our closet during a Tornado warning or not sleeping at night because our house was literally shaking from severe thunderstorms the thought did come to my mind "WHY would ANYONE want to live here!!" However, the people here are very friendly. I like living in the bible belt. Living here is like living in Mayberry. That is not a bad thing when raising 4 children. Summers are hot and humid but they have fireflies here! Fireflies are magical. My kids love catching them. House flies are NOT magical and they have more of those here than I've seen anywhere else. Every time the kids open the door 6 fly in. Bugs in general are in abundance here. Yuck. They have berry picking which we had missed from our Washington days. They have tons of fun outdoor activities for families: Beaver Lake, hiking, camping, fishing, etc. Outdoor biking/ walking trails, Crystal Bridges Art Museum, awesome Sushi and Vietnamese food. Wal-mart has been an awesome company for Craig to work for. Autumn here is breathtaking. The colors are so vibrant and last for a long time. 4 seasons is fun. The kids were excited for snow and boy did they get it. The winter here was LONG and cold. The first time we got snowed in it was fun and exciting and new. By the 4th time it had lost it's luster. Being literally stuck inside the house with 3 rambunctious kids for days on end is NOT fun. Especially when 2 of them won't stop fighting (Jace & Brooke). I was ready to move. Everyone said the winters here were temperate. LIE!! We happened to arrive for the worst winter that anyone could remember. I longed to be back in Arizona using my jogger, walking on sidewalks to the park. Sidewalks are awesome. I miss them. Our neighborhood is unfinished and so is the sidewalk. In fact many of the streets here just don't have them at all. It drives me crazy. I also miss being near a nice park. I have realized that when we eventually buy a home, that is important to me. All the good ones here you have to drive to and we only have 1 car right now so on days that I do have the car we are running errands and getting the grocery shopping done. :( Poor Ty. I think part of living here that has been difficult was that we ended up in a house I didn't love. It too is growing on me though and has been quite a blessing since it costs less than a lot of other options. It helps that the kids have found good friends close by that they want to play with all the time. We have met some good friends, said good bye to some good friends, and convinced some good friends to get a job and move here with us.
One of my friends explained living here well:
"Bentonville, Arkansas has got to be one of the most interesting small towns in the South. We have frequent celebrity sightings all the time juxtaposed with old barns and chicken houses, a world class, amazing art museum juxtaposed with museum patrons who may dress in overalls and say "Dag gum!", and if you filmed People of Walmart here, you would find big groups of corporate types dressed to the 9s in expensive suits and Ferragamo shoes (and they would be annoyingly blocking the ice cream aisle). Yes, this place is very, very unique. It's taken time, but it has really carved out its own little space in my heart."
As the kids finished school this year and started summer I feel like I like it more here. Maybe it's the turn in the weather. I like warm weather. We drop Craig off at least 2 times a week and have Adventure days where we are gone ALL day long: Storytime at the library, splashpad fun, art activites at the museum, free breakfast & lunch at the elementary school, the pool, Horsebarn trail park, David Peel park, Memorial Park, Krispy Kremes, Rogers Aquatic Center, blueberry picking, etc... I feel like I have adjusted to having 4 kids now and it's not so overwhelming. There are so many fun places to explore and take the kids. We are starting to fall in love with NWA.
Check out this timelapse video of where I live. Just click on the link.
http://adaircreative.com/bentonville/
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