Spring Has Sprung!

Here's a look at our new backyard when we moved in - tail end of "Winter" ... if you can even call it that down here. Anyway, the trees were bare, and we could see our distant neighbors over the ravine. Still a beautiful view out the back door, but we knew it could only get better from here.

Now take a look at that same view from our deck! All of a sudden, the leaves are back, and our neighbors have disappeared! I will say Spring arrived later than I expected. Purple redbud blooms were the only sign of spring amidst the bare branches for several weeks. Then it seems, overnight, everything filled in. While Arkansas has a beautiful Spring, it also has one that I seem to be allergic too. I've never had to deal with red, itchy eyes on a regular basis and violent sneezing that hurts my throat. Please God, let me get used to whatever it is down here that is making me miserable lately. I'd rather not have to deal with this on an annual basis. Although, I plan to milk it for all it's worth and make Kyle cut the grass every time from now on!

Here is a redbud - these purple blooms dotted the streets everywhere down here for at least 2 weeks. I'm hoping these didn't stir up my allergies, but it's quite possible

Come On In!

The moment you've all been waiting for ... pictures of our new home from the outside looking in! We still have some decorating to do, furniture to buy, pictures to hang ... but it's home.

Our Living Room ... first floor ...

Our Kitchen ... from the Dining Room in the front of the house ... looking at the Eat-in area ...

Our Kitchen ... from the back of the house looking into the Dining Room ...

The Eat-in Area of our Kitchen ... overlooking our deck ... you can see our grill thru the window ...

Our Dining Room ...

Kyle's Office ...

Our Master Bedroom ...

Master Bathroom ... jacuzzi tub, two sinks ... what?!?!?

Master Closet ... holy cow ... I didn't know we had this many clothes ...

Family Room on the lower level ...

Guest Bedroom on the lower level ...

Guest Bathroom on lower level ...

Our Workout Room ... with our new, amazing treadmill!

Kyle's Workshop on the lower level ...

Our Deck on the lower level ... two decks ... what?!?! I love Arkansas!

The "Naturals" Sky

This weekend, Kyle and I joined some of my Wal-mart coworkers at a Naturals' game, the minor league team that supports the Kansas City Royals. The stadium is new and quite beautiful, but I'll be honest, the game left a little to be desired. While the funnel dogs were something I'd never seen before (yes, a hot dog wrapped in a funnel cake, powdered sugar and all,) the drizzling rain really put a damper on things. I remember the St. Paul Saints games being a bit more exciting. The sky, however, stole the show. Check out these pics as the sun set over the ballpark.

Our friend, Rob, about to enjoy his first ever Funnel Dog!

Bella Vista, after the rain. We were hoping to find a pot of gold since this rainbow seems to end right above our street, but no such luck. We will both be going to work Monday morning ... even Kyle, who is back in Mpls this week.

Our First Visitors - Mom, Dad and the Easter Bunny!

Rain or shine, Tracie's parents were going to experience Arkansas! As the first visitors to our new home, we welcomed my parents with a birthday dinner for my Dad - German Chocolate Cake and all.




A trip to Northwest Arkansas wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Wal-mart Visitor Center. Wal-mart has had a significant impact on today's world, whether you believe that impact to be positive or negative, you cannot deny that Sam Walton's story of success is pretty incredible.

Welcome to Gentry, Arkansas - Home of the Drive-thru Safari! Strange but beautiful place.

Despite the "Keep Windows Up. No Feeding the Animals" sign, my dad proceeded to welcome a camel into the front seat! Can't say the rest of us were quite so gutsy, or even excited about the camel entering the car, but it did make for quite the entertaining morning.

Our next adventure was Eureka Springs, Arkansas. As my dad will tell you, it is in the Guiness Book of World for having over 230 windy roads. The architecture amidst the rolling hills was gorgeous and the cute shops showcasing local artisans were so full of character.




As the rain poured down outside, we cozied in for a delicious Easter dinner. We spent the afternoon in the kitchen trying some new recipes that proved to be winners. It was very special to spend our first holiday in Arkansas with family and we can't thank Mom and Dad Mulhausen enough for joining us. We can't wait to see you both again!

Three Words . . .

KING

SIZE

BED!

Hog Rock

Where do you go in a Dry County on a Saturday night?!?! Kyle and I found out last weekend. We drove aimlessly around Bentonville and Rogers at 10pm on Saturday looking for a place to hang out, only to find that 10pm was closin' time for the majority of the establishments in our area. So, we headed East toward Beaver Lake and stumbled into our new favorite place - Tony C's. We found good beer, a shuffleboard table, and great live music. We were home! We told the doorman that we had just moved down from Minnesota and were happy to finally find a chill bar. The band even gave us a shout out later in the night! Everyone was very laid back and welcoming, and despite the smoke, it was fun hanging out with the locals. When in Arkansas ...

Kyle was even rockin' the fumanchu ... he fit in quite nicely ...

Kyle's winning shot ... 15 to 5 ... there was a time when I was good at Shuffleboard ... I don't remember when ... or what happened since that time ...

ROADTRIP #1 - Lake Dardanelle with a Little Rock on the side

March 28-29

As the snow began to fall early last Saturday morning (seriously,) we headed 2 hours Southeast of Bella Vista to check out the Bassmaster Elite Series Fishing Tournament in Russellville, Ark ... only to find out the tourney was cancelled due to wind. While the drive was beautiful, we were a bit disappointed with how our first road trip was unfolding. We decided to hit the road for another hour to check out Little Rock and were glad that we did.

We took in the beautiful capital building and headed to the River Market District right along the Arkansas River. We enjoyed the 60 degree weather strolling along the river and found a great bar and lounge with over 100 different beers.

The next morning, we drove to Central High School - the location of the Little Rock Nine back in 1957. Nine black students were escorted into an all white high school to help end segregation. The school was absolutely beautiful and the visitor center was very impactful. To think that was just over 50 years ago - unreal.

Sunday was the final day of the fishing tournament so we headed back to Lake Dardanelle to watch the weigh in. Now, you might be asking yourself what is so exciting about this tournament - it's like the Olympics for bass fishermen (or anglers as they are apparently called, I'm learning.) This was a big deal for Kyle and heck, I'm up for any new experience! ESPN 2 was there to film the event and we had front row seats. The series only hits 9 spots throughout the country, so it was pretty neat that they swung by Arkansas this year.

We ended our weekend taking the scenic drive home through the Ozark National Forest - gorgeous! And to think, spring is just barely here, so it will only get more beautiful. I'm really practicing my skills driving on these windy country roads down here - not my cup of tea, but I'm getting better.

Looking forward to more explorations in and around this beautiful state!

Mowing the Lawn in March!

That's right, I said it. Kyle mowed the lawn on the last day in March. Can you believe it?!?! No, not that my husband mowed the lawn ... but that he did it in the month of March! We'd still be shoveling back in Minnesota! I knew I would like it down here. Nothing wrong with a couple year hiatus from the frozen tundra up north.