A Yankee's point of view on "Living in Northwest Arkansas"...

You want the pros and cons of it all? the insights to living in the #10 Best Small Town in America??
Here you go:
Cons--
1) Wal-mart is EVERYWHERE. there isn't much of a choice other than walmart, so if they don't carry what you want you better get used to doing without OR ordering it online.
2) Small town cops who think they are big city cops. we have very little crime in these parts, but the police patrol the land as if they must do everything possible to be the best detectives in the Midwest. oy!
3)we don't have a nordstroms or a Macy's (although we do have banana republic and Dillard's) so you don't get much choice in the higher end spending-- but I do have to say, we are only 2 hours from Branson's outlets stores if that floats your boat. (ALSO, everyone who sells to wal-mart has an office down here and sometimes vendors have sells in the area, just keep your eyes open).
4) When the weather takes a turn for the worse the entire area shuts down and people take up residence in their homes as if there was a nuclear blast and they will die if they leave their home. it's pretty pathetic. but in their defense the street crews do a terrible/half-ass job at clearing the streets to make it safe. instead i think they do their best to make it worse. yeppppppppp!
5) NWA is a DRY COUNTY (you only have to drive up the road to MO to get out of the county and to macadoodles for great alcohol selection or down the road to Washington county to find macadoodles for great alcohol selection)... but you do have to drive. I just wish we had it at the gourmet gas station-- that would be AWESOME!! PS: ask me about the gourmet gas station-- i haven't decided if it's a pro or con, but i do frequent it often and pretty much love it, but still don't know if it's a pro/con!!
6)Meeting people kinda sucks. if you work for a large company like wal-mart you will meet tons of people and probably tons of people your age (NO MATTER WHAT AGE). my mom & dad worked for general mills and i have met quite a few people through their office, all of which are awesome and cool, but sadly because this isn't general mills headquarters they all end up being transferred to MN, leaving me here all alone. boo.... but it's not too bad.
7) There is very little crime in these parts, which is a pro, but the fact that our local news stations and our local newspapers still have to lead with a top story that means things like someone's 7foot tall snowman being knocked down by unknown punks gets to be on the front page of the news paper. makes me a bit ill, not going to lie, but basically any little thing is huge news around these parts and that's either a good thing or a bad thing.... PS: I'm still waiting for someone to interview my Riley about how he saved an entire neighborhood from car thief's. just saying!!
8) if you like winter sports (skiing, sledding, skating, etc) you will be lost around here. if you like summer sports like.... oh good grief, there isn't much to do besides golf, hunt and hike, so good luck.
9)very rarely will you ever get a professional sporting event or an awesome concert to see, however, wal-mart does do shareholders meetings with free concerts (including daughtry, which made my week!!) and people like Pujols come to visit. it's pretty neat, but you still won't get to see the Cardinals play, here, in Arkansas.
10)You will see lots of people with very little teeth, terrible fashion-sense and questionable hygiene... just keep walking!!
Pros--
1) Small town aspects, like rush hour traffic means still maintaining 60MPH on the highway. I live at exit 83 and I rarely ever have to leave exits 81-85 to find EVERYTHING I NEED-- it's all just here!
2) Everything is here because it was all JUST BUILT so it's all fairly new and still pretty (as long as you stay on this side of town-- the OLD downtown is kind of rundown, but they are trying...)
3) If there is something you sometimes look forward to participating in (IE: Concerts, Sporting Events, etc) we are only 5 hrs from three major BIG Cities (Dallas, Memphis and St Louis).
4) Our airport gets MANY flights in during the week, due to walmart corp travel, but it's such a tiny little airport that you rarely have to worry about rushing thru security to get to your flight-- we have 5 gates or something ridiculously small. (remember, i grew up in MN where the airport was the size of two moderately sized towns)...
5) If your family/friends want to come visit and need a hotel all hotel prices go DOWN on the weekends, due to walmart corp travel. And we have so many hotels it's almost ridiculous!
6) Meeting people. If you want to meet Christians (& by Christians I mean overly vocal Baptist who attempt to make you feel bad about your lack of their faith and persuade you to be more like them) you can join one of FIVE THOUSAND Christian groups-- gag me, but maybe it's your cup of tea.
7) Most of the people who live here aren't FROM here and that is great, because they understand when you tell them you miss home and that you miss nordstroms or Macy's... they get it, you're not alone.
8) The weather is fairly nice most of the year, minus the 110 degree summer for 6weeks straight and the 2 weeks it snows here so the entire area shuts down-- except for walmart. But honestly it's fairly nice.
9) Everyone in Rogers lives in a gated-community, or atleast that is what it seems like... and they all shop at high-end boutiques... except for maybe a couple who can't afford it or choose not to pretend like they can afford it, but basically, what I'm saying is, they aren't ALL TRASHY, HILLBILLY-LIKE, NASTY HUMANS, although there are a few of those around here too.
10) pretty good Mexican food, almost anywhere you look. if you like that authentic hole-in-the-wall kinda of place, or the TeX-Mex or the .... well, we have it all, including little kiosk-type trailers where Mexican cook & sell their food on the streets. Yep, this is a pro.
11) If you don't mind not getting to see Professional Athletes and maybe even prefer college or minor league then this is the place for you... not so much me, but you. We have the Naturals, which i think is a KC Royals organization. We have the Univ of Ark Razorbacks-- which I can't seem to get completely sucked into, but it is growing on me, not sure how i feel about it, i always thought I'd be ANTI-everything Arkansas. but I do like the fact that I am somewhere that people are that passionate about their hometown team (HELLO!!! have we met?!!? I am a die-hard Cards fan and miss my Cardinals Nation!!) =)
12) this place offers the college-liberal a place to hang out and the weird, love-the-outdoorsy people a place too... if you want to hunt, hike, fish, whatever there's a place for you. if you prefer being closed-minded and self-absorbed whilst sipping coffee and playing on your computer there is a place for you. ;-) I love you all. (I just choose to hide out in my apartment though, as to avoid most of you!)
13) People are polite down here, sometimes almost too polite. But that's just the city-girl in me coming out. I prefer dark clothes, and shopping undisturbed, but around here people are so cheery and "ma'am" you all day long. Sometimes it grows on you, other times the city-girl in me takes off running and vents about the overly nice, southern accent speaking, creepy little people on facebook and blogs!
14) There is a wal-mart located on every corner in this place. they are all super centers and open 24hrs, so you can get anything you want, whenever you want... enjoy.
15) I'm here. if i can survive this place anyone can... and if you're in town or visiting this lovely little place we call NWA please be sure to tell me, i would love to show you around and get you drunk in a dry county! ;-)

There is so much I could tell you about Arkansas, but I will offend someone, I'm sure. The point is it's NOT that bad. you will definitely miss things that only your hometown can give you, but just remember you can visit home, get your fill and head back to a fairly quiet, pretty nice area of the world, or atleast of the southern mid-west. ;-)


THE BEST PART IS, IF YOU MOVE HERE I HAVE THE BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT FOR YOU... I'm a little biased, he is my daddy, but he truly is the best and he does great work with anyone who is transferring here. he understands it all!! =)

toothbrushing misadventures

Sitting in the waiting room at the dentist you would think things would be calm & fairly quiet. All i hear is the sound of the gentle fountain, the relaxing music and I see the Today show on-- no sound. Then this woman walks in, plops down right next to me (even though there are other places to sit) and then suddenly, out of no where says (in a VERY LOUD, UNRELAXING VOLUME) DO NOT wear dark colors then brush your teeth-- it sprays everywhere!! I looked at her, gave her a look of "what the f lady, shut your face" ... it's a common look I give, then turn away. the lady on the other side of the waiting room, who obviously wasn't as turned off by the woman's volume or hideiousness as I was replies with "i think that always happens when you're in a rush." ok, i can agree with that, because it never fails when you're trying to run out the door and you hurry to brush your teeth and you drop the toothbrush or something-- it's always a mess-- or you can't get your contacts in or you can't get a certain part of your hair to cooperate-- i mean it's murphy's law, it was always be an issue if you don't have time to deal with it. BUT then the two of them proceed to continue in conversation that I do not really know how they go there from toothbrush issues....
The lady says I was going to brush my teeth, then put my shirt on, but then I would have messed up my hair (dude, your hair looks terrible anyway!!) then lady 2 replies with my daughter was at a sleepover last night, because we have parent/teacher conferences today, and i told her she could spend the night, but i would have to pick her up at 9am, because we had an appt at 10am, so she couldn't argue, we would have to go. but it worked out because the girl who's house she was staying at was getting her long, beautiful hair cut for locks of love, so everyone was leaving early this morning..." lady 1 replies with "locks of love, how sweet" then a voice from the heavens, a sweet voice, softly says "Julie?".... OH THANK YOU SWEET JESUS, I'VE BEEN RESCUED!! I grab my purse and I walk as fast as possible to the door to rooms where I will be subjected to teeth cleanings and xrays.... THANK GOD!
I don't know what struck me as more bizzarre, the lady who can't seem to do the simple task of brushing her teeth, or the lady who somehow made a toothbrushing conversation about locks of love and preteen sleepovers?!?!
PS: i have a cavity and must go back for a filling in November.... ohhhh the day gets better & better, doesn't it?! Oh well, I may have a cavity, but atleast I know how to brush my teeth, Lord only knows what happened with that lady's teeth and her fugly hair.