My husband and I had been checking it out on GoogleEarth as we pondered moving there for a job opportunity, and I was taken with its small-town look, the pasture land in and around town, and the five-minute commute that was a clearly within reach. While my hubby held back, I advocated for the little piece of heaven that had captured my heart.
When he came home from his first round of interviews, my hubby had words of foreboding. "Stinks like a chicken farm," he warned, shaking his head. It was music to my ears. "Chicken farms!?" I thought, "how charmingly rural!" I checked around and called some locals. They didn't notice the "stink," and described the town square, friendly neighbors and Christian community. I was sold. We accepted the job.
My first experience of Bentonville was on a cool evening in mid-May as we drove through the fields and pastures from XNA (Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport) into town. I rolled down the window and my heart leaped as the smell of sweet summer grass, the whir of crickets, and the quiet of the evening blew in. I knew this was the place for me.
The next day my man and I drove around town, getting a feel for the community. With every turn I was more enraptured. The houses on Central were picturesque, architecture and age creating an atmosphere of small-town Americana that I'd never been lucky enough to live among. The town square was ideal, surrounded by little shops and sporting a fountain and Civil War statue. There was no mall, no down-town high-rises, and the office where my hubby would be working really was five minutes from every house we looked at.
And so began my love-affair with this little corner of heaven. It has grown as I've discovered more of the beauties of this town and its area, and I can't wait to share them with you!
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