Fall Festivities

Well I hope everyone is having a great Fall so far! It really hasn't started to feel like fall here yet but we are starting to see our trees change colors! Fall has to be one of my favorite times of the year. I love the cooler but not freezing weather and the beautiful trees changing colors and the thought that the Holiday's are just around the corner.

To celebrate the Fall Season, Sarah and I went to the Craft Fairs this past weekend. This was her first time going, so I had to show her around. Its a big deal here in NW Arkansas. It happens only once a year and usually it brings cooler weather with it. Unfortunately for us we found our selves sweating. It ended up being in the 80s that day. This was the first year that I have gone that I haven't froze. I am usually wearing jeans, sweat shirt, gloves, and a hat. Crazy. We had a great time though. We went through all the tents and tried all the samples of food they have. If you don't like to look around at all the crafts you have to go at least go for the food. They make some great food there. Most of it is brought in by farmers so its really fresh. Sarah and I tried everything and I am pretty sure we would have bought it all if we could. For lunch Sarah and I bought freshly made lemonade and footlong corndogs!! It was awesome!! The lemonade was so good that I actualy tried making a fresh batch at home with real lemons. Its a lot of work squeezing all of those but it turned out great!

Then we also bought some kettle corn which is a rule if you go to a craft fair. You have to buy the kettle corn. You can see how popular it is by the line. They couldn't make it fast enough. I need to get into that business! While we were there we ran into the Duggars for the second day in a row! We had ran into them the night before at the Craft Fair in Springdale. It looked like we were stalking them lol. No one in Springdale really said anything to them or acted like "Hey your on TV" like we were haha. When we saw them at the Craft Fair in Bella Vista people were saying that and so we got up enough courage to ask to get a picture with them. (you can see the picture at Sarah Franks facebook) Michelle (the mom) even gave us her autograph! It was pretty cool. :) Needless to say we had a great time at the Craft Fair.

After that Sarah and I went shopping at Hobby Lobby and found a LOT of Christmas stuff we LOVE. We are the two worst people to put together to go shopping around Christmas stuff. We are like bears to honey when it comes to that. We go nuts! But don't worry boys we didn't buy much... :) We have a great time shopping together. I am so blessed to have such a great sister in law! We have so much fun together! I am going to miss that time sooo much after I move. I think one of the hardest things for Will and I will be leaving Mitch and Sarah back in Bentonville. We were so thrilled to find out they were moving to NW Arkansas and just a mile down the road. Litterally about 2 1/2 months after they moved here we found out we were moving. So not fair.

After we went to Hobby Lobby we went to Big Wags Dog Bakery in Rogers. That place is AMAZING! It is a Dog Bakery where you can buy all sorts of goodies for your dog in there. They make cakes, cookies, and treats galore for dogs. Its really cool. They also have clothes, bones, raw hides, and more. Sooo I had to buy somthing for Ms. Peanut since we didn't get to celebrate her 1st birthday (we were in Dallas). So I bought her a cupcake, a cookie cake, some halloween treats, mint treats (bad doggie breath) and some bows. :) This week I gave her, her birthday cake for her 1st Birthday. She defiantly didn't like the hat much but I had to make her wear it haha. In the picture below of her eating the cake while the candle is stil lit...well she started eating before mommy told her she could so she ended up burning one of her wiskers...well she didnt' go back around that till the candle was blown out. I guess she learned that when momma says no she means it lol. But after the candle was blown out she took off with it and ate the whole thing. Defiantly a good buy. I bought all that stuff and gave a treat to the shelter dogs for $16 bucks. Not bad!

After that we went to Gordmans and went shopping for Razorback shirts! Unfortunetly we were getting text updates from Will on the Hogs game at the time. Man o man we were hanging on for dear life for awhile and then after a fumble that Auburn picked up we went down hill fast. But I still love my hogs and bought two Hogs shirts for me and one for Will. :)

I had a great weekend last weekend spending time with Mitch, Sarah, and Taylor (a friend of Sarah's that came in town to visit). If it wasn't for Mitch and Sarah I think this time with Will and I being seperated would be much harder. I love them both! :) This coming weekend I am going back up to Dallas with my parents to look at more homes and also to look into a job. Its been hard being seperated and having your life in two different places. I am so ready just to be settled and with my husband again. I know God is in control and I know he has exciting plans for us. I am looking forward to seeing what those are for us!  Have a Great Wendnesday!

Weekend In Texas

Well I hope everyone had a great weekend! It was a fun and crazy one for me. Mrs. Lisa and I drove down to Rockwall, TX to see Will Thursday night. We left Arkansas after I got off work around 5:30 to head down. Mr. Tom flew down to meet us there from New York on Friday. We had a great time. On Friday we woke up early and started looking at houses at 9am until around 2:00 in the afternoon. We probably looked at 15 houses or so. We found a couple that we like so next weekend my parents are coming down with me to look at those again and start narrowing it down.

On Saturday we got to sleep in and then leave around 10:00 to head down to Arlington, TX to go to the big Razorback game at the new Cowboy's stadium. Let me tell you that place is massive!!! It was really neat to see it and get to experience a game in there. It has the largest HD screen in the world right now. It sits above the field so people can watch that if they can't see the field. Well we all could see the field but watching it on the big screen was pretty awesome. You could see everything! That was also the cleanest stadium I have ever been in. You could actually eat off the floor, I kid you not. It was incredible. It is also extremely loud in there. I think they said that there was about 65,350 people in that stadium. When you get them all screaming it gets pretty loud. Except on our side when we were screaming for the Hogs. If you notice in the picture that all the red is on the other side...our tickets were located on the Aggies side...Lets just say we were one of the few Razorback fans on that side. But it didn't stop us for screaming and jumping for joy for our Razorbacks. :) We just got some pretty awesome looks lol. After we played a terrible game we still managed to pull it off in the end and won! YAY! Go Hogs! A win is a win! If you ever get a chance to go to a game here I highly recommend it. Its a great experience. We did find out that this is suppose to be the Hogs new West Home Stadium. So they will be playing here at the Cowboy's stadium quite a bit. So come and visit us and we can go to the game! :) Although one word of advice...eat before you come and sneak in your own snacks. Its stinking expensive to eat there. I mean I know food at stadiums are pretty expensive but this one topped them all. $7 buck for 1 corn dog... $7 could buy you a whole pack and more of corn dogs...The burgers were about $8 to $12 depending on what you got and the nachos were $7. I can't remember exactly how much the drinks were but I think it was around $4. Crazy! They are making a killing. I guess they have to pay off that stadium some how. Below is a picture of one of the entrances into the Stadium. The doors actually fold up and opens up the entire end of the stadium. Below shows what it looks like after the doors are all open. Pretty sweet!

We had to leave our sweet Peanut at home with my parents but that doesn't stop her from showing some Razorback spirit! She is our little Razorback. :) Notice how thrilled she is. haha.

After the game we all went to the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday! :) I love that place. I got the meatloaf and it was great! I also split a slice of cheesecake with Will that was awesome. We got the strawberry cheesecake. I highly recommend that.

On Sunday we got up and drove around some of the neighborhoods in Rockwall hoping to find a nice neighborhood with a couple of houses for sell, but no luck. I am pretty sure we have looked at all the houses for sell in Rockwall. We have a couple that we like but none that we just love. Its hard to move when you can't find a place you would like to live in. Its just a whole different lifestyle here. You don't have big back yards...you don't have large garages or split floor plans. Its tough. I think that's why we have been having such a hard time finding one we like. Its just so different from what we are used to. It gets so discouraging some times. But I know God has that special house out there waiting for us. I think we are also going to have to adjust what we want in a house or sacrifice a few things that we are looking for in a house in order to find one. All I know is that looking at houses can be so exhausting. Don't get me wrong I love it but I have never been so tired in my entire life that weekend. I think its because its so emotionally draining. Trying to figure out if the backyard is big enough for Peanut, if we like the kitchen, if there is enough space for our furniture, if there is enough room in the closest or are we too close to our neighbors or will this house resale later on, what schools does this house go to, what type of neighborhood is this... and so on. There is a lot to think about when buying a house and a lot of research when you don't know the area. I think its a blessing in disguise because I can get around Rockwall pretty well know with all the areas we have looked at. :)

After we looked at the neighborhoods we drove to Allen, TX and went to the famous Outlet Mall. That place is amazing! When we got there we were surprised to be met by Big Bob and Gran Nan (Wills grandparents). They came to surprise us for our Birthdays! They were working on building a church in Hope, Arkansas with Nail Benders and was only 3 hours away so they decided to come see us! It was so good to see them and catch up. We ate at a really good Mexican Restaurant that I can't remember the name of... but we will defiantly probably eat there every time we go to the mall. We did some serious shopping that day. I found a cute furry hat and scarf at Gap that I bought to wear when we go to Colorado this Thanksgiving. I am excited to wear it. Its so soft and warm! And not to mention cute. :) Will found a jacket at Columbia that was the ugliest thing ever and was orignally $750 bucks but was on sale for $150 I think...So he had to try it on. Thus the picture. :) After when went shopping we headed back home to Arkansas. It was tough to leave Will again. You just never think you would ever have to be away from your husband this much once you get married. It stinks. It makes me want to find a house or job that much more.

Well that's about all that is going on right now. Our house is offically up for sell and on the internet ready to be sold. Crazy how all that happens so fast. So if you are looking for a place to live here in NW Arkansas let me know. I have a house for sell. :)

The Season Of Change

Well the past couple of days have been a whirl wind. I met up with the realtor to sell our house last Friday and filled out the last of the paper work for our house to go up for sell today. By tomorrow our house will be officially up for sell. The sign was put up in our yard yesterday. When I saw that sign stuck in our yard it made the fact that I am moving even that much more real. I think I stood there and stared at it forever in disbelief. I guess I always thought I would live here in Bentonville. Its sad to think the house Will and I started in, fixed up, and the house he proposed to me in will be sold. Its sad to say bye to the house filled with all those memories.

I know that our next house will be filled with just as many wonderful memories so I just have to keep reminding myself of that. I am looking forward to a new adventure. I think its going to help Will and I grow closer together as a couple and towards God. We will have to learn to lean on each other rather than on our family. I am excited and ready for this new chapter in our lives to start. Right now I am ready to get this awkward crazy stage to be done with. With Will in Dallas and me here its been pretty hard. Hopefully I can find a house, sell our house, or find a job pretty soon. If not we will officially move down the first part of December. Right now we are looking in the Rockwall and Fate Texas areas. Those two have been our favorite towns so far. They have lots to do and its not far from Will's work in Dallas. I will be going down this weekend to look at more homes so hopefully we can start narrowing it down. There are just tons and tons of neighborhoods and homes to look at. Its hard to find the perfect one when you don't even know where to start looking. Oh well. We know God will take care of us and that he has the perfect house out there for us. We just have to be patient.
On another exciting note a friend of mine that I used to work with and moved to Dallas, Texas in August (God is pretty amazing!) has just had her baby girl Savannah Kate last night! I am super excited to have a friend that I can hang out with and talk to that will live close to us. When I told Katie that I was moving to Dallas as well, we were both so excited. Now we at least know some one and have each other to hang out with. Its so incredible how God has everything planned out so perfectly. Its made moving to Dallas so much easier on me knowing Katie is there and that she has gone through the exact same thing we are going through (except she was 8mo pregnant :) ) and has been able to give us so much helpful advice. Well that's about all that's going on right now. Sorry if I don't post often. We don't have Internet at home right now so its few and far between when I get a chance to post.

God Bless,
Michelle Frank

Home sweet Home

This past weekend I headed up to Bentonville to see my wife, other family members, and friends. I headed out on Friday around 3:30 and arrived in Bentonville at 9. It was really nice to see my wife and Peanut our dog that night. I had been missing both of them and was excited to be able to spend the weekend with them. The dog was super excited to see me and went in to freak out mode like any normal puppy would. After the dog finally wore out we called it a night and it was heaven to be able to sleep in my own bed.
The dog woke up around 5am ready to play with a squeaky toy and boy was she excited. She finally relaxed and went back to sleep until 7:30, but that was the end of my sleep. I got up and hung out with the dog in the cool morning air it was so nice about 60 degrees and Peanut was loving it. I ended up going riding with Doug and Cindy at Slaughter Pen that morning. I rode a lap on the cross bike out there and that was a good experience for sure. Ended up getting a slow leak in the back tire so headed home before I had to change it. We had my parents over and Michelle's parents, brother Thomas, and her sister Denise over to watch the hogs game. What a game, but what a disappointment. We hung out with them until the game was over then took Peanut on a long walk down by Crystal bridges and back up to the house. Ended up being about 4 miles so that was a lot of fun.
Sunday we woke up and Michelle's eye looked like she had been stung by a bee so we skipped out on church for her to rest a little and put some ice on it. We ended up going over to my parents house for lunch and meet up with Mitch and Sarah there along with Michelle's family. We had hamburgers and sat out on the patio enjoying the cool 60 degree weather. After lunch we headed home and I had to pack up and head back to Dallas. I got back to Dallas that evening about 8:30. Did a lot of driving this weekend, but had a blast.

Monday I went to look at houses after work in Rockwall. I looked at a total of 5 houses and found 2 that I liked. There are a ton of houses here for sale, but not enough time to look. That took most of the evening and came back and relaxed and watched my freshly installed cable TV. I have been living in Dallas with no TV for the past month. Hasn't been to bad, but it is nice to have a little background noise when I am doing other things around the apartment.
Last night I rode my MTB out at the Rowlett Creek Preserve they have a total of 14 miles of trail out there I round it in roughly 1:12. This trail is really flat and lots of twisty turns. This was my 2nd time out there and I am starting to learn the trail a little more. This is a great trail for training for the Springhill race which is this Sunday. I am headed back out there tonight to get a couple hours in on the trails. May try to post some photos of my ride tonight.

Big Willy Style Update From Dallas

Today I am getting ready to head to Bentonville to see the wife and dog. It has been an adventurious time for me in Dallas so far. I am finally starting to figure out my way around town and a few places to ride. I did a crit last night first race I have done since flint ridge. My form is lackluster, but it is coming around. The race was a 1 hour crit around a flat course. After 15 minutes and making it in to a few moves, a break got away with 3 Cat 1's in it. I helped chase with 2 other guys for the next 20 minutes, but we didn't have enough fire power to completly bring it back. We would get it withing 5 secounds and run out of juice and start all over. I ended up finishing in the pack about 30 secounds off the 3 leaders. Overall it was a good race 1 hour averaged 42.49 kph. It was my first time to ride the 303's and they where amazing smooth as butter.

Plans for this weekend include 12 hours in a car, one football game, 2 sessions of cross practice, and hanging with the wife. Should be a great time hope to see some familar faces back in Bentonville this weekend.