Going Back to My Roots - A Visit to Arkansas

First of all, let me say that I will always be

a Southern girl at heart, 

so my recent trip to Arkansas felt

like going home.

How cute is this mailbox that we discovered while driving along the country roads.

You really haven't lived until you have

experienced the hospitality 

& food {you knew it was coming, didn't you?}

that The South has to offer.

Here I am with my sisters {on either side}, 

my brother {in the white shirt - standing beside his wife in green}, 

my son - standing behind me in the blue shirt,

& my niece & nephews.

The photo above was taken in front of a wonderful 

little place called "KJ's" where we had lunch.

{Fried EVERYTHING, by the way - even the green beans!}

I hadn't had catfish in years & it was so delicious.

If you ever go to Hot Springs, you MUST eat

at Nom Noms. They have the best 

home-made "Mexican ice cream" I've ever tasted!

We loved the kiwi & mango flavors.

{I want to open a franchise & call mine "Num-Nums"!}

Before moving on from food, 

here is the beautiful Hot Springs Country Club

where my brother & sis-in-law treated us to brunch . . . 

I resisted the urge to take home one of the beautiful pieces of silverware engraved with "Hot Springs Country Club".

When you're in Arkansas, you meet

friendly, interesting people

like this man who had just been through 

a hail storm with his teddy bear!

I love to drive around & take pictures of the

beautiful Southern homes . . . 

In case you're wondering where Shangri La is, I found it!

And you see things you don't usually see

where I live, like this . . .

And this little fella that Jeff saved from certain death

on the highway . . .

Every day I picked a

gardenia & carried it around with me

just to smell it over & over.

{My brother has a bush in his front yard!}

In my next post, I'll talk about

the reason we went to visit & 

the gift I made for each of my siblings.