no. 8: arkansas travels

We spent the week of Thanksgiving traveling down to Arkansas to visit family. Though Natalie and I met in the middle of Missouri, we both grew up in Arkansas. And yet it can seem like we were raised in different worlds. While I grew up in a college town in Northwest Arkansas, Natalie was raised in the much more rural and country Central Arkansas. While staying with her family, we were able to spend a day in Little Rock visiting the thrift stores and shops that Natalie and her friends would go to on the weekends. For me, it was a window into the life that Natalie led before I met her.

In downtown Little Rock, we stopped at an old drug store to take pictures. Walking into that place was like waking fifty years into the past. It still had many of the original signs and displays that must have been made in the 50s or 60s. After that, we had coffee at the Starving Artist Cafe and looked at the displays of local Arkansas artists like Little Bird Baskets. We drove around some of the more artsy and affluent neighborhoods and had a delicious pizza at Damgoode Pies. The whole time we were with Natalie's best friend, Tori. She is always a great person to hang out with and it is wonderful to see how much she and Natalie understand each other. She and Natalie have the kind of friendship a person only finds once in a lifetime.

During Thanksgiving break, we were also able to spend quality time with both sides of our family. Natalie and I are truly blessed to have such loving and supportive parents. We are always greeted by a welcoming party when we arrive at my parent's house in Fayetteville, my three younger siblings lining up to give us hugs. If there is one thing to be most thankful for, it is family--the family we were both brought up by and the family Natalie and I are creating together.

- Luke & natalie