The Freygang Family at a Biker Festival?

Back in January when Nick and I made the decision to move to Arkansas, my Mom eased my concerns about the 14 hours that would separate Akron and Fayetteville.  She promised that we'd see each other just as often as we always had...and of course that required Nick and my Dad to begin adding up the expense they were soon to incur to keep this promise.

With that as the "expectation", I can happily say that we've done a pretty good job.  While I still dream about the day that my parents will live close enough for Sunday night dinners or a routine trip to Target, we've done a great job managing the 900 mile of separation.  In just our first 6 months in Fayetteville, we've already seen each other 5 times, and  have 3 more planned trips by the end of the year.  Very doable.

This past weekend my parents made their 2nd trip to NW Arkansas during the famous BBB - Bikes, Blues and BBQ Festival in Northwest Arkansas.  While the rest of the citizens of Fayetteville left for the weekend so as to make room for the 400,000+ bikers, we anxiously stayed in town to see the sights (and of course hear the sounds of bikes throughout the night).  The pictures honestly don't do justice for the crowds that took over Dickson Street.  Fortunately, amidst the chaos and noise, we had a perfect weekend together enjoying spending time together and the beautiful weather.

While Nick was at work on Friday, we spent the day at Lake Fayetteville.  Even Jack joined us for the 5 mile walk around the lake (he made it about 4.75 miles before having to lay down in the shade - it took him a good 24 hours to recover).  We went to dinner in Bentonville on Friday night at one of our favorite local spots - Table Mesa.  And we managed to work in a visit to Walton Five and Dime and the Walmart Museum.

Saturday was filled with a trip to Devil's Den for more hiking and then back to Fayetteville for a trip down Dickson (in between this time my parents even caught a glimpse of Hog Fever as we watched the Razorbacks pull off a victory against Texas A&M at a local restaurant).

We can officially say we've seen our first (and probably last) BBB.  While it did confirm that I still have no desire to get a Harley or really even wear leather or a bandana, it was an amazing festival with great people watching.  My mom just couldn't understand how you'd ever find your bike amongst the thousands.  I can only imagine what the crowd thought of us as we shuffled our way down the street with looks of astonishment on our faces.

Sunday we met up with our friends Mark & Lindsay Mast at Crabby's for the best brunch Northwest Arkansas has to offer and then headed to Gentry for the "world famous" Drive Through Safari.  Hilarious is probably an understatement.  We saw just about any/every wild animal you can envision and even had a couple of "close encounters" that made for some great memories.  We ended the weekend with a cookout with Matt Wormer last night and a drop off at the airport today (I'm sure someday I won't tear-up when I drop them off).

Hopefully the 4 weeks will fly by until our next visit...Orlando, Florida.  Can't wait!

Next weekend we get more visitors!  Nick's parents are coming in on Friday for the big Arkansas vs. Auburn game and a fun filled weekend in Fayetteville.  As we've said before - the more visitors the better so feel free to come on out - just maybe not during BBB.