Here is a bit of history of Floyd Collins. 
I did not go scrapping all day yesterday as originally planned. My daughter had a fever all day. However, there were some bright light toward the end of the day. Here in Bowling Green, there was a Hot Air Balloon Festival and there were many balloons flying over head toward the end of Saturday. The winds had picked up and the balloons left the festival a little early. It was around 6:oo PM and we were getting ready to watch the Georgia Bulldogs on television when out our back windows we saw the conversion of
high flying hot air balloons rise from the air port area and head our way. Little did we know we were in for a real treat. The balloons were flying to our subdivision to set down and be packed away. We have fields between our houses that were once going to be a golf course when the original building began. The golf course was never designed and the fields have now become community property. 
Well, this is the perfect site for the balloons to to land after there short flight. It was a very exciting sight to see them come over our homes and then barely miss roof tops by literally 10 feet and set down in the open fields. I quickly gathered my camera and took over 150 shots of these magnificent man made flying machines. In all we counted 21 in the sky and from what we could tell, there were at least 15 that landed within our neighborhood. This is one event that will get your neighbors out of their homes for sure. We were very lucky that in the back of our house and only 40 feet from our back door, two balloons let down and we watched as the process of the balloon collapsing preparing the balloon for it to be packed away for another day. We were pretty nervous as the balloons continued to come into our neighborhood and relieved that no person or home was hurt in this process. This post is heavy with photos, but I want you to see just a little bit of what we saw as the colors flew into our neighborhood on a Saturday evening.
on the 9th. I really have not had time to look at the 204 photos I took while we enjoyed good wine, bar-b-que, daiquiris, and the all time favorite summer dessert. I do miss our friends and going over to their home for great conversations and sharing our lives with one another. Our friendship started when my son, Zachary was going on a date with their daughter Aisha when they were in the 10th grade. She is in college and well, Zachary is married now and has a career in the US Army. 
We kept our friendship alive through church and sharing our faith with one another. We have shared traditions and holiday dinners with one another. We have gone through cancer, death, graduations, and family dynamic changes together. We have a special relationship that now miles and two states separate us.
These types of friendships are real binds that last forever. So, today this Sunday, I miss my friends. I miss the giggles, jokes, and simply hanging out. My hope is that we will meet new friends here in Bowling Green that we can connect with and enjoy these same type events and evenings of conversations and sharing our lives with on a daily basis. It is hard at our age to completely uproot our lives and find these types of friendships. Most people our age have their friendship circles and it is hard to find those that are willing to open that circle and let new people in and share. We do have friends that have relocated to
this area for the same reasons as we have and those are relationships that are turning into friendships but you know the old saying, do not mix pleasure with work. This can be a two edged sword. But I have found one friend that is a little older than us and I spent the weekend with her here in Bowling Green. 
She is single and is juggling two homes right now. She is giving herself 3 months to decide whether or not stay. I hope she stays. I need that "female" friendship to laugh and have fun with from time to time. Looking back through these fun photos I am reminded of the saying I heard Paula Deen say once, "Just because there is snow on the roof, does not mean the fire is out!" This is what I think of when I look at the gray in my husband's hair. So, I did buy a box of that "Just for Men" color treatment. He has not used it but maybe he will. He still has the best sense of humor in the world! Gotta love that.
WOW, this is the first time I have been in our new home, alone. It is quiet except for the sound of typing on my computer. I must say, it is very nice indeed. We awoke this morning with great joy as Brianna starts First Grade this year in a new State, City, and School. She is really excited and was determined to pick out her outfit for the day and accessorize it all on her own.
She also chose her new haircut. She said she wanted shorter and "sassy." She was all too eager to walk to the end of our driveway and wait for her new bus. As we approached the end of our driveway you could see parents lined up taking photos and the "brotherhood of fathers" enjoying the new beginning of learning. I must say, it was almost like stepping back into the "Leave it to Beaver" days. Everyone was smiling and you could hear laughter throughout our street. New clothes, book bags, and yes...extra bags to carry those much needed supplies requested by their teachers. I recall many "first days" of school throughout my educational experience and the smell of all of my fun supplies that would assist me in my creative learning and education. I also remember many days of the "first" in a new school whether it was the beginning of a school year or being relocated to a new base where my father was stationed. It is the butterflies and flutters that fill ones stomach and the anticipation of meeting your new best-friend. 
As Brianna's bus pulled up in front of our home I could see a little twinge of shyness and as her bus driver threw open her window and said, "come on around and mom you can take a picture if you like as well." I guess she is used to us "shutterbug moms" gathering every monumental moment in our child's life. That made me smile! The bus was at least a 1/3 full of anxious and excited children. The moment of independence and relying on manners, survival skills, and ones own personality without the "eagle eye" of their parent is in full speed now. It is a right of passage for students. It is the beginning of growth and coming into your own. It is these milestones that we reflect upon as years pass and we share with our own children. It is this time when life is full and each day brings challenges with great success. I can recall the fresh paint smell of school and smiles that everyone had on my first day of school. I hope that Brianna has a wonderful first day in FIRST GRADE. I hope she soaks in every detail and recites her memory of "firsts" when she comes home. It is hard to let her hand leave mine...but I know she will always be my "baby."
We arrived Thursday morning around 9:AM C.T. and within 45 minutes we met several neighbors that came to our door and introduced themselves to us. It was great. I feel like I live on a street from the show, "Bewitched." Everyone and I do mean, EVERYONE here seems to be very nice and sincere. Heck, just going to the grocery store was a pleasure. Everyone here has manners and goes out of their way to greet you as your eyes meet. This is NO exaggeration. It is as though we have lived here for years. The neighbors next to us we have gotten to know over a 2 hour conversation in our backyards. They are transplanted from Southern California and they would not live anywhere but here. We are lucky enough to live in the district of the number 1 school in our county as well. It is comforting to know that everyone is nice and opens themselves up for new friends here. In Atlanta, people go for years in their subdivisions and NEVER meet anyone. Smiles are rare and everyone is in a rush. But here, "rush hour" if you want to call it that...lasts about 45 minutes. By rush hour, I mean having to wait at the light and turn with maybe 5 cars in front of you. Funny, our neighbor told us the road heading into one of the main streets says it may take you 10 minutes to get to the main drag. We giggled. This is NOT traffic that is for sure. Brian only works about 5 minutes away and our neighbor told him he needed to be prepared for this morning as it may take him about 15 minutes to get to work instead of the "quick skip" as he called it. Once again, Brian snickers and says "I'll make sure I account for the time." So far, I cannot find anything to dislike about Bowling Green. This is a golden town for sure. This is what America truly is...I hope it can stay a secret for years to come. Many people come here to vacation and site see. This area is known for its grand acres of rolling fields of crops and the underground caves. Our subdivision actually has a river running underneath. Caves are everywhere. Truly amazing. Can you tell I am excited? Well, after already unpacking over 70 boxes and new furniture coming today that we purchased at Thornton Furniture (local family store), I plan on starting with my decorating. That is the fun part of moving. Not all the stuff in between. I am equally excited as our son from Fort Hood heading to Fort Carson will be taking a BIG DETOUR to come by and spend about 5 days with us and he is bringing "the girl." We are excited and we are opening our hearts to our intended daughter-in-law. I am sure we will have fun exploring our new town and creating memories with one another.
We were up bright and early on Friday morning for our 5 1/2 hour drive to Bowling Green, KY. The drive was relatively nice. Not much traffic at all. The weather was overcast and we hit spots of rain and driving into Kentucky we could tell the temperature was dropping quite rapidly. We also noticed that the Bowling Green area had snow on the ground. We found out that we missed their
snow fun by about 24 hours. We arrived in the city of Bowling Green around 12:30 PM/CT as we gained an hour with the EST difference. We were lucky enough to be able to go ahead and check into our hotel that was busting with activity from a Sweet 16 High School tournament.
Teams from all over the region were in competition for a stellar title. Our hotel was really nice. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Conference Center and the inside of the hotel was very nice and serene. They had a waterfall in the middle of the garden 
area that was attached to the backside of the elevators and the white noise was very relaxing. Brianna and I stayed in the hotel to relax from our drive while Brian went to visit his company's office and take a tour of their grounds and get acquainted with his future work environment. He was quite impressed with the office area and was more thrilled that it did not take him long to get there. The traffic on the main "drag" in Bowling Green is like that of any other small city but the back roads hardly have any traffic on them whatsoever. On a side note, they have a very large Hobby Lobby! I am excited about that store I tell ya. Anyway, Brianna and I watched the movie Twilight in our room in hopes we kill some time by the entertaining "tweener" movie until Brian returned from his tour of the company facilities. Upon Brian's arrival we decided to go out to eat and chose the Montana Grill and we thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and food. Although, we were met with surprise that they offer seating in smoking and non-smoking. It is kind of a relief to know that the "government" isn't taking over in the small town. 
At least, not yet. We really enjoyed all the wood and rustic feel of the restaurant. We drove around the town before dark fell and simply drunk in the green grass and the beginnings of Springs arrival. A little tired from our early morning travel we headed back to our hotel to find the buzz of happy teenage girls relishing from their win earlier in the day and Brian and Brianna had a great time utilizing the swimming facilities at our hotel. The following morning we woke early and enjoyed breakfast at the hotel as we waited for our real estate agent and Bowling Green tour guide to show for our 9 AM appointment. 
We were delighted to tour via car of course, the campus at Western Kentucky University and I must say, it is a beautiful campus with lovely old buildings amongst the newly constructed dorms and educational facilities. The old homes that are around the area are fabulous and I can imagine how great it would be to remodel some of the "turn of the century" Victorian homes that are rented by most
of the college population. I simply adored the Bowling Green town square and the architecture of the buildings were very stimulating. I did not take my camera as the rain and fog were over powering. I figure I have many more trips and we will soon be residents and will have time to take photos of the town square in its total beauty. The "rolling" hills of Bowling Green are luscious and landscaped with horse fencing. The hardwoods will be blooming soon and I can imagine how Fall will be with the bright colors of change. I can tell you for sure...we are NOT in Pine Tree country anymore. We then toured about 9 homes and loved about 3 of them. They are on the other side of town from the square and found the residential areas to have many homes within a small area of land. However, everything is nestled by horse and pasture. 
The neighborhoods seemed very nice and well kept. The hard part will be deciding on what neighborhood and which house we will call home in the near future. We had a productive day that ended with us eating at Rafferty's and talking about the homes and enjoying a cocktail to celebrate our impending move and that we are finding we are becoming quite excited for the "small town NO traffic" change. Our drive back home through Tennessee and on into Georgia was full of fog, rain, and changing temperatures. We got home within 5 hours and continued to relish in our plans for our move. This should be an exciting year and we do plan to make a few more trips before deciding on a home. I hope the weather will cooperate so that I can share some of the beautiful land that surrounds this gorgeous country.
