I’m Katie Beall, and my family moved to Cobb County a few months ago, so I’m not just the new editor of Around Acworth, but I’m new to your community as well. I worked in athletic communications at the collegiate level for seven years before working in corporate communications. I enjoy writing and editing because it allows me to tell stories that matter, and I’m excited about the opportunity to do that here in Acworth.
My husband and I are both Peach State natives who spent the last four years Calling the Hogs in Arkansas. Growing up in Georgia, Arkansas was not a state I thought about ever. It was just the butt of an old Southern joke, poking fun of Alabama, Mississippi and eventually the Natural State. Well, the joke was on me because work took my husband to Fayetteville, Arkansas and that’s where we set up our lives as Mr. and Mrs.
Despite my preconceived notions, Fayetteville proved to be a charming college town and Northwest Arkansas in general has much to offer. This is where we found community. We made lifelong friends, found a church home, explored the Ozark Mountains, bought our first house together and had our first child. Our daughter, Parker Grace, will forever be a native Arkansan. Wooo Pig!
Even though we built a wonderful life in Fayetteville, and Northwest Arkansas will always hold a piece of my heart, the goal was to come back home. Home to Georgia. The drive from Fayetteville to metro-Atlanta typically takes 12 hours, but with a moving truck, loaded-down vehicles and an infant, it turned into a two-day voyage. During that long trip home, I kept repeating this line from the song “Georgia On My Mind”: “Still in peaceful dreams I see, the road leads back to you.”
So here we are! My husband’s job brought us back to Georgia, but I think it’ll be my job that makes the move really feel like home again. This is your community and your magazine, and I’m really excited about becoming a part of this community.
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