Jennifer Arnold

Celebration

Mike all dressed up on the morning of his defense!

Last Friday was a huge day for us. Mike defended his master’s thesis! After two years of research and preparation it was finally time to do what he came here to do and he passed with flying colors!! I couldn’t be more proud of him and the man he has become since moving to Mississippi. He showed drive and passion for his work and for something he genuinely cares about. I believe that we have both grown individually and as a team since moving here and I think it truly was the best thing for our relationship! Of course we went out to celebrate with great friends and had a grand time. We also had a celebratory dinner with his professor and lab mates! Now it is a wait and see game but I have nothing but confidence that he will find an awesome job very soon and we will be on our way to a new adventure!

Did I mention that I love him?!?

Stay southern,

Time

So as I approach the end of January I realize that 1/12 of this year is gone already!!! This is frightening to me as I do not feel like I have done anything great this entire month! Besides going to the gym I really haven’t done anything other than hang around the house. This depresses me as I am 26 years old and in the prime of my life. I feel like I should be more adventurous and exploratory! I am going to try to start working on that. I feel like I keep saying that I will do this when we move when I can plan better. It upsets me that I cannot plan my year or even the next few months(if you know me then you know that I love to plan because I love having something to look forward to). There are so many things I want to do like go on a vacation with Mike, meet up with Ann Marie somewhere fabulous and plan to go home and visit my family and friends again. What is holding me back? Hmm, the fact that after this Friday Mike and I will be officially free!! What a feeling! For over two years we have dreamt of the day that Mike has a successful thesis defense and we have viewed this as sort of a turning point in our life together. As we approach that day I am getting more and more anxious as we do not have anything planned for after as of now. No jobs lined up, no great location to move to and no new adventure that I have been longing for!! I am not down about this because I am being positive and believing that the reason that we do not have anything lined up right now is because the right thing has not come along yet. Everything will happen in due time and I will not allow this to get me down. Situations like this can make or break a person and can cause rifts and I do not plan on letting that happen! So I guess for the time being I am going to focus on being happy and having fun with Mike and Pumpkin! I have a great little family and I have a feeling that everything will work out for the best.

Just because I cannot see the end of the road doesn’t mean that there is nothing there waiting for me 🙂

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.” – Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

Stay southern,

Winter Vacation

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Wow I am behind…here is is almost February and I have yet to blog about my holiday trip. Oh well I have been busy and life is getting crazier by the minute! As you can see on the map above we had quite the journey over the holiday season. It was about 3200 miles and a lot of fun. We spent time with friends and family and it was just good to get out of here for a while. I have been recovering from this journey for a few weeks lol.

On another note, the new year has come and gone and I am back on the healthy train(although I really never got off). I maintained my weight loss over the holidays(YAY). And I am well on my way to making my January fitness goal I set for myself which entails going to the gym 20 times this month. Which I should surpass! The scale has not budged even though I have eaten like a bird for the most part. I have to figure this out soon before I go crazy!! I have started going to Zumba again twice a week and I am so enjoying it. If you know me then you know I love to dance so this is more fun for me than traditional workouts.

Other than that nothing is going on with me. On the other hand Mike is busier than ever. He has worked harder than I have ever seen him. He has been staying up late finishing his thesis and getting ready for his defense which is scheduled for Feb 3! I am so proud of him already and cannot wait for all of this to be over so he can have this off of his chest.
I am going to try to blog more especially because I think this year is going to be important. Hopefully we will move and start a new chapter of our lives together what I believe will be the most important one yet!

Happiest time of the year!

Wow where has 2011 gone? There are only a little over two weeks left in this year and I cannot believe how time has flown! This past year has been a great journey for me and I do not plan to stop. I know 2012 will hold a lot of new things for Mike and I but I am going to relish in 2011 for as long as I can. I have proven to myself things that I never thought I could and it feels great! I have gotten closer to friends and family even though they are far away and I have made some really awesome new friends as well! The experiences I have had this year(no matter how small or trivial they may seem) will not be quickly forgotten! I have had a blast and plan to keep it up the next couple of weeks as we end this year! Christmas is right around the corner and I have a lot in store for end of the year! As I end one year and begin another I plan to keep in mind just how grateful I am of all of the blessings I have; a wonderful healthy family that loves and supports me, incredible friends that never cease to amaze me and an awe-inspiring boyfriend who keeps me sane and incredibly happy! As for next year I have a few goals and I know with a little perseverance I will be able to do just about whatever I put my mind to!

Me with my love

Stay southern,

Happy Times :)

For the past few weeks we have been quite busy. It is starting to get chilly here in Starkville(finally) and we have enjoyed the cooling down of the temperature. It is a nice break from about 5 months of 85+ degree weather! On October 29 we participated in the Race For the Cure in Tupelo. This was significant because it was our first 5k that we were every going to run but it is one that I have wanted to participate in for years. The Race for the Cure is dear to my heart because of the cause that it supports and the fact that I could actually participate in memory of the single most influential person in my life. As I get older I realize that the things I miss most about my mother are not only having her around for the big moments but for her wisdom and grace and also her sense of humor. I long to know more about her as a person and how she was at my age. As I say this I feel cheated out of all of the comfort and knowledge that I missed out on by not having her around. On the flip side, from tragedy comes triumph(bad cliche but is true) and I think I have become a very independent, grateful and resourceful young woman because of the circumstances I have experienced since I was13 years old. As I grow older I realize that can be proud of the woman that I have become/are becoming because I have pushed through the adversity and the sadness and came out happy in the end. I love my life and I am the happiest I have ever been. That is in fact because of the people who love me including Mike, the Arnold’s and my friends have all made me feel special and whole again and for that I am eternally grateful!

On another note…the same night we hosted a Halloween party at our place. I think it was a success as everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone(for the most part) came in costume and it was a lot of fun!

The football season is winding down and we only have 2 😦 home games left this year. Although I am ready to move I think I will miss football season and tailgating the most when I leave Starkville. Living in a college town has it’s pluses and minuses but the fun we have on those Saturday’s will be missed by both Mike and I!

As I am writing this I am getting more excited by the day about Thanksgiving and getting to go on vacay. Vacation these days pretty much means going home but we take full advantage of everything we can when we visit. We have a lot lined up and I know it will be a lot of fun seeing family and friends. Living away from my home has made me realize how much I miss mountains and I am excited to see them as I am driving up the road to my house. I also miss palm trees and I am ready to head to Florida over Christmas break to finally see where Mike was born and raised! Plenty of pics will be taken 🙂

Stay southern,

Beginning of the End…

Wow it has been two months since I have blogged.This is ridiculous!! The year has flown by and October is almost over. Anyway, a lot has been going on and the last couple have months have been a blast. I will let the pics do the talking…

Weekend after Labor day Mike and I went to Auburn for the Mississippi State game.
We were entertained by the Andrew’s and we had a wonderful time and cannot wait to return!

White out game…Sept 15 LSU

Trip to Oxford…William Faulkner’s home

Taylor Grocery aka The South’s best Catfish(It really was)

Black out game…Sept. 24 LA Tech

My birthday at Dave’s Darkhorse!

Surprise last min Disney trip!!

I missed the greenhouses! Yay for Tropics 🙂

South Carolina Gamecocks came to town!!

Awesome sight to see!

At this time we are looking forward to Halloween and some more home football games in the next couple of weeks! Also we are running/walking our first 5k this weekend! As of last Friday I have lost 30 lbs and I have never felt better! Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and we cannot wait to go home and spend time with our families and friends!

Stay southern,

Nothing new…

Not too much has been going on down here in Mississippi but I still feel as if I need to update as it has been a while. For the past few weeks we have not been doing a whole lot except for hanging around, with the exception of Mike’s FL trip. We have had people over for an almost poker night, helped a good friend move 😦 and went fishing(Mike more than me). I did catch my very first Mississippi catfish that I am very proud of! I have also been trying to be more motivated to workout more and it was going well until some scheduling changes. I am going to have be diligent with my working out to achieve the results that I want! Nonetheless, the healthy lifestyle is going pretty well! I am down 26 lbs as of today for a total percentage of weight loss of 16.39% 🙂 Life is pretty good and I can’t complain. I am super excited for football season and my Gamecocks!! Hopefully I will still feel that way after a few games!

Here is one of the bday girl!!

Stay southern,

Visitors

This past weekend we had some spur of the moment visitors which we couldn’t have been happier about! This was the very first time someone came down here to visit so of course I was very excited to be able to entertain and show them around. Although I wish it could have been all of the Arnold’s(dogs included) Mike’s mom and sister were great sports as Starkville is not known for having a lot to do! They arrived soon after we ended work on Friday and were gone first thing Sunday morning so it was quite the whirlwind trip for them. We enjoyed a nice meal at the Veranda the first night and did some catching up. The next day we hit the ground running giving them a tour of the campus and of Mike’s fish research at South Farm. Next, we headed to West Point to tour the Waverly Mansion. The mansion was built by Colonel George Hampton Young of Georgia in 1852 and was a self-sustaining community complete with gardens, orchards and livestock. It maintained a brick kiln, cotton gin, ice house and swimming pool with a bathhouse. In later years, Waverley had its own lumber mill, leather tannery and hat manufacturing operation. The decline of Waverley began in 1913 with the death of Col. Young’s last surviving son, Captain William Young. For almost 50 years the Waverley stood alone enduring plunderers, harsh weather and vandals before it was bought in 1962 by the current owners the Snow family. We were given the tour of the place by one of the Snow’s daughters who moved to the house when she was only a child so she knew a lot of history about the place. The house not only has historical history but a little bit of supernatural as well. According to Ms. Snow a ghost of a young girl haunts the mansion. The girl was one of the daughters of the builder and original owner. She is apparently a friendly ghost as they have had nothing bad happen concerning her. We were told that other guests have heard her calling for her mother in the garden. We had no sightings of the girl but there are a lot of paranormal websites devoted to proving that her presence is actually there. The home was a beautiful design and I can just imagine what it looked like when it was brand new. We ended the day with a delicious meal at Old Venice and some more visiting. The trip ended too soon and we hope to have visitors again sooner than later!

Stay southern,

Summer Vacation

I have been really bad about updating lately. I will do my best to try to keep up with blogging better!! During the week of the 4th we left Starkville and headed to Georgia for a visit with the Arnold’s. During our time there we ate some yummy food and played games. We also headed to Alabama to have dinner with the Andrew’s. After a few days of rest in Georgia we headed north to home where we spent 6 days with family and friends catching up and making new memories. We ate at several of my favorite restaurants and got to see a lot of people that I had been missing. Mike enjoyed fishing and shooting with the guys while I enjoyed girl talk and hanging out with the girls! Since moving away, visiting home is like a party! Non-stop visiting and eating and I wouldn’t change one thing about it! The week ended with Sallee Anne’s wedding!! It was such an honor to stand up there with her closest friends and family as she said I do! Of course I couldn’t help but to shed a few tears as I realized that we were no longer those crazy teenage girls running around town making fools of ourselves but we were fully grown women who are old enough to get married and start a family! I know I sound crazy as I am almost 26 years old but most of the time I feel like I am playing adult rather than actually being one. That was one of those moments when you realize that part of your life is no more. But I didn’t cry because of sadness but because of happiness and the notion that our lives are forever changed but it’s a good thing! Growing up is bittersweet but I never been happier than I am now and that shows me that I am headed down the right path! As we embark on these (hopefully) last few months in Mississippi I want to try to ensure that we both get the very most we can out of this experience before we move on and start a new and exciting chapter in our lives. With that said I think this fall will be our most exciting time here in Starkville and I plan on taking full advantage of my time here!

Us with the Bride and Groom aka the Moon’s

Summer, Sallee Anne and I

Us with the Odom’s

Last weekend Mike and I attended the Neshoba County Fair in Philadelphia, MS. Although it wasn’t the City of Brotherly Love we did experience some of that famous southern hospitality! We had done a bit of research on the fair before we went to see just exactly we were getting into but nothing could prepare us for the real thing. The fair is the towns yearly main event. According to the locals they plan all year for it and it only lasts a week! At this fairground there was a horse track, midway and over 600+ quaint and colorful cabins that families own and stay in only during the week of the fair. These cabins are coveted to all that do not own one and it is almost impossible to ever buy one because they are passed down through generations. But when one does go up for sale it comes at a price, we heard of one being sold for $130,000 and other for $500,000!! The fair is a huge deal here in Mississippi as people travel from miles around to take part in the festivities! I am glad we got to experience this as we will never see anything like it ever again! Before we headed home we stopped by the Chotaw Indian reservation casinos because we had never been there. We both allotted ourselves $10 to play and we ended up coming out ahead. Mike ended up winning $10.75 and I won $36.75 that we promptly cashed in! We ended the day with a meal at Old Venice and by watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Post Office

Cabins

I had never heard of this band before a couple of weeks ago, or atleast I though I hadn’t. It was announced that The Avett Brothers were going to be performing at Bulldog Bash this year and I was like who? So I looked them up and realized that I had heard this song somewhere before. Although I still cannot remember where I heard the song I really like it and look forward to seeing them in concert in November here in Starkville! Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise – The Avett Brothers

Stay southern,

Update

I am getting really bad at keeping up with this. Nothing has been going on for the past few weeks. But about 3 weeks ago we went to GA to visit with Mike’s family. We had a great time and ate some really yummy food! We are actually about to head back there in a couple of days for the holiday then we’re headed to my home(the greatest state in the union, South Carolina) for Sallee Anne’s wedding! I am so excited to see everyone and visit home! I know we are going to have a blast!! Of course pics and details to follow our 9 day long adventure 🙂

Mike and I with Pumpkin, Cody and Wendy

As far as music goes right now I am listening to a bevy of new songs. My two favs are Adele(the obsession continues) with her track I’ll Be Waiting It is a great song with an infectious beat and it makes me wanna sing at the top of my lungs! The other is from The Band Perry and their song You Lie which is just as unique as If I Die Young. When I first heard You Lie I did not wanna like it but I couldn’t help it! I hope you enjoy ❤

Stay southern,