Category: Family

Weekend Update: Thanksgiving Edition

Over the Thanksgiving weekend we traveled to Georgia to spend the holiday with my in-laws where we ate delicious food and enjoyed each others company. My beloved Gamecocks also beat our arch rival to make it 5 years in a row! It was a fabulous weekend and below are some highlights of our holiday!

Meeting my new “brother-in-law” for the first time!

The husband and I right before the turkey was put in the fryer
The finished product! It was the best turkey I’ve ever had!
The three Arnold pups!
Pumpkin getting in the Christmas spirit!
I hope y’all had a fabulous holiday weekend! I am so ready to experience the most exciting time of the year!
Stay southern,

Labor Day Weekend Trip

For Labor Day we headed to Georgia to visit with family where we ate too much and stayed up late. We played games and ate more! It was nice to just hang out with everyone where we had no real plans or schedules! I really didn’t take any pictures which I now regret as we had some fabulous food that should have been documented! I did however take some adorable pics of some of our family puppies 🙂

This coming weekend we have our first tailgate here and we are very excited to start this season off right! It is projected to be hot, hot, hot so I hope we survive, gotta love summer in Mississippi!

Stay southern,

Catching Up

I am a bad blogger. It has been a while since I have checked in probably because this is a highly stressful time in our household. That does not mean that nothing fun has been happening it just means that I have a lot more things taking up my time that are not as fun 😦 However, I want to do a quick catch up post with mostly pictures to give a little insight into what we have been doing since my last post.

Mike’s 25th Birthday lunch at the Arnold’s! 
My student researcher presented our work at a
student symposium here on campus. I am so proud of her!
Crawfish boil at the Picard’s.
Graduation Day!!! What a special day for Mike and I!
His hard work and dedication finally paid off!
There he is receiving his diploma and shaking hands with the university president!
My Master boyfriend!! So proud of him and we were both so happy that day!

We have some fun things coming up. We are headed to PTC to see Mike’s brother Danny graduate from High school soon and to spend time with the family. I plan to go and visit the HGTV Green Home while I am there as well(this is right up my alley) and I cannot wait! My fingers are still crossed about the future. Waiting is so very hard and straining on your mind though. I have to figure out a good way to de-stress and I may have a solution to my stress in my next post 🙂

Stay southern,

Easter 2012

Flower arrangements with candy and peeps!

For Easter we traveled to Peachtree City to spend the weekend with the Arnold’s. We had a great time eating delicious food and decorating for the party prior to the Andrew’s ladies coming over! The decorations this year were top notch as we got very creative and made flower arrangements with tulips and candy! The Egg game and appetizer contest were fun as they always are! We ended the trip with a delicious brunch in the courtyard!

Easter brunch!

The next couple of weeks are going to be intense! Mike has a very exciting/stressful week this week then next weekend is Super Bulldog Weekend/Cotton District Arts Festival which we are very excited about!! Keep your fingers crossed for us 😉 Right now I am listening to John Mayer(of course because he is my favorite)! He has not put out any new music in a couple of years but he is releasing a new record next month and I am super excited! The first single released is called Shadow Days and it has some truly relatable lyrics. I hope our shadow days are  almost over and we can have the new start we have been longing for!

Stay southern,

Spring Break

We have been back for a couple of weeks from our trip but we have been so busy I almost forgot to blog about our Florida adventure! We headed to Peachtree City to drop off our precious Pumpkin with the Arnold’s and with it being her first solo trip there I was nervous. I had no reason to be as she ended up sleeping in the bed with them and loving every minute. She is so spoiled! We headed to Orlando to meet up with Mary and Annie. The first night we just hung out at the resort and relaxed. Our plan for the next day was to head to Universal Studios. The weather forecast was supposed to be about 73 F with a 20% chance of rain. However when we arrived at City Walk it began raining and did not stop for the entire time we were there. We had a great time but ponchos were a must. After a day of riding everything without much wait we decided to head in from the rain. Mike and Tyler headed to HOB for a concert and the girls had a much needed girls night in! The next day we woke up early and headed to Islands of Adventure and arrived when it opened at 8 am. We hustled straight back to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and I was amazed. We all could not believe how awesome it was! We rode the new ride in the castle and it was incredible. Every little detail was thought of and I couldn’t get enough. Visiting there was my favorite part of the trip by far!! The next day we visited Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. I love visiting Disney so much but this was the worst day we spent in Florida. There were so many people everywhere and things just weren’t going our way with timing and such! Our last day in O-Town we went to Downtown Disney and ate at The Earl of Sandwich(a fav of ours) and did some outlet shopping where I got some summer duds and my sweet boyfriend bought me a cute hat I had been eyeing. the next day we headed up to Jacksonville before heading back to Peachtree City to see our little girl and hang out with the Arnold’s. It was a great trip but it went by way too quickly!! I hope to take another trip down there soon but never again during spring break!!

Rainy Day at Universal Studios
Hogwarts Castle
Hollywood Studios
EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival Display
Enjoying a cake pop at Downtown Disney
St. Patrick’s Day at the Arnold’s

Stay southern,

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,

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,

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,