Ah, Mississippi

Sometimes it takes seeing a particular person or certain places again to realize just how deeply you have been missing them all along. That's exactly how I felt coming back to Mississippi and seeing so many dear friends and family. Jason and I drove back for the Mississippi State vs. Florida football game. Because all the harvesting is over, he got to take a few days off. Trying to fit in as many visits as possible, we stayed at a different house almost every night for about a week. Our first stop was in Brandon to see Jason's mom, sister, and grandmother. We drove all evening, arriving around 2 a.m., and got right into bed. The next day, we visited, did some shopping (I had my first Anthropologie store experience!!!!), and ate at P.F. Chang's for dinner. Don't ask me how I came away with so few pictures of actual people (and none of the Anthropologie store). It was almost as if I didn't remember to take pictures until right before we left. To make up for this though, I have resolved to take a ridiculous amount of pictures next time we're home.

After leaving Linda's house, we first visited Johnny Boy in the hospital, and then sort of backtracked to see our dear friends, Jeremy and Mary Hunter Sharp in Vicksburg. They have recently bought their first house and both started new jobs, Mary Hunter as a fifth-grade teacher, and Jeremy as an engineer working for the Corps of Engineers. It was really exciting to see the progress they have made on their house so far! This is their living room. Jeremy actually made the new mantle; doesn't it look great?

Friday morning, we packed up and drove back to Jackson to stay with our other set of dear friends, Bo and Lane Baxter.We are always so excited to see them, and I think I may have screamed when Lane came out the front door of their house! Soon after we got there, a man came to install new carpet in their bedroom, so we went to lunch at Primos and got dessert a one of Lane's new favorite places, Berry Berry Frozen Yogurt. That night we cooked dinner together and went to a concert in one of their friend's front yard in Belhaven. The music was performed by a husband and wife duo, Drew and Ellie Holcomb, who are part of the band, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. We had a great time!

 

The next morning, Jason was nudging me out of bed around 5:30 a.m! The plan was to leave by 7:00 a.m., apparently so we could be the first ones to the tailgate in Starkville. And we were. Here's a picture of what everything looked like when we first got there. Do you see anyone? I didn't think so.

See, there wasn't even anyone there yet to take our picture. I do have to admit though, it was a gorgeous day, and I'm glad we got there early to enjoy it! We saw so many people that we love, and I really did have the best day!

 

 

The day after the game, the drive to the Delta was one of the most beautiful I have ever experienced. The weather was lovely, and the familiarity of that stretch of road, comforting. Our first stop: Nanny and Pappy's house for a huge lunch of roast, rice, fried okra, corn on the cob, fresh salad, homemade pickles, rolls, and beans! After finishing the Packers vs. Steelers game, we drove over to Dwayne and Regina's.

While Mary Grace and I were playing outside, I couldn't help but take a picture of what I believe to be one of the most compelling aspects of the Mississippi Delta, its utter flatness and great expanse of sky. We spent that night at my parents' house, waking very early the next morning for Jason and my dad to go dove hunting and my mom and I to take a long walk.

It doesn't seem to matter how many times we get to go home; when it's time to leave, I always wish we had longer. I can never seem to get enough.

Leaving Mississippi I get an unsettling feeling in my stomach, and this is not simply because it is my home. I think it lies in the act of driving over the Mississippi River. There is a moment where you haven't quite left yet, you have time to think about it. It is not instantaneous like other state lines where one moment you are are there, the very next, in another state; if there weren't a sign, you might never know you had crossed a boundary. But as we pass over the river, I am consciously aware that we are leaving, and not until that moment does it feels like our trip back to Texas has fully begun.