Sunday, October 17, 2010

Weekend Review: Look Who's Enjoying Fall

Unless you know me personally, you probably don't know which state I live in.  That was deliberate.  Although I've revealed a lot about myself through blogging there is plenty more to tell.  I think when I first started blogging I didn't disclose where I live for several reasons. 

The main reason is that I'm paranoid (sometimes) and fear that in this very public blogging world someone will try to stalk me.  Yah, I know it sounds crazy.  Come on, I know I'm not the only one who has had these initial thoughts when first starting blogging, right?  Anyway, another reason I did not say which state I live in is because I did not want to be judged based on where I live.  I know it sounds silly but I will explain.

For the past 2 years I have been living in Mississippi for school/work.  I will be honest and say that my feelings about Mississippi before knowing that I was going to move here was pretty neutral.  I really didn't know too much about the state.  All I knew was that it's a part of the South.  Shortly after announcing that I was going to be temporarily moving here, my friends and family had a lot of concerns and associates had a lot of jokes (negative ones of course).

I tried to understand.  People told me about that old movie (Mississippi Burning) that depicted Mississippi in a negative way.  (Whisper: I still have not seen the movie yet)I have learned that Mississippi is ranked number 1 in teen pregnancy, obesity and poverty.  There is such negative views about Mississippi that when you are leaving the Jackson airport there is even a sign about people being able to read.  

After living here I must say that I think it's a great place.  Now, we don't have children so I cannot comment about the schools.  However we have met some awesome people here that we hope to keep in touch with even when we move (Summer 2011).  We love our church.  There are a lot of great restaurants.  Oh yeah there's one Jamaican restaurant here but it's only open 8-5 M-F when I'm working (so sad).  My husband and I complain that there isn't a lot to do but we have discovered that there are things to do but you just have to go looking for them (a somewhat difficult task for us with our work schedule).  But we try!

Ok, I know this was supposed to be a weekend recap but I'm tangential as you can see.  So,  I said all of the above to talk about my weekend events (particularly on Saturday).  

My husband and I were talking about weekend plans on Friday night.  It is rare that we have the entire weekend off together.  I suggested that we drive the Natchez Trace Parkway.  This was something that was suggested to me a while back by some lovely locals but we never did it.  At first we were going to take our dogs with us but decided not to.  Instead we brought friends (another great couple that we met here in MS).  Since it was my idea my husband told me to get some plans together.  Here is how our Saturday went:

Drove the scenic Natchez Trace:
Picture Credit





Still on the Trace (stopped to check out the beautiful scenery and take pics)




Unsuccessful attempt to climb a tree.  I didn't attempt because I was wearing the wrong shoes.  It was not very smart of me to wear dress shoes on such a trip.  I also never check the weather so I was too warm in the outfit I had on. Ha!
Visited an old plantation built in the 1800s which apparently was considered luxurious then

I know that you can hardly see my face but I love this photo (the field and that fence)


Arrived in Natchez, MS and stopped to get some grub:
Great little place to eat and we all enjoyed our meals.  They are apparently all organic.  The owner was so sweet (with her little southern accent).  They also sell their spices and other products online so you can check them out if you're interested.


The Mississippi River Pre-Balloon Race
I will try to explain the race.  Each balloon is to try to get as close to the barge as possible (of course without hitting it).  Once close enough someone in the balloon is to toss a rope that hopefully will land on or close to a target area on the barge.  According to the locals each competitor has the chance to win a lot of money or even large items such as cars.  Isn't that neat?  This was the first one to attempt.
Isn't it pretty?  I kept wishing I could be in one of the balloons.
One of my favorites.  Very patriotic.  It was even more amazing when it was up close and right before my eyes.   Whenever the bright flames would burst out the base, it sounded like the noise that the whales make when breathing through their blowholes.  I thought for a split second that there were whales in the water below but was reminded that it was the Mississippi River and not the Mississippi sea.  What can I say, I've got blond roots at times :)
My husband's least favorite, as he pointed out ("why is it so small?"). LOL
My final balloon pic.  We got tired and decided to head home.  We don't know who won but we didn't mind, we still had a great time!
Enjoying the festivities!

Hope you enjoyed a little taste of our weekend and some of what MS has to offer.  Overall, it was a great Saturday.  Today we went to church (as usual).  We then took the dogs in the woods and played hide and seek with them.  It was so much fun.  Oh yeah, we also took them to Petsmart to socialize them.  Thankfully they are good with other dogs and people.  For dinner my hubby will make the meat (jerk ahi tuna--with a pink center of course) and I will make the sides (edamame and spinach).  Yum!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

Mrs. K

12 comments:

  1. Oh yum! Your dinner sounds delicious! I love everything about it - of course I comment on the food first.

    Looks like you two had a wonderful day!!! I was in Mississippi for only 6 week at the peak of summer and it was sooooo hot, but I also found it beautiful and my area had a lot of things to do. So nice that you and the husband found fun things to do in you area. Boo that the Jamaican restaurant only has business hours. What's up with that?

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  2. This sounds like a great outing. Nice pictures too!

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  3. Looks like you guys had a great weekend :) Thanks for sharing. Always enjoy a read complete with photos. You are right, the 5th photo of you with the green grass in the background were awesome. Love grassland like that. Felt free. :)

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  4. the beautiful pics really capture the festive season! I can tell you had a really good time.

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  5. aww doggie date at petsmart! : ) lol

    those hot air balloons look great and so does the scenic route. yea i try not to give out too much info online, you can never be too careful. my state is like that too, where you have to look reallllly hard to find something to do lol what fun stuff does your home state have to offer?

    i'm sorry you've been having trouble with my comment system! please let me know what browser you use and do you use a PC or Mac? what exactly happens why you try to leave a comment?

    thank you for keeping up with my blog! : )

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  6. fall is amazing, amazing, haha ... :)

    i love your pictures. looks like a great wknd. love those shoes! and yes, i can see them. i'm good like that!

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  7. That looks pretty cool. Don't feel so bad about the Mississippi Burning thing, I've lived here my entire life and I haven't watched it completely. Never drove the Natchez Trace either for that matter. (Do I need to check my birth certificate again?) Nevertheless, it looks like you guys had a great weekend. I love the pictures. If you change your mind about the whole doctor thing, you should consider producing postcards :-). Be blessed.

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  8. Such a neat post! To be honest, I haven't heard ANYTHING about Mississippi. So this is really awesome! And the pics are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Thanks for dropping by ladies and gent! We did have a good time.
    Sommer: It was a yummy dinner
    Dawna: I use firefox with my Mac. Don't know why I can't leave comments.
    Faith: You're so cute--you've got some good eyes :)

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  10. Aweome pictures. Glad you guys had a great time. Maybe one day you'll be off so you can go to that restaurant and hopefully the food is good. R

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  11. Beautiful photographs! I am originally from Alabama and miss the beautiful scenery! Looks like you both had tons of fun!

    www.sparklesandfrosting.blogspot.com

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  12. I'm just seeing this post now, glad you warmed up to Autumn these photos are gorgeous. What a fun weekend. Those hot air balloons look amazing. Looks like you two had a blast.

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