Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson. Look out Jackson town.

  

Well, the time has come and the rumors are true.... We are moving to Jackson, MS!!  Wesley and I have always talked about what it would be like to write this post and to actually be moving back to the South.  I really can't describe it though - a little bit anxiety, a lot of happy... but also a lot of stress! 

Wesley has accepted a job with the new Governor as his Health Policy Advisor.  Needless to say, I am so proud of him!!  I, on the other hand, do not have a job yet.  Perhaps I will be a lady of leisure for a while... :)  But if anyone has any ideas for a job for me, I am all ears!!  We are so excited to be closer to family and friends, and of course Oxford.  :)  We have appreciated all the love and support we have received over the past (almost!) 4 years we have been in DC.  We couldn't have made it this long without yall and without yall welcoming us home with open arms everytime we visited.  But now we are coming home for good - and we couldn't be happier.

The Most Amazing Town in Mississippi

One of the perks of my job is being able to visit Mississippi and see all the great things she is doing for the people that live there. Last month, I had the opportunity to visit the most beautiful place on earth, Oxford, Mississippi. The beauty of this town is known to everyone in the state and to many national publications.

Below are a few of the pics I was able to capture during my visit. Love that place.

Post Oxford, I headed to another amazing town, Columbus, and met up with my family, including Lo, who came down from Nashville.  Columbus, as usual, was so nice and relaxing. Lo and I ran a couple of times down at the Riverwalk and walked around downtown.  We had great Thanksgiving lunches and dinners with the family and a crackly bonfire night at my parent's house. It was good to be back, even if for a brief moment. We captured a few memories from that time below.

Door and Alley in Downtown Columbus

Homemade wreath by MS Mom, along with her Thanksgiving Dinner Table

Mason and the bonfire

Thanksgiving Dinner.

Ole Miss Humor

I thought this was quite funny, even if I am an Ole Miss fan. "Hope and Change" is coming our way. 

Is is 2012 yet?

When You Need a Little Oxford in Your Life

But can not get there due to you residing in the Northeast, there is closer option.

Charlottesville, VA/UVA

If you have not made the trip to this great town, I would urge you place it on your bucket list. A few weeks ago, we were able to make the trip with our good friends Jackson and MVB. They went to school at the University of Virgina, but they also understand the greatness that is Oxford. They have grown to love our town, as we have grown to love theirs. Since living in D.C., we have fortunately been able to hit up the place with relative ease. Just a short 2-hour drive and you have forgotten what is the big city.

Once you arrive to the downtown area of Charlottesville, you feel as if you are right on the square. The people, the atmosphere, the look, everything, resembles Oxford. We have the Lyceum; They have the Rotunda. Its all picture perfect. The major thing that is different: Their IQ's are "just a bit" higher. And maybe their focus. Oh well, us Rebels can't be the best at everything.

On Friday, Jackson, Lo, and I made the trip to Wintergreen. It is a ski resort located outside of Charlottesville. MVB was already there at her parents condo, getting dinner ready for us. It was a low key Friday, with us just sitting around relaxing by the fire, sipping on some red wine. On Saturday, we made the short drive to UVA and stopped at the local World Market, for the best Chicken Salad, with cheddar cheese and roasted bell peppers on a ciabatta bread sandwich you have ever had. We then strolled to the game, where we enjoyed each other's company because that was the only good thing going on at that time.

Post game, we made our way to the downtown area, where we tried the famous steamed dumplings and bar hopped for a bit. As the time drew near to the Bama game, we decided it would be better to head back to Wintergreen. We then thought it would be fun to watch the game at the local ski resort bar. Boy was that an adventure. A fun one though. A quick but fun weekend came to a close. Oh how I love weekends.

Downtown Charlottesville

The Rotunda at UVA

Lo and I with MVB and Jackson at the game. UVA is similar to Ole Miss this year.....they can't seem to find a way to win. Oh well. Still a fun game. They do have a great band.

While it does not fully compare to Oxford, it does give you that a tiny feeling you are there in spirit.

Until Next Time.....

[top pics are from google]

Farewell Oxford... Hello DC

Hello all - I know Wesley and I haven't posted in about a week, but we have just been so crazy getting everything moved and ready.

First of all, I would like to mention how special and memorable our first six months of being married has been - all thanks to living in Oxford. I can honestly say I haven't had more fun and made more memories than I have made in Oxford since January. So saying all that, I want to thank our very best friends in Oxford (you know who yall are) for giving Wesley and I the best last six months we could have ever asked for. We miss yall so much already and will never forget the memories we all made together. Mario forever :)
And don't worry. We'll be back... November 1 - Auburn vs Ole Miss. Be there.

Okay, the last week has been a whirlwind! Last Friday, the McFatters hosted a cookout at their house for our departure. It was so much fun, especially since Danul grilled the award winning sausage and cheese plate of all time... hehe - later hitting up the Club and getting a pic with Mari..O...O....O....O. Down down.. do your dance.. do your dance... :) Apparently we didn't get our fill of the Club on Friday night, so Saturday we were back there with the McFatters. Typical!

Last week consisted of packing.. packing... packing. Sunday Wesley's parents came in town and on Tuesday my mom came in town to help us pack. Of course, all week Wesley and I had to hit up every possible eating locale in Oxford (porkers....haha), so that left us full all week. City Grocery, Yocona, and Two Stick just to name a few. I can't believe we didn't make it to 208... so sad. Thursday, after getting our whole condo packed up.. the Clay/ Houk caravan of Wesley driving the UHaul truck with my mom and I following was a sight to see! Friday we got everything unpacked into the Houk Storage Unit (hahah....) and we all enjoyed a BGE night! Candace and Charles came over for a fun night of Steak, cabernet, and conversation. We had so much fun. :)

TODAY, Saturday was our moving day!!! After repacking all morning we got to the airport and our three suitcases were all overweight!! So after paying that fee we were on our way. Our flight was great where we arrived in Baltimore. Carrying our total of five pieces of luggage and two computer cases, Wesley and I trekked to the Amtrak station. We got there relatively smoothly, bought our tickets and immediately realized that the train we had just bought tickets for was already pulling out of the station. Sweaty, tired... and anyone that really knows me... being extremely irritated.. we have to exchange our tickets, but finally get on a train and make it to Union Station. Arriving there, Wesley attempts to get in touch with the guy who has the keys to our apartment.. No answer. This is getting to be around 7:30pm and anyone else who really knows me.... I was getting extremely hungry and cranky. So we find a sandwich place and sit down while Wesley continues calling. No answer. He ends up calling someone in Oxford.. telling them that we're getting a hotel room on Ole Miss's tab.. YES! After a short walk... Wesley and I end up standing in front of the Capital building... with all our luggage.. worn out and tired and finally at a hotel. So here we are... not in our apartment, but in a "shay shay" hotel (according to Ms. Mary from Outreach) called Hotel George... on Ole Miss's tab sipping Penfold's cabernet and watching TV.

So here we are. Finally. Wesley and Lauren living in DC. The WoLo Adventure has begun.

Lauren's Turn

Sooo I've been getting some complaints that I haven't graced the pages of Wesley and my blog yet, so I thought I would give my own intro. I actually don't think I am going to be very good at this. My favorite quote from LWM about it is, "No offense Lauren, but I don't think you're going to be a very good blogger." Which is probably completely true - I'll think it's cool for like the first three posts when something interesting is actually going on in my life, and after that I'll get bored. Oh well. Anyway, this is my first attempt so I hope it was mildly successful. All our Oxford couples are having a Going Away Cookout for us tonight, so that should be so much fun/sad. Also, TOMORROW Wesley and I will have been married for HALF A YEAR! Already. So I'm sure we'll have a post/pictures after the weekend. Okay, that's all. :)

The End of Oxford

Well it is hump day here at Ole Miss and hot as ever. We basically have one week left as Oxfordians and it really hasn't hit us just how much we will miss this place. We definitely will be making the best of it, including going to our favorite restaurants (City Grocery, 208, Yocona, Taylor Grocery) and hot spots (Burgundy Room, The Library, & of course, DJ Mario). Friday night we are having a "Going Away" party at the McFatter's. It will be a great time as always. It is funny how things change. We once had the plan of staying in Oxford indefinitely with our married couple Daniel & Lauren McFatter. Now, we both will go our separate ways to pursue our careers very soon.

Enough about the sadness. This is an exciting time in our lives. Lauren and I are moving to Washington, D.C. next Saturday. Why you may ask? I am taking a position with the Washington Internship Experience. I will still work for Ole Miss, but in D.C. Now Lauren is the one who is doing things in D.C. and not even living there. She will be working as an Assistant Recruiter for the British Embassy. I am extremely excited and proud of her for landing this position. The Queen better watch out, Lauren has her eyes on the crown!

We are in the process of packing right now (ha, yeah right). Actually, we have to get busy on that. Time flies and we are counting down the days until the big move. Our plans for now regarding moving are ____________________. Fill free to help us out by filling in the blank. The best answers will be taken into consideration.

Last night, Lauren & I and The Breeze's (Andrew & Anna) went to dinner at Proud Larry's for 2 for 1. On Tuesdays, you can get two for one pizza, salads, burgers, & drinks. Really good deal. If your in Oxford on Tuesday, definitely try it. We had so much fun. It was good to be able to experience that one last time. Following our dinner, we went and had drinks at The Grocery. For those of you who do not know, The Grocery is a quaint bar above City Grocery. It is mostly known for entertaining the older, local crowd. It is rare that you see college students there. It was great sitting back and talking with friends knowing that soon we will be apart.

Until Next Time.......

Wesley

Note: The picture at the top is of Proud Larry's and the one to the right is City Grocery.