Home Sweet Home!

I (Anna) decided that it was about time for me to post again since my last post was in February! We spent several days back home in Mississippi recently and had a wonderful time seeing family and friends. To start things off, we woke up REALLY early on the morning of May 27th to hit the road. We wanted to beat the morning traffic rush, but more important I had an appointment to get my hair cut in Jackson, MS at 1:30. So we left Plano at about 5:30 AM.

We arrived in Jackson just in time to grab a quick snack before going to get my hair cut. I've been wanting to see the lady that cuts my sister and mom's hair for a long time, but just haven't had the chance. I knew that I wanted to do something different with my hair and Sara said that Roxanne would know just what to do. She was so right! I absolutely loved Roxanne and I love, love, love my new haircut! I've never gotten so many compliments on my hair in my life!

After I got the new do, we headed to Flowood to meet Alicia and Kaylee Brooke for lunch. Kaylee Brooke has gotten so big since we last saw her!! She is such a sweet baby! After hanging out for a while at the restaurant, Alicia decided on the spur of the moment that she really wanted to come to Philadelphia to see some people. So I hopped in the car with her and the baby to run some errands while Aaron took our car on to Philly. It was so great to spend that time in the car hanging out and catching up with Alicia.

We had a great dinner at The Cole House with my family (mom, dad, sara, and kyle) as well as: maw, paw, aunt bonnie, leo, aunt susie, alicia, and kaylee brooke. The food was great (as usual) and we all had a good time laughing around the dinner table. After dinner and some fellowship time, Alicia and I took Kaylee Brooke to visit Hope and her family. That was the first time all of us had been together since mine and Aaron's wedding---14 months ago!

Wednesday was exhausting, so Aaron and I slept in a little bit. Then we headed off to Kewanee to have lunch with his mom and Vann. We ate some good Mexican food for lunch. The only downfall was that it was REALLY cold in the restaurant! After that, we all headed to Aaron's Mamaw's house to look around. It's strange seeing all of the stuff that she collected over the 60+ years she lived in that house. Aaron had the most fun when he discovered a safe that was "hidden" in the floor in a bathroom closet. He managed to get it out, but no one knows the combination!

When we left there, we headed back to Philadelphia to Sara and Kyle's house for steaks. We were a little late, but the steaks were still really good! I had to raid my sister's closet (of course!) and also had fun playing with Buddy and Dakota. Too bad I forgot the camera...I wanted to take a picture with my "nephews."

Friday was rather uneventful for me. Aaron, however, had a very full day! He went for a 6 mile run. He stopped for a few minutes at Sara's house to play with the dogs and refill his water bottle, then he was off again. I had no idea where he was running at, and I actually passed him on the road. He finally noticed me, but didn't stop...He just kept on running! After that, he came home to shower. Then he and Kyle were off to the golf course. My parents were busy preparing for an event that night, so I snuck upstairs for a much needed nap! I always sleep great when I'm at home. After golf, Aaron jumped in the shower again, and we got ready to go have dinner with Daniel and Lauren in Kewanee. It was great hanging out with them. Lauren and I chatted on the couch while Aaron and Daniel played video games!

When Saturday rolled around, I was so anxious to get on the road to go to the coast. Our reason for coming to MS was to attend Amber and Chip's wedding, but that wasn't until Saturday night. Before that, we had plans to spend time with some of my favorite girls, Brittni and Jennifer. We all met up at a restaurant and had a really good lunch. Then Brittni was our "tour guide" and made sure we found the church and our hotel. We got to spend a few hours together before Aaron and I had to leave for the church.

Amber and Chip's wedding was absolutely beautiful. We got to see and sit with Amanda, a friend from college whom we have not seen in a while. After the wedding, the 3 of us carpooled to the reception site. It was really pretty there....and the weather was just perfect. They had a lot of good food, but my favorite was the fresh fruit....I think I went back twice for more! Unfortunately, we didn't stay long enough to see Amber and Chip leave, but we were glad to get to talk with them a little while at the reception.

Once we left the reception, we decided that we just had to drive along the coast since we were so close. We didn't get out and walk around, but we did have fun just taking in the scenery along the coast. It's so pretty out there. Then it was back to the hotel to crash....it had been a long trip!

I guess all good things must come to an end, and that's exactly what happened on Sunday morning. It was time for us to leave Mississippi and head back to big Texas. The trip back was not so bad. We made several pit stops along the way (including shoe shopping!) and Aaron got to listen to my "incredible" singing skills for a full 10 hours. Our trip to MS was so refreshing and a much-needed break from work here in Texas. I can't wait till we get the chance to go back!!!