The Big Loop 2013

So to continue my summer review.....there was a lot going on East of the Mississippi in July, so I decided to just make a BIG trip of it.  I jetted to Jackson on July 12th where Dad picked me up and we immediately went to the Bass Pro Shop and ate catfish. Hey, you can the girl out of Mississippi........

My next stop was to pick up Meg and head to Alabama for Mary's baby shower. (Emmaline Claire made her entrance into the world last week!) We stopped in Meridian to shop for all things baby and even had lunch the one and only Kelly Hayes!

The shower was at Mary's hometown church where she got married, so it felt like yesterday we were bridesmaids, and today we were aunties! I miss these gals so much. I don't know why the Good Lord has us living in 3 different states, maybe because He knows we wouldn't get anything done other than throwing parties and Pinterest projects. We had a blast staying up till 1:30 a.m. chatting it up!

The rest of the week I spent in Hattiesburg hanging out with my parents, grandparents, brother, and even threw in a Thirty-One party! (I told you, we like to party.) Next stop the holy land of Starkville. I will make any excuse to go to Starkville, but a visit with Amy was overdue AND Ladies Football Camp just HAPPENED to be that Saturday.  So Amy and I threw on our maroon and headed to the fabulous new Football facility for a little training. I can't explain how amazing this day was! We got to meet players, hear from all the coaches, their wives, tour Dan Mullen's office, the locker rooms, and the weight room (where I won a Strength and Conditioning t-shirt for doing a pull up.) After lunch, we headed to the practice field in the Palmeiro Center where we actually warmed up, did drills, ran routes, etc. As much as I love athletics, I myself am not athletic, but gave relentless effort, as demanded. At the end of the day, they bused us to the Bulldog Walk where the coaches were lined up cheering us into the on field locker room. Dan Mullen gave us a pep talk and we all ran out onto the field, music and smoke machines blaring. Not joke. I frolicked onto the field I was so giddy.  At the end of the day I won a MSU suitcase and away game tickets for being the farthest traveled fan! Fantastic day.

I spent a few nights with Amy, which SO much fun! We probably haven't had that much time together since junior college. We went on one of our classic antiquing trips, ate lots of Starkville favorites, and had lots of laughs.  Classic sister fun.

No rest for the weary though.  I reluctantly packed my bags and Amy took me to Tupelo where I spent the night with J's great aunt & uncle, Charles and Sara. They are such jewels and treated me and Amy to Outback. After a good nights sleep, they took me to catch my ride to my final destination, Atlanta, GA for National Thirty-One Convention. I had a great time catching up with my college friend and Thirty-One teammate, Meghan.  We had a blast learning new stuff and seeing all the new products...along with the 16,000 other consultants! Whew! Lots of ladies, lots of bags!

I FINALLY flew home to my hubby and doggie 16 days later. I cherished every part of my trip.....but 16 nights was a little too long! I missed my little family so much!