Home

I went home this past weekend.  It's always a good feeling especially if I haven't gotten a chance to go back in a while.  It's so funny because sometimes when I go home I feel like a whole different person.  Perfect example, I can NOT drive to Yazoo City without putting a Jason Aldean song on in the car.  I don't listen to country music really any other time.  I never even noticed this about myself until Adam pointed it out.  It's funny how your significant other can show you things about yourself that you never would have realized.  Sometimes it's little things, like the song in the car, and sometimes it's bigger things-- things that are hard to hear at times.  They make you grow as a person though.. and they let you know that God brought that specific person into your life to show you these things and to help mold you into someone better.  

I love big cities-- the wide variety of people, things to see, and experiences that they can expose you to.  I value being open minded and I think the more people and places you see the more open minded you become.  But, there is something so wonderful about the south.  I wouldn't change being raised in a small Mississippi town for anything in the world.   There are the obvious reasons-- wide open spaces, good people, loads of history and heritage, sweet corn (and sweet tea), and a slower, unhurried feeling that makes everything feel more simple.  

There are so many other little things that make being southern so darn good.  My dad is a farmer.  I can't even imagine having a dad that came home in a suit every night-- not that wearing a suit is a bad thing-- but I think watching him work day in and day out with his hands for every single thing he has earned really taught me a lot.  He has been extremely successful and I owe my ambition to him..  When I find myself putting in extra hours at the store and a 40 hour work week turns into 60, I think about my dad's work week which, at times, is double that many hours.  

My brother is a farmer too.  He has a little boy that's almost two.  He already has a million toy tractors and surrounds himself with them all the time.  It makes my heart so happy to see how much he loves his daddy.  There are traditions and family values that grow in the south that aren't the same anywhere else.  I'm close to my family and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world.  I love having a mother who works in the garden, cans vegetables, and makes homemade pickles.  She also embodies a southern value that I think is one of the  most important  of all-- kind heartedness.  She will literally do anything for anybody.  I also don't ever have to worry about her judging me because she's just not that kind of person.  Something about her is so comforting-- I know, she's my mom so of course she's comforting to me-- but I don't think I feel like that just because she's my mom.  I think it's just how she is- she's accepting and comforting in this really wonderful way.  

I love being able to go home and catch up with my sister.  I love sitting on the back porch and watching my nephews run around. I love that I know every word to every George Jones song because I have heard them over and over ever since I can remember.  I love the sight of a cotton field that is ready to be picked.  I love southern hospitality and the manners that I have because of where I am from and the family that raised me.

I got this dress in New Orleans at a boutique called Hemline. I knew I had to have it when I saw it! I almost wore it in our engagement pictures because it's the perfect dress for wheat field pictures. I love anything that looks bohemian and is inspired by the 60's. I had to go snap a few pictures in it before we came back.  The wheat fields are indescribably beautiful.. One of those things you look at and know that God exists and that he loves us. 

I'm looking forward to moving somewhere new with Adam as we start our lives together.  I am excited about possibly being somewhere that my career in fashion can grow and flourish.  I know as we start our own small family, wherever we are together will be our home.   I hope wherever we end up-- our kids learn the same values and appreciate the quiet and the beauty of the south as much as I do.