• 2 Tablespoons bacon drippings
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 2 cups cooked and drained black eyed peas
• 3/4 cup diced sweet onion
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock(reduced sodium)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Sorry for my absence these past few days! It seems that if you travel for 9 days straight in cars and on planes and are around thousands of people you have a really good chance of getting sick! I am feeling better and am back with a recipe I prepared on New Years Day! 

This past weekend we took a little afternoon jaunt out to Caledonia, Mississippi where we decided to check out the Country Pumpkins Pumpkin Patch! Mike and I have bought pumpkins every year we've been together and carved them! I had heard from several people that we should go there so we decided to see what the fuss was all about! They had pumpkins galore from tiny to huge you could find whatever you needed(pumpkin and gourd wise). There was also a lot of activities for families and children. We enjoyed our little outing to the pumpkin patch and were actually impressed at the size of the place. We have something different in mind with the pumpkins this year though and we have started them but will hopefully finish later today! We ended out the evening with a trip to one of our favorite restaurants in the area, Huck's Place where we had the amazing Crawfish Nachos!! In all, it was a perfect fall afternoon followed by a gorgeous full moon!

For the past few weeks we have been quite busy. It is starting to get chilly here in Starkville(finally) and we have enjoyed the cooling down of the temperature. It is a nice break from about 5 months of 85+ degree weather! On October 29 we participated in the Race For the Cure in Tupelo. This was significant because it was our first 5k that we were every going to run but it is one that I have wanted to participate in for years. The Race for the Cure is dear to my heart because of the cause that it supports and the fact that I could actually participate in memory of the single most influential person in my life. As I get older I realize that the things I miss most about my mother are not only having her around for the big moments but for her wisdom and grace and also her sense of humor. I long to know more about her as a person and how she was at my age. As I say this I feel cheated out of all of the comfort and knowledge that I missed out on by not having her around. On the flip side, from tragedy comes triumph(bad cliche but is true) and I think I have become a very independent, grateful and resourceful young woman because of the circumstances I have experienced since I was13 years old. As I grow older I realize that can be proud of the woman that I have become/are becoming because I have pushed through the adversity and the sadness and came out happy in the end. I love my life and I am the happiest I have ever been. That is in fact because of the people who love me including Mike, the Arnold's and my friends have all made me feel special and whole again and for that I am eternally grateful!




On another note...the same night we hosted a Halloween party at our place. I think it was a success as everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone(for the most part) came in costume and it was a lot of fun!








The football season is winding down and we only have 2 :( home games left this year. Although I am ready to move I think I will miss football season and tailgating the most when I leave Starkville. Living in a college town has it's pluses and minuses but the fun we have on those Saturday's will be missed by both Mike and I!



As I am writing this I am getting more excited by the day about Thanksgiving and getting to go on vacay. Vacation these days pretty much means going home but we take full advantage of everything we can when we visit. We have a lot lined up and I know it will be a lot of fun seeing family and friends. Living away from my home has made me realize how much I miss mountains and I am excited to see them as I am driving up the road to my house. I also miss palm trees and I am ready to head to Florida over Christmas break to finally see where Mike was born and raised! Plenty of pics will be taken :)

The Egg Game!!

It has been a few days since I have blogged so I figured I would catch up. We went to Mike's parents in Georgia for Easter weekend and we were going nonstop the whole time we were there. I had a fabulous time(as I always do, the Arnold's never disappoint). We ate some yummy(terrible for me) food but since we jogged while we were there I think it counteracted it(thank goodness)! While jogging on the trails in Peachtree City we realized that our bodies are not really conditioned for any elevation changes haha. We figured that out the hard way as we ran those hills up and down.

I am always thinking about what the next meal is. Its a blessing and a curse. So the other day when Mike suggested a recipe that I had made before it made me happy that someone had taken that responsibility out of my hands. The recipe was one that I found when we first started eating healthier. I liked it because it sounded delicious and easy and it turned out to be both(If Mike requests something then you know he liked it). So I made  it last night and it didn't disappoint and I highly recommend it. I promise it doesn't taste low cal at all. The only thing you taste is yummy cheesy goodness :) I served mine with some brown rice that I mixed salsa in for extra flavor. I hope you enjoy the Mexican Chicken Casserole as much as we did.