40 Days in Oxford

I've been slacking on my blog updates these last two weeks...mostly because we've been super busy and designating most of our spare time to wedding planning.  Here are some updates...

We've been spending our weekends at Sardis Lake having picnics, relaxing and working on our wilderness skills.  Yes I just said that...our wilderness skills!

Day 1 of our fire pit...we learned that we need to dig it into the ground...and always carry a flint.

Day 1 of our shelter...we didn't complete it but when we went back on the second day this was still in tack...we're working on it, trying to learn where the smartest location for a shelter actually would have been.  I think we built it in the wrong place. :/

Beyond knowing if we can be self sufficient at a real basic level, Jameson Levi and I truly believe the time you spend in nature heals your body, mind and spirit. We'd rather spend a weekend in the woods than a weekend at the bar.  I'm really grateful that we have this in common.

"Get lost in nature and you will find yourself"

We thought this tree was pretty beautiful.

&

 We were so close to this blue heron, he was really cool to watch!

Another lesson we learned was that Mississippi is much closer to the sun than Iowa is. With this in mind it is very important to wear sunscreen-Jameson Levi experienced a pretty bad sunburn! Lesson learned! And we're all about learning! We're currently reading a few books on survival techniques and plants and animals in Mississippi.

Another thing Jameson Levi and I would both miss if we had to survive in the wilderness would be late night cereal!!!

Late night snacks are the best-in my new smiley cup! :D

By the way if you haven't seen the movie Into the Wild, we highly recommend it, just an amazing movie about life and surviving in the wild.

Just Call Me a Southern Belle

This is a little late but here is how our third week in Oxford went.

It started with healthy intention...

Jameson Levi created an amazing dish from chicken, kous kous, post cereal and honey.  It was AMAZING!  He likes to call it "Mississippi Chicken in a Nest."

It quickly became unhealthy when the next night we went to our favorite spot Old Venice Pizza.

Just Kidding, heres the real picture...

This is our favorite restaurant in Oxford. The food is amazing, the drinks are good, and the staff is super friendly.  During this visit I decided to try a Southern Belle.

It was good, however, I enjoyed my Hot Toddy much better!  None the less we had a great date night, laughing (probably a little to loudly) the whole night.  :D 

After dinner we headed to Off Square Books (another one of our favs.) Here we had been eyeing this fortune teller gum-ball machine. 

So we decided to give it a try...this is what we got...

The piece of paper was a quote from Revelations and totally freaked us out... we'll be spending our change differently from here on out. 

We bought a few other things...

Just kidding again! ...well sort of...

I guess he's planning on become a freelance writer! ;)

Calling his agent

During the weekend we visited Sardis Lake, a 32,000 acre lake only ten minutes away from us.

It was gorgeous! And all three of us had a fun and relaxing time. (Which was much needed after a 50 work week for me.)

& I just had to include this bath-time pic. Isn't she a cutie?

Any other free-time we had we mainly spent discussing the Wedding and making a list of the places we had to see while in Quebec City.  Only 47 more days!

Love, 

The Future Mrs. Jameson Levi Hudson

Our Second Week South of the Mason Dixon

So we've made it through our second week South of the Mason Dixon and as promised, here are a few pics of the inside of our new place!

(This is our side entrance where outside we have a small, little patio.  The other doors hold our washer and dryer.)

(This is a picture of our kitchen.  We definitely miss the modern updates of our old place but we're excited about getting bar-stools soon for the small breakfast bar we have.)

(This is a picture of the front entrance and our new office...which Jameson Levi has over-taken with Mr. Boston drink recipes.)

(And this is our living-room.  We are still contemplating how we want the set-up and what furniture is going to be best for this space.)

This week we mostly ate in, however, one night we did go out and ate at Christy's, a local cheeseburger place.  They have a a cheeseburger there called the Triple Christy. It is a three patty burger that equals a pound and a half of meat! So I just had to try it!...Just kidding I've got a wedding dress to fit in but Jameson Levi gave it a go and loved it and FINISHED IT!

Another night we impulsively, based off what sounded good at the time, made homemade shrimp scampi and sweet tea.  Once we sat down and started eating it we realized... wow how Southern are we already?!

(It was very very delicious...for some reason we both crave shrimp all of the time now!)

As a couple we are working together to not only eat healthier but also to become more active again.  Our favorite place to take long walks or to jog is a park near us called Lamar Park. 

 (In the center of the park is Lake Patsy, a small quaint lake.)

I am still loving my new position, actually I've fallen in love with it even more. This next week is going to be a crazy busy one at the office but, it should be a lot of fun.

(This is a picture of the office and clubhouse. My office is actually two of the windows on the left.)

(Here is some of the property)

(As you can see it's pretty adorable)

Jameson Levi is going to have to deal with a tired fiance every day this week, wish him luck! 

Love,

Nicci

P.S. We absolutely love FaceTime sessions!

A Week in Oxford

We made it to our new home! 

After a long, nearly 12 hour drive, we made it to Oxford!  (It wasn't raining when we arrived, this is just when we decided to take a pic of the place.) We've been here for a little over a week and are still unpacking so pictures of the inside of our place will have to wait until our next blog post. :D

Our first weekend in Oxford was great! We of course got to spend the weekend (and a little bit into the first week) with my family who helped us move down. (God bless them!)

This picture was taken at The Big Bad Breakfast, where Jameson Levi tried an Elvis sandwich and it was amazing! (I got to take a bite!)

That weekend we also visited Tupelo, about 45 minutes East of Oxford.  Tupelo is where Elvis Presley was born, so we of course had to visited his childhood home.

The rest of our time together we mainly spent cleaning, unpacking, making trips to Wal-Mart and walking The Square.  The Square is located in the heart of Oxford and is comprised of a variety of beautiful restaurants, museums, art galleries, clothing boutiques, specialty shops, and more! We all instantly fell in love with it. Here are some of our photos from The Square...

(Jameson Levi, Sammie, and William Falkner)

(What are they doing?)

(Jameson Levi in front of the County Court House)

(This is one of Oprah's favorite places)

(In front of The Plaza)

(Not the church we're going to but it sure is beautiful)

(This is one of my favorite stores on The Square!)

(Off Square Books)

(Sammie in search of Jr. Square Books and Waldo)

(My mom in search of a dress with a $1,400.00 price tag)

(Jameson Levi's favorite part of The Square)

(All of us eating at Boure)

(Walking to Ya-Ya's, Sammie's favorite part of the square, to get frozen yogurt)

(Miss Behavin is a cute little clothing store)

(City grocery, a beautiful and very delicious restaurant) 

We, of course, also spent time at The University of Mississippi. Checking out the campus, the stadium, and of course The Grove- where all Ole Miss tailgating takes place.

(Jameson Levi at The Grove)

(The Walk of Champions)

(Amphitheater in The Grove)

(Mississippi heat is getting to him already)

(Rory Girl walking The Walk of Champions)

(The two of sitting in The Grove)

We've also been attending The Orchard, what we believe will be our new church.  One of the hardest things to leave in Iowa was The Ridge, our church that had really became our second home. We're really grateful that Oxford had a church so similar to The Ridge and one that has already made us feel so welcome.

And of course The Retreat, the reason we came down to Oxford.  The Retreat is a cottage-style collegiate housing property, owned and operated by EdR-one of the best collegiate property management companies.  My title is Leasing and Marketing Manager and so far I've been absolutely loving it.  Beyond the fact that the property is absolutely gorgeous my co-workers have been great and I can't wait to go to work and spend more time with them each day.

(On my first day my co-workers had ordered me flowers-arent' they gorgeous!)

(My office)

(A picture of the property...kind of...more to come)

All in all we've absolutely fallen in love with Oxford. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to my family, we miss our friends and family everyday, however, the experience has already been so rewarding so, I can only imagine whats in store for us down the road.  

We want to thank everyone who has been supportive of this adventure and of course we ask you to continue to keep us in your prayers-we believe God sent us to Oxford for a reason and we of course want to continue to grow through this experience. 

We love you all! 

xoxox

Nicci