Mississippi Roadtrip

It was another fun, yet busy weekend! 

Jacob and I have made an effort to go to at least one away Aggie football game these past few years. Since we've been in the SEC (now the third season), we've been to games at Auburn, Ole Miss, and now Mississippi State. As always, we had a wonderful time and even managed not to kill each other on the 9.5 hour drive ;). We jammed to some mixed CDs, scoped out the potential sites we wanted to see, and on the way home kept a close eye on the NFL games with our fantasy football players. 

On Thursday evening, we packed up and drove to my parent's house with Tucker in tow. My parents, the wonderful people that they are, agreed to keep my four-legged baby for the weekend while Jacob and I drove across the southern states. He absolutely loves playing with my dad's dog, very appropriately named Aggie, and they even got to enjoy racing around the newly redone grassy yard. Mom even managed to snag a picture of them in one of the few moments that they sat still all weekend. 

Aggie (left) and Tucker enjoying a moment of calm in the backyard.

We set out on our road trip early on Friday morning- it was still dark! Which was a feat considering that neither of us really just me are not morning people- at all! We hit the Mississippi - Louisiana state line around 2:30pm. And, of course, when you're on a road trip, it only counts when you take a picture at the state line/state welcome center. 

Almost there!

Cannon on the bank of the Mississippi River.

Braving the chilly and windy weather at the state welcome center to snag a few pictures. It was truly a beautiful day.

We arrived in West Point, a small town close to Starkville where we were staying, around 5:30 or 6:00pm. We got settled, managed to pass out and take a nap, and then headed out to grab dinner in downtown Starkville. Lots of people were out and about and walking around the small town headed towards Bulldog Bash, an annual free music event put on by the Mississippi State University's student alumni association. It was interesting and somewhat strange to see so much maroon and white in another town and it continued to be difficult to tell who was an Aggie fan and who was a Mississippi State fan- everyone was wearing the same colors!

Since the game was way too early on Saturday morning (11am), we left the hotel around 8:30 so we'd have plenty of time to snag a good parking spot and do some campus exploration before the game began. The Mississippi State University campus is beautiful!

Student Union.

Funny, old mascot picture in student union. That is one ugly "dawg."

Can't go wrong with a pre-football game selfie.

We even managed to stop by and see where SEC Network was filming their pre-game show. This is where the cowbell madness really began in our day. So many cowbells.

The stadium was full, loud, and covered in maroon and white. Although the Aggies ended up losing, it really was a fun game. 

Panorama of the stadium.

Coinflip and Mississippi State mascot.

Kick-off.

Picture with field (post game).
We definitely should have snagged this one before the game started. It was hard to muster a smile.

This is what we found when we exited the stadium- a FLEET of golf carts. Apparently it's a thing to bring your own golf cart to campus on game days here. Kind of ridiculous, but that's just me. The Aggies definitely don't have this happening- and our campus is significantly larger than MSU's. Just something I thought was funny/interesting. 

The rest of our Saturday was relatively uneventful- watching lots of college football (including several more upsets #2, #3, & #4) and grabbing dinner. 

The following morning, before we left town we checked out the Waverly Planation that we'd been seeing signs about while in West Point. We didn't know if it'd be open, but wanted to check it out since we were there. We definitely didn't regret it. The mansion that still stood on the property was beautiful and we met a very kind woman and her father who own and had restored the house over the past fifty years. 

Waverly Mansion from the road/entrance. 

View of the front yard from the front balcony on the second floor.

Beautifully restored by the Snow family. You can really tell that they've put their life into this house.

One of the eight ante rooms that were all the same exact size.

Jacob made friends with some kittens that we happened upon.

Mansion even came with their own peacock coop!

The mansion was built in the 1840's and 50's on a 50,000 acre plot of land that produced cotton. The kind owners of the home glossed over some of the less savory facts- like the slave labor employed on the plantation before the Civil War. She also didn't share with us that the mansion is said to be haunted- most frequently by a small girl calling for her mother. Jacob and I both did our fair share of Googling following the tour. Very interesting place full of history. The family was incredibly nice and welcoming. We also ran into another Aggie couple that toured right after us. How random!

After finishing our tour, we hit the road and headed back to Texas! 

Crossing the Mississippi River.

We're already looking forward to our next road trip! Alabama anyone...?

Big thanks to my wonderful parents who watched Tucker while I was gone. As always, he returned home exhausted and has been full of puppy cuddles and naps this evening.

Tucker likes to claim my dad while he's visiting. Poor Aggie puts up with so much. 

Can you tell he's spoiled? Always wanted the best seat in the house.