New Year's {Southern Style}

Happy New Year!  I can't believe it's already 2014!  Jon and I had a great time ringing in the New Year with our good friends Clay, Meagan, and Christina. 

We played games at Clay and Meagan's apartment and then turned it into "Club Coppage" at 11:45 and partied like it was 2013. 

Meagan, me, Christina

They had glow sticks left over from their beautiful wedding in September, so we used those and put some music on to ring in 2014.  HA! I also had some Moon Pies to celebrate Mobile, AL style.  Like New York has the ball drop, Mobile drops Moon-Pies!  I forgot to bring them, but Jon and I ate our Moon-Pies!



The glow sticks were super fun!

I was excited for Jon to eat a traditional Southern New Year's Day meal.  I always thought everyone ate their black-eyed peas, greens, pork, and cornbread on New Year's.  When I was telling him about why we ate each thing he just looked like I was a crazy lady!  HA!  When you eat your greens, black-eyed peas, pork, and cornbread then you'll have good luck, health, and money for the upcoming year.  No Southern folks would let a New Year's Day go without eating those things!



Jon's First New Year's Day meal

Here's what each food represents for a Southern New Year's Day meal:

Pork:  it represents good health, wealth, and prosperity.  It's said that a whole pig could feed a family for almost a year and that is why pork is used.

Greens:  represents paper money and wealth.  Most people either eat cabbage, collards, or turnip greens.

Black-Eyed Peas:  represents good luck for the year.  During the Civil War General Sherman's soldiers raided Southern homes stealing their food and burning their crops.  They left the crops of black-eyed peas thinking that nobody could live off black-eyed peas.  They did, and they felt lucky to have survived off of the black-eyed peas!  They say you're actually suppose to eat 365 black-eyed peas to make sure you have good luck for the whole year!  I ate a whole mess of 'em, but didn't manage to eat 365 peas!

Cornbread:  represents gold. 

For our New Year's Day meal we had pork chops, fried okra {my green!}, turnip greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread, mac & cheese, and rice.  I think Jon enjoyed his first New Year's Day meal.

This time last year I never dreamed that I would be married at the end of 2013!  2013 was a good year for Jon and I.  We met and got married in less than a year!

I can't wait to see what God has in store for us for 2014.  I know God has an awesome job already in store for Jon, and there's no telling where we will end up!  2014 is going to be a year of waiting and having faith that God will lead us to where he wants to be in His perfect timing.  It's a good thing Jon ate his traditional Southern New Year's Day meal! Happy New Year!

xoxo,

Ashlee