Whether you're looking for a unique date night experience to celebrate Valentine's Day or if you and your friends are looking for a cool event to go to, Dinner & Dive at the Missisippi Museum of Natural Science will surely not disappoint! 

OUR 1st EVER "DINNER & A DIVE" is on February 10th with Saltine from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science!
Dine among the museum's aquariums and exhibits with delicious food created by Saltine - named one of the south's best new restaurants  by Bon Appétit.
Start the night with a cocktail reception, followed by a four course meal in the aquariums - featuring an interpreted scuba dive as you dine - plus time to explore the museum.
Couples, singles, and groups are welcome. Must be 21 or over to attend.
Space is limited  and  reservations must be made by February 6th.
For complete menu/details and reservation info, please call 601-576-6000 or visit: goo.gl/WtU78A today.

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and we whole heartedly believe that everyone should treat themselves to something special to celebrate! We were lucky enough to chat with Laura Hunt, the owner of Arabella in Ridgeland, Missisippi about how Arabella can help you celebrate and more! 

{Why did you open Arabella in Ridgeland?}
I had grown tired of having to order my lingerie and swimwear online. I moved here from Oxford in 2008, where there had been a lovely lingerie shop on The Square that I enjoyed having access to while I was in school there. There was one year in particular where I had several friends getting married and I had the hardest time finding quality and tasteful lingerie shower gifts for them locally. I worked retail on and off for several years and heard talk of people opening a high-end lingerie store but it never happened. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit so when I was 28 I finally decided to go for it.

​{What does Valentine's Day mean to you?}
For me, Valentine’s Day is about love and celebrating that love. It’s not just a couple’s thing! Most people celebrate with their significant other, but for me, it’s also about celebrating with my friends and family. 
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​{What kind of products can you find at Arabella?}
We offer a carefully curated selection of high-quality sleepwear, chemises, bras and underwear from designers like Cosabella, Natori, OnGossamer and Chantelle. We have some specialty European designers including Edge o’ Beyond and Fleur of England. PJ Harlow is a favorite for sleepwear. Eberjey has an exceptional selection of loungewear that is as comfortable and practical as it is beautiful. We have a special area of the store that is devoted exclusively to bridal lingerie. We offer maternity bras, shapewear and wardrobe solutions to help women feel their best under outfits that require something other than a traditional bra and underwear set. Melissa Odabash is my personal favorite of our swimwear and resort wear lines. The quality and fit of their suits is hard to beat. We also have a gift section that features candles, perfume and luxurious bath & body products.
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!{How is Arabella celebrating Valentine's Day?}
No matter what you do, whether it’s a romantic date or a girls’ night out, you should get ready for the evening by wearing nice lingerie. It makes you feel good about yourself and sets the tone for the rest of the day. Arabella will be serving champagne, rosé and gourmet pastries the week of Valentine’s Day. We will also be offering a free gift with purchase to all Valentine’s Day shoppers.

{What's coming up at Arabella?}
Spring Break is just around the corner so we are gearing up for swimsuit season, which is always so much fun. We’re currently planning a large trunk show in March that will be held in Oxford. We will announce the details for that once everything is finalized. We will be introducing some new lines in the coming season that our customers will be very excited to see, including an activewear line based out of Beverly Hills that we can’t wait to share with everyone. Stay tuned!

Follow Arabella on Instagram {@shop_arabella}  and check out their Facebook page!

Y’all! We are so excited about this awesome event at Elle James Bridal in Ridgeland. On February 9th through the 11th, Elle James will be hosting a Martina Liana tester trunk show. The beautiful, intimate space will be transformed into a show room for gorgeous Martina Liana gowns that have never been seen before! Martina Liana is a designer that caters to the classic southern bride looking for a little bit of wow factor on her special day. Her pieces incorporate traditional southern elements like lace and beautiful beading but every piece has some amazing element that makes it stunning and unique; this could be a long train or an interesting back! The unique thing about a tester trunk show is that brides get the opportunity to try on gowns from designers that have yet to be seen by almost anyone. Around twenty stunning pieces will be available to try on, and none of them have even gone to market yet. Designers do tester trunk shows to gauge the reaction to different pieces before they are officially added to the newest collection. This gives brides the opportunity to find a fabulous gown for their special day that won’t be available to everyone else until the new collection is introduced in August. How cool would it be to walk down the aisle in a gown that has not even hit stores yet!

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We also got the pleasure of chatting with the owner of Elle James, Kristin Panetta, about what makes the Elle James experience so special. “The Elle James experience is incredibly private and special. It’ll just be you and your family in the store.” Kristin goes on to add that “a lot of brides feel like we become their friends and allies throughout the entire process. We are there to be your friend and help you, if the gown you’re looking for isn’t at Elle James, we will try to help you find it! It is far more than a sales pitch for us. We aim to make the bride the happiest she can be.” Trying on bridal gowns surrounded by only your closest family and friends is “a moment that brides never forget.” The shop only carries bridal gowns, so there is no opportunity for a bridesmaid to wander off to check out bridesmaids gowns or the mother of the bride to start searching for her own dress. The focus on the bride, “we want to give the bride all the attention she needs, there’s something very special about only talking about, looking at, and being there for the bride.” 
We asked Kristin for some helpful tips on how to approach finding a wedding gown. “My biggest piece of advice is to come in with an open mind from the very beginning. There are so many options on Instagram and Pinterest now that it is very easy to get set on once specific style.” In order to make the most out of your time while trying on gowns, Kristin suggests “trusting the people you’re working with. We see all kinds of body shapes and know what brides really love to see in a gown.” Brides that come in with an open mind, tend to have a better and more exciting experience says Kristin, “try on what you like of course, but don’t be afraid of wild cards!” As far as determining which gown is the “one,” it normally is the “gown you start comparing all the others to.” If you happen to be caught between two gowns you really love, she suggests “going by the feelings you have in each one. Which one makes you feel the best, which one makes you more excited about walking down the aisle to your fiancé on your big day.” 

Head over to Elle Jame’s website to make an appointment, or give them a call 769.300.4286 during their business hours to take advantage of this spectacular opportunity!
The gowns pictured are from Martina Liana's latest collection.

A few weeks into 2018 and we’re hoping that we are into our last big thaw.  More than just the snow and ice, a lot of our expectations and resolutions for 2018 have melted away.  If we aren’t careful, we can be left looking ahead with disillusionment and dread.  We set ourselves up with so much to do and so much to accomplish in one year.  We attach who we are to our ability to accomplish and succeed, and when life happens, and we don’t get it all done, when we just cannot keep up, we decide that we are less than or even worse, failures.  Sadly, we can go from full of hope and energy on New Year’s Day, to empty and listless in a matter of weeks.  
    The truth of the matter is that we are not what we do and we are not defined by what we have accomplished.  We are beautiful and precious heirs to the promise of the Gospel.  Humanity has been in the midst of an identity crisis for a few millennia.  We cannot break away from the cult of relativism.  We are stuck in the idea that we have to keep up with everyone around us.  We end up struggling to survive.

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Have you ever watched Olympic swimming?  There is something noteworthy and “extra” exciting involved with the races in which one or more of the racers are expected to come near or shatter a world record.  There’s a buzz in the crowd and even potentially slower participants are excited about even being involved in a potentially historic event.  We slide to more attentive postures when we see the swimmers take their marks.  We focus our eyes intently when we hear the starter fire his gun.  Soon after the swimmers hit the water, we see this line appear out in front of or among the swimmers.  This sliding line is the record for the event.  Things get really interesting when that line is the world record.  You see, the world record line is basically the “no one has ever swum faster than this fast” mark.  
    Interest is peaked and excitement is palpable because those watching are possibly witnessing the pinnacle of magnificence when it comes to swimming.  The idea that: “We are watching history in the making!” is so much fun to be involved in, even from our living rooms.  For me, interest wanes when that world record line drifts off ahead of the swimmers and eventually disappears.  Because then, the race is no longer chasing the magnificent, historical mark that has never before been achieved.  It simply becomes a matter of swimming faster than the next fastest competitor.  The race has now become relative to the field and is no longer that chase for magnificence. 

Relative morality in society today is much like these less exciting races.  Relative morality says that I’m ok or I’m even good as long as I’m better than you, or her, or him.  The problem with relative morality is this: only being better than the next person allows us to gauge our moral success or failure on those whom we can manipulate into being lesser people so that we can feel better about whom we are.  With relative morality, the scale is never trustworthy, and even worse it pits us against one another.  When all that I need to do is to wait for you to stumble in order to feel better about who I am, I wind up actually rooting against you.  Even worse than that, I might even throw things into your path to make you stumble.  
    You see, way too often, we forget about the world record holder for love and morality, Jesus Christ.  We let His pace drift so far ahead of us that we find ourselves simply struggling to beat one another, and it’s much easier to slow one another down than to put forth the energy and focus to chase down the Holiness of Christ.  And as a result we’re weary and worn.  We’re defensive and dejected.  When we lose sight of Christ’s magnificence, we become mere survivors struggling along looking over our shoulders hoping to not be overcome by the next competitor.  The fact of the matter is this: Christ set the mark for us so that we might see the magnificence of His Father’s kingdom.  He set the world record for love and He beckons us to come to him and find rest from the world and the miserable relative morality that’s been sold to us.  When did we forget about chasing the world record holder and become satisfied with simply beating one another?  In Christ, there is a magnificent healing and hope beyond the struggles of today. 
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All photography courtesy of Stephanie Rhea Photography.