Still Lovin' My Home

I know that I've talked about how much I love my home a million times.

And I'm sure that it's getting old for some people... but it's not getting old for me yet.

Or old for my best friend Megan.

She stayed with me in North Carolina for a month this summer and I'd love to share her thoughts.

Enjoy:

things i gathered about the south

disclaimer: i am not trying to offend any westerners by posting this, its just what i saw and how it made me feel. besides, im a good ole westerner myself. dont stress.


the south? its green. seriously, the greenest place ive ever been. to be completely honest, it scared me a little when i first got there. i kind of felt like i was a rat dropped into a ginormous, green maze. it looked like a rainforest. where was the dirt? covered in green. where was the bark of the trees? again, covered in green.

lots of places are named "boro" or "ville". that was pretty cool. kind of random, but it was noticeably different than the west.

the humidity aint no thang. seriously, people had me freaking out over the humidity before i left. i didnt think it would be that big of a deal, and i was right. after being there for a week i couldnt even feel it anymore, that is unless it rained of course.

there are more brunette woman, and people in general, out there than in the west. i really, really liked that. i fit in better that way.

the people like to chat and mingle more than any other people i know. i noticed that theyre never, ever in a hurry. even when it seems they should be. the people are just slow-going and content. if that sounded rude, im sorry. it wasnt meant to be taken that way. i think its awesome.

they monogram everything. and that is not an exaggeration. your familys favorite vacation spot? monogram on the back of your car. your childs initials? monogram on their backpack. your granddaughter just got married? monograms for her new towels, pillowcases, sheets, blankets, toilet paper...ok, i may have gone a bit overboard there. but seriously, i have never seen so many initials in all of my life.

more males wear bow ties. and theyre not hipsters, theyre actually legit. the kids try to dress like the adults. its awesome. out west, the adults are trying to dress like the kids and in my opinion...its a mess.

they still wear visors! if i was caught in a visor out west? people would either think i was trying to bring back some distant fad in a hipster-esque kind of way, that i played tennis, or that i just needed help.

lots of guys in polo shirts, especially on the coast. and sperrys are legit out there. not like the westerners trying to be all suave or cool. its just their go to shoe for any and every occasion.

blake told me that country music sounded better in the south and i was always curious as to what that meant. when she first said that i thought to myself, "well, surely it does. just as it does when im out in the country, at logandale or the ranch. the souths filled with green and trees and horses and cows. fields and tractors and lightning bugs and ticks...i get it." but no i did not. there truly is something about country music in the south. it, i just, i dont know...i cant put my finger on it. but next time youre in the south i dare you to listen to "fishin in the dark" and if you cant feel what i felt? well, i dont even know how thats possible...

their accents and voices are wonderful. its a lot less likely for a man to sound feminine out there than it is out west. im just sayin, im just sayin...

oh, and people say things differently...for example:

they dont take pictures. they make them.

they dont turn the lights off and on. they cut them off and on.

they dont push buttons. they mash them.

they dont use shopping carts. they use buggies.

they dont say over there. they say yonder.

their cars dont wear license plates. they wear tags.

theres no "you guys". its strictly yall.

theyre always "fixing" something or "fixing to" do something.

theyre always talking about "carrying on".

and theyre always "figuring" something.

i loved it down south. its great. its beautiful. the people are kind and loving, for the most part of course. everyone is so chatty all the time, so friendly. the roads are only one lane, instead of 4+ on each side.

oh and the food, the food is delicious. one night i ate the best home cooked chicken i had ever tasted in my life. when we asked the cook how the heck it tasted so gosh darn good he told us all he used was season salt. im guessing there must be something in the chickens feed out here. or maybe its the water? i dont know what it is but theres something, cause that was definitely not just season salt.

so yeah...i loved it. its been great to fit comfortably into my pants once again out here in the west but it was hard to say goodbye. ill be back though. i will definitely be back. i think thats what kept the pain from being too much to bear. if it werent for that, leaving would not have been pretty.