The Good Ol' South!

As most of you know, I was not raised in the south. I am actually from Laramie, Wyoming (shout out to all my Laramie friends!) and the Seattle, Washington area (another big shout out!!) I am a western girl through and through. As you can imagine, moving to a small town in Tennessee was quite the cultural shock! 

But, thanks to Ricky's wonderful Southern family and some really special Southern friends,
it has been quite the happy adventure.
Especially because of these two.

I love my in-laws. 

They are Southern, through and through.

And it makes them so darn lovable.

Although there are similarities anywhere you go, there are some very distinct differences in the South. 

I have been making notes of these things since living here. It's been a great experience living here and I am in love with so many things about the South. I have been wanting to write this all down for some time, so I thought now would be a good time!

I don't know how to write this creatively so I'm going to do a fun little bullet list. If you are one of my favorite Southern friends,
THANK YOU for making my life here so very happy. 

You truly are the best!

My tribute to the South

• You are a "sweetie", "darlin" or "honey" to everyone. And I mean EVERYONE.
• Everyone is always "fixin" to do something. Fixin' to tell you something, fixin' to leave, fixin' to eat some corn casserole, etc. (I still haven't acquired a taste for corn casserole. Every vegetable here has a casserole.)
• Ain't and Y'all is not just something you THINK people in the South say all the time. THEY REALLY DO.

• BLESS YOUR HEART! You cannot visit the south for even a day without hearing this. People use this to make it possible to say ANYTHING they want in a gentle way. For example....."Wow. That's an ugly baby.....bless your heart."  .....you get the idea. It's one of my favorite Southern sayings. Who doesn't want to hear that all the time?
• A straw is called a sissy stick.
• Every child says "yes m'am" or "no sir". Good old fashioned manners are alive and kickin' and I LOVE IT!
• Yonder: "I'm gonna go over yonder".
• Little things are "teeniny" things. I love that word. Teeniny. Say it enough and it will stick.
• "I'll bet ya a nickle to a donut." ...don't ask. I still don't get it. My mother-in-law says it and it's still confusing.
• Everyone's out of pocket at some point. "I'll be out of pocket fer a while, so I'll call you later."
• GET 'ER DONE! .....seriously. How can you not LOVE this saying?
• DOG = DAWWG   There are no dogs in the south. Only DAWWGS.
• "That dawwg don't bark." Something's not quite right with him. hahaha!
• "I ain't got a dawwg in this fight": when you don't want to be part of a discussion.
• "I'm gonna see a old man about a dawwg": If one of my kids ask Big Daddy where he's going or what he's doing, this is what he says. It makes them crazy. Basically...it's none of your business.
• WASHING = WARSHING
• A grocery cart is a BUGGY.
• Drink of choice - sweet tea.
• Every kind of soda/pop is called COKE. It's very confusing.
• Don't want a broken down tv? Stick it out by the side of road. Within an hour, it will be gone. 
• People in the South are still very religious. On Sundays every church parking lot in town is full. I love this!!
• The mullett is still around! It's especially cute when you see it on a young child.
• Football is a religion. Literally. It's a HUGE deal. The whole town REALLY does go to the high school football games on the weekend. Tailgate parties, parades and everything.
• Cook WITHOUT bacon grease? UNHEARD OF!
• True story: I was at the grocery store a few weeks back and as I was checking out, I had a conversation with the cashier. He was saying that his mom's name is Tennessee and she named her daughters Georgia and Carolina. They in turn named their daughters Savannah, and Charlotte and Raleigh. You have to love that.
• They are serious about their hunting and fishing. Camouflage EVERYWHERE. And I actually love it. My nephew here loves hunting, so when I see camouflage, I think of him.
• Beans. Any kind of bean. Northern beans, pinto beans, etc. They love beans. At least Big Daddy and his family do. 
• Turnip greens.....well.....any kind of greens, grits, corn bread, biscuits & gravy...mmm
  .....well, everything but the greens. blech!
• Tater tots = tater barrels
• They have the best barbecue EVER!
• Pacifiers are storm plugs or foolers.
• People in the South wave to everyone. They are friendly and warm people.
• We don't have fireflies.....we 'got' lightnin' bugs.

 I can't tell you how much I LOVE the South. The people are amazing. It's hard to sum it all up, because there's so much good to say. Southerners are loyal, compassionate and very kind. They are helpful and are genuinely concerned about others. They actually let you merge in traffic!! Their families are their top priority, they love God and their country. And they make no apologies for these priorities. In fact, they are VERY proud of it. They aren't ashamed of who they are, and I find great strength in that. In many ways I feel like I've stepped back in time to a place where old-fashioned values still matter, where the majority of people take pride in being good and in doing what's right. I love so many things about the South. It's a charming and wonderful place to be and I love that I'm here! I'm also grateful that my kids are being raised in a place that they can be proud of.

My Kindness of the Day?

I called the doctor's office and the cute little receptionist Charlotte answered the phone.
This was our conversation.

"Hi Charlotte, this is Veronica Blaylock."
Then she responded in an excited tone,
"Well, HELLO DARLIN'!"

How can that NOT make you feel better about life?
So sweet.
So kind.
So small.
and
So big.

I'm so grateful for the SOUTH!