life in the South

The South.

It is a world all its own.

The tea is crazy sweet, cows sell chicken, and "bless your heart" is not necessarily something you want said to you.

I, like many others, am a transplant to this world.  My dialect and word pool is a confused mix of Midwestern, Northern, and Southern.  I say one thing and instantly I get asked by those who don't know me, "So, where are you originally from?"  I still struggle to understand "Southernese".  I often am asking people to repeat themselves for one reason or another when they have a deep southern accent.

However, after 14 years, it's home.
I even have a T-shirt to prove it.

Toward the end of my birthday season, a gift from nature springs forth here in the South...the magnolia trees bloom.  Nothing says "Welcome to the South" quite like sturdy, yet beautiful magnolia trees full of blossoming flowers.  And this year, our magnolia did something wonderfully sweet...it bloomed a couple of flowers close enough to the ground that I could easily photograph them.

Another gift from today, was literally a gift.  Due to a conflict in scheduling, I won't be with my in-laws on my actual birthday, so we celebrated my birthday early.  A wonderful light jacket to keep me warm in the well air conditioned buildings, a book from a favorite author, happiness inducing/smile producing balloons, and lotion that smells like sugar cookies.  My mother-in-law nailed it!

And, it rained today. Thunderstormed, actually.  Thankful not to be out in it, but thrilled to get to hear the raindrops hitting the rooftop in their melodious fashion, while thunder and lightning danced across the sky.

As the 26th day of my birthday season comes to a close, I can honestly say it was a good one.  

#blessedbeyondmeasure