"And I Miss My *Carolina* Home..."

*Sigh*

This is one of those "personal" posts. Be prepared.

So, I've been pretty homesick lately. Brad and I moved up to Iowa in August and I have only been home 1 time (in October, for a short weekend). Don't get me wrong, we are doing great here. We LOVE our new house, our doggies are doing well, I am enjoying my ESL job, and our town is so cute and just what we need. But....

I love the south. And I miss it. A lot. Especially, my family. Every time I hear Brad Paisley's song, "Southern Comfort Zone," I seriously start missing that "southern comfort zone." I guess you have to be from the south to truly understand that. There really is no place in America that is quite like the south. It is it's own unique place, culture, and way of living.

Things I Miss/Love about the South ~ In the South...

1. In the south...most everyone has a southern accent. I have one and it's pretty obvious up here. I don't mind standing out, and I'm pretty proud of where I came from, but I sure do miss hearing that sweet southern twang.
2. In the south...everyone "goes to church." I'm from the Bible belt people. Everyone talks about church, God, religion, praying, faith, etc. We live in a nice, Christian town, but it's nothing compared to the south.
3. In the south...country music is EVERYWHERE. Now, I'm not saying that country music isn't played up here, but in the south country music is literally everywhere: stores, blaring from cars, 50 radio stations, etc. It's everywhere.
4. In the south...we have our own style. We wear pearls, curls, chevron, Aztec, high heels, cowboy boots, Sperry, plaid, our flag, and our monograms are on everything. People laugh when I say, "If it's not moving, then it gets a monogram." I'm dead serious when I say that. Dead serious.
5. In the south...we call everyone "darling", "sweetheart", and "Hun." When I "accidentally" call people "darlin" up here...I get *the look.* Seriously? That's part of our language!
6. In the south...we have rednecks. I miss them and their jacked up trucks.
7. In the south...ladies don't swear. We say, "Oh my goodness", "Oh my stars", and "Goodness gracious." Ladies don't swear.
8. In the south...we're nice to everybody. It's called southern hospitality for a reason. We do hospitality right. We say "please", "thank you", and "bless" like it's going out of style. 
9. In the south...we "bless their heart." If you're from the south, you know what I mean. If not...it's hard to explain, but every one's heart always gets blessed.
10. In the south...ladies are well rounded. Ladies know how to cook, sew, DIY, shoot a gun, take care of their home, talk politics, tan at the beach, and again...wear cowboy boots or heels - depending on the situation.

Lordy, I miss the south.