Homesick

My friend Charon inspired this blog. I've been feeling a little homesick lately, so I thought I'd make a list of thing I miss about the south. Trust me, the town I'm from in Florida is definitely southern!
1) Football- More specifically, GATOR football. I get a kick out of going to SUU football games because my high school stadium is bigger than Eccles Coliseum.
2)Grits- Grits are a staple at our house. For those of you that don't know what they are, it's basically ground hominy. There are really only 2 ways to eat grits: WITH or WITHOUT cheese along with butter, salt and pepper. You do not add fruit, milk, sugar, syrup or any other "yankeefied" concoction that you non-southern folks may have come up with.
3)Magnolias- MMMMMM! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the smell of magnolias.
4)Chicken on the bone- You CANNOT make real fried chicken with boneless skinless chicken breast.
5) "Mamma" "Daddy", "Granny", "Nanna" etc- I don't think I ever called my mother "mom". She was "Mamma" . I didn't really have a dad, but for those that do, it's not uncommon to hear a grown man call his father, "Daddy". Everyone has a "Granny" "Papa" or something similar. We southerners differentiate between grandparents by giving them different nicknames. It doesn't matter who I'm talking to, I call my grandmother, "Granny". At first people look at me like I'm nuts, but then they get used to it. I used to tease Mamma by telling her that I was going to have my kids call her "Mee Maw". She swore that if I did, she'd slap me. She would have done it too, cause "mamma's" aren't afraid to slap their kids hahaha
6)"Ya'll"- I didn't know that you could hold a conversation without using the word "Ya'll"
7)Horse Farms- Here's a news flash Cedar City: Having a 1/2 acre lot does not mean that you have "horse property".
8)Boiled Peanuts- you take fresh peanuts (shell on) and boil them in salt water ALL DAY! They are so yummy!
9)"Bless Her Heart"- you can say anything you want about someone as long as you say, "Bless his/her heart". It the magic phrase that makes everything ok. Ex. "Her baby is the ugliest thing I've ever seen, bless his heart."
10)Southern Women- there are 2 very different kinds of southern women. There is the debutant. Then there is the hick. Ex. Steel Magnolias vs My Big Redneck Wedding (I have to admit, I love this show. Chris turns his chair so that he can watch ME watch the show.)
11)Watermelon- I grew up on a watermelon farm. Nearly every year, my Granny and Grandpa would lease out their fields to local farmers. As part of the deal, we got unlimited watermelons. I remember busting the melon on the ground, eating the heart out, spitting the seeds at each other for fun (Yes, Celeste, I actually did this), then throwing the rest to the cows. It's really the only way to eat watermelon. lol
12)The Accent- I've lost most of my accent. However, it only takes 2 things to bring it back.. 1)Watching Paula Dean on TV or 2)make me mad! Trust me, it'll come back full force then! (I can use this to my advantage with Chris though. He can't argue with me if he can't understand a word I'm saying.)
13)The Food- Southern food is good. Why? Cause it's fattening. There's just no way around it. I miss foods like collard, mustard and turnip greens, black eyed peas, banana pudding. strawberry shortcake, BBQ, baked beans, and okra. I try to make them, but it's just not the way Mamma made it!
14)Water- and not the frozen kind that we get here. I miss all of the lakes, beaches, ponds, rivers, springs, etc. Heck you even have to breath water in Florida!
15)Tradition and History- I know that Utah is rich with Mormon Pioneer history, but that doesn't apply to me. Most of my family history isn't exactly politically correct nowadays, so I won't go into it (Hello, it's the south). However, I love visiting my Granny's family in South Carolina and seeing all the Civil War landmarks. Where else in the world do they proudly reenact a war that they lost?!?!?!

I've lived in Utah for 10 years. It's my home and I love it here. However, sometimes I really wish that we could make it back more often. Maybe one day we'll be in a position to do that. Until then, I'll just have to enjoy all the things that make Utah unique! (I'm trying to work up the nerve to take a picture of a polygamist at Wal-Mart for you folks back home)

Before I forget, we're taking Preston to the Monster Truck rally tonight. He's going to be SOOO excited. I'll take lots of pictures for Grandma Charlene!!!