Living in Georgia has reaffirmed a lot of the truths that I thought about the South, as well as brought about some truths that I could have never imagined. While I still stand firm on my opinion of Maryland technically being in the South (it is below the Mason Dixon line!), Mike and I have certainly experienced a whole new south being down here in Georgia.
#1 Sweet tea is always an appropriate drink choice. Sweet tea does not know a time of day or an event where it is not appropriate, seriously you can get sweet tea with breakfast and not a soul will look at you strangely. In fact, sweet tea is pretty amazing in the morning with Chickfila breakfast. On the flip side of sweet tea always being appropriate is the fact that unsweetened tea is a sin and if you order it everyone will immediately realize that you are not from around here. And no adding sweetener to your tea does not make it sweet tea....ever.
#2 Sweet tea comes in many forms. I've seen sweet tea popsicles and just the other week I made a sweet tea cake with lemonade icing, yes it was amazing and you can find the recipe in Southern Living or on our recipe tab. Sweet tea also comes in alcohol form in sweet tea vodka which is absolutely perfect when mixed with lemonade...this will be making a major appearance at our wedding so prepare yourselves!
#3 Ma'am and Sir know no age limits. I'll admit it was quite difficult for me to get used to having students say "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" to me when we first moved down here but I have come to realize it is a sincere form of politeness and has nothing to do with how old you are. In fact I now expect it.
#4 Fall means college football....period. Yes, I grew up in a football obsessed household and Mike and I are die hard Hokie fans but the South ups the ante. Never have I lived in a state where absolutely everyone talks about the upcoming football game and the majority of people in any room at any given time can give you up to date stats on their favorite college football team...mainly being UGA around here.
#5 Bless your heart is not something you want to hear. In the north people start off a harsh statement with "No offense but.." well down here in the South harsh statements are preceded by "Bless your heart" or "Bless her heart." To give you an example, one might say "Bless her heart she just can't pick a decent guy for her life."
#6 Monogramming is a way of life (and I love it!). You can literally get anything monogrammed and there is no such thing as too many monograms. I have always been a fan of the monogram as a result of being in the horseworld but I'm now obsessed with monograms and my entire equestrian team has followed suit. In fact I call them my monogram monsters :) This whole waiting until I get married to put my new monogram on anything is killing me! But not to fear one of my team members purchased a monogramming machine this summer and has already been warned that I will be delivering large bag fulls of items to her dorm as soon as Mike and I return from Savannah.
#7 The South does comfort food better than anyone. Seriously who can resist a plate of perfect biscuits and gravy after a rough night? I fell in love with biscuits and gravy a long time ago but college in southern Virginia solidified that love as they served some of the best biscuits and gravy every Sunday. Some other Southern favorites include grits, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, fried pickles...ok anything fried!
#8 People get ready for Christmas way too early. Not even kidding Hobby Lobby already has their entire Christmas section set up...in August they set it up!!
#9 But God forbid we have a white Christmas. If there is even the slightest threat of snow the world is sure to end. Good luck finding any bread or milk at the grocery store because 5 minutes after the weather channel announces snow possibilities every single Kroger, Publix and Piggly Wiggly (yes we have Piggly Wiggly) is sold out. And then after they sell out the store closes!
As much as we may poke fun at some of the things we have encountered in the South, I love it. I love the warmer weather, the Southern hospitality and the love and respect of tradition here. I can't wait to share some of the South with everyone at our wedding!
Love y'all!
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