Sweet Home

Nothing sounds better than a tall glass of Mamaw's ice cold tea and front porch swingin'. People, I miss the South. I miss runnin' into Mrs. so-and-so at the grocery store and talkin' for hours. Southern California is fun and all, but it ain't the South. The only smocked dresses I have seen out West are worn by two sweet little girls from Louisiana who attend our church. Gotta' love them smocked dresses and big hair bows! Okay. Okay. I don't have to prove to you that I have not lost my accent. I love the question, "Where are you from?" They can keep on askin', honey, because I love to tell them I am from M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-hump back hump back-I.  Oh yes! Sing it with me.

Speaking of hair bows, two of my best friends (ages 4 and 7, mind you) surprised me the other day. They saw the pictures of my adorable cousins and wanted bows of their own! When I went over for a visit, this is what they looked like. How stinkin' cute?!

Expect the bird when you wave to thank the person who let you over in the car lane. Maybe, just maybe you will get a wave back. ROtel is not a common appetizer in this neck of the woods. Our first invitation to a barbecue did not involve pork sandwiches. I once asked the grocery clerk where the grits were, and he looked at me like I was on fire or somethin'.  Storms are few and far between out here and your lucky if you get a rain drop or two. Aaaaand it's safer not to drive when it rains. My coworkers marveled at the idea of a lightning bug. 

These are only a few things that I miss about the South. I have been compiling a list of things that I will share with you after we have been here a year. The reason I titled this post "sweet home" is because I actually am home here in California. We have made our one bedroom apartment nice and cozy. It suits us just fine. Home is wherever me and Allan are together. We are making Southern California our temporary home. Lord willing, we will be back in the south in no time! During the next three years, we plan to live it up out here. We are having the time of our lives. As much as we miss everyone (and gosh darn it, i mean everyone) we are enjoying this chapter in our lives. Allan once told me (on the bridge between campus and University drive to be exact) that as long as we are together, we will be okay. I believed him then and I believe him now.

On a completely random note the funniest thing happened today during one of my outpatient counseling sessions. The conversation went like this:

Me: "Because you are on dialysis, it is very important that you limit the amount of phosphorus in your diet."

Patient: "Okay, well I started limiting high phosphorus foods one month ago after I went to the doctor."

Me: "One of my goals is to help you see which foods you can eat instead of focusing so much on what is restricted. I want to help you have variety in your diet, while complying to the nutrition guidelines." 

Patient: "What about cheese? I heard it contains alot of phosphorus so I completely cut out the cheese."

Me: "Yes, you are correct. There are a few cheeses that are okay, but if you have eliminated cheese out of your diet, then I would just recommend continue cutting the cheese."

Y'all know me. I don't handle awkward situations well. I laugh hysterically until I cannot catch my breath. I am a professional------------I promise!

Love y'all!