Indeed I am, and will always be a mid-west girl. My 2 years in the south have been a bit rough - being far from family & friends, struggling with jobs & money, trying to build new relationships... all the while feeling like I'm a bit of an outsider. I'm excited to get back to where I feel I belong (HOME), but there are things that I will certainly miss about Charlotte. Here are 12.
1. Charlotte friends. You are #1 by far on my list. You made this experience something I would never trade. I am so grateful to know you all. We are still planning on that annual beach trip, so count us in next year... or we'll just crash your party.
2. Being close-ish to the beach & the mountains. 2-3 hours east or west gets us to the Atlantic or the Appalachians. It's pretty cool. Check out the sand dollars we collected at the beach this past weekend:
(Pardon the terrible CrackBerry quality photo.)
3. REAL barbecue. (see below... not the kind you get at Sticky Fingers.)
4. 70 degrees in January. Actually, I'll miss the weather October - March in general.
5. Beer. Specifically Yuengling & my newest favorites - all 3 beers made by Big Boss Brewery out of Raliegh. Also, I'll miss the unlimited access to Fat Tire, Carolina Blonde and numerous other awesome mico-brews that I've come to love.
6. "Y'all" This is one southernism that I find charming and useful. Up north, as you know, we say "you guys"... doesn't quite roll off the tongue.
7. Running all year long. Even when it snows, there's still not enough, nor is it cold enough to stop me from running - with the exception of maybe a week or 2. Ohio is MUCH different in this regard. (Sad face.)
8. Lake Norman. It's pretty, and I like to watch the boats. Although there are giant lakes back home, they won't be in our back yard.
9. Rust-free vehicles. I know Paul will miss this for sure! However, I will get to use my 4WD again, so that's cool... I guess.
10. Slower pace. Now, let me clarify. My day-to-day is very fast-paced, but if you took work out of the equation, life is indeed slower here, which is nice.
11. Moe's Southwest Grill. Man, I just really love Moe's. I'd like to own a Moe's one day.
12. Being the one with the accent. It's fun.
We'll miss you guys! I hope we brought some normalcy to your life in the South. Best of luck in everything that you do.
ReplyDeleteI went to Moe's this weekend in southern Indiana! It was pretty delish! I love the names of some of the dishes. Mike had the "close talker" salad. Yay Seinfeld!
ReplyDeleteThis was a nice tribute to the South. But on behalf of northerners, we're glad to have you back!
They need to start selling Yuengling in Ohio! I don't know why they don't. Fat Tire is great too, as probably are the other ones you named.
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