Southern Living

Hey, y'all! This is Elizabeth coming at you live from North Carolina! I have survived my first 2 weeks in the South (believe it or not).  Life here is a little bit different than at home.  I have came up with a list of new adventures to share with you that I have been able to experience during my time here.

1.   To start off, the HEAT.  None of you back home are allowed to complain about the heat anymore because it is literally insane here.  To make matters worse, the humidity.  I think that I have been in a constant state of sweat since I set foot in the South.  When I say my prayers at night I thank the Dear Lord for gracing this earth with air conditioning because I would have melted without it.

Here is a pic of me drenched in sweat after attempting to run in
96 degree weather with 80 percent humidity. Yikes!

2.   The beauty of NC.  For those of you that have never been to North Carolina, it is breath taking.  With the ocean & forests & farmland & mountains it is truly a work of art.  Also, I've noticed that people take great pride in their state.  It is not uncommon to see daffodils or sunflowers planted in the median of the highway.  There are also flowers everywhere & those of you who know me know that flowers bring me extreme happiness.  Raleigh (where I live & work) is basically in the middle of a forest - SO many trees!!  I like this perk because it makes it feel like I'm not in an urban area.  I would love visitors so come check it out yourself ;)

A beautifully handcrafted sunset

SO many trees 

3.  Bravery.  I've never considered myself to be a brave person.  Scary movies? You can find me hiding under the covers.  Jumping off the high dive? Let me watch 20 kids do it first and then I will inch my way towards the end of the board.  Yet here I sit, 27 hours away from home writing you this message (don't be fooled I'm still scared to death). I've found that bravery does not mean that you do not experience fear.  It just means that you accept the challenge to do brave things even though you are afraid.

My roommate, Sarah, and I adventuring through town

4.  Adventures! I live 10 minutes from a state park that has over 20 miles of trails and covers close to 6,000 acres.  I enjoy hiking the trails to a lake that feels completely untouched & displays some of the best views of the sunset.  The lake also has bass in it so I'm excited to get my hands on a fishing pole and try my luck at that.  Within a half hour radius I have access to many other trails & outdoor recreational activities that I can take advantage of year round (they won't be under 4 feet of snow)!! It is also only a 2 hour drive to the beach and a 3 hour drive to the mountains.

Views from the river during a hike

Reading (Nicholas Sparks of course) by the lake

5.  Food.  Living sorta close to the ocean is nice because there is terrific seafood on every corner.  On the weekends there are also Farmer's Markets all throughout the city displaying fresh peaches, blueberries, strawberries, sweetcorn, and everything in between! I was also able experience my first meal of chicken & waffles (apparently that's a huge southern tradition -I didn't ask a lot of questions because I already get made fun of for being sheltered).  I will admit that despite all of the food everywhere I have managed to lose some weight.  This is most likely due to my terrible cooking skills and my lack of Momma Kris's home cooked meals.

Onions & Peppers & Cucumbers oh my

The food is more colorful here too 

6.  Home.  I won't sugarcoat it - being away from home is incredibly hard.  The farm was my happy place and leaving family and friends was incredibly difficult.  However, I wouldn't trade the month and a half that I got to spend at home after graduation for the world.  I was able to reconnect with friends and family that I hadn't gotten to spend time with for years.  If there is one thing that I've learned about life, it is that you should never take for granted the people that God has given you.

All of my best friends in one picture 

Never a dull moment 

Trouble 1 & Trouble 2

And there you have it! A short list of things that have I have gotten to enjoy during my time in the South.  As you can tell, it's been quite the adjustment.  When I go to bed at night my heart is incredibly full as I think of all of the friends and family back home that are rooting for me.  I feel blessed to have this opportunity to learn and grow as an individual, but I can't wait to be back home.

With love,
Elizabeth