Aka the John Mayer song that was THEEE story of my life when I had to leave my beloved Florida for it's northern neighbor, good ol' Georgia. Needless to say, I think I had that song on repeat for the entire 8 hour drive to our new home in Cumming.
Pathetic, right?
Well, that was 5 years ago.
And even though it was clearly rough at first, I absolutely fell in love with the south after living in Georgia, and love affair has yet to stop.... Yes. Even though I don't live there anymore.
All this came to me this morning on my loonnnggggg trek to work, during which I always have time to think of nice things. For some reason, I thought of Zaxby's, aka a southern specialty and the most DELICIOUS chicken you will ever find, anywhere. And then I got super nostalgic, and have heretofore decided to compose the following list:
*hem hem*
I give you....
Things I loved about living life as a Georgia peach
- The trees. I still remember the first time I ventured out onto the golf course behind our house. It was right on top of a hill, so I had the perfect view of not only the rest of the golf course, but a big chunk of the neighborhood as well. It was dusk, so the sun was setting, and there was this ethereal glow that enveloped everything. It was magical.
And then there were the trees. The never ending, rolling ocean of trees. It was as though I had stepped into another world... like Narnia or something of equal status. It was breathtaking.
- Running through my neighborhood. First, as has been made apparent, it was beautiful, which of course made for a good view whilst I was killing myself. Second, it was super hill-y. Hence the killing myself, because they were inescapable... but also a tiny bit fun. Third, my dad would often go with me and there was something so peaceful about starting my day bonding all sweaty-like with him. Plus he was always so patient when I was the grumpiest person alive. And when I may or may not have cried running up the final hill before we reached our house. Multiple times. HAHA
- Listening to Suspension on the way to seminary and then again on the way to school. Enough said.
-Upon arriving at school, getting breakfast with Saychelle and sitting at the table on the stage in the cafeteria... and maybe judging people a little too much. Also laughing 100% of the time.
- Spanish class during my Junior year with my bestest buddy Kalle Cubitt. It included much learning about the history of Spain, reading Don Quixote, listening to the fish head song, Juanes, Shakira and David Bisbal, and a lot of laughing intermingled with a healthy dose of sarcastic comments. It's a good thing our teacher loved us so much.
- AP Lit. and Comp. with Mr. Aderhold. I also had this class with Kalle, and her presence coupled with our teachers brilliance, his love of classic rock music, his superior teaching skills and the amazing literature we read, made this class a life-changing experience for me.
- Running cross country. Also done with Kalle. Note the trend. This was an interesting experience for me, and I learned A LOT about myself.
**NOT TO BE RETARDED, but I just have to say this first. I am used to excelling at most of the things I attempt in life. Not being a superstar, just doing well enough that it puts me ahead of the game**
That being said
I am sorry if I sound like a cocky pig, that is not my intention. But there is a point to that explanation. I did not over-achieve while running cross country. In fact, I was one of the slower people on my team. I think my fastest time for the 5k was about 28 minutes. Not an epic fail, but definitely not champion status. Basically what I am trying to say is it was a very humbling experience because it presented me with a challenge that I couldn't simply overcome by getting an A on a test, or singing in the all state choir, or playing the piano well. It was something I really had to work at.
It sucked majorly sometimes.
But since I had to work so hard, it also made me very fond of it in the end.
- Speaking of all state choir... oh yeah. Singing in the all state choir. In Savannah. For reals, Savannah is GORGEOUS. Such a precious, happy southern town. And River Street is adorable. Even though rehearsing for 6 hours a day, for 3 days straight was not very exciting, the performances rocked my world. I will forever be a choir dork.
So sue me :)
So sue me :)
- Choir in general. Guess who else sang in choir with me? If you said Kalle Cubitt, you are correctomundo. Having that class for 2 hours a day was always so great. It allowed for a decent amount of horsing around and hacky-sacking, both of which made class much more fun, naturally. And my teachers last name was Grizzle, which also made things really fun :) Plus I got to go to NYC with all those wonderful girls, and who doesn't love that?
- My #1 homegirl from Florida and her family moving in to our ward in Cumming. It was the epitome of 2 world's colliding, and it made my heart SO happy. And now Saychelle is getting married!
*Sniff* they grow up so fast!
- Running around our insane basement with my brothers like maniacs. I can't expound much better than that.
- New Years Eve... we always had the BEST company. Year one = a billion west-coastin' cousins. Year 2 = Delgado family, Saychelle and our dear friend Rachel Thompson. Florida reunion in Georgia? Nooottthiinnn' better. Plus you get the whole "shove 12 grapes in your mouth before the ball drops" tradition, which does cause a lot of choking but also a lot of laughing.
- Halloween. The leaves were always at the height of their color change, and the weather brisk enough that it felt like fall, but never so cold you had to bundle up. You know books that talk about fall and Halloween and make it all sound so perfect? Like, all you want to do is go buy a new sweater and school supplies, and then walk along the sidewalk while crunching leaves under your penny loafers? Yeah that is how Halloween feels in Georgia. Straight out of a book.
-Summer time pool trips to the YMCA. Even though the humidity felt deadly sometimes, lounging poolside at the Y was an excellent way to combat it. Add in some brothers and friends and you have a surefire recipe for a lovely day.
- No-bake cookies from Ingles. My family had this undying obsession for those little devils. Since we moved away, my mom has been back to visit twice... and brought those as a souvenier both times. Best mom ever? I'm thinkin yes :)
- Mckay's stint as a performer in the Atlanta Boy Choir. Yes he is a very talented musician. Plus, his membership in the acclaimed group gave us the chance to drive to ATL on a weekly basis. It was beautiful. It was always an adventure. It included frequent trips to the only Krispy Kreme in probably the whole state. And who am I kidding, they made amazing music.
- The developement of my LOST obsession. Remember how I went to NYC? Well. The 17 hour drive both to and from were spent with season 1 of the show. From that time henceforth, I have been slightly addicted. NBD.
-Spring break '07 in D.C. I have no words for the nation's amazing capital. All I can think to say is I love the Museum of Natural History, the Metro and the cafeteria in the Art Museum. Best. Trip. Ever.
- Josh Groban, round 3. Obsessed? Probably. Worth it? ABSOFREAKINLUTELY.
- Rent-a-dog. Have you ever met a family who gets a dog one day, and then sells it back the next? Welp say hello to the Showalters.
- Blasting Corrine Bailey Ray, BSB and Jimmy Eat World in my room whilst getting ready for the day. Thank heavens I was alone in our basement otherwise I would have been such the nuisance.
-Random family trips to Gatlinburg. You know the Keith Urban song that says "from the prettiest country, from Georgia to Tenessee"? Yeah well Keith isn't lying. IT'S GORGEOUS. Plus Gatlinburg is basically the only place you can go ride go-carts at 8 different places in one day. And my family may or may not have done just that.
- Piano lessons. My teacher was a crazy lady (I am beginning to think this is a requirement for piano teachers??), but the drive there was beautiful. And we almost always went to Steak and Shake afterwards. Hello. Worth it. Also, I got really good at getting my teacher to talk, so in turn I wouldn't have to play the songs I hadn't practiced as much. HAHA.
Well as I am reading through this massive, assasinating post, I realize that there is a lot I have said and a lot more I could keep saying. However, I will spare the masses and stop myself, but just in case my point hasn't been made...
Summary:
I LOVE GEORGIA.
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