So, I'm in Alabama at the moment (as you are probably aware and annoyed by because of the fact that I keep mentioning it.)
I am most definitely a girl of the city, but I can definitely enjoy the unique beauty of the boondocks. In my mind, everywhere you go there is something beautiful; you just have to look at each place from different eyes. I really do love all the greenery here, and the fact that there are actually hills which allow you an aerial view, which forces your willing eyes to take in the majestic trees that look like they've been sculpted by the perfect artist. It baffles me how the majority deny the existence of such a creator when there is some kind of beauty everywhere the eye can see.
While my Great Aunt Esther is kind of scary and a little hard to handle, it provides loving entertainment. She's actually very knowledgeable, it's just hidden beneath random observations and a few slurs of speech. I also got to see her husband, my Great Uncle Andy--who I thought was in Las Vegas (they used to live there), but obviously isn't. I love that he always insists when offering things that he thinks will make us comfortable, but not to the point that it's overbearing. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he's Filipino. I'm not being racist or anything, I love him to death, but I've also noticed that in my friend, Chelsea's family (who are all Filipino), and she's even told me it's just a part of the culture. I like that his insistence is subtle, though, and doesn't make you uncomfortable.
I also got to see Mickalene (sp?), their daughter, and her son, my second cousin, Coltin (sp?). We had a variety of chicken for dinner (teriyaki wings, mild wings, super spicy tenders, and regular tenders) and rice. I had to stop myself from eating it all. Although, the regular tenders were a bit dry, but whatever:).
It ended up taking me longer to put all of those songs on my itunes/ipod than I thought it would. I ended up not making it to bed until around 2:30am, and, even though I was exhausted, my mind would not let me rest for the hour and a half that I then had before my alarm was to go off. The last I checked my phone, it was 3:25am, and I really don't think I slept for more than twenty minutes before my phone started singing the beginning of Enrique Iglesias's "Let Me Be Your Hero". Ya know? That part that whispers, "Let me be your hero..."
I got up, brushed my teeth, packed my dental hygiene equipment and electronics after checking the pictures I was uploading to facebook before I went to bed (I have a problem.). I got up at 4am, and ended up having a half an hour to spare. Just fantastic.
We picked up Joshua, got some breakfast from McDonalds, and hit the road. Josh and I fell asleep around 7, and I kept waking up every hour or so, for some reason. Then, the AC decided to stop working, but it was okay with the nice breeze outside. I was grateful, though, that the AC worked after we had given it a rest for a couple of hours. We also couldn't figure out why the XM radio wouldn't work, and then my grandma realized one of the cords wasn't hooked up to the back of it. Great observation runs in the family, obviously.
It seemed like every time I woke up, there were more hills, which is not exactly the norm for a Floridian.
I had "Sweet Home Alabama" in my brain for most of the day, and funnily enough, I didn't use my ipod during any part of the ride. When we were all conscious, we just played a game and talked. It was really nice. We played this game where we would try to name states that started with certain letters of the alphabet, and I'm proud to say for two whole minutes, I thought I had said all of the W's, but then failed to remember one that I can't even recall after that incident. Of course.
The thing I don't really like about southern hospitality is that, sometimes, your neighbors are just a little too comfortable in your home and with those who you surround yourself with. There is an older couple that lives next door to my great aunt that are about as southern as they come. Don't get me wrong, they're nice and everything, but I'm just not the kind of person that comes up to someone that I've only met twice and rub them on the back in the way that you would a good friend you've known for at least a year. I don't know. I'm just a little bit of a freak, and I don't normally like to be touched. That's all.
Right now I'm watching Psych with Josh. I've had a really great time so far. Even if this town is a bit small, and there's this one place that has the basics of every town (prison, grocery store, a local restaurant or two, a subway for the healthy, the city hall, a souvenir shop, and a small hospital, plus a few other little places.) It was kind of odd to go to the grocery store--that you have to drive around to the back to enter-- and see the county prison staring you right in the face. It really has been a great trip so far, and it has only just begun.
Tomorrow, we're going to the yard sale, and today the neighbors told us that it goes as far as Michigan this year. Yeah, we're definitely not going that far. There's really no plan for tomorrow, and we might even just do the sale thing Friday and Saturday instead. Not sure yet. I'll keep you posted:).
I'm exhausted despite the road naps, the nap I took here, and the multiple sodas. Sweetdreams, reader.
P.S. Here's a fun fact: The sky remained blue, even as it was raining when we pulled into the state. Way to go, Lynyrd; speaking the truth and whatnot.
I am most definitely a girl of the city, but I can definitely enjoy the unique beauty of the boondocks. In my mind, everywhere you go there is something beautiful; you just have to look at each place from different eyes. I really do love all the greenery here, and the fact that there are actually hills which allow you an aerial view, which forces your willing eyes to take in the majestic trees that look like they've been sculpted by the perfect artist. It baffles me how the majority deny the existence of such a creator when there is some kind of beauty everywhere the eye can see.
While my Great Aunt Esther is kind of scary and a little hard to handle, it provides loving entertainment. She's actually very knowledgeable, it's just hidden beneath random observations and a few slurs of speech. I also got to see her husband, my Great Uncle Andy--who I thought was in Las Vegas (they used to live there), but obviously isn't. I love that he always insists when offering things that he thinks will make us comfortable, but not to the point that it's overbearing. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he's Filipino. I'm not being racist or anything, I love him to death, but I've also noticed that in my friend, Chelsea's family (who are all Filipino), and she's even told me it's just a part of the culture. I like that his insistence is subtle, though, and doesn't make you uncomfortable.
I also got to see Mickalene (sp?), their daughter, and her son, my second cousin, Coltin (sp?). We had a variety of chicken for dinner (teriyaki wings, mild wings, super spicy tenders, and regular tenders) and rice. I had to stop myself from eating it all. Although, the regular tenders were a bit dry, but whatever:).
It ended up taking me longer to put all of those songs on my itunes/ipod than I thought it would. I ended up not making it to bed until around 2:30am, and, even though I was exhausted, my mind would not let me rest for the hour and a half that I then had before my alarm was to go off. The last I checked my phone, it was 3:25am, and I really don't think I slept for more than twenty minutes before my phone started singing the beginning of Enrique Iglesias's "Let Me Be Your Hero". Ya know? That part that whispers, "Let me be your hero..."
I got up, brushed my teeth, packed my dental hygiene equipment and electronics after checking the pictures I was uploading to facebook before I went to bed (I have a problem.). I got up at 4am, and ended up having a half an hour to spare. Just fantastic.
We picked up Joshua, got some breakfast from McDonalds, and hit the road. Josh and I fell asleep around 7, and I kept waking up every hour or so, for some reason. Then, the AC decided to stop working, but it was okay with the nice breeze outside. I was grateful, though, that the AC worked after we had given it a rest for a couple of hours. We also couldn't figure out why the XM radio wouldn't work, and then my grandma realized one of the cords wasn't hooked up to the back of it. Great observation runs in the family, obviously.
It seemed like every time I woke up, there were more hills, which is not exactly the norm for a Floridian.
I had "Sweet Home Alabama" in my brain for most of the day, and funnily enough, I didn't use my ipod during any part of the ride. When we were all conscious, we just played a game and talked. It was really nice. We played this game where we would try to name states that started with certain letters of the alphabet, and I'm proud to say for two whole minutes, I thought I had said all of the W's, but then failed to remember one that I can't even recall after that incident. Of course.
The thing I don't really like about southern hospitality is that, sometimes, your neighbors are just a little too comfortable in your home and with those who you surround yourself with. There is an older couple that lives next door to my great aunt that are about as southern as they come. Don't get me wrong, they're nice and everything, but I'm just not the kind of person that comes up to someone that I've only met twice and rub them on the back in the way that you would a good friend you've known for at least a year. I don't know. I'm just a little bit of a freak, and I don't normally like to be touched. That's all.
Right now I'm watching Psych with Josh. I've had a really great time so far. Even if this town is a bit small, and there's this one place that has the basics of every town (prison, grocery store, a local restaurant or two, a subway for the healthy, the city hall, a souvenir shop, and a small hospital, plus a few other little places.) It was kind of odd to go to the grocery store--that you have to drive around to the back to enter-- and see the county prison staring you right in the face. It really has been a great trip so far, and it has only just begun.
Tomorrow, we're going to the yard sale, and today the neighbors told us that it goes as far as Michigan this year. Yeah, we're definitely not going that far. There's really no plan for tomorrow, and we might even just do the sale thing Friday and Saturday instead. Not sure yet. I'll keep you posted:).
I'm exhausted despite the road naps, the nap I took here, and the multiple sodas. Sweetdreams, reader.
P.S. Here's a fun fact: The sky remained blue, even as it was raining when we pulled into the state. Way to go, Lynyrd; speaking the truth and whatnot.
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