Blogtember Day 1: Lets Get Personal

Describe what or where you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are. 

I am Southern. I think this pretty much sums me up. I am not the racist bigot that southerners sometimes get accused of. I am more the sweet tea, bless your heart, and let me bring you food when happy or sad occasions occur. I cling to my southern roots even though year by year I feel my resolve to remain this way waxing and waining. I will always idealize my grandparents and their way of life. I will name my children family names (No matter how pretentious or odd they sound).  I will always say ma'am and sir. Its just how I was raised. I love fishing, swimming in the creek, and small country churches. Getting lost down a dirt road is an honored past time. Even though I am not a huge football fan I will tailgate with the best of them and I will always cheer on my high school Alma mater (Go Rebels!). 

So I am from a smallish town in South Carolina that most people not from this state would have never heard of. I think I sometimes idealize my childhood home as this quaint small town. When really it was never that small (not compared to where Jose is from anyway).  I think my hometown during my childhood was still trying to hang on to its last remaining bits of smallness. Everyone went to one of three churches, my mom and I had the same schooling experience, and Sundays were still meant for dinner at Granny's house. 

I think this mentality really shaped me as a person. Change is hard for me and I imagine this stems from people I knew growing up being so reluctant to expand and grow this town we called home. Of course change comes whether we like it or not and my hometown streets are barely recognizable now. I think this is a good thing because there is a new generation of memories being made and of children growing up who will one day look back on their hometown (hopefully with pride).  However visits to my mom's are filled with more and more reminiscing of the restaurants, buildings, and stores long gone. 

I am a child of divorced parents. My wonderful mother for all intensive purposes raised me and I think she did a damn good job. Was my childhood perfect, no, but it was filled happy memories. And really I think the bad memories start to fade in adulthood. We just idealize what once was and let go of the bad. I have been lucky enough to have strong female influences in my life (whether they knew their strength or not.) My mother, my aunt, and my grandmother all shaped me into the woman, wife, and friend that I am today. 

They are going to kill me for this picture I am sure but this my mom and aunt a few year ago.

My best friends and I met in first grade. My bestest friend of all time and I "met" in high school. I use quotes because we attended school together from first grade on but did not officially meet until high school. We then went to college together and failed miserably at living together. However she is one of my greatest friends and has been there through it all. I wouldn't trade anything for her. 

So that's me. I hope this gives you more insight into the person behind the Martha Stewart wanna be. And since most of you reading this knew me growing up well I hope I didn't bore you too much. Who or what has shaped you into the grown person you are today? Was it where you grew up? People you encountered? I would love to hear about it.