Yankee in Da Bayou

Creative. Music lover. iPhone photographer. Writer. Trivia Nerd. Wanderlust.

[yankeeindabayou]

New Chapter

So the start of yet another chapter begins...

Swamp life is still very real. I still get excited when I see a gator. It’s still balls hot and humid as hell. (I think I may have even seen the Devil himself buy an air conditioner at Walmart the other day). But besides wishing that the hot would melt the fat away instead of just making me irritable and red in the face, a new development has happened for me.

The relationship, the one that I moved my life 12 hours away from my family and friends and everything comfortable, has ended. I have moved into my own place and I’m starting over.

Again.

I’m not entirely sure what the future holds for me but I know where it’s not going to keep me - I am, by no means, obligated to stay with someone that I no longer feel the same love I once did just because it’s convenient. Or because I’m scared there is going to be a line of people that “tried to warn me against doing something so crazy for someone I barely knew in the first place”... it’s my life, it’s time I start living it on my own terms.

It has been a rather tumultuous couple months to say the least. And an even longer week sleeping on the couch. And packing. And moving. And I’m exhausted. Mentally and physically and emotionally drained.

But before I post this, I’m reminded of a quote:

“Sometimes it’s best to forget how you feel and remember what you deserve.”

[yankeeindabayou]

[yankeeindabayou]

Roots & Wings

I could make lists of all the reasons why I think everyone should spontaneously move to an unknown town/state/country. I’m a fan of totally immersing yourself in a new culture! (I say that now, but if you ever find me in a foreign country and I don’t know the difference between ‘refrigerator’ and ‘bathroom’, mind ya business.)

BUT I have found a couple downsides to uprooting your life in search of new adventure and experiences: It’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Shocker! 

There are hard days; Sometimes they’re made even harder because you don’t have anyone to turn to for support. Sure, you can call or text home - it’s just not the same. A call isn’t vegging out with your girlfriends, eating cookie dough and watching mind-numbing tv just to chase away the anxiety. And a text can’t hug you when you’re feeling down.

Being able to spread your wings can be kind of lonely...

[yankeeindabayou]

Presence > Presents

Growing up, it was just my mom and I. Finances were always tight - I didn’t have name brand anything until I bought my own volleyball shoes in junior high - and I can remember more than a few Christmases that were a little skimp on presents. We may not have had a lot of money, but Mom made sure that what we lacked financially, she gave to me in experiences.

I’ve still yet to go to Disney World (shoot, I was lucky if I got to go to Six Flags!) BUT I have seen the world’s largest ball of twine and the country’s largest ketchup bottle!

Every summer, she would take a week off from all of her jobs to go on a random road trip with me. North Dakota and Pennsylvania were particular standouts. [Ask me why if you care to know.] Those few days every summer gave us sorely needed mother-daughter bonding time and it got me out of our blink-and-you-miss-it town, if only for a little while.

But our travels also had practical lessons. The trips helped me learn to read maps and figure out how to navigate; it made me self-confident in speaking to anyone from any background and any age; it gave me an appreciation for scenery; and maybe most of all, it taught me that the cornerstones of any great road trip (and of life in general) are snacks, good company, and a great soundtrack! 

[yankeeindabayou]

Happy Independence Day weekend, y’all! Back to regularly scheduled posts next week #yankeeindabayou #independenceday #4thofJuly

[yankeeindabayou]

Magnetized

I got bit by the travel bug when I was young. I remember as a little girl, I spent hours flipping through the pages of my grandparents’ most recent world excursion, photo album after photo album. (My grandmother also had an incredibly detailed collection of beach sand.) Not only did she highlight their trips through film but as an added memento, she collected state magnets as they crossed the US.

Once Grandma and Grandpa managed to make it to all fifty states, the magnets found a home on the side of a large metal filing cabinet in my Grandpa’s home office. Grandma’s sewing room was in the next room, separated only by a shift in carpet. When Grandma would catch me staring at each magnet, analyzing its juxtaposition with the others and memorizing their details - capitals, nicknames, and images that I could associate with each state, she would take them all off and tell me to put them back together again.

It was probably just a ploy to keep me entertained for more than a couple minutes at a time, but as an adult, I’ve really just begun to scratch the surface of its impact on me. My love of travel, my love of photography, my curiosity to see beyond the Midwest. And now that my grandmother is gone, they’re so much more than just magnets - they’re memories.

[yankeeindabayou]

About Me

I’m a 35-year old Midwestern girl who fell in love with the deep South while visiting on vacation. At the beginning of the year, the opportunity (or nonsensical idea depending on who you ask) presented itself for me to take the plunge to pack up my life and dive headfirst into Louisiana swamp life!

That’s the short of it. I love to travel and to experience new cultures. I love to learn how the land impacted the history of a region and how the history impacted the people. (And for those who know me, I’ve never met a stranger.) So between being a social butterfly and being quite the shutterbug too, I figured what better way than to combine all of my loves into a blog where I can explore below the Mason-Dixon line to my heart’s content and write about my adventures as a yankee in the bayou!