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| Panoramic shot of the beach and pier on Tybee Island, GA |
There are a few things Georgia has already taught me.
1. Southern accents are contagious.
Despite my hardcore Wisconsin ya der ey that permeated every word that came out of my mouth on the plane, I swear to you that I wasn't even through our first meal here and I had already thrown out a "y'all." I mean, I know I'm half southern on my mother's side, but it came out smooth and easy. Within 24 hours, I could already hear the vowels in my voice changing to sound more akin to the smooth tones of those uttered south of the Mason-Dixon line. By the time we leave, I'll have a full on drawl.
2. Grits come with butter. Period.
We went out for breakfast and Evan ordered the shrimp & grits immediately after the waitress agreed with me that when eggs are served with shrimp & grits, it becomes a legitimate breakfast. I ordered mahi-mahi with grits and eggs because I knew that is a breakfast option I would see precisely NEVER on a menu in Wisconsin. Our waitress, bless her heart, didn't even give us a choice in the matter, but sweetly cooed, "Now y'all's grits n' toats are gunna come with buttah, okaaaayyy?" Yes, ma'am. You don't argue when it comes to butter on grits.
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| Don't let the photo fool you. I've been having a really hard time relaxing. Yeah, that's a bunch of crap. It rocks here. |
3. Southern hospitality is a very real thing.
Y'all, we haven't even set foot in Savannah yet. (See what I did there? I slipped in a "bless her heart" and a "y'all" like it's part of my normal vernacular.) We have yet to walk on the streets of the city known as the "Hostess of the South" and already we have been made to feel more than welcomed. Every single person we have encountered has been super nice, down to the random dude I called on the phone to ask about if we would be able to see the fireworks from the beach by our condo. It's incredible. We were locking up the door to our condo on the way to the beach one day when a neighbor insisted we take all the leftover food they had that they wouldn't be able to bring with them. Suddenly we had a mega-sized tub of instant mashed potatoes and more Totino's Pizza Rolls than we would ever eat in a lifetime, but the gesture was there. And it was adorable.
4. I am madly in love with Tybee Island.
Picture Amity Island from the movie Jaws...except without the shark. That's Tybee. Spending only one day on this beach with perfect weather has absolutely slayed me. It was 93 degrees or so, but the breeze off the water paired with the schools of dolphins romping nearby and the alabaster sand was a combination too powerful to resist. My Kindle and I had some quality time on that beach. Oh, and I enjoyed hanging out with Evan too. :) Add in the close-knit community and the delicious food - forget about it. I never want to go home. Or at least, I want to come back every year.
For the record, I ran my whole "Tybee is like Amity Island from Jaws" analogy by a local and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree before she promptly announced that I was absolutely right.
Everyone say a prayer that we don't get eaten by a shark, okay? Thanks.
P.S. A few moments after that top photo was taken, a police officer drove by on the beach and kindly informed us that glass bottles weren't allowed and that it would super suck to get a ticket for it. I marched my butt back to the condo for a couple red Solo cups pronto, partner.
