"Well I was fixin' to!!!" The Innocence and Danger of Procrastination.

I was seriously fixin' to write a post for the blog forever. *ahem* I just, uh, didn't get to it till now.

You see me (and many other fellow Southerners) have, over time, become accustomed to the "fixin' to" mentality. We've grown up with it. We've known no different. Around here the excuse for anything is "Well I was fixin' to". From the house not being cleaned for three months to the laundry sitting in the washer for three hours. We are always "fixin'" to do it, but we don't always stick to it. We wait, and we wait, and we wait. We push it off, cause seriously... why bother with the mundane things of life?!

Sometimes it's okay. Things can wait. The book doesn't have to be read right now. You don't have to go the the grocery store right this minute. But sometimes, the "fixin' to" mentality hurts. And it hurts bad. What if you were "fixin' to" get the car fixed, but never did, and now you are stranded on the highway with no one to help? What if you were "fixin' to" get that barn roof fixed before it caved in, but too late, it did, and your little kid was in there when it happened? What if you were "fixin' to" repair your relationship ship with your husband, wife, brother, sister, mother, father, you name it, and apologize for the bad blood between you, but you found out it's too late.... they're gone?

I could go on, and on, and on! There are so many things we are "fixin' to do" that need to be done right now. While it is important to take the time to step back and go slow, there are times when you need to do things right away... no procrastinating. We have to learn to evaluate what needs doing now, and what won't hurt to put off. There's such a delicate balance, it's hard to truly pinpoint it. It is something each and everyone of us should evaluate for ourselves.

But point in hand, here I am. Guilty as charged. Yeah. I was "just fixin' " to post on here since the last one, but haven't 'til today. And so I have most likely killed my poor dear blog... :'( . It's rather ironic, isn't it, that I would procrastinate about righting a post on procastination, huh? But here I am. Again. Let's hope that I don't do this again!

~Kay

Why I love the South, and the dilemma.

Why I love the South is truly hard to put into words... but it's definitely something I am passionate about. Maybe it's the hospitality, the cheery smiles, the slow paced life. Maybe it's cause I was born and raised here. Maybe it's the warmth and sunshine. I think it's all of the above.

But the dilemma is that the reasons I love the South are beginning to fade away. In the ever changing society and the flood of new habits and hobbies, we are losing the very things we are known for. The South is known for it's genteel manners. Children are taught from early ages the rights and wrongs of etiquette. Honor and respect are valued and held high. Sure, we don't have the best grammar and our words tend to be all slurred and pulled way out of proportion, but hey, at least we talk nice (generally).

The South was known for it's friendly, warm hospitality. When you visited you were heartily invited to join the family and treated with more honor than you could dish up with a soup ladle. Guests were special... maybe more so than the queen of England herself. Life here almost came to a standstill. There was no rushing to and fro, "I gotta get this done, need to go here, have to get this. NOW!". No, we took our time and enjoyed shopping and visiting friends. We enjoy lingering after church and enjoying fellowship meals with one another. Granted, there are times when things have to be sped up and we must meet the demands of a time schedule, but most of the time we take our time. As a dear friend said, "There's never any 'doing' with you guys. It's always 'fixing to'." Yes, we are always 'fixing to' do something (and it will eventually get done) but that's the beauty of life. Rather than rushing through and getting things done, we take our time, enjoy it, and create memories to look back on later.

And then, too... I was born in the South. My family's lived in the South for over 160 years. This is our home, it's in our blood. I am a proud Southerner, and I always will be! I take joy in the culture, mannerisms, and speech patterns of 'my people'. It is here I am home, and to think of living elsewhere (well... besides Cali, but that's a whole 'nother story) seems almost like treason. You can take the girl out of the South, but you can never take the South out of the girl. Ever.

The warmth and sunshine is another thing... life without seeing the sun is... unthinkable. I love the sun, I love the warmth (heat, really, but who really cares?). Can't say I love the humidity, but you know, life isn't perfect. I love to smell the fresh air of the countryside and breath in the smell of the orange blossoms and other sweetly scented flowers. All fed by the sun and rich soil (well... sand for where I live) of the South. I couldn't imagine not seeing cows grazing on green pastureland and driving by thickly scented orange groves. Imagine not seeing the huge, white fields of cotton, strectched out like an ocean. That would be.... sad.

But all of this is fading fast... the hospitality, respect for one another (I mean, we're all just glorified animals now, according to the scientists), the friendly smiles aren't so common, the cities are taking up the farmland, and the only thing left is that life is still somewhat slower.

What will we do when the South is gone? What will we do when the heart of the South has turned stone cold? And these concepts aren't even something that should be all Southern... what if we all stepped up and were a little more friendly? What if we all took the time to enjoy life and all that it gives us? What if, as Christians, we all showed a little more respect for one another? When you come down South, you don't go back the same. What if we all took the time to change a life, and put aside our own agendas for others. Not only would the South come back, but the name of Jesus would be glorified and souls could be saved!

So I suppose my point and challenge is to reconsider your daily life, and make time for some true Southern traditions. Smile a lot, lend a helping hand, face life straight on, take time to enjoy what comes, and respect one another with love in Jesus Christ.

A Letter From My Favorite Great-Aunt!

Now, this isn't to laugh at, because the writer is my favorite Aunt, and she wrote it right from the heart! It's the way us people talk, when we are family! :)

So, this is the letter...

Hey Ya'll!

Thank you so-so-oo much for the Birthday card and $20.00. Man,I can buy several packs of Pinto beans with that!! I love my pinto beans and cornbread with a big onion. I just never did get above my raising, which is alright.

You beautiful people, if I had wings I would just flutter right up you way, and peep in the window at you, and say "well, here I am. Come on let's check upon the farm animals", but all I have is two 77 yr. old arms and legs and so I am grounded in Blacksburg. When we get to Heaven I hope your mansions are right next door to mine, can't you imagine what fun we will have!

Now milk the cows and churn some buttermilk and cook some cornbread. And I'll flutter up your way. Until then I'm sending all my love. Pray for me as I pray for you all. I love you the mostest. Jesus ever loves you more.
Annie Sue

Kaitland has been nagging me to post, and I've not been...so 'ere you go! Kate has returned. ;)

Two Lives Well Lived.

This has nothing to do with the South. This has nothing to do with anything you would ever expect to be put on this blog. But this is a post well deserved, and it shall be written. Today was a day of tragedy and yet hope. Today (April 26, 2010) around 6:30 pm Ryan Modrow (18) and Daniel Walters (22) died in a motorcyle accident. We lost two friends, two young men- sons, brothers, friends- in a tragic accident, and yet there is hope. These young men weren't just any young men. They were followers of Christ. The hope lies not in what they have done, but in what was done some two thousand years ago to give us hope today, tonight, and in the weeks to come. The grief is still here; it won't leave for years to come. But with the grief there is hope. They aren't gone. Their lives aren't ended. They have only just begun.

Ryan, I haven't known you long, and I may not know you well, but we had some fun times, and pulled some good pranks on each other. You always had a knack for dropping jokes at just the right time. You had a way of making everyone about you smile when you were doing the same. You were kind and caring, and you are sorely missed. You touched so many lives! Ryan, God had his hand on you, and loved you to the end of the life you lived here on this earth. I cannot even imagine the glory you are experiencing in Heaven. You will be missed.

His sister Hannah on the left, Ryan on the right.

Ryan to the left, Daniel on the right.

Daniel, I never talked with you, but I did know your brothers and sisters. You were greatly loved and respected, and you, too, will be missed. The Lord knew every hair on your head, and your death was not unexpected to Him. He called you home, and I know you will be happy there. There will be no more pain there. No more suffering, no more pain. We cannot understand the ways of God, but I know that what God has allowed to happen was for the best. Daniel, your family and friends love you, and you will always be in their hearts.


I know that we cannot know why they died when they did. But regardless of that, they lived full lives. Their lives were not in vain. God used them to touch so many others. The Bible tells us in James 4: 13-15 that life is a vapor:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city,
spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know
what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that
appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If
the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

And I know that neither Ryan's nor Daniel's lives were empty. Both lived wonderful lives and leave behind many, many loved ones. And these loved ones will treasure their memory forever. You will never be forgotten. The day will come when all will reunite with ya'll in Heaven, and there will be much rejoicing. Until then, we love ya'll.


~God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain. But He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. =`)

A peek at a Southern Ball.

So imagine with me for a second... the old, antebellum South. The elite Mr. Jeffrey Jenkins

recieves an invitation to attend a party held by Mr. George Thornburton

and his lovely wife Millie

and their children John and Annabelle

in honor of their daughters Carolina and Ella May.

And so Mr. Jenkins winds his way through the many oak lined roads of the Southern plantations, coming upon the one that leads to Magnolia Hall, the residence of the afore mentioned Thornburton family.

Eventually coming upon Magnolia Hall itself. Beautiful, isn't it? Just imagine living in one of them things... I bet it was just dandy! Anyhow, we must continue our journey...

The day time find the Porch of Magnolia Hall vacated... there are things to be done... no time for lounging around! There's a regular ball to prepare. Baking to be done, dresses to be ironed and put on, hair to be done, cravats to be tied. Not to mention lectures to John and Annabelle on proper manners... not that they don't know, just a reminder to use them.

And by the beginning of the evening to late in the night we see it all transformed... the gas lights burning, the music playing. Belle's in their luxurious dresses, and their hair piled high on their heads in braids, curls, and ringlets; flowers, pearls, and diamonds (wishful thinking here) fixed in their high stylin' hair. The gentlemen prance about (that sounds mighty funny, hehe) asking all the pretty ladies for a dance, or conversing with the other gentlemen present, dressed to the nines and acting the part of a true Southern dignitary. "Would you like some punch, Miss Carolina?" "Oh, if you would, Mr. Jenkins. Thank you kindly." Waving her fan to cool herself after a sprightly Virginia reel.

Later on it's time for walks in the moonlight at talks in the gardens. "You do look lovely tonight, Miss Ella May." "Why thank you, Mr. Jackson," she says, blushing. "Please may I have the honor of accompanying you on a walk through the gardens on this glorious night?" "You may. Shall we ask Mr. Jenkins and Carolina to join us? I imagine they would love the invitation as well." "Of course we shall, the more the merrier!"

And so the night is enjoyed by the young people of the South as they eat, drink, and stroll through the gardens, breathing in the refreshingly pleasant smell of the magnolias that are budding and blossoming as are our dear young ladies into true Southern Belles.

Okay, hold the applause and bear with me! It's Kaitland!!! ;)

So, uh, Kate and I talked it over, and we felt that it might be a good idea to introduce ourselves. I guess we figured ya'll would like it if we did that.

So I am Kaitland, and I do live in and love the South! I was born and raised here, and never plan to leave (lest it be to go West). I have loved all things Southern for a long time, the history and culture (if you can call it that) is amazing! There is nothing more fun that getting out the .22 and shooting at cardboard reindeer and Santa's sleigh near Christmas time, and having those backyard bbq's complete with go-cart riding and diet coke and mentos rockets during the summer time.

My family is awesome (I know ya'll will read this later, and yes, I really mean it! ;) )! I love them, I love God, I love reading, writing, music, and writing (I'm sorry, did I mention that before? Well... I love it lots!). I like humour, and I love to laugh at funny things, including jokes made about and by Southerners. I like to make my own humorous observations of the South, and I will hopefully share many of them with ya'll. I hope ya'll have a toe tappin', knee slappin' time as you read this blog!!! =D

~Kaitland