Carolina In My Mind (9)

Don't get me wrong, I love living in Provo and being at BYU. It's just that as I've racked my brain for blog post ideas, the same thought has persistently come to mind. I haven't been feeling homesick or anything, but lately I've just been thinking a lot about North Carolina. I guess it started when a co-worker asked me where I'm from - a typical question you're asked when you attend a school where people are from all over the world. When I told him North Carolina, it seemed to pique his interest and he proceeded by asking me to tell him "what makes NC what it is." I paused for a moment because I wasn't exactly sure what to say, I'd never really been asked that before. His question has made me reflect on home and what it is about NC that makes me love it so much. So for those of you reading this who have never been there, or even for those of you who have, here is a list of my favorite things about my home!

Hanging Rock State Park

One of the first things that comes to mind when I think of NC is the mountains. Some people might think they pale in comparison to how big the mountains here in Utah are, but for me that's simply not the case. I would take green over size any day. Whenever my friends and I would hang out and try to figure out what to do, you better bet I suggested hiking. Not only do I love hiking, but I also love being able to look out and see green for miles and miles. I've done countless hikes on Hanging Rock, Pilot Mountain, Stone Mountain, etc and they never get old. I don't really have an "accent," but

Pilot Mountain

one thing I have been told that I say weird here is "Appalachian." Everyone I've talked to at BYU says it like "app-uh-lay-shun" and they tell me that pronouncing it like "app-uh-latch-un" is not only odd, but incorrect. WRONG. The Appalachian mountains are on my home's side, you can correct me when they move to the west coast. ;)
"From the mountains...to the oceans," I love the outdoors. Perhaps my favorite thing about NC is that it doesn't just have mountains, the coast is just as beautiful. I've often contemplated if I'd rather live in the mountains or at the beach. But honestly, that's a tough decision so I'd rather just live close to both.

Senior Beach Week

Which is why I love the city I grew up in. I had the luxury of going hiking whenever I wanted and if I longed for the beach, the coast is just about a four hour drive. I think my favorite thing about our beaches is the sand. I've visited other beaches where the sand isn't really sand, it's just this sharp mixture of rock and broken seashells. I love the sand at NC beaches because it's so soft. At night, when the sand isn't hot from the sun, I love taking walks on the shore and seeing the way the moon shines on the ocean. It always amazes me, and kind of scares me, when I look out at the ocean and see how it goes on for what seems like eternity. There's so much about the sea that is unknown. I've never gone scuba diving, but someday I hope I get the chance to. If my description of NC beaches has fallen short for you, just rent any of the following chick flicks: Safe Haven, The Last Song, A Walk to Remember, or pretty much any of Nicholas Sparks' book-to-movie adaptations because they were all filmed in North Carolina. In fact, here's my mom and I in front of the house that was featured in Safe Haven.

Southport, NC

I wouldn't be myself if I didn't mention NC's food. I always knew that "southern food" was a well-known thing, but I didn't know that some of my favorite foods would be nonexistent to some people out here. The other day I brought up how much I wanted hush puppies and several people looked at me with puzzled looks. That might have just been a one-time thing because I feel like hush puppies are pretty normal. Cook-Out's hush puppies, however, are the absolute best! Another thing I've gotten confused faces from is collard greens. I thought they were a common vegetable, but maybe I was wrong because no one seems to know what they are out here. If you're one of these people, check them out! They're amazing. My favorite food ever, without a doubt, is barbecue though. Yes, I know you're probably thinking "hey, I know that one!" It's a very common food, I'm not discrediting anyone on this one. But I will say that you haven't had real barbecue until you go to NC and are asked if you'd rather have "Eastern style" or "Lexington style." Trust me, there's a difference, it's a real thing. I personally prefer Eastern over Lexington style, but they're both great. You'll just have to go and try it out for yourself! ;)
There are a lot more things I love about North Carolina that I haven't written about, but this post is long enough. It may seem like I'm biased since I've lived my whole life in the same city and that may be true, but who doesn't love where they're from? Even though I've mentioned a few of my favorite things in this post, my ABSOLUTE favorite thing about NC is my family. I love them all and I look forward to seeing them again! I guess you could you say that "I'm gone to Carolina in my mind."