3 Misconceptions People Have of Me as a New Englander

I lived in New England for the first 28 years of my life. I have seen my fair share of nor'easters and blizzards and have endured many a cold winters. Since moving to Eastern North Carolina 5 years ago, I've been told that these have been some of the coldest and stormiest winters this part of the state has ever had. I promise I am not related to Elsa. In fact, I'm quite the opposite. I'm convinced that I was born for beaches, heat waves, flip flops, tropical drinks. Which is why I laugh at some of the comments that come my way when this weather rolls around.

Misconception #1 - Because I am from the north, I love the snow

This could not be more FALSE!!! In fact, snowy winters are one of the biggest reasons that I never plan to move any further north than North Carolina. I think I would be ok if I never had to deal with snow again. I get that it is fun and exciting for the kids to have a snow day but as an adult snow days don't pay my bills and it only stresses me out. Don't get me wrong though, if I have to stay home because of the snow I will totally make the best of it. Building a snowman and make snow angels are fun as long as they disappear the following day! ;)

Misconception #2 - Because I'm from the north the cold doesn't bother me

I hate being cold. You won't hear a peep of complaining from me when the hot humid weather comes. I am definitely a beach gal. I really struggle with being cold though. I can't even tell you how many times I've been in a conversation about the cold temperatures and someone will say, "Well, you are from the north so you should be used to it." The cold is something I have never gotten used to. For me getting used to the cold is just like getting used to stubbing your toe in a door jam or getting a paper-cut. It never becomes more tolerable. If someone spent 30 straight days in sub-zero temps I'm pretty sure day 30 would be just as dreadful as day 1. This polar vortex thing is for the penguins! Come on spring! I know you are right around the corner!!!!

Misconception #3 - Because I am from the north driving in snow is a piece of cake

Southern friends, I am about to come to your defense here! While snow is so pretty to look at, it wreaks havoc on the roads and I confess that even as a native New Englander I am extremely nervous driving in it. I have read a lot of comments on social media regarding how no one here in the south knows how to drive in the snow and making fun of people for freaking out over snowy road conditions. I've heard people from snowy states sound cocky about driving in the snow and even put others down because of it. My thought on this is that I'm pretty sure that I've seen reports daily on the national news programs about car accidents in the northeast for the past month. Wanna know why? Because snow is slippery and dangerous. Add in some ice and black ice and it gets even worse. I don't care what kind of car, truck or SUV you have, you cannot drive on ice at high speeds. Not in the north, not in the south, not anywhere. Now here in the south throw into the mix highways that are not able to be properly treated for such conditions and drivers who have little to no experience driving in this weather and we have a bigger problem. On my drive home this afternoon I was cautiously going between 20-30mph along with most of the other motorists but there were a few not so courteous people in pickups and SUVs going 50 or 60mph past me. All it takes is hitting one small spot of ice and your car now becomes a potentially deadly weapon. A lady called into the radio station this morning asking for prayer on her drive to work. She had already passed multiple wrecks and was having some anxiety. She said that she knew that she was covered by the blood of Jesus but she really didn't want to be covered in her own blood today. She made everyone laugh with that but AMEN! Please me smart and exercise some common sense. Respect the lives of others.

At the end of the day I'm happy for all of my friends who got to enjoy the rare experience of snow and I have loved seeing everyone's pictures. I just hope you aren't offended when I say that I hope it all melts overnight and never comes back! I can't wait to wear my flip flops again! :)

What New England has taught me

I will start this post by saying GO PATS! SUPER BOWL XLIX CHAMPIONS!!!!!!! WOOOHOO!!!!

There are a few things I have realized in the last few weeks leading up to the Super Bowl this year. All which lead to me say that I am proud to be a New Englander!

The first is LOYALTY. A few years ago my therapist told me that I am loyal to a fault. On a side note, I believe that insurance should pay for every person to see one regularly. It is so nice to have someone to confide in and just listen. It made a significant difference in my life working with a Christian therapist, but I digress. The same can be said of New England sports fans. Being a Red Sox and Patriots fan I've learned to never count either team out. Through losing seasons, through controversy, through tough breaks, they are my home team and I will proudly rock those jerseys win or lose. Once a Boston fan, always a Boston fan. No.Matter.What.

The second is ATTITUDE. A lot of people I meet are surprised when I say I am from the Boston area because I no longer have my wicked awesome accent. I always tell them that it's still there but it usually only comes out when I am angry or worked up about something, which is not very often. Now when I say attitude I don't necessarily mean as in rude. I mean it as in we won't be a push over and will stand up for something if we believe in it. For example, with this whole "Deflategate" nonsense. I normally stay pretty quiet when it comes to sports talk because I don't watch ESPN hourly and I'm usually not up to date on the latest news, but I followed this one. There are a lot of Patriot Haters out there and that's fine but my attitude was starting to come out with all the bashing.  Some just got plain ugly about it and it was hard to be quiet. I was starting to get very defensive and annoyed. I have a hard time tolerating ugliness but I had to remind myself that my words should be used for good so I gave it a rest. As of now the jury is still out on this one anyway and I remain a loyal fan.

Lastly, I've learned that New Englanders stick together. Surprisingly, or maybe not with Boston covered in 40 inches of snow right now, there are a lot of us here in North Carolina. I meet fellow New Englanders on a regular basis here. I wore my Gronk jersey to work the day after the Super Bowl and I got so many high 5's and it sparked many more conversations throughout the day. It's almost impossible to run into someone wearing Pats or Sox attire without talking to them and finding out where they are from. I'll be the first to say that, in general, people are friendlier here in  the south compared to the north. But when you run into a fellow New Englander in the south we become instant friends. It's like we are part of a special club and it gives me peace and familiarity on the days I feel homesick. We have our own language, using words like bubbla (water fountain), clickah (remote control), and barrel (trash can). and our own way of doing things and I love that. I'm thankful for my New England upbringing and wouldn't want it any other way. You can take the girl out of New England, but you can't take New England out of the girl! Y'all can keep that snow though!!! ;)