Things about New York

**Blogger's Confession: I wrote this post back in March, so some of the details have changed. Daffodils have, in fact, bloomed. My point remains valid that they weren't in bloom in March, though. And I scammed some pictures off the internet. I'm a bad photoblogger :-( Also, for the sake of this post, I'm including Texas and Florida in "The South." If you've ever had this debate with me, you know that I generally consider Texas more Southwestern than Southeastern and Florida is its own thing, but they still apply toward proving my point in this case.**

Before we moved, I had no idea what to expect once we got to New York. Would I recognize the plants and birds they have? Could I find a normal burger joint anywhere? Would I even be able to understand their accent? As it turns out, New Yorkers aren't TERRIBLY different from Southerners. I don't mean they're the same, by any means. I'm just saying it isn't like I up and moved to Kyrgyzstan (which, as it happens, is the stopping off point before Nathan gets to Afghanistan).

Here are a few things I didn't expect to find...

1. Seagulls.

Yep. Seagulls. I'm assuming they're here for Lake Ontario, but I never would have guessed. What I want to know is how the seagull leaders decide who gets to go to Destin and who gets stuck at Lake Ontario. I'm just saying somebody is getting seriously gypped.

2. Sweet Tea.

I guess I really did expect I would be in a whole other country. We got lucky, though. They have sweet tea at Cracker Barrel, Buffalo Wild Wings, Bob Evans, in the food court at the PX (post exchange - see this post for more Army nonsense), and a local place called Shorty's Diner. And, of course, I make sweet tea at home and drink it pretty much all the time there. And yes, I do have the complete unabridged list of what restaurants serve sweet tea memorized.

3. Lack of Daffodils.

So this isn't really a "thing" that we found. It's just that everywhere I've ever lived has had daffodils blooming by mid-March. I find myself wondering if anything ever blooms here, though.

4. Big trucks.

I really thought Nathan's truck would stand out more here, but I see a lot of trucks that look like his. I forget not all New Yorkers are city-types.

5. Other Southerners.

I really should have realized that I wouldn't be the only transplant. Karin and Sarah are both from Texas, my friend Becky from church is from Arkansas, and Shannon (Congratulations, Mrs. Walker!!!) is from Florida (and went to Mississippi State). I guess what surprises me more is that I actually don't know any locals. Everybody I know is here because of the Army.

So that's my quick run-down of what I hadn't expected. I promise I've got more blog posts in the works and it won't be this long before I post again. See you next time!