Sweet Home. . . .

"Oh. My. God. It's like the movie Sweet Home Alabama in here." My best friend uttered as she opened the closet door's in my childhood bedroom.
This past weekend was the Yemassee Shrimp Festival and like any two best friends- Suryia and I were getting ready together and freshening up before we headed out to the street dance. (I don't care how old you get, getting ready with your very best friend never gets old. The fashion advice, the laughs and the chit chat are always in order.)
We have been best friends since my freshman year of college but she has never seen my secret stash of trophies. Yes, pageant, softball, and 5-K trophies are stashed at the top of my closet....I thought I'd gotten away with hiding them all these years!
Embarrassing, but so typical of a small town girl. It's soooo 'Sweet Home Alabama',  and for those who know me well, it's sooo fitting, right? ;-)
I love my best friend so much! Like a true best friend, she makes me think and so i'm inspired to write this blog on my hometown, Yemassee- The place I grew up. The place where my roots go deep. My 'Sweet Home Alabama'.
I absolutely love going "home"!
I love the good, honest, hardworking people. Their friendly smile's. Catching up with those I haven't seen in a while. I love the older men who tell stories about getting off the train to catch the bus to Parris Island for boot camp and how their first stop was my Great Grandmother's restaurant for some good home cooking. I especially love hearing my Granddad tell the story of meeting my grandmother(who's mother owned that restaurant. See my roots don't just touch the surface..The go really deep!)

This was her restaurant. It was right across the street from the train depot.

The highlight of the year for my hometown is the Shrimp Festival. Every year my Mom busts her chops with the help of a few others to put this on..There are people riding their golf carts around everywhere as means of transportation for the weekend.
The festival is full of cook off's, beauty pageants, street dance's...

parade's...

Kids playing in the town circle....

 and my favorite- The Yemassee mud run!

I can remember going our there at a young age and watching trucks fly through the mud pit and sling mud into the crowd!
Go ahead and back your truck up to the guard rail and tail gait with us while it's raining mud! Then take your shoes off and race through the mud.

Just like this:

 It might have been a bit much but when in Rome, right?

Seriously though...there's absolutely  no better way to end a good old southern festival than being knee deep in the mud!
And with that said,
I love my Sweet Home, Yemassee!