Redneck

My Husband strikes most people as a typical redneck. Mm. I love it. Some people say underneath my "classy exterior" (love for boats, tennis, and table etiquette), I have a bit of a trashy side because man, do I love to see a man with messy hair and greased up clothes drink beer and talk with a southern accent.

I'm not talking about the dippin', bigot, beer belly type redneck. I'm talking about the kind of redneck who has cut muscles and wears tshirts with classic cars on them. The type of redneck who talks a lot of smack with the guys but knows how to treat his lady - with good 'ol Southern charm. The traditional good 'ol boy that would pick up his gun in a second to save his family. And he knows he won't miss.The kind of redneck who physically puts dinner on the table with a shotgun and a gutting knife. One who enjoys working with his hands. On and off the clock. There is nothing I love me than seeing my man in the garage after a long day of work.

Somewhere in all this redneck contentment I realize there is more to my Husband than what everybody sees. He's a soft man. Most rednecks probably are to be honest.
And he communicates so well. He didn't used to, but I'm glad I waited it out. When we started trying to have another baby, it wasn't something we talked about much. It was just understood. But somewhere along the way he has caught baby fever, and he is always asking how my supplements are working and if we need to buy anything else, if he needs to do anything. He expresses his guilt to me openly about past mistakes instead of blurting them out in heated discussion. And he talks more in general.

But two of my very favorite things about him are these:

1. He loves to find hole in the wall restaurants to eat at. It is almost a hobby of ours. Yea. Seems insignificant. But in all honesty, that's just one of those things that keeps us glued to each other. So many conversations about life have been said between the walls of small country restaurants that so many people have never even heard of. So many laughs have been had between those walls too. For a person to be able to enjoy themselves the way he does in a small town atmosphere like that. A restaurant that uses those classic brown resin plates with the matching bowls to hold each of three sides they serve with your meal. A restaurant that's walls are litered with pictures of community members and gaudy tackle collections or watnots from the 70s...with no need for the finer things like dim lighting. (Florescent lighting will do, thank you.) Or having somebody wait on you hand and foot. (Order at the counter and seat yourself, please.) I don't know. It just says a lot about someone.

2. He is content in nature. We are taking a vacation this Fall to Gatlinburg. It was a somewhat last minute decision because we came across the extra money. But J has been wanting to see the Fall leaves  in Gatlinburg for a long time. That's almost like a dream for him. And he is so giddy with excitement because of the beautiful views we will have from the mountain while we zipline through the trees. I love that man.

Simple. He doesn't ask for much. He doesn't need much. He's a simple man. A redneck.

Side Note: Vacation is going to be awesome! We have never gone on a vacation for 3 days before. Only 1 night, 2 days. And we have never done so much for vacation either. Here are our plans:

Day One: Leave early. Grab breakfast. Check in at the....water park hotel! Go to the aquarium. (Homeschool pricing is only $7 a person including adults!) Then we are going to walk the town. Probably tour the moonshine distillery again. Shop a little. Have dinner. Go back to the hotel for the waterpark. :)

Day Two: Zipline early in the morning. Then head to Knoxville for UTK. They have a FREE museum there with an exhibit that includes tons of Egyptian artifacts. Samantha specifically asked to go to a museum with Egyptian artifacts and I figured there would be one in Knoxville. I found one. So why not knock it out while we are out there. Not to mention we were already driving to Knoxville for Ye Old Steak House for dinner! Hubby says they are pricey. But amazing. And we are saving on food by making breakfast and lunch at the hotel. Then we are going to go back to the condo and play in the water park. And then that night S is going to watch a movie while J and I get some time alone. (We were thinking of picking up some moonshine at the distillery to sip on. I never drink so it will be nice to have one night to have a glass or two.) And the hot tub is right outside the room so we can slip out and still have our eye on her.

Day Three: Check out of the hotel and head to the Smokies to hike the Alum Cave Trail. I read it has beautiful views in the Fall. We will probably spend all day out there. May bring a picnic lunch and then say goodbye to the Smokies around dinner time.

I'm so full of excitememt. We all are. Just a few more weeks until we can all get away and relax. It will be nice since we didn't get to decompress this Summer while camping. And I can't think of two people I'd rather be with than those two. They keep me in stitches. Things are more fun simply because they are there.