True South:

I called my hometown in Louisiana yesterday (no, not Bon Temps!) to talk to a guy at a sign company about a logo I've developed for my brother and nephew's new restaurant. Never spoken to this guy, don't know him, never met him. After we discussed business, I told him I'd get him the vector file as soon as possible and he said, "Okay, thank you, darlin'." That made me smile all day. I wasn't offended the least little bit. I knew he wasn't being fresh. He wasn't being a male chauvinist, and it wasn't sexual harassment. He was just being friendly. He was just being Southern.

Other things about the South that make me smile:

People waving... in the South, people like to wave. They wave hello, they wave goodbye, and they wave just to let you know that they saw you. Whether you're driving in town or down a country road, anyone passing by will get a wave. It's just the friendly thing to do!

Small talk... Southerners love to chat. If you're running errands, make sure you allot yourself time for chit-chat. From the grocery store to the local cafe, you will find someone who wants to chat.

Commonly used phrases and sayings:

"Y'all" -- means "you all," everyone, or every one of you

"Fixin' to" -- as in "fixin' to go to the store;" "fixin' to leave;" "fixin' to come;" sounds funny but "fixin' to" makes perfect sense!

"Younguns" -- small children

"Reckon" -- means "I suppose so"

"Yonder" -- as in "over yonder," which means "over there"