The North and the South

Tomorrow my two oldest girls leave for a mission trip to Spokane, Washington...which is in an area that holds a piece of my heart as one of my "homes." (Arkansas readers...we lived in North Idaho, a stone's throw away from Washington and not too far from Oregon, either. Similar to Magnolia's proximity to Louisiana and Texas. We lived there for 12 years, 4 in Lewiston and 8 in Moscow, which is the most years in a row I've lived in any state!) Ever since we left there 8 years ago, my mind has been comparing and contrasting the Northwest and the Arklatex. It's a blog post I've been composing in my head for a long time! So from my observations, here are some obvious differences:

• Weather. In the Northwest, in winter..it's cold. For quite a while. And you get snow. Some years more than others, but you're pretty much guaranteed some snow. In summer, it's usually nice and warm, but you may get an occasional cool day. In the Arklatex, in summmer...it's hot. For quite a while. And humid. And you get nice, loud, heavy-raining thunderstorms. In winter, it's usually pretty cold, and you may get a little snow, but you also may get an occasional warm day. 
• Language. English, of course, but there are different accents. Everyone is probably pretty familiar with the Southern accent of the Arklatex. People in the Northwest think they have no accent, buuuut...they say "beg" for "bag" and "crick" for "creek." And have different ways of saying things--they don't carry anything, they "pack" it. What I call the "glove compartment," they call the "jockey box." And of course there's the whole y'all/you guys, Coke/pop thing.
• Churches. There are a bunch more down here than up there! But my girls are heading up there to help add one. :)

But it's surprising how similar they are. For example...

• Both are green and not flat. Granted, the hills in Idaho would be called mountains in Arkansas and the mountains in Arkansas would be called hills in Idaho. Still...not flat!
• Both are full of towns that aren't pronounced the way they look. The Northwest has Weippe, Kooskia, Pend Oreille, and Kamiah. The Arklatex has Ouachita, Lafayette, Nevada, and Monticello. (If you haven't lived in one of these places, trust me. They're not pronounced the way you think.)
• Both are agriculture based economies...mostly timber. Why do I have to drive behind log trucks everywhere I go??! 
• Hunting is a big deal. Camo.  It's everywhere.
• In both places we lived in small towns an hour or more from a city big enough to have a Target. In Idaho we did have a small mall, however. With a Starbucks. I miss that. And finally...
• Good friends and great students. So many good memories of forever friends. And BSM, NCM, BCM...whatever you call it, our college students are family. Forever. It is KILLING me to send my girls up there without me, but my heart and mind will be with them, and someday I will go back and visit myself!