Signs You’re Attending a SWLA “Get Together”

Get Together - a gathering of friends and family in SWLA. Can be made up of 5 or more people. Typically cousins, aunties, maw maw, and paw paw. Can also involve that one drunk uncle that used to drive his Camaro down the main road of your town throwing beer cans out of the window. At some point, a washer board set is brought out to resolve a family rivalry.

Tis' the season for outdoor activities. The weather in SWLA is good for outdoor gatherings maybe 5 weeks out of the year. It's not too cold to freeze to death, not too hot that you sweat like a fat kid running the mile, and the mosquitoes don't try and carry you away. If you get invited to a "get together", there are some signs you can look for to tell if it's truly a legit get together.

DJ - Your cousin has been mowing grass for years, but has finally saved enough money to buy a speaker. He has used his last few dollars to buy hats with the name of his DJ company on it. He has injected himself as the official DJ of the party. On his playlist? Classic Rock that he tries to lip sing to, Outlaw Country, and the rest is all Classic Country (well 90's country at least). Bonus if he plays "Achey Breaky Heart" at least twice while you're there).

Musical Performance - You've got a lot of family out there. One of your second cousins, that you were babysitting and probably fell off of the western themed couch, decided he wanted to try his hand at singing. MeMaw bought him a guitar strap with his name on it and he instantly became a Country Music star. He sings while the "DJ" keeps playing weird music in the background. Extra points if your backyard country legend brings his own "drummer".

Drunk Uncle - He's loud, he talks about the "good ole days" with his Camaro, has horrible one-liner jokes, wears wrestling shirts, and he instantly makes friends with the drummer and tells him how he could have been on the road with "Skynard". Oops, and now hes found a broken drum stick while proceeding to hit the closest drum to him. No rhythm, but he says he "just plays to the beat of his own drum."

Koozies - We all have them. Ladies keep them in their purses, guys in their truck or back pocket. 9/10 they came from a wedding you went to (extra points if the couple on the koozie is still married). They keep your beverage cold, and your hand from getting cold. They reflect your personality, crawfish stains included, and give a story to tell when people ask you. Don't have a koozie? Go look in "that drawer over there and getchu one".

No matter where you are, as long as you're around great friends and family; it will always be a good time. If you were invited into that chaos, be honored. You may not be family, but this gathering you're attending just changed that. These people will be there for you for anything. Cherish those moments and hold on to the stories. You never know, one day you might be that rhythmically challenged uncle with the Camaro and horrible jokes.