Texas Girl at Heart

I am a Texan...born and bred. I love the state of Texas. I love that everything is big in Texas. When I first left Texas for BYU, I had a 1980 Buick Regal...a big car with velour interior that could have had longhorns on the front! I love the big hair, the big jewelry, the big purses. I love that the clothing is blinged out. I love that my favorite place to shop is called Dressin' Gaudy. I loved putting peanuts in my coke. I love the Southern bible belt...when people cross your way they say, "Have a blessed day." I love the Tex-Mex. I have yet to find Mexican food I love as much anywhere else.



It is hot and humid in Texas. There are sirens that blare when a tornado is in your vicinity. The boys wear Wranglers and cowboy hats...and though I don't agree with it, most have a circle in the back of their pockets where they carry their chew. My papa was not a member of the LDS church. He always had a can where he spit his chew. It is a cowboy thing.



Texas is a big, big state. When I was in mutual, we would take a temple trip from Ft. Worth to Mesa, Arizona at least once a year. To get from Ft. Worth to the edge of the state, El Paso, it took foreeeevvvveeeerrr. Texas is flat...some say if you stand on a tuna can you can see the whole state.



I love that my grandparents lived on a ranch. I grew up catfishing, riding horses and looking at oil derricks. We carried a hoe to chop off the head of any approaching snakes, picked blackberries for cobbler, and caught turtles with our fishing poles. It was a wonderful life. We also drove the Herbie car at a very young age. Sometimes one would steer while the other pushed the pedal because we were too little to do both. And with the recent movie, "The Help", I must mention that my granny had "help". Her name was Jewel and she was a jewel. In the mornings, she would listen for my little feet to patter down the hall and she would pour the milk on my cereal right before I entered the kitchen. Then she would lovingly be with me during my breakfast. Jewel was family to me.



Growing up in Texas meant a day off from school to go to the Fat Stock show. We would all don our cowboy hats and boots and take off to the stockyards. The rodeo was the best part. This year the Pennington family was recognized as having come to the Rodeo for the past 65 years. What a wonderful legacy. I also loved the concerts and country dancing at Billy Bob's. I saw Ronnie Milsap there.



I have reconnected with many of my high school friends on facebook. We had a graduating class of 500 students. Although I never was asked to a homecoming dance, I still am amazed at how the Texans celebrate homecoming. The boy gives the girl a mum to wear that day. The mum(s) is decked out with streamers and glitter and cowbells. It is showy, just like you would expect in Texas. These are some of my friends with their mums. Betcha didn't believe me until you saw them!



Every so often, someone will ask me, "Where you from?" and I realize they have picked up on my Texas accent. It is barely there anymore, but the ya'll and the long i's (like in fiiiiive) sometimes give it away. When I go back I think the Texans sound like the Beverly Hillbillies with their Southern drawls, but I love it. If I spend too much time with them, my accent comes right back!



My dad, my little sister Ginger, and I were all born in Texas. When my dad died Christmas Eve day of 2010, my cousin and aunt sent us some Texas dirt. Before the casket was lowered, I poured the dirt in the hole, making sure he was buried on Texas soil.



We Texans are proud of our state and our heritage. It has been many years since I have lived there, but I am still a Texas girl at heart.