Thursday, November 7, 2013

Deep In The Heart

Texas is my home state.  I was born here, and even though I spent most of my childhood in other places, I am still a Texan.  This is a great state.  There are some not-so-good parts of Texas, Rick Perry and the Tea Party idiots, but the good parts outweigh the bad.

1.  The History.   Parts of Texas were colonized by Spain back in the early 1600s, and some of those buildings are not only still standing, they are still in use.  When people visit the Alamo, they can still see the bullet holes from the battle. People who drive randomly around Dallas may suddenly find themselves in Dealey Plaza, following the same route of the motorcade.  That sense of awe that I get from walking the same path as some historical figure never goes away. 

2. Cool Nickname.  We're the Lone Star State, which I think is the coolest nickname ever.  We could have been named for something else we're famous for, like beer or bad drivers, but this nickname truly reflects our personality. We're a state of stars, all shining bright, but independently. 

3.  Independence.  People in Texas are downright fierce about their independence.  Texas was an independent country at one point; we chose to join the United States.  But we prefer to handle things our way.  If there's a law forbidding something, odds are good that there will be a multitude of Texans upset about it.  Not because we especially want whatever is being banned, but because we don't like anybody telling us what to do.  We prefer to make our decisions on our own, thank you. 

4. Diversity.  Texas was actually named from a Native American word, tejas, which means friends.  Many countries sent colonies to settle in the United States, and a number of them ended up here in Texas.  France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Czechloslavakia--it's a mini-Europe. We also have large Vietnamese, African, and Korean populations to balance things out.  There are people from just about every country on the planet who come to Texas and stay.

5. Geography.  Like mountains? Like arid climates?  Sleep best next to rivers?  Enjoy lots of pine trees?  Prefer the open plain? Enjoy fly fishing?  It's all in Texas.  If you prefer city life, there are cities with impossibly tall skylines and sidewalks full of people.  If you'd rather get as far away from people as possible, there's plenty of room for that, too.

6. Location, location, location.  Yes, it takes an entire 24 hours to drive across the state, but Texas is located in a spot that makes trips to other places easier.  If I want to visit Mexico, it's not that far.  If I head to Memphis, I can be there by the end of the day.  A vacation in Florida is just a hop, skip, and a jump away, as is California.

7. There's always a party somewhere in this state.    We can't help it. Anytime, anywhere, there's a festival or a fair going on some place.  Right now in New Braunfels, they are having Wurstfest.  If there's no festival scheduled, there will be a Taste of the Town, or a Wine Event.  Anytime someone can drink a beer or two is a good thing.  This past weekend there was an event called...Meatopia.  Yes, we even have festivals dedicated to the eating of meat!

8.  It's in the blood.  Texas is one of those places that you either love immediately or you hate it. Those who hate this state leave as soon as they can for parts unknown. If you love this state, however, being a Texan gets in your blood and you cannot even think that you ever wanted to be anywhere else.


What's your state?


Mama’s Losin’ It

4.) List 8 best reasons you love living in your state.

8 comments:

  1. I live in Missouri......the Show Me State and love it....although I will always consider myself a California Girl.

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  2. It does seem like they are big on festivals or occasions. Whenever you see those "big eatin'" type shows on TV, they always go to Texas!

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  3. Disarray!

    No, just kidding. Virginia :-)

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  4. I've never been to Texas, but I've always wanted to visit!

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  5. California is awesome; we have beaches, mountains, red wood forests and you can drive to all in a day.
    We do have smog and crime though, boo

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  6. We had a lot of the same loves about Texas, including #1. It's fun to see what other Texans love about the Lone Star State!

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  7. I'm from Kentucky, which is a fine state to be sure, but my husband has family in Texas and when we've visited it's been hard to leave. It's gorgeous there.

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  8. New York, but Central New York, or Upstate (but the real upstate, not the one an hour north of NYC)

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I welcome comments, but reserve the right to correct your spelling because I am OCD about it!