Friday, June 13, 2014

Five Things From This Transplanted Texan [And the Luckiest Sale!]

This isn't the first time I've lived outside of my home state of Texas.  I lived in Baumholder, Germany from 2001-2003, and my very first trip to the Commissary was one that I will always remember.  It was a culture shock beyond belief!


I needed milk; there was no Borden or Oak Farms brand milk; we got U.S. Forces milk (I'm not kidding, see above).  I needed bread; there was no Mrs. Baird's and no ButterKrust.  It was when I went to the ice cream aisle and found that there was no Blue Bell ice cream that I lost it.  I put my face in my hands and bawled my blue eyes out.  All my husband (at the time) could do was hug me and tell me that it was going to be okay.  This was after we had walked what had to be nearly two miles in a blizzard, so needless to say, I was a bit overwhelmed.

Fast forward to last week:  Harry and I were out on the back deck enjoying some steak tacos and a couple of brews (I, with my Shiner Bock).  As the sky began to get darker, Harry noted that he wished he could see more of the stars peppering the evening sky.  I mentioned that the stars are visible just about everywhere in Texas, but especially in the Hill Country.  We aren't kidding when we sing "The stars at niiiiiiiiiiight are big and briiiiiiiiiiight *clap clap clap clap* deep in the heaaaaaaaaaart of Texaaaaaaaaaaaaas"!

Then the other night several friends posted this article on Facebook.  I HAD to read it, not feeling "displaced" by any means, but a bit homesick, for sure.


Yes, we love our football in Texas; in fact, I've been slightly confused by the participation of boys in volleyball here in Illinois.  "...but girls play volleyball!"  We love our food, beer, and beer salt (I've never called it "lime salt", but okay).  I am confused when places don't have breakfast tacos, but breakfast burritos (I still haven't had one), and I have yet to see any kolaches up here.  Calling every soda "Coke" isn't just a Texas thing, but we're very proud that we do it.

Here are five things that I miss most about my home state!

I miss the rodeo.  
Rodeo isn't just big in Texas; it's enormous in many other states (AR, OK, MT, NM, etc.).  However, it doesn't appear to be a thing in Illinois.

Let's Rodeo, San Antonio!
I miss tOObin'!
Can I get a creek or river to throw a tube in and float around for a while?  PLEASE?


I do miss seeing the big and bright stars.
Harry and I *think* we saw a few stars the other night, but a couple were moving, so there's that.

Source

I miss people waving...at perfect strangers.



This isn't just a runner thing, either. I haven't even gotten a wave-back from fellow Jeep owners!  That'd be against the law in Texas.  o.O


One thing I will forever miss is Blue Bell ice cream.
It's what I was raised on.  It's a treasure.  It's so good that they offer sending it to you from their website.  I nearly did this for a friend a few years ago, but it costs a pretty penny!  We love our beloved Josi's Frozen Yogurt, but nothing can top that creamy, homemade taste of Blue Bell.




Now, I've been lucky enough to have visited Texas several times since moving here last year.  I've gotten my fill of (what I'll refer to as *TEXAS*) Tex-Mex, BBQ, and Blue Bell ice cream, and of course, my KINFOLK.  Bless.  <):)
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There's still time to start training for either distance!  Please e-mail me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

2 comments:

  1. I just signed up for Zooma Chicago. I've said it before and I will say it again: I am bitter that they never responded to my application to be an ambassador.
    But I got over myself in the name of swag. And a race that is less than $100 (now)
    I miss Publix ice cream and their bakery and their subs. Good Lord I do.
    I so agree, I also miss the waving at unknown people just for the heck of it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Common Ground in Connecticut. We do tOObin here too, and ours has a scary name "Satans Kingdom State Recreation Area" Yep, no joke. Come to think of it we have alot of witchy names for things around here. We do the wavin thing too, but its a territorial thing.... saved for locals/neighborly, once your out of your 25mile radius...all wavin is shut off. weird huh?

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