First of all, I did a terrible job taking pictures. I’m real sorry.
The hard thing about traveling in the summer is that you always end up missing weddings. I missed two that I would have LOVED to go to [three cheers for Mason & Hannah and Adam & Molly!], but Texas was already on my heart [and the flight was already paid for …], so the only marriage I experienced this weekend was between my stomach and legit Mexican food.
Going to visit my bestie Betsy in her hometown was so much fun. For years, our Nash-crowd has heard stories of family, friends, and locations around Wichita Falls, TX, but I was the first to actually see it. I can now confirm that yes, there is such a place and yes, we know people who live there.
Here’s Betsy, me, and her Dad.
What I would like to do now is show you the watercolor portrait of Betsy from when she was 8, but I haven’t exactly asked Betsy if that is okay so I better not. But I want to. But I won’t. But it is awesome. Visiting friends’ parents’ houses is always a win.
Here are my summaries/thoughts/responses from a weekend…..
Let’s start with the thumbs down list.
Stereotypical Texas things I did not see get to see:
I also never heard one person sing “Home on the Range” nor did I see a single Texas Ranger or one sign leading to a Dude Ranch.
Dear Texas, if you’re gonna have stereotypes, I’d like to see them when I visit please.
Now, for the thumbs up list.
Things I got to see but forgot to photograph:
…. that last one is not true. Sorry. But it was very hot in Texas. That is true.
And in the continuing series of crazy colors I paint my nails, I present to you my Dallas Manicure. The picture poorly reflects the sparkle to this color. It’s a purpley-gray glittery thing that looks like something the Little Mermaid would wear.
So of course. I love it.
Obviously, this was also a highlight of the trip. Homemade strawberry shortcake? Very Texas, I think. Very Texas.
And the piece de resistance, my only picture of the Texas prairie land–
I’ll give Texas the benefit of the doubt… there could be a cowboy riding a tumbleweed back there behind those trees. I’ll pretend as such.
Overall, I salute you Texas. What a great weekend with such great friends and lots of laughs and I wish I could do it all over again. Thanks to Betsy and her dear family for hosting me and showing me around!
Now, on this Monday [that is TOTALLY a Monday], I head off to skype with possible roommates in Scotland. Better go put some make-up on… don’t want them to see my natural beauty quite yet. 🙂
Finally, I think this is an important question. I was told that cicadas and locusts are the same bug. Is that a fact? Can someone help me out?
Also, I think this is an important question. How was your weekend?
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You are speaking my love language: TEXAS + Mavs + Strawberry shortcake! 🙂
p.s. A locust is a type of grasshopper, more specifically, a locust is a short horned grasshopper. The cicada is related to the aphid and comes in two varieties; the annual and the periodical cicada.
I want to visit Texas one day. We have friends who lived there for a while and they loved it.
I was going to answer the locust/cicada questions, but Ginger did it very well.
Looks like you had a great time! I finally (!!) got around to planting my garden and did my best not to melt in the sweltering Alabama heat.
It’s WAY too hot for June me thinks.
My weekend was good…we had a nice sunny weekend where it actually made it to the 70’s! (Yes, we had to wait for June before the temp finally reached the 70’s!!)
In addition to the sun, the weekend was filled with Gungor, fellowship, family, food and church!
yes ma’am. at least in my mind, locusts and cicadas are the same thing. 🙂
Glad you had fun in Texas! I’ve always wanted to go to Texas but an opportunity has never arose. I guess someday it will happen!
Feel free to post the pic of me in watercolor.
Or save it for your post about 1990s trendsetters.
Either or.
I live in Texas. The tumbleweeds are in way West Texas, and even those of us that live there don’t believe in them until we see them.
In Texas, we’ve already reached 100 degrees, and some of us are still in school (cough me cough). So I stayed in this weekend.
And Wichita Falls is hotter than any place in Texas. They even have a bike race to declare it.
Annie–
I lived in Texas (Austin) for almost 18 years before getting married & moving to South Florida a few years ago) Yes indeed, breakfast tacos ROCK. I miss them. Next time you go to Texas, if you have time to make it to Austin, I think you’d like it. Fun, fun town! Eclectic, outdoorsy, lots of live music.
Blessings!
Patricia
You cracked me up, girl, with your comments about the tumbbleweed and Texas stereotypes.
Thanks for the description of your nails! My niece Lexi would love your choice of nail polish color. She loves purple and glittery stuff.
You BETTAH NOT have been in Dallas and not called me!
Don’t you worry for a minute…Keely and I will sing home on the range for you tomorrow night at dinner! Keely might even do it with her mouth closed. She has really cool party tricks!
Hmmm…funny thing is I am FROM Wichita Falls, TX!!! My sister just graduated and moved back home there! I cannot believe you went to visit! I knew when I stumbled (possibly tripping over that tumbleweed) onto your blog we were connected in some strange, mystical Texas way 🙂 Glad you liked my home! Now somehow I gotta get outta Tallahasse! 😀
1. Home on the Range, I believe is a Kansas song. At least I think so since we sang it in 4H.
2. As a fellow single girl, sometimes it is okay to miss a few weddings to spend some friend time. I was in a wedding this weekend and got to be the maid of honor to my best friend, Maggie.
When do you leave from Scotland? Are you going to be blogging from there?
Larissa
Annie,
Here is everything that you are never going to want about cicadas. 🙂 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
Texas sounds like a lotta fun!!
And my weekend was fine, thanks for asking. 😀
I came across your blog after searching for “stereotypical Texas things”…mind you, I live in Dallas, Texas but am always amused by how other states view us. I am going to NY to meet my boyfriends family for the first time so I wanted some ideas on ridiculous (yet classy) gifts to get them.
I loved your post and so happy that I managed to randomly come across it!