Wednesday, January 6, 2010

the lonestar state



after watching my favorite fat people on the biggest loser last night (i'm obsessed with this show, for reals), i realized that the other 49 states in the union have been given yet another great impression of my state based on a couple from a small town in texas.  i love my state, i do.  and i guess you could say i'm proud to be a texan.  we do have amazing football.  and i love when the rodeo comes to houston.  and we do have the greatest poker game ever - texas hold 'em, duh.  but while i love my state, there are some stereotypes i wish would go away and i wish certain texans would quit perpetuating such stereotypes.

not everyone from texas likes country music.  i, for one, am not entirely crazy about country music.  and i'm not a cowgirl, though i do own a few pairs of sexy cowgirl boots.  i'm not into cowboys and i don't ride a horse to work.  i was seriously asked this question a couple of years ago when i was in D.C. at the capitol.  i looked at the guy (most likely a legislative aide or intern) and said, oh, you've got to be effing kidding me. no, i don't ride horses, but i do know how to shoot a shotgun.  actually that's a lie.  i mean the guy did ask me that, and i did answer that exact way.  i'm lying about shooting a shotgun.  i think i would break my shoulder.   plus, i can't kill an animal.  i can hardly fish.  i'm a first-born texan.  my dad's not even american, and my mom is american but she wasn't born in the states.  i don't talk with a particularly southern or texas accent.  in fact, most texans i know don't have accents. 

oh, and just so we don't go perpetuating any more stereotypes, i'll leave you all with these rare little gems of me doing texas-y things...


{i'm petting a horse.  hesitantly.  in a field. at one of my real life bestie's (sara) parents' house in ft. worth, tx.}



{gotta love cowboy boots}



{at the houston rodeo with huge texans football boots.}


{these pretty boots were made for walkin'...}


{me with police horses midnight and buttercup.  i was at a jimmy buffet concert because i couldn't turn down free tickets.  by the looks of the giant smile on my face, it was apparently 5 o'clock somewhere.  oh, and rockin' an officer's hat, of course.}

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOVE it!! I feel the same way about the music thing....just because I live 2 hours from Nashville does NOT mean I have to love country, right?! {haha} Hope your having a great day and Texas is definitely one state I want to visit! xoxo

SurferWife said...

Ok, so I'm not sure I believe you don't have an accent. Everyone I know claims to not have their regions accent and they always do. Prove it, lady.

Kelly @ turned UP to ELEVEN! said...

It's so funny how people claim to KNOW a person based on the state and stereotypes of said state they are from! I am from Maryland born and raised. I currently live in Northern Alabama. Everyone here claims to think they know me... I am to them a fast talking Yankee.... note: Maryland is below the Mason Dixon line and therefore able to choose which side they wanted to take in "the war" - which apparently never died here.... bottom line I would be a Yankee through and through. What's even funnier is going home to visit and getting carded in Maryland. EVERYONE that checks my ID says one of two things "AH, SWEET HOME ALABAMA!" that never gets old... but the worse one is "OH DANG, ALABAMA" <~ Said with a very think redneckish southern accent... really? I had higher hopes for Maryland being open minded but it doesn't seem so.

Annie said...

i'm obsessed with biggest loser as well!!
i love country music! i guess it's okay if you don't ;)
super cute pictures of you hun!!
have a great day! XO

jessalyn said...

i missed biggest loser. i am more interested in shows about people who are too thin (i.e. intervention with anorexics) or people who are so fat they need a wall removed to get them out.

you are wicked hot (yes, that would be my new englander talk- "wicked"), and i am not sure i can handle being your chubby, less cute friend.

and i only have a boston accent when i am drunk. why? do not know.

{andthisiswhatshesaid} said...

So cute. Loving this.

Bathwater said...

I don't know you still haven't convinced me. They call them stereotypes for a reason! You do look comfortable in that hat in the last picture!

Aunt Juicebox said...

I was born in Houston but we spent a lot of time in Galveston when I was a baby, and I've been wanting to go back to visit. It's a long drive though, and my husband HATES hot weather. Plus, no Disneyworld, so I haven't made the time to do it. You're making me wish I did.

Candice said...

Thank you!! Being a Texas I can totally relate to the stupid questions non-Texans ask. I was once asked if my Daddy owned an oil rig. I shit you not. I was like WTF, my Dad isn't JR Euwing!

I love all of your pictures!

bananas. said...

dude...give me your arms NOW!!!

ps.. just in case you're wondering i did read your post and i believe you. i have my stereotypes but you never looked "texan" to me so it did not apply to you ;)

pps. no but seriously how are your arms so FIT?!?!

Sierra said...

Stopping on over from Megan's blog - I'm from UT originally so I have to deal with the stereotypes there, so I know how you feel. I would love to visit Texas sometime, I would love to ride a horse! I think that's fantastic. Great blog sweetie!

Ed & Jeanne said...

Come on now...we know all Texans listen to ZZ Top...

Deb said...

-->I've been to Texas once (Houston and then on to College Station for football) and Everything IS bigger in Texas. Seriously. :-)

~deb
www.WebSavvyMom.com

Unknown said...

Sorry, I'm probably one of those Texans who is perpetuating the stereotype. I grew up in South Texas on a cattle ranch and could ride before I could walk. I prefer boots to sneakers, love country music and sound horrifyingly like Paula Deen.

meredith said...

short southern momma - you probably get the country music thing even more in TN than we do here in texas!

monique - like i said. don't make me call you.

kelly - uh oh. i think i have some pretty bad stereotypes of folks from alabama. when i went to gulf shores, i saw confederate flags EVERYWHERE. the war apparently isn't over there!

annie - we have BL is common. that's more than good enough for me!

jessalyn - i need to hear this boston accent.

bathwater - what can i say? i love to play dress-up.

aunt juicebox - you should check out houston again. if you come in the summer, just be prepared for 100 degree temps and 100% humidity.

candice - i totally pegged you for the oil rig family type. damn.

bananas - my arms must be a texan thing.

ocean dreams - i'm SO glad you stopped by!

ve - okay, okay. maybe a little zz...

michelle - sweet little paula deen! then i bet you're a damn good cook! for seven kiddos, you must be!

Unknown said...

Very cute post! I hate country music, too. but I'm from Louisiana. I know all about the bad stereotypes. I live in Kansas now and I'm proud to say no one ever accuses me of having a NOLA accent (a very good thing). But Texas people are different. I bet you have a twang. I wouldn't mind some of your boots, though!!!

courtney said...

I kinda feel bad for Texas. It gets a lot of shit. Personally it seems like a nice state to me but I have only briefly driven through it when I was 5 (I wasn't driving, just in the car) but I have always wanted to visit.

The Undomestic Mom said...

Oh girl Im from Texas too...now my hubs is pretty stinking country (carries a gun on his hip everywhere he goes, wears cowboy boots everyday of the week...except when hes at work then hes in a suit and tie-ha) Anyways hes is country because he grew up on a farm in Illinois! Im not country at all though (born and raised Texan)--I have never shot a gun or rode a horse to work (I get asked all the time too) I do have a major southern accent though! Oh and the Houston Rodeo is the best!

Meagan said...

Thanks for following! That was a lame post to convert you but whatevs. I started watching the biggest loser because there was nothing else on! It made my hubby hungry and he had some cookies.

Bathwater said...

now that I look at the pics again Mayra (bananas) is right your arms do rock. Fit arms look so good on a girl too.

Not bulky or muscular just fit. All girls should have your arms ;)

xoxoKrysten said...

I've only been to Texas once and it was only for a day but I really liked it. I'd definitely go again, this time for a longer stay. It's definitely different from WI, which is always a good thing!

Lauren @The Little Things We Do.... said...

ha! i've always wanted to go to austin. i've heard people say the atmosphere is a lot like portland and i love it here, so i'm guessing i'd love it there....except probably better because it's actually warm. that would be awesome.

and i can't believe that guy seriously asked if you ride a horse. what a stupid thing to assume.

ScoMan said...

I get the country music thing too. I hate stereotypes. And it's strange because there must be a basis for the stereotypes, but so few people are the stereotype.

It's everyone in Hollywood's fault. They're always marketing stereotypes to sell their movies. Bastards.

Unknown said...

The Jimmy Buffet concert pic is amazing. LOVE the hat.

Shandal said...

Shoot... I've always wanted to move to Texas so that I can have a cool accent. I still love you though even though you don't have one.
P.S. You have some killer arms girl!

Anonymous said...

People think similar things about people who live in Tennessee. I use proper grammar, have all of my teeth and don't own cowboy boots. Unfortunately, I do have an accent.