God Bless Texas

A debate ensued about how to start this entry.  Sean, not being a true blooded Texan, suggested it start as follows:  There are so many great things about California, so instead of listing them all, we wrote what we miss about Texas. 


Now, I disagree.  As a native Texan, I feel like that would imply that California has more to offer than Texas, which is obviously incorrect.  Therefore, this list is things we miss about Texas but in no way implies that California is better than Texas.  (Although I do feel a little bit traitorous about how much I am loving San Diego) 

Things Sean and I Love About Texas

0) It's big!  Although California apparently is too.  Did you know that all the major cities in California are not close together and that San Diego is close to Mexico?  (Sean would like to note that he knew that already)


1) Wide open spaces (Isn't there a Dixie Chicks song about that?).  We love that in Texas it only takes twenty minutes (at most) to be in the country surrounded by nature.  While it is also possible to drive out to the country here in San Diego, it takes longer than that to leave civilization behind.


2) Texas BBQ...I refuse to try BBQ here because I already know it isn't going to be as good as Texas's.  I've seen signs for California BBQ, Hawaiian BBQ, etc.  I miss the sausage, potato salad, apple cobbler, brisket, baked beans...Now I'm making myself hungry!


3)  Cowboy hats and cowboy boots and the stores that sell cowboy hats and cowboy boots.  It's not like I need another hat nor boots at the moment, but it was nice that I knew where to go when I someday would.


4) Breakfast tacos.  No where else does breakfast tacos like Texas.  No one in Texas does breakfast tacos like Taco Taco in San Antonio.


5) Festivals, fairs, and rodeos.  Large plates of homemade potato chips, Frito pie, and margaritas.  Petting zoos, music acts, and lots of people watching (large people, small people, tall people, larger people, weird people...).


6) Dance halls, honky tonks, and saloons where people partner dance instead of doing lame line dances.  (Sean wanted it to read: "suck ass line dances").  We went to In Cahoots, the only honky tonk in San Diego, and while it was a nice reminder of home, we didn't get to dance very much because of the overwhelming line dancing.  When line dancing wasn't going on, rap music was played, and, on a couple occasions, there was line dancing to the rap music.  


7) The ocean...wait, that's actually better here in California!  It IS really nice that Texas has access to the ocean.


8) Texas twangs and idioms.  Example:  "You might better slow that train on down."


9) The full line of Shiner beers, not just Shiner Bock.  This is totally Sean's since I could care less about beer.  [We can get Shiner Bock and Shiner Blonde at Ralph's sometimes, but I want Shiner Hefeweizen--Sean]


10) Y'all.  I miss being surrounded by people using the word y'all instead of being the oddity who says it, drawing laughs from friends and students.  Y'all's is almost even better than y'all, although my iPhone doesn't recognize y'all's although it does y'all.  


11) The Czech Stop.  We tried not to mention another food since reading through our list a lot of entries are food-related, so we compromised by listing the Czech Stop which sells more than just food.  The reason it gets mentioned though is because it sells such amazing kolaches for a ridiculously cheap price.  It doesn't even matter than you have to sit outside on the cement to eat them.


12) Texas Country on the radio.  No Pat Green or "God Bless Texas".  Nothing!


13) H.E.B.  A grocery store named after someone with the last name of Butt!  Everything at one place for a cheap price including school supplies and reasonably priced medicines!  Every time we have to go to Trader Joe's, Ralphs, and Henry's to get all our groceries for the week, it makes us long for H.E.B.


14) Living in the largest state in continental United States.  Stupid Alaska.


15) And more.


"You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas."--Davy Crockett