TEXAS

I usually keep my ipod on shuffle when I'm driving. I do this because A. I'm to lazy to be bothered with figuring out exactly what I want to listen to and B. because live is just that much more amusing when one hears Chopin, The Deftones, Raffi, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs back to back.

A few weeks ago, this song popped up on the tune box (YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS SONG AT LEAST ONCE WHILE YOU READ THIS):




Now, Bowling for Soup is not a band that I would say that I really like so much. It's just kind of fun to listen to when I'm feeling nostalgic for my sophomore year of high school. It's kind of a Warped Tour wannabe punk teenager sort of a band.

That said, as the song was pumping through my speakers, tears began pumping from my eyes! Not because I'm that nostalgic for high school, because really? Really. Turns out, this has happened more than once.Why?   HOLY COW I MISS TEXAS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I've been thinking lots about all of the things that I love about Texas and I thought I'd share an incomplete list with you.
So in not really any particular order:

• The University of Texas. Hook 'em Horns!!!!
• bluebonnets
• REAL barbecue
• Barton Springs
• Big Sky
• Austin City Limits Music Festival
• mexican free-tailed bats  (all three million of them under the Congress St. bridge)
• mexican food (We tried Vermont's version of this once.  It wasn't even laughable.)
• mexicans
• Summer is hot like it should be!
• I love Dove Pool
• The Whole Foods company headquarters (conveniently located a block from Bryant's old apartment.)
• Pools, pools, pools, and more pools
• The Comal River
• Freebirds
• Amy's Ice Cream (Darth Chocolate Ice Cream?  I'd almost eat it just for the name!)
• Snow Cones (apparently they don't exist in New England?  You'd think with all the snow it might occur to someone up here?)
• Not wearing a jacket until November-ish
• Southern accents (Bahston accent?  Naht pretty.)
• Dental hygienists who overdo it on the eye makeup
• Fifty year old women who overdo it on everything
• The I-35 corridor (really?)
• Bluebell
• Two-stepping
• cowboy boots
• The Keller bike path
• Clint Small Jr. Middle School
• H-E-B
• The Zilker kite festival
• Deep fried __________
• Texas culture

I could, of course, go on, but I'm starting to get choked up again.  Don't mess with Texas, folks.  For realsies. \m/