Texas' state motto is:

FRIENDSHIP!!!!

How true?! Nancy and I absolutely loved being in Texas! The people truly are friendly, especially Kathy who was so incredibly sweet to open her beautiful home to us! Thank you Kathy if you are reading this!!!! (Say hello to Owen Wilson for us!!!! )

So of course, people generally associate Texas with the common phrases "Don't mess with Texas" and "Everything's bigger in Texas"...well I have decided that everything is BETTER in Texas! (Well at least the Dallas Fort Worth area!!!) Nancy and I had a ball there. The charm truly worked and she and I are completely infatuated with Texas' spirit, pride, patriotism, and western ways. She and I had the pleasure of attending one of Fort Worth's rodeos at Stockyards, and then we saw Joe Diffie at Billy Bobs Texas Honky Tonk! The rodeo was so incredibly exciting.

In the words of Garth Brooks:

His eyes are cold and restless

His wounds have almost healed

And she'd give half of Texas

Just to change the way he feels

She knows his love's in Tulsa

She knows he's gonna go

Well it ain't no woman flesh and blood

It's that damned old rodeo

Well it's bulls and blood It's dust and mud

It's the roar of a Sunday crowd

It's the white in his knuckles

The gold in the buckle

He'll win the next go 'round

It's boots and chaps

It's cowboy hats It's spurs and latigo

It's the ropes and the reins

And the joy and the pain

And they call the thing rodeo

She does her best to hold him When his love comes to call

But his need for it controls him And her back's against the wall

And it's "So long girl, I'll see you." When it's time for him to go

You know the woman wants her cowboy

Like he wants his rodeo

Well, it's bulls and blood

It's dust and mud It's the roar of a Sunday crowd

It's the white in the knuckles The gold in the buckle

He'll win the next go 'round It's boots and chaps It's cowboy hats

It's spurs and latigo

It's the ropes and the reins

And the joy and the pain

And they call the thing rodeo

It'll drive a cowboy crazy

It'll drive the man insane

And he'll sell off everything he owns

Just to pay to play her game

And a broken home and some broken bones

Is all he'll have to show For all the years that he spent chasin' This dream they call rodeo

I am in no way exaggerating, but when you experience rodeo...it is beyond words exciting. There is an electric tangible energy that fills the arena. Everyone in the crowd bonds together and you all pull for that cowboy out there who is literally risking his life in order to compete and defy nature's odds.

We are hooked.

Now, I must confess...there was another very exciting/memorable experience that indeed occurred at the rodeo. The announcer called for all of the "single and over 18 women" in the house and I raised Nancy's hand for her faster than she could blink, and thanks to my yelling/whoopin and hollerin, and the announcer's good taste/eyesight he picked Nancy to join five other ladies. The name of the game was DANCE OFF!!! Nancy strutted her stuff down in the rodeo arena and was in the final two! She was blindfolded for part of it, and actually the last girl standing was left all alone in the ring everyone watching...everyone cheering and then the girl took off her blindfold and she was a little lone dancer out there and the joke was on her. So thankfully, Nancy was NOT the last one standing because that would have been exactly the set up. She would have been alone...and standing. It was hilarious! I'm sure she loves me for it even more. Well what are friends for anyways?

The rodeo was incredible and so was Billy Bobs! We were surrounded by lighthearted cowboys and cowgirls all out looking for a fun Friday night. People we dancing and hanging out together listening to the country concert and she and I felt right a home. The only thing we kept saying was we wish so badly that GA and FL had fine establishments like this one. There was food, drinks, dancing, music, a gift shop, games, TVs, everything you can think of, and it was all under one roof.

Fort Worth was so memorable, and we want to go back soon. It was just the fun boost we needed to drive it on back East.