After returning from a week long sabbatical in the beautiful Bahamas, I have come to the conclusion I MUST be part Bahamian. I was thinking really hard about this – sitting on the beach, check; eating yummy food, check; dancing randomly to steel drums, check; burning to a crisp, check; running up and down the shoreline in slow motion wearing a g-string bikini…umm, not quite. Phil and I had the best time escaping reality and celebrating our 10 years of marriage. I was really bummed when I returned home because no one was picking up the towels I kept leaving on the floor, and when I came to bed at night, there was no elephant folded from freshly washed white towels 
or chocolates on my pillow. As much as I loved the Bahamas, I must say, I am dang proud to be a Texan. You meet so many interesting people when traveling, and so many international people. It was very refreshing, yet, made me love my yellow rose state even more…and here are the top 5 reasons why.
1. Salsa – the oh-so-good staple of the Lone Star State is not as widely available abroad. One morning I ordered an omelet and asked for a side of salsa. The waiter curiously looked at me with crooked eyebrows…salsa??? “You mean, Tabasco?” he asked. So here I went into a novel long epilogue describing salsa to this man. “Chopped tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, onions, and it’s all blended up together? You know, you eat it with chips?” I said this with an anxious response, fearing he was not going to have any. He looked at me again like a curious puppy, and then dashed away to the kitchen – I have a clear picture in my mind of what that conversation looked like with the chef, lol – and surely, my sweet Philippino waiter came to the rescue. He brought the bowl of deliciousness to my table and asked “is this what you call salsa?” YES! I proclaimed, and so my anxiety was relieved and this man was schooled on salsa.
2. Country Music – walking through the airport in Texas, sounds of homestyle fiddle playing fill the air. You don’t really notice it until it’s gone. About 3 days into our vacation, I realized I hadn’t heard any country music since leaving home. Don’t get me wrong, I love steel drums and island music, but I did miss my twangy ballads.
3. Manners – you know you’re not in Texas anymore Toto when men stop opening doors and people stop saying thank you. And can someone please teach a class in elevator etiquette? Phil and I must have seemed like softened fair flowers among hardened thistles.
4. Family – I’m not talking about “blood” family, rather the Tejas family. You can spot a person from Texas miles away, even in a faraway land, and instantly you are connected. You may not have anything in common, may speak two different languages, but as soon as you know each other is from Texas…you’re family. There was another couple on our cruise that was also from Texas. Oddly enough, our two families were the only ones in a room of about 200 people to get pointed out in the comedy show. Large, loud, and Texas proud!
5. Boots – Is it stereotypical to say that everyone in Texas wears boots? Yeah, probably, but it has so much truth to it. No one can appreciate a pair of hand-stitched ostrich leather boots with hand tooling like a Texan. Just the smell of broken in leather makes me feel at home. When you’re in Texas, people wear boots year ‘round. With shorts, pants, skirts, and sweaters, boots are just as common here as the quintessential flip-flop. From gangstas to rockers, every Texan needs a good trusty pair of Tony Llamas or Old Gringos.
