GOD BLESS TEXAS!

Just some fun stuff about Texas:

When you’re from Texas, you meet people who ask questions like, “do you have cows?”  They all want to know if you’ve been to South Fork Ranch (from the TV show, “Dallas”).  Draw an outline of our State, anywhere in the world, and people will immediately recognize it as Texas.

Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down for the local high school football game on Friday nights. Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, hills and prairies.

We have small towns that still live the quiet country lifestyle and huge, progressive metropolitan cities. Each spring when the bluebonnets come out in their full glory, we drive miles and miles reveling in their beauty, while many non-Texans zip down the road, not appreciating the fields of waving blue flowers, mixed in with bright red Indian Paintbrushes.

By Federal Law, Texas can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. flag, because we were a republic before we became a state.

We’re known for our hospitality and our friendliness. People think we exaggerate about everything…we probably do…it’s a genetic thing. But we do it in fun and have fun with it. If you were born in Texas, you’ll always be a Texan…even if you don’t want to be, there’s a little piece of Texas that lives on inside of you.

If you’re a proud mis-placed Texan, you never hesitate to tell people, “I’m from Texas!” For people who have visited our state, they’ve taken a little bit of Texas home with them…even if it’s nothing more than the memory of driving three days to get from one end of the state to the other.

Our state capital is in Austin; our state flower is the Texas Bluebonnet. Our state tree is the pecan and our state bird is the Mockingbird. Our state motto is “friendship,” our state shrine is The Alamo and the State Mascot is…the armadillo (for real).

We are born ‘n raised Texans (5th generation)…and we’re proud of it. Thanks for visiting our store and for spending a “little time in Texas” with us.

And if you want to know what we love about Texas, check out this YouTube site...that's Gary P. Nunn singing "You Ask Me What I Love About Texas..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGukLuXzH1E

This is from our high school friend, Jackie, a school teacher in Fort Worth and who is, of course, a born 'n raised Texan, and like the rest of us,  a very humble Texan.  She wanted to share:

"The Rules of Texas"

1.  Pull your droopy pants up.   You look like an idiot.

2.  Let's get this straight...it's called a "gravel road."  I drive a pickup truck because I want to.  No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your fancy car, so get out of the way.

3.  They are cattle and oil wells.  That's what they smell like to you.  They smell like money to us.  If you don't like the smell, it's helpful to know that I-20 and I-10 go east and west; I-35 goes north and south...please pick one. 

4.  So you have a $60,000 car.  We're impressed.  We have $250,000 cotton strippers that are driven only 3 weeks a year.

5.  So every person in every pickup waves.  It's called being friendly and we hope you understand the concept.

6.  If that cell phone rings while a bunch of doves are coming in, we WILL shoot it out of your hand.  Hopefully, you won't have it up to your ear at that time! 

7.  Yep, we eat catfish and crawfish.  If you really want sushi and caviar, it's available at the corner bait shop.  

8.  The "opener" refers to the first day of deer season.  It's a religious holiday closest to the first of November. 

9.  Texas men open doors for women.  That is applied to all women, regardless of age and appearance.

10. No, there's no "vegetarian special" on the menu.  Order steak.  Or you can order a Chef's Salad and pick off the two pounds of ham and turkey.

11.  When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes:  meats, vegetables and breads.  We use three spices:  salt, pepper and Picante Sauce. Oh yeah, chili was born and bred in San Antonio, and real chili never met a bean.

12.  You bring "coke" into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over lots of ice.  You bring "Mary Jane" into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck and have long hair.

13.  College and high school football is as important here as the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang sight more fun to watch.

14. Yes, we have golf courses.  But don't hit the water hazards...it spooks the fish.

15.  Colleges? Try Texas A&M University, Texas Tech, the University of Texas (or any other one in our state).  They come outta there with an education, plus a love for God and country and they still wave at passing pickups when they come home for the holidays.

16.  We have more folks in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines than any other state.  So "Don't Mess with Texas."  If you do, you will get whupped by the best.

17.  Always remember what our great Governor, Sam Houston, once said:  "Texas can make it without the United States, but the United States can't make it without Texas!"

From our friend, Carolyn, (who we think we've known since we were 5-6 years old)...."things you need to know about living in Texas"....

1.   A possum (or an armadillo) is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

31. "All y'all" is more than one person.

32. You understand these jokes

We know you'll enjoy this delightful YouTube Video about Texas....and if you're a mis-placed Texan, it'll probably make you homesick!  And if you're not a Texan, well, just sit back and enjoy....let Gary P. Nunn tell you why he loves Texas!

Http://www.youtube.com/v/scjb_f95diA

Texans in Heaven

Gabriel went to the Lord and said, "I have to talk to you. We have some Texans up here who are causing problems…they're swinging on the Pearly Gates, my horn is missing, and they are wearing T-shirts instead of their robes.

There's barbecue sauce and Picante sauce all over everything, especially their T-shirts; their dogs are riding in the chariots and chasing the sheep; they are wearing baseball caps and cowboy hats instead of their halos.

They refuse to keep the stairway to Heaven clean, and their boots are marking and scuffing up the halls of Wisdom. There are watermelon seeds and tortilla chip crumbs all over the place. Some of them are walking around with just one wing; and they insist on bringing their horses with them."

The Lord said, "Texans are Texans, Gabriel. Heaven is home to all of my children. If you want to know about real problems, call the Devil."

So Gabriel calls the Devil who answers the phone and says, "Hello---hold on a minute."

When he returns to the phone the Devil says, "O.K., I'm back. What can I do for you? “

Gabriel replied, "I just want to know what kind of problems you are having down there with the Texans."

The Devil said, "Hold on again. I need to check on something."

After about 5 minutes the Devil returned to the phone and said. "I'm back. Now what was the question?"

Gabriel said, "What kind of problems are you having down there with the Texans?"

The Devil said, "Man, I don't believe this...hold on."

This time the Devil was gone 15 minutes and when he returns he says, "I'm sorry, Gabriel, I can't talk right now. Those Texans have put out the fire and are trying to install air conditioning..."

From our friend, Jutta...

Have you ever looked at a map of the world? Look at Texas with me just for a second. That picture, with the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast , and the Red River and the Rio Grande is as much a part of you as anything ever will be. As soon as anyone anywhere in the world looks at it they know what it is. It's Texas . Pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt and he'll know what it is. What happens if I show you a picture of any other state? You might get it maybe after a second or two, but who else would? And even if you do, does it ever stir any feelings in you?

In every man, woman and child on this planet, there is a person who wishes just once he could be a real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride off in a pickup. There is a little bit of Texas in everyone.

Texas is the Alamo . Texas is 183 men standing in a church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and die for the cause of freedom.

We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and James Bowie and Davy Crockett, and do you know why? Because those men saw a line in the sand and they decided to cross it and be heroes.

John Wayne paid to do the movie himself . That is the Spirit of Texas.

Texas is Sam Houston capturing Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana at San Jacinto.

Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett and Sam Houston National Forests.

Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend.

Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country.  Texas is floating the rivers of the Hill Country on a hot summer day!

Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas.  Texas is beaches you can drive on and have many memorable bon-fires with your friends and family. 

 Texas is that warm feeling you get when someone asks where you're from.

Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas.

Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork.

Texas is Mexican foods like nowhere else, not even Mexico.  Texas is chicken fried steak and world famous Bar-B-Que!

Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards, Bass Hall, the Ballpark in Arlington and the Astrodome. (guess now the Reliant Stadium too).

Texas is larger-than-life legends like Michael DeBakey, Ann Richards, Denton Cooley, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, Gene Autry, Audie Murphy, Tommy Lee Jones, Waylon Jennings, Farrah Fawcet, Janis Joplin, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Landry, Eva Longoria, Darrell Royal, ZZ Top, Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Sam Rayburn, Howard Hughes, George H. W. Bush, Lyndon B. Johnson, and let's not forget GEORGE STRAIT, the Big Bopper, Tex Ritter, George Jones, Clay Walker, Mark Chestnut, to name ONLY a few.

Texas is great companies like Dell Computer, Texas Instruments, EDS and Compaq, Whataburger, Southwest Airlines, Bell Helicopter and LOCKHEED MARTIN AEROSPACE, Home of the F-16 Jet Fighter and the JSF Fighter, Valero.

Texas is NASA.

Texas is huge herds of cattle, beautiful horses and miles of crops, and is home to the world famous King Ranch and Y.O. Ranch.

Texas is home to the most amazing sunsets of gold over an empty field.

Texas is hundreds of deer running around neighborhoods and fields.

Texas is skies blackened with doves and fields full of deer.

Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the local high school football game on Friday nights and for the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and for the night In Old San Antonio River Parade in San Antonio.

To drive across Texas is to drive 1/3 the way across the United States. 

Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies, and modern cities.

If it isn't already in Texas, you probably don't need it.

No one does anything bigger or better than it's done in Texas.

Texas is the only state that was a Republic before it became a state.

Also, being a Texan is as high as being an American down here. Our capitol is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building in Washington , D.C. And we can divide our state into five states at any time if we wanted to!  We can become a republic again if the voters of Texas choose, and we included these things as part of the deal when we joined the union.That's the best part, right there.

Texas even has its own power grid!! And did we mention we're the Live Music Capitol of the World? 

From our friend, Suzy Arnold: THINGS WE BORN 'N RAISED TEXANS LEARN:

Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in Texas.

There are 10,000 types of spiders.  All 10,000 live in Texas, plus a couple no one's seen before.

If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

'Twiced' is a word.

People actually grow and eat okra.

Big Red originated in Waco, Texas.

'Fixinto' is one word.

There is no such thing as 'lunch.'  There is only dinner and then supper.

Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two.  We do like a little tea with our sugar!

'Backwards and forwards' means I know everything about you!

Djeet is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?'

You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.

You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.

You measure distance in hours.  Like it's 6 hours from Houston to Dallas.

You'll probably have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.

'Fix' is a verb.  Example: 'I'm fixing to go to the store.'

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

Yes, Friday night high school football games is serious football!

You carry jumper cables in your car...for your OWN car.

There are only four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.

The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.

100 degrees Fahrenheit is 'a little warm.'

We have four seasons:  Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.

Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as 'goin' to Wally-World.'

A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-bean weather.

A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop.....it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor.  Example:  'What kind a coke you want?'

Fried catfish is the other white meat.

We don't need no stinking driver's ed....if our mama says we can drive, we can drive.

If you understand these jokes please forward them to your friends from Texas (and those who just wish they were).

EVERYONE can't be from Texas.  You might say it's a gift from God!

And the most important thing we learn growing up in TEXAS is...IN GOD WE TRUST

"Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word. A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner."  John Steinbeck