Elaine, wife, mommy to three, amateur (and also awesome) photographer has been writing her blog, The Miss Elaine-ous Life since 2006. In blogging years that’s an eternity! I am lucky to have her here today.
Elaine misses the Lone Star state and hopes to return some day, until then, she’s written the great state of Texas a letter in hopes that she won’t soon be forgotten.
Dear Texas,
I saw you recently and you looked pretty good. You continue to grow like crazy. People really do love you.
And I love you too but I have to let you know that I do feel like I have been cheating on you a little bit.
And I am sorry.
You will always be my first love. I mean, I found my way to you when I was just a baby and all of the major milestones in my life happened with you (well except the last one, the birth of my own baby girl… sorry about that, it was out of my control).
But here’s the thing. It has been almost 4 years since I have left you (!!!) and although I have made frequent visits back to see you, things just aren’t the same.
Last time I was in Dallas I could barely navigate the getting-even-bigger-and-bigger freeways. I mean here in Louisiana (at least in Lafayette) I call the mall (that is 7 minutes away) “The other side of town”. The only reasons I even get on the highway are to go to Baton Rouge or to come see you.
Oh and one of the last times I was there you burned down Big Tex. What is up with that?!?!
I am not trying to sound rude but I have to say, Louisiana has been pretty good to me. I have made some wonderful friends. (I know, I know, I have great friends in you too, Texas, trust me I know!). My children have made good friends. We have experienced different food, a different vernacular and different culture.
The weather here is actually pretty good despite the few months of MAJOR humidity (c’mon, you have your fair share of that too…) But it rains a lot so there is no fear of drought and the winters are not too cold.
The people (for the most part) are kind and friendly and willing to give you a smile when you pass them.
And I have two words for you, (okay kinda three, and they are all French, not Spanish, so I hope you understand): Beignets and Café au Lait.
I know, you have chicken fried steak and awesome salsa. Oh and Margaritas… mmmmm…
You have a lot to offer and I miss much of it, I do.
But I have to say, I gave LA a bad rap before we moved here and it just wasn’t fair. It’s really not that bad after all.
I do wish that we will be back together someday though… After all, our families are there and I can only do without Chuy’s and Uncle Julio’s on a regular basis for so long.
So, save me a pretty house on some land where I can plant a nice veggie garden and raise my own chickens, that’s not too far “from town”, deal?
Deal.
I love you, Texas, but we just cannot be together right now.
Hope to see you soon…
ALWAYS Yours,
Elaine
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You know, I bought that shirt and it came in today and I am wearing it right NOW!
Obviously my guilt has reached new levels… 😉
Thanks for hosting me here, Tonya!
MUST HAVE T-SHIRT!!!! Love it. I enjoyed this post, as a relatively new Texan.
Thanks Kristin! Have you ordered your shirt yet…? ;-P
Sounds like you really love Texas. I’m sure Texas loves you right back!!
I do, it’s my true home. And yes, it DOES! 😉
Aw, I felt that way about KS while I was in AR for school. And it sounds like LA is treating you well! 🙂
It is Greta, I cannot complain, but Texas has my heart. 🙂
I have heard Texas is a State Of Mind. This confirms it! I have heard about Uncle Julio’s before. I’m making a mental note to try in person should I find myself in Texas!
Don’t leave without having a margarita (or two), Julia!! 😉
I’ve been to New Orleans a few times…but never anywhere in Texas! At all. Of course I’d love to go. And see the BIGNESS of everything there. That’s how I think of Texas: BIG. Elaine, let’s go and enjoy a few margaritas. Sound good? I can hold my own 😉
Everything’s bigger in Texas baby!
C’mon, Sarah, let’s go! I’ll take you to Austin, you will LOVE it! 😀
Well you know… if you lived in my part of Texas you could have the best of both worlds. Just sayin’.
You know, I really don’t think I could live in South Texas. But never say never, right? 😉
South EAST Texas. Sheesh. 😉
This is awesome. Everybody has a special place in their heart for their original place they called “home”..
That is SO true, Kim. 🙂
Love the loyalty. 🙂 So great to have a place like that to call home.
It is. And it is a REALLY great place, for SO many reasons! 🙂
This made me smile. You somehow ended up in relationships with two states with such beautifully loyal residents and their own identities. Both are lucky to have you 🙂
Angela, your comment makes me think of my mother and the fact that she lived in California for 9 years and missed it SO badly when she first left. But she is a native Texan so her heart was always there but Cali has a piece of her heart too. 🙂
And thank you… 🙂
Hmmm… TexMex or beignetset café au lait
That is a really hard one!!
Extremely hard. Luckily I found a place here that has pretty good TexMex. But it is still not the same!!
Ha! Perfect. I can’t imagine leaving Texas, but I definitely know the feeling of things being different. Dallas has never been the same to me since I left, although there we only got on the highway to go somewhere “far,” and here in Austin we get on the highway to go practically anywhere. So weird.
It’s funny, Leigh Ann, when I lived in Arlington, I could never imagine leaving there. I loved it so much. But now, after living in a much smaller city/area I am happy and WHEN I do move back to Texas I really don’t care to be in that populated of an area. And yeah, the roads in Austin are all kinds of crazy!
Is it weird that Sandy from Spongebob is totally in my mind saying Teeeeeexas right now? No? Good.