Not so far from home after all...

The theme of this past labor day weekend can be credited to my new friend Molly and her boyfriend Pat Wheeler. See, he gave her this t-shirt that said, "Shootin' Deers and Drinking Beers." I've never felt so close to home. 

I'm from a real small town. And well, a part of me wants to believe that one has many options to express themselves and show the world their true personality. Whether you choose to die your hair blue or wear pants 3 sizes too big, you know who you are and can be who you want to be. It just seems that everyone who surrounded me growing up only knew how to wear camouflage, old blue jeans, and shirts with witty comments such as the one stated above.

Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with supporting John Deere or Carharts. I'm simply trying to point out that western New York and Texas aren't so different.

With that being said, Andrew and I spent the holiday at the Wheeler Ranch surrounded by 3,000 acres of beautiful Texas wilderness. Roaming around the property in their assortment of gators and hummers reminded me of how we used to do the same as kids on four-wheelers and snow mobiles. We also swam in the lake, tried out stand up paddle boards, and kayaks. We spent a lot of time in their natural spring, with water so clean and pure you could drink it by the handful. We ate barbecue drank beers in their giant barn. And most importantly, we shot us some guns! Now I'm not talking about any sissy guns. I'm talking about M-16s and hand guns galore, with enough ammo and targets to supply a training camp.

You could say I would have made my daddy proud out there. But I was more proud of my New York country girl roots, even if I am in Texas.