City Girl vs Country Girl

This weekend was an eye opener for me. I have always fancied myself (yes I used the word "fancied") a country girl. I love all things country. Music, the land, horses and livestock, and I'm most at home in a pair of jeans and tank top. I like to rock the occasional cowboy hat but give me a baseball cap and I'm good. I love to hunt and go four wheeling in the mud and I think my truck can overcome any obstacle or climb anywhere. And, Hello! Lets not forget where I went to college. Texas A&M is hardly a "city" school. I used to drive the long way to the health club where I worked, just so I could drive past Fiddler's Green where Parson's Mounted Cavalry kept the horses. I'm not sure if I thought a Cav guy would stop me and ask me to ride a horse or what, but I loved to drive past those horses. And if the guys were out on the horses, forget it. I had to stop myself from pulling over and watching or pulling over and going up to the fence to "commune" with the animals. I would love to own some land and spend my days shoveling hay and riding my horse across the wide plains. [Yes I realize this is hard work and perhaps I have glorified it but it does my heart well to be outside and with animals. Land and the ocean has that effect on me] I had a good friend in college who took us to his friend's farm a few times. And more than a few times I had to be talked out of hugging the cows. For some reason, I always wanted to hug a cow and couldn't understand why they wouldn't want me to hug them.
So back to my weekend adventures. I packed the Hummer with scrapbook supplies and Emma supplies (forgot wipes and had to turn around and go back home for the big tub-o-wipes) and headed to Bellville for a day of scrapping with friends. [note: once there, I was more interested in what everyone else was doing and chatting with them and I think the only thing I did was to stamp the word "meeting" on one page. Not very productive and now I have about 5 bags to unpack into the scrapbook room. Whatever. LOL]
So on my way to Bellville, I had to pass through Sealy, TX. Home of the Fighting Tigers and football state champions in 1997, 1998, and 1999, according to the side of one of the buildings on Main Street.

I almost ran over three men crossing highway 36 just as slow as you please on Saturday. I couldn't imagine what was worth crossing the highway for and then I saw the massive parking lot. FULL of trucks and trailers and people everywhere. People, I had found the Sealy Stockyards. Remember my desire to hug a cow? haha. Here was a gathering place for, I assume, livestock auctions, tractor purchases, and a general good time to be had by all. If I hadn't had Emma and been on my way to scrap, I might have stopped. OK, so I wouldn't have stopped, I'd have been too embarrassed, but I was curious to see if there were cows to hug! After making my way past the stockyards, I came to yet another "different" sight for me. The All Around Cowboy Church. I kid you not. A cowboy church. I believe their tag line is "Worshipping God Western Style". I am immediately flooded with images of spurs and those bolo ties and pearl buttons and folks in their Sunday best yee-hawing their way into God's heart. I couldn't help it. That's what came to mind. I love the idea of living on wide open land and being surrounded by animals and children. But these few things that I saw this weekend - a slower and simpler lifestyle made me realize that, unfortunately, perhaps I am just a city girl whose heart belongs in the country.