A True Texan

Tonight, we were invited to eat dinner with our friends who run a ranch, "Maw-Maw" & "Big Daddy". Every time we go to their house, Logann begs to wear her "cowboy" boots (her pink, winter boots with fur) and her "cowboy" hat (her hot pink, cotton, bucket hat). She puts them on any time she rides her stick horse. The other day, while she was riding, she even said, "Look at me, Momma. I'm a cowboy!" So, tonight for her last dinner with Maw-Maw & Big Daddy, we told her she could wear her boots and her hat, even if it didn't match her outfit.

We enjoyed wonderful steaks, baked potatoes, bread, salad, and strawberry shortcake. After dinner, they surprised Logann with a going away present--red and brown cowboy boots! They told her the brown was to represent Texas, and the red was to represent the Sooners. At first, we had trouble convincing her that her pink boots were not actually cowboy boots, and that these brown & red boots were what real cowboys wore to ride horses. After much talk, she finally took off the pink boots and put on the cowboy boots.

They took Logann outside, and she became a real cowgirl because she rode her first horse. She didn't want anything to do with the horse unless I rode with her. So, I put my childhood nightmares in the back of my mind, and I hopped up on that horse (actually someone had to give me a little boost), and Logann and I rode him around the ranch. He was very gentle and slow. We walked by the barns, across the yard, and up the drives. We were headed back to the beginning when the unthinkable happened...I saw my life flash before my eyes...I shouted for help...I pondered if I should toss Logann off before we all crashed...I had to make a split second decision with our lives...

the horse stopped and knelt down to eat grass. I'm sure it was no big deal, and I'm sure he was probably moving in slow motion, but to me (flashing back to 4th grade when I learned to ride the fastest horse on the planet) I remembered why I had nightmares. I have no clue how to ride a horse. We recovered from the kneel, and the horse walked back to the group. No one seemed to be bothered by the incident, so I had to pretend that everything was fantastic. I tossed Logann to the first person I saw, and I nonchalantly dismounted the horse. Logann had a great time, and I pretended that I did as well!

I know I may not be a true Texan, but my daughter is...she even has the boots to prove it!

We sure love our Texas friends. You will all be missed, but we know we will see you again soon!