Texas

My sister-in-law sent me an interesting email...yeah it was a forward, but some of the information was really interesting. I have lived in Texas all of my life and I have enjoyed it...of course I have very little to compare it to.
For example, over the Christmas holiday we traveled with Paul's dad and step-mom to Iowa. Paul's dad grew up there and we went for a family reunion. We were only there for four days, however each day I grew more and more aware of how much I enjoy living in Texas. We drove 11 hours to get there on Thursday after Christmas and we steadily watched the temperature fall the further north we went. The entire time we were there the temperature never rose above 18 degrees....YES I said 18! It was FREEZING...no MORE than freezing. There was 6-8 inches of fresh powder snow on the ground that was truly beautiful. Of course my kids wanted to play in it. So we did the whole thing...layer after layer after layer of clothing and gloves and hats and chapstick on the face so that they wouldn't get windburned. Abby was the only one who said she had to go to the bathroom! So we took it all off, went to the bathroom, put it all back on...and 45 minutes later we were off to play in the snow. The kids were disappointed that they couldn't build a snowman or throw snowballs because the snow was so dry. They got over it quickly and had a great time at the park.
I was so cold the whole time we were there and I just kept telling all of the relatives, "This is the reason God put me in Texas!" They just laughed at me...you have to know that to them I am the "Southern City Girl". I'm the one who hadn't seen a cow up close or ridden a tractor. I'm the one who was completely gob-smacked when I saw the town for the first time...all 4 (count them 1-2-3-4) buildings!
All in all we had a fun time and when I get some pics uploaded to my computer I'll put some up! Meanwhile here's some of the email that started all this.............



>Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about folks
> from Texas...
>
> If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance
> and they don't work there, you may live in Texas;

> If "Vacation" means going anywhere south of Dallas
> for the weekend, you may live in Texas;

> If you know several people who have hit a deer more
> than once, you may live in Texas;

>
> If you find 60 degrees "a little chilly," you may
> live in Texas;
>
> If you actually understand these jokes, and share
> them with all your Texas friends, you definitely
> live in Texas.
>
> Here are some little known, very interesting facts
> about Texas .
>
> 1. Beaumont to El Paso: 742 miles
>
> 2. Beaumont to Chicago: 770 miles
>
> 3. El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas
>
> 4. World's first rodeo was in Pecos, July 4, 1883.
>
> 5 The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel
> in North America built over water.
>
> 6. The Heisman Trophy was named after John William
> Heisman who was the first full-time coach at Rice
> University in Houston.
>
> 7. Brazoria County has more species of birds than
> any other area in North America.
>
> 8. Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of
> North America's only remaining flock of whooping
> cranes.
>
> 9. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in
> 1978.
>
> 10. The worst natural disaster in U.S . history was
> in 1900, caused by a hurricane, in which over 8,000
> lives were lost on Galveston Island.
>
> 11. The first word spoken from the moon, July 20,
> 1969, was " Houston."
>
> 12. King Ranch in South Texas is larger than Rhode
> Island.
>
> 13. Tropical Storm Claudette brought a U.S.
> rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around
> Alvin in July of 1979.
>
> 14. Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by
> TREATY, (known as the Constitution of 1845 by the
> Republic of Texas to enter the Union) instead of by
> annexation. This allows the Texas Flag to fly at the
> same height as the U.S. Flag, and may divide into 5
> states.
>
> 15. A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be
> 1500 years old.
>
> 16. Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the
> state.
>
> 17. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There
> is no period in Dr Pepper.
>
> 18. Texas has had six capital cities:
> Washington-on- the Brazos, Harrisburg, Galveston,
> Velasco, West Columbia and Austin.
>
> 19. The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in
> the US. which is taller than the Capitol Building in
> Washington DC (by 7 feet).
>
> 20. The name "Texas" comes from the Hasini Indian
> word "tejas" meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish
> for Texas
>
> 21. The State Mascot is the Armadillo (an
> interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is
> they always have four babies. They have one egg,
> which splits into four, and they either have four
> males or four females.).
>
> 22. The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the
> Astrodome in Houston.