Country Goodness

             My blog is titled "City Girl Meets Country Boy". It would only make sense to blog about this city meets country adventure that I have begun. So here is to the wonderful country immersion I have subjected myself to by saying, "Yes" to my country-boy, Aggie sweetheart.

At Henry's parent's ranch in Hico, TX (pronounced HI-CO not HICK-O) - I have always loved horses and gone to visit stables whenever I can. I was in awe when Henry took me down through wooded areas on four wheelers into a clearing with numerous horses and cows.



The view of the field as we rode in on the 4-wheeler - You don't get to see this much open space in the city very often - other than when my parents took us camping. I loved it!




Sitting on the front porch - this was the view of the sky as the sun began to set one evening
it was absolutely beautiful!




Henry, with the help of his parents, planned us a month long trip after we had been dating for only 4 months! A road trip to New Mexico and Colorado for some four-wheeling adventures. Seeing as we would be doing some hiking and walking Henry bought me my first pair of "boots".




With Henry's parents in Colorado - Or this may be New Mexico - I'll double check.




Four-wheeling: At the top of Imogene Pass from Ouray to Telluride, Colorado - one of the most beautiful places I have seen! It was an amazing trip on the four-wheeler (green one in the background). I had only been on four-wheelers a few times, and only in open fields - this was much different and so much fun!




Henry crossing one of the FREEZING cold streams in Colorado from all the snow melting





Chili-fest!! When Henry and I met he asked me if I liked Country music - of course! - "No, no" he says, "Do you like Nashville or Texas country?" - "What is the difference?" - In Houston we don't have a "Texas Country" music station so I had no idea there was even a difference. Apparently there is a huge difference. This led to Chili-fest! A 2 day long Texas Music sh*t-show (pardon the language) - College Students create teams and spend all friday evening and saturday drinking endless beer, eating, and listening to the numerous Texas Country performers that attend. It's actually a ton of fun! These guys are holding up signs with numbers for the girls - and guys - who walk by.




This is one of the things Henry and his friends do for fun - Go to a ranch, create a huge bonfire, bring chairs, trucks, four-wheelers, listen to music and drink. In the city we did something similar, but we didn't have ranches - we had the beach.




My introduction to Barbacoa! Henry had bought me barbacoa tacos once and it was delicious - he then told me what it was. Meat from the head of a cow - or in this instance it was a goat. We went to an after wedding party hosted by a friend's family who had made menudo and barbacoa! I walked in the kitchen excited to try the barbacoa and the mom points to a white bucket lined with foil on the floor. I take a deep breath, walk over, and this is what I see! Barbacoa - skull and all! I know I love it - so I pulled the meat off the skull and filled my tacos - it was the best barbacoa I have had to date.




Small town rodeo - Henry tells me we are going to the rodeo and we have box seats, I get all dolled up and ready to go. Woohoo! We pull up to an outdoor arena with a dirt parking lot and people riding their horses everywhere. I look rather confused and ask, "Where is the indoor part?" See in Houston, we have the Houston Rodeo, it's ginormous and has outdoor things, but most of it is in a big indoor arena. Henry starts laughing and informs me, "We are in Cleburne, there is no indoor arena city girl." "So no air conditioning? It's hot! I would've worn shorts if I knew we were going to be outside." lol It was a ton of fun though and of course saw a ton of people we knew. Oh and this photo is taken from the box seats - I could stretch my feet out onto the dirt! I also had dirt flung in my eyes, down my shirt, in my purse and mouth from the bull-riding because we were so close haha



Henry's 25th birthday out on the ranch with friends.

           Man do I have so many photos to post. But I think this will do for now. I have really grown to love this small town life I have subjected myself to for the past year, and I am sure the surprises won't end anytime soon.