As the great Owen Wilson once said, “It’s hard to be in a bad mood if I’m wearing a cowboy hat.” I have now completed four years of in-depth research on this statement by yee-hawing it up in Texas, and I can confirm he was 100% accurate. Judging by my constant use of “y’all” I will be a TCU Horned Frog for life; however, I also determine the caliber of restaurants by their ranch dressing — yes, this is a flawless method — so it’s fair to say I am an Iowa girl at heart.

My motto when driving is drive it or park it, and surprisingly, I didn’t develop my aggressive habits in the big cities of Texas — they began far earlier in a town 1/70th of the size. But let me tell you, Dallas certainly didn’t help. I am a tad vertically challenged so I cannot reach the top shelf, but out of determination (and a little bit of pride) I will climb on the counter before asking a tall person to help me out. I am also a professional napper. My longest nap to date extended over a stretch of 860 miles in the back seat of my parents’ car all the way to Virginia. You can inevitably catch me jamming to Billy Joel, planning next-year’s Christmas gifts, or on the hunt for the warmest pair of socks.