Santa Fe, N.M.! You've been good to me, but I'm back in the greatest state of the Union. And boy, am I glad to be back. Sure, I'll miss the mountains and the option of getting hatch peppers on everything, but here's 10 things I'm glad to come back to.
1. Texas Everywhere!
Not seeing the Great State everywhere was really weird. I've got my wallet and my jacket, but driving past shops with only American flag merchandise was heartbreaking.
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2. Chilli
No I don't mean Hatch peppers. I mean that wonderful dish with meat and cheese and is often poured over fritos to make frito pies.
3. Sweet Tea
The nectar of the gods if you will. It comes sweet. I'm ready to stop hearing the sentence "No, but we have unsweet tea and there's sugar right there."
4. The word y'all
Y'all have no idea how bad I need to hear this said properly. Don't get me started on the folks that spell it "ya'll." Y'all're wrong.
5. Southern Hospitality
People are mean. There's just something so comforting knowing that I can say, "How're you doing?" and not get some weird look.
6. The Dallas Cowboys
Sure there are some Cowboys fans in N.M., but there's nothing like seeing Cowboys merchandise at every turn.
7. Bluebonnets
There's a million and one stories on how they first came about, but there's nothing like seeing fields full of that wonderful blue.
8. Whataburger
Yes, Albuquerque has a few. Whataburger is loved so much that on April 9, 2001 it was declared a Texas Treasure.
9. 23 Division 1 Schools
Texas has 23 of them. New Mexico has 2.
10. Texas
No matter how hard New Mexico tries, it'll never be Texas. You'll never have mums, Matthew McConaughey, or the Lone Star. There's a reason Davy Crockett said, "You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas."
