Located pretty close to the middle of the Dalas-Fort Worth metroplex, Southlake, Texas is a town of almost 30,000 people full of pride and dressed in emerald green. After 13 years of immersing myself in all that Southlake has to offer, I confirm that the town sure does live up to its name (and yes, a few of its stereotypes). To my fellow dragons, here are 13 signs that Southlake (to some extent) will always be considered home.
1. You know that high school sports ARE important.
High school sports aren't something to joke about; two-a-days aren't the exception, they're the norm; and you can bet there will always be a large crowd at every sporting event, even the ones in Oklahoma. Also, yard signs are everywhere. If you're in a sport, you have a yard sign with your name on it standing proudly in front of your bushes. You didn't even have to ask for it, your parents sought it out for you.
2. "Dragons Aren't Real" is the worst saying you've ever heard.
I really can't even go on about this one. Please, find a new saying. If dragons aren't real, then who's holding that trophy?
3. Homecoming mums; the bigger, the better.
The mums are a big deal. They get significantly bigger every year, and to all of you not from Texas: yes, hundreds of dollars are spent on these. No, we don't wear them to school or to the Homecoming dance. We wear them to the football game. (Or, you can give the money you would spend on a mum to help feed families at Thanksgiving, thanks to a new organization Mumz4Kidz!).
4. Your memory of Homecoming dances are almost as big as prom.
Yes, we go to our Homecoming dance. And no, it's not in our school gym. Traveling to the Texas Gaylord in party buses and limos after hair and nail appointments and hours of getting ready is the typical expectation of the Saturday of Homecoming.
5. You're in denial that Rex Teter isn't open for business anymore.
What. Rex has been taking the town's pictures for years. He can't be gone. No other photographers exist, who could possibly take his place? Nope, it was definitely a joke, just a joke.
6. You dread living somewhere else because all the shopping you need is just down the road.
Southlake Town Square has its ups and downs. For one, I could personally do without the traffic that the shopping center brings in, as well as the middle schoolers running around screaming while I'm just trying to pick up a birthday present for a friend. However, the convenience that the Town Square brings is worth it. After being in college for a year, I know I definitely took the proximity of an Apple Store for granted (hour drive to Oklahoma City, here I come).
7. You know Tropical Sno has, and always will have, the best snow cones.
The day the snow cone stand opens is always the best day of the year (extra gummy bears, please!). It's also the perfect place to be social; we all know you see at least five people you know while you're at Tropical Sno. Plus, its proximity to the lake makes it a perfect pit stop before or after a lake trip or sunset watch-party.
8. Personalized Southlake license plates are fine.
Having a license plate personalized specifically for your town's high school team is totally fine. Most likely, the number will include something about dragons, your role as a dragon mom or dad, or whatever sport your children partake in. It's cool, not weird.
9. You think painted parking spaces are completely normal.
A painted parking space absolutely does not phase me anymore. The fact that most of us have spent hours painting a rectangular piece of concrete or helping our kids should probably unsettle us, but at this point, it'd be lame if we didn't do that. Not to mention the amount of time prior to the painting that we're already thinking of designs. We all know that during the last few weeks before school, you can't cut through the parking lot to avoid speed bumps without knocking over seven cans of paint.
10. Blonde hair dye makes you cringe and feel a surge of pride all at the same time.
Playoff season brings about the best and the worst time of the year. Playoffs are very, very, very, very, very important in Southlake, and so is the hair dye. During the week before the first play off game, the halls of the high school change from dominantly brunette to dominantly yellow and orange. For some boys, the dye doesn't cause any problems. However, for others, you wish for their sake that hair bleach wasn't our tradition.
11. Seeing "South Lake" makes you want to throw your phone across the room.
Southlake. No, we didn't spell it wrong. Check out our water tower, THERE'S NO SPACE.
12. This picture is all too familiar.
Roxann Taylor. You're not quite sure what she does, but you know her face just about as well as you know your mom's.
13. Don't even talk about the police.
We are very thankful for the safety of our town that the police bring. However, "officer, I was only going three miles per hour over the speed limit" has probably been said on the side of the road more times than any of us can count.
14. You understand that tradition is to be protected.
Southlake has a tradition. It's known as a "winning tradition," but to us who have experienced it, it's more than that. Yes, in Southlake, winning is very important. But through the process, we learn a significant amount about ourselves and our identity. We don't ever have to fear a lack of support and we're all a part of something bigger than ourselves. The fact that we want to improve Southlake as a whole pushes us more than just improving ourselves ever could. Our tradition we protect isn't just that of winning, it's that of being a family. Southlake is a legendary town, and we're intent on keeping it that way.
