The Top Ten Things I Learned in Texas

I visited both Austin and Dallas this weekend (well, from last Thursday until today when I came home) to watch my husband's cousin graduate from the University of Texas. Rather than bore you with the details, I figured it would be fun to give you a little Top Ten list.

The Top Ten Things I Learned in Texas

1. 90 degrees in Texas feels cooler than 90 degrees in South Florida. It's a humidity thing. I don't think I broke a sweat in Texas, and I actually had to wear a little hoody jacket on occasion.
2. There is a reason American Airlines is having financial trouble. Mainly, they stink. Aside from our planes taking off late both times, they are now charging passengers $25 a bag for more than one bag checked. And don't even give you a little bag of pretzels during the flight! But you can buy a cookie for $3 if you're really that hungry. (You'll have to excuse my sarcasm. I've spent A LOT of time in the airport today!)
3. I can't bowl worth a darn in real life, but I've got a nasty hook when I play Wii! And my shoes still look pretty!
4. Austin food ROCKS! The rumors are true. And I ate way too much!
5. I really do think the horizon is bigger in Texas. I don't know why this is, but it made me feel really small.
6. Texas is one of the only states that can fly the state flag at the same height as the American Flag. I think it has to do with Texas once being another country. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this because I'm very pro-America, but I personally would like the Texans fighting on my side during a battle, so I'm not going to say anything.
7. Going to bed at 3:00am and waking up at 6:00am on consecutive days is exhausting... But I didn't have a choice. I had to get the radio show recorded, uploaded, and converted to an MP3 so I could podcast it on Friday.
8. Texas hailstorms can cause some damage. A massive storm went through Austin and broke all the western windows in my cousin's apartment. $120,000 worth of damage to the city. Or was that million? I don't remember. It was kind of funny listening to everyone go, "Wow! Look at all the leaves on the ground." Or, "Look at that tree branch that snapped." I was thinking, "I remember back during Hurricane Wilma...or was that Charlie... Wait it could have been Ivan. Or, no, it could have been Andrew..." Of course, I rarely see hail in Florida. (I can hear my friends from Louisiana, saying, "Um, we've got you beat when it comes to hurricanes, sister.")
9. It's pretty cool to watch the UT Tower light up in orange for graduation.
10. Don't forget to pack a pair of flats when you go on vacation. I forgot my flip flops and had two pairs of shoes: brown heels and black heels. walking across the UT campus in heels was no picnic--especially with less than 6 hours of sleep in two days. Still, I can walk without pain in my foot right now, so it wasn't as bad as wearing heels the whole weekend at OmegaCon...