Howdy. I’m Carie. Maybe you stumbled over that. It’s pronounced “CARE-ee,” and yes, it only has one “r.” You’re still stuck on the howdy, aren’t you? Get over it. It’s a great word. It’s a wonderful combination of “hello” and “how do you do.” It’s concise, to the point, and wonderfully happy. You can’t bemoan your existence as you greet someone with the word “howdy.” You just have to smile and nod as the word rolls off your tongue. But again, you might have thought, “How quaint,” and smiled that thick, molasses kind of smile that makes me sick. Or many more of you just stopped and said, “Shit. She’s a southerner.”

I’m a Texan to be exact, and if you know anything about those few of us who are actually native to the state in which we live, we don’t consider ourselves Southerners. It’s a stretch for us to even think of ourselves as Americans. We’re Texans. We’re Texans before we’re anything else. When I’m traveling abroad, there’s a wave of relief when they find out that you’re not just another American. You’re from Texas. They know you’re different. There’s a sense of excitement—a building anticipation that anything is possible. Anything could happen.

In my travels, I’ve been asked hundreds of questions about horses, boots, cattle ranches, oil rigs, the Alamo and Southfork. I answered yes to so many of the questions on my first trip to Europe all those years ago, that I realized I was a true Texan—almost a stereotype, but without any of the rhinestones or big, bottle-blonde hair. I didn’t have to fake it by polishing up a pair a silver-tipped boots and donning a white cowboy hat. I was a Texan with all the right trimmings. Family ranches, farm houses, horses, cattle, an ancestor that died in the Alamo, another ancestor who was a Texas Ranger, a few more that were cattle-rustlers, and my bright life under the stars. I own my fair share of boots and cowboy hats, but not because I like to frequent Gilley’s or have ever been to the Cattle Baron’s Ball. I have these trappings because they are part of who I am. They are my history and heritage as much as all of the family stories. I’m a Texan and damn proud of it.

So, howdy. I’m Carie. Who are you?