Blame It On My Roots

I'm a country music loving, cowboy boot wearing, small town Oklahoma girl who had no idea just how country she was until she moved to the city! I can't tell you how many times since moving to Norman for college that I've caught myself saying "blame it on my roots" which then of course leads me to start singing the rest of Garth's famous song "Friends in Low Places."

I couldn't figure out why my iPhone died every day, until I realized that not everyone has music playing all day like I do. A few of the artists on my "Top 25 Most Played" list are: Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Brantley Gilbert, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Chase Rice, Randy Houser, Brooks & Dunn, and Garth Brooks. And if I'm in the car, you can bet that one of them will be turned up way too loud and I will be singing right along.

Matt Mahler and I have become pretty good friends since I began interning, and it's always drove me crazy that he's not a country music fan. I'm always playing songs for him and he's always telling me that it sounds just like the last one. However, just last week the weather was calm and I pulled up YouTube and started playing Pickup Man by Joe Diffie (PS he's from my little hometown of Velma!) and low and behold Matt said he really liked this song! We're finally converting him into country music! But what might possibly be the most exciting part about that moment is the fact that I realized I wasn't the only one singing along with Joe….. Michael Armstrong himself knew every word! It absolutely made my day!

So I like country music……. And I like cowboy boots…. All fine and dandy when you live in a small town, but when you wear a dress and cowboy boots to class at OU you get all kinds of weird looks and comments. One day a girl asked "are you going to a Taylor Swift concert or something?" after I stopped laughing my reply: "bless your heart; blame it on my roots I showed up in boots." It may not be the norm in Norman, but as you can tell from the picture on the right, it hasn't stopped me from buying more boots. Maybe most people would think that 7 pair of boots was enough, but I've already got my eye set on another pair… How many days until Christmas?

Bottom line: stick to your roots, you don't have to change just because what you do is different than the people around you! Oh and of course, if you ever need a two stepping partner, count me in! Until next time, you can find me on Twitter @ShelbyWX