Wait, I'm a little bit country?

Or a little bit rock and roll? (I don't know how to accurately type out the drum noise indicating that this was an intentional corny joke)

If we've ever been introduced or have been around when someone asks me "where are you from?" Then you are aware of how this is a difficult question for me that is a great conversation starter / can be slightly annoying when someone is engaging in routine small talk. I moved around a lot as a kid and then went out of state for college with a smattering of other adventures thrown in there.

Let's do the brief recap version for people who aren't sick of hearing about where I've lived growing up...

Birth -1990 = Savannah, Missouri (a lady never reveals her age...I'm 24)
1990-1997 = Naperville, Illinois (Chicago suburb)
1997-2006 = Plano, Texas (Dallas suburb)
2006-2010 (mostly) = Columbia, Missouri (University of Missouri)
Spring 2009 = Barcelona, Spain
2010-present = San Antonio, Texas

After moving around so much, my sister and I picked up a bunch of really weird accents. Hers is more of a twangy North on certain words. If you ask her to say "Valentines Day" it really is hilarious. I thought my accents had neutralized each other out leaving me to sound like a normal person.

I was mistaken.

This weekend one of my law school friends turned 25 (eek!) and celebrated by throwing a pub golf bar crawl and everyone was encouraged to wear golf or derby attire. I think the compromise was similar to country club Easter attire. After the porch pregame the group ventured to a bar where I ordered honey whiskey and water. This is the moment when someone pointed out to me that I started sounding super country. The more I tried to fix it, the worse it got. It's not like I never played up a Texas accent at Mizzou to sound different and charming. It did get my roommate in college and I invitations to a Bachelor Party in the penthouse suite in Kansas City once (boom). But, me having an accent was never accidental.

Maybe after living in Texas for the slight majority of my life has finally taken it's toll. Maybe it was the southern themed party. Maybe it was the whiskey....It was probably the whiskey.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not insulted because being Texan is amazing and I fully intend on living here for a while. I'm simply not ready to fully embrace being country yet. I'll compromise with being half-country and half-Yankee. Like Missouri in the Civil War....I see what's happening here.....

My friend Ashley and I at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth last summer. We're obviously the ones looking awkward and out of place.