Born Country.

3:34 PM

I guess it's rather ironic, but even after growing up surrounded by corn fields and pig farms in the heart of the midwest, I'd never thought of myself much as a "country girl". Don't get me wrong, I love the country. It'd be a dream come true to raise my family on 10 acres with lots of trees and free-range chickens and all that jazz. Rocking on the front porch with a couple of glasses of sweet tea, barbecued chicken, and a little Brad Paisley sounds pretty good to me. And there ain't nobody that doesn't love them some flannel shirt and wide open spaces.

To some of you city folk, I probably just described what you think of as quintessential country. But even after all of that, I didn't think of myself as a true-blooded Country Girl. Maybe I was in denial? Who knows. But there are social classes you know, and in my own mind, I just had never taken that full plunge into the western world. You know….the boots, bling, belt buckles, Kenny Chesney, Mountain Dew and big, loud pickup trucks.

But when I moved to the Willamette Valley that we now call home, I went from "small town in the midwest'' to "The Grass seed capital of the world". Everyone around here farms, works for a farmer, or is related to someone who does. And if there's someone who doesn't fit into that category, I'm not sure if I've ever met them. If I wasn't sure if I lived in the country before, I am livin' IN the Country now. And you know what? I've discovered a new-found appreciation for Western style and culture and all that that entails. And before I fully realized what was happening, I (completely on a whim) entered a Coastal Farm & Ranch giveaway for a pair of Justin boots and believe it or not as fate would have it…….

... I won.

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Now mind you, I never win anything. Well, I guess I can't say that now, but I hardly EVER win anything! In fact, it is a general rule that I lose things. Games of Scrabble against Randy, my cell phone and other prized possessions, my mind every now and then…..you name it, I can lose it. Sometimes I just don't feel like much of a winner. And so I was shocked, delighted and just a little bit giddy when I actually, truly, won something. And that something was a pair of these:

So I picked out my winning pair, left with a huge grin on my face, and decided to embrace country/western style a little bit more in my life. And you know what? It's actually a lot of fun. And that's not all…..I certainly was impressed with their boot selection, but I didn't expect to be so impressed by their clothing in general! I don't know about you, but the name "Coastal Farm and Ranch" never really shouted fashion to me. But they have some amazing stuff, so if you're anywhere near one, you really need to check them out.