Houston Part II

When I last left you, we were at Amy's and ready to head on out to the pre-rodeo party. From the minute I stepped off the plane in Houston, I knew one thing for certain, Houston takes its rodeo very seriously. (There's an exhibit dedicated to it in the airport.) And I also knew one other thing, a rodeo party likely meant cowboys...or at least men dressed like cowboys. Which if we're being honest is perfectly fine by me. I mean I like the way cowboys look but actually dating a man who's career is a cowboy? I'm not sure. (Although, and this is another post to come, I just started reading this book and I'll tell ya, she makes the Marlboro Man sound pretty freaking perfect.)

So anyway, after a short (and very windy) cab ride, we were there.  I'm not even entirely sure I can do justice to the party itself. 

 State Fair-esque in the front.

Sae attempting to read the most confusing map ever created.

 

 It was kind of like state fair...but less food. Lots of carnival rides. The whole thing is make up of giant tents full of food, booze and music. The strange part is that they're all private parties. So you can have access to the few food tents, the free BBQ which was a little sketchy at best, and the rides. The rest of the fun was behind closed doors  ropes protected by bouncers. And you had to have credentials to get in. So instead we decided to check out the live music at the main stage. Nothing like a little country music to get you in the mood for some rodeo right? Not quite. It was a somewhat questionable "rock" band? Mostly screaming, a little yelling and occasionally some singing. However, never to let our night be ruined, we made the very best of it. Drank our beers, scored some free coozies, and checked out the free eye candy (which beat out the free BBQ by a million.) 

 Tried to get the Ferris Wheel in the pic. Note: Amy's Coozie. 

 

Enjoying Sae's $10 hamburger with cheese off a construction cone. 

 

 It was humid and windy and we knew our hair was going to hell quickly. 

But alas, our fun had peaked and we were ready to move the party on. Which is where we ended up at quite possibly my favorite point of the vacation. At least the top 3 for sure. I'm calling it a Honky Tonk though I'm not sure it's a legit honky tonk. But hailing from Wisconsin, it's as close as I've been. Big open dance floor, small bar in the corner, wood every where and of course a mechanical bull. And I was in heaven. Or so I thought. And then, things just kept getting better. 

 

 Before we had gentlemen to dance with Sae did her best at leading me.

 Learned a new line dance! Which we'd later break out in a gift shop in Kemah. 

We met a group of gentleman from Louisiana. They broke the ice by telling us about alligator hunting. Seriously. When we moved to the dance floor area to have a seat, they followed us down. And then shit got downright awesome. One of them, possibly the drunkest of them all, whistled in our direction. Typically, not a fan, but he somehow pulled it off quite well. A few of them asked us to dance. For the most part my experience in dancing with boys is somewhere in the wheelhouse of 8th grade dancing. Hands on shoulders, his on my hips. Commence swaying back and forth in one direction, sometimes in circles if he was a confident dancer. 

Please note the gentleman on the left is spinning Kat. They knew what they were doing.

That is NOT how this went. Ladies, I am here to tell you that there is such a thing as men LEADING you on a dance floor. And when they know how to dance, you don't have to. And they make you look good. And it's every bit as awesome as you think. Also, it's just as romantic (not something I expected to say about a place with a mechanical bull and a coors light in a coozie kind of night.) And then? When you think you're living in an urban myth? They THANK you for the dance. I know, I know. Just take a minute. Let it sink in. 

 Few things to point out: This was one of the "worst" of the dancers and I still had fun. 

Secondly, the guy on the left is the alligator wrestler himself. 

Who we later learned was 22. 

We felt a tid bit old. But hot. Like hot older women?

Every time we sat down, they jumped up to ask us to dance. We pretty much all rotated through the group. Sometimes they were really good dancers. Sometimes they weren't so much. For the most part Sae took one for the team and soaked up the bad ones. She's a team player, that one. 

 This guy WAS the worst dancer. And look at what a champ Sae was. 

This also could have been right after they discussed he was IN school and she TEACHES at a school.

We were literally enamored watching them dance. There was another guy there who we don't have any pictures of who could MOVE. He  could offer lessons in dancing. He was amazing and I was smitten. We seriously just watched him, jaw on the floor, staring. Come to think of it, we were those girls...but didn't care one single bit. 

Looks like I'll split Houston into 3 posts. I should have anticipated the longest post being about this night. I'm still living it in my dreams. Oh you southern men, you've got me hooked.